NYC Council District 22 Election: Tiffany Cabán Seeks Seat

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Democratic voters in New York City's 22nd Council district, which includes Astoria, Rikers Island, parts of Jackson Heights, Woodside and East Elmhurst, saw six names on their ballots when they voted in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names was Tiffany Cabán, a career public defender and national political organizer.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the primary election to create profiles, and we're updating them ahead of the Nov. 2 general election. Cabán's responses are below.

Age (as of Election Day)

33

Position sought

City Council District 22

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)

Astoria

Family

My older brother and I were raised here in Queens by my mother, a domestic worker, and my dad, a union elevator mechanic.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

Penn State (B.S.)
New York Law School (J.D.)

Occupation

For years, I worked as a public defender, representing Black, brown and low-income New Yorkers in a criminal legal system rooted in racism and the criminalization of poverty, mental illness and substance use disorder resulting in mass incarceration. I represented over 1000 clients in court, with charges ranging from turnstile jumping to homicide. Many of my clients were held right here in the District on Rikers Island.

I am an organizer and activist. At the Working Families Party, I serve as a political organizer and senior strategist to recruit, train, and elect progressive prosecutors around the country. Here on the city and state level, I provide policy and legislative support to progressive electeds, whip votes of elected officials on pending legislation, and help community based organizations run more targeted, effective issue-based campaigns that then turn into wins for our communities.

I also teach, from guest lecturing at law schools and universities to entire organizing curriculums for the Movement School.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign Website

https://www.cabanforqueens.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for City Council here in District 22 because this is where the work is – this is what the moment and my love for my neighbors demands. I want to see a wave of City Council Members who not only have the ability to propose policies, but also intimately understand how the implementation of transformative policies will benefit their communities.

This moment demands political imagination. We don’t have time to wait. The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated our communities. But a crisis, by definition, is a turning point. It is an opportunity to bypass small incremental reform and achieve bold transformative change.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Budget justice. Everything our city does is a zero-sum game, and right now too much of that sum is going to policing and incarceration. We have to stop funding tools of violence and start funding tools that uplift our communities. Budget justice means investing in the communities most impacted by histories of oppression in all its forms – from policing to education to the environment to housing. We cannot achieve our goals in any of these spaces without comprehensive budget justice.

Here in District 22 we have the highest stop and frisk rates in Queens and the highest asthma rates. That is not a coincidence. Those things are connected. We must address the crises we face by greening our city through union jobs, open public spaces, more bus and bike lanes, clean and resilient infrastructure, expanding composting, sustainable and deeply affordable housing, and implementing flood resiliency plans. We must desegregate and fully fund our public schools. We must create community-based public health systems that meet people’s needs where they are through services and support. And we can only do these things if our budget reflects our values – if we have a just budget.

Check out my full environmental plan “A Green New Deal for New York City.”

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

First, I want to highlight how we have built one of the broadest, most diverse coalitions of any City Council campaign in the City. That is because our movement sees this as a generational opportunity for fundamental change. We have brought together over 50 community based organizations, labor unions, and elected leaders that are ready to change the lives of working people in our community.

My organizing background, my skill in coalition-building and my demonstrated commitment to co-governance are all suited to this moment, as is my ability to help move legislation that communities prioritize.

I came to this work not because I saw inequity and wanted to fix it, but because I have lived it and this work is tied to the survival of myself, my family, my community, and the people I love most. I was raised by Puerto Rican parents who grew up in public housing. I know what it feels like to be part of a community that has been divested from. To experience exposure to gun violence, mental health and substance use disorder, and economic insecurity. To know that the cure is less policing and incarcerations and much deeper investments in our community.

What sets me apart is the movement our campaign is working to bring to power – a movement that is focused on reimagining our institutions, and restoring the neighborhoods impacted generation after generation by annual investments in police and incarceration instead of community-based services. Our movement has a job to do in order to ensure our survival, and our time is now. ..

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

While we have had some good officials show up in the ways they can, City Council has failed our communities leading up to the pandemic, and facilitated the conditions that made the pandemic so devastating. It is unconscionable that 20 hospitals were closed when we needed help the most. District 22 residents now have to travel significant distances to get urgent care, and the problem is getting worse citywide as providers consolidate and profits come before people’s lives. We need to invest in comprehensive, scaled up neighborhood-based networks of care, peer support, counseling, and individualized services that meet people where they are. If we build out our public health infrastructure, we will not only be more resilient when the next pandemic or hurricane or system shock hits – we will also address the root causes of problems in our communities without relying on more violence through policing and incarceration.

We have to invest in the things our communities so desperately need.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Everything we do is built on co-governance. Our commitment to that principle has built into a call for policy changes that address the complicated web of systemic issues that cause instability in our communities.

We need a care economy that prioritizes our neighborhood’s working families over wealthy people and large corporations. We need scaled-up green initiatives, like the Renewable Rikers plan and community-wide composting, that will fight the climate crisis and create good union jobs. We need to desegregate and fully fund our public schools, fully fund NYCHA, and fully fund public healthcare – and the only way we can fund the things that keep us safe and healthy is by divesting from the bloated policing and incarceration budget.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I handled over a thousand cases over the years as a public defender, working alongside clients, their families, and service providers to get the best possible outcome for my clients. I saw that the people I worked for were inevitably also victims, and that the systems in place simply were not designed to help. I ran for District Attorney to change those systems, and helped build a movement for decarceration. After the election I used my platform and organizing background to build coalitions rooted in co-governance, and helped pass bills in City Council and Albany while building bridges to bring people into the fold on difficult issues like decriminalizing sex work, substance use and mental illness. I stood up to immense pressure in each circumstance and never lost sight of the fundamental demands and values our movement has called for.

Organizing has shown me what is possible when we are unapologetically bold.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

After I narrowly lost the Queens District Attorney race in 2019, I spoke to Stacey Abrams. She said, “You ran for DA for a very specific reason. You are not in that seat, and so now you have to find another way to do that same work.” Her words anchor me every single day to a singular goal --- helping to create the safest and healthiest communities possible, especially for the most vulnerable of us.

That goal drives every single thing that I do. It is why I became a public defender. It is why I organize. And it is why I am running for City Council.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a movement candidate, and when I am in office you will never have to worry about whose side I am on. I will go to the Council everyday ready to fight for the working families here in District 22, and the working families across the City.