A Vote For Mahtab Is A Vote For:
+Taxing The Rich
As a Democratic Socialist, I believe that we need to tax the rich (ultra millionaires and billionaires). The rich otherwise known as the top 1% need to pay their fair share of taxes for us to better utilize that funding for the community and lessen the burden on everyone else.
+Human Rights
I am an anti-war and human rights activist. I believe that taxpayer dollars should not go to any foreign governments or nonprofits sending taxpayer dollars to foreign governments violating international law by committing human rights violations or war crimes as recognized by the United Nations. Nor should nonprofits or businesses involved in sending money to foreign governments committing human rights violations or war crimes receive tax breaks.
+Affordability
As a former volunteer on Mayor Zohran Mamdani's campaign,
I support helping advocate for his vision. I will fight for his platform on the state level for affordability with Universal Childcare,
Fast + Free Busses, Affordable Groceries, Rent Freeze, etc.
Being able to live a dignified life is a basic human right.
I will also join my fellow legislators in city and state government to pressure the Governor to support Mayor Mamdani's platform.
I also hope to expand on Zohran's platform in also advocating for free MTA Subway transportation accessibility and a rent freeze for all tenant (not just for tenants of rent stabilized units).
I also hope to pass a rent freeze for small businesses
(mom and pop shops) including restaurants who have been struggling as well with many having closed down or being priced out due to expenses with inflation and risings rent because of greedy landlords.
+Housing Justice
I am a tenant and housing rights activist. Housing is a human right.
It was unfortunate to see greedy landlords raise the rent on working class people all these years and for the former Mayor Eric Adams raising the rent through his Rent Guidelines Board, even during the pandemic while folks for unable to go to work and struggling financially. This has also happened especially when the minimum wage has remained a stagnant ~ $16 while the rich have gotten richer exploiting the working class and finding loopholes to avoid paying taxes or taking actual government handouts in the form of subsidies to protect profits of big business.
I believe we need to stop landlords and the real estate industry from raising the rent with a statewide rent freeze for tenants, but even for small businesses (mom and pop shops) as well as restaurants who are also being priced out and having to shut down. We want to New Yorkers and our small businesses to not only stay here in New York, but thrive.
We've seen numerous people in the community unable to access rent relief programs or be able to pay off rent from previous months especially due to language barriers, income requirements, and immigration status preventing them access. Programs should apply to all New Yorkers and not discriminate.
We need more laws to help hold bad landlords accountable and we need more tenant protection laws to prevent them from being evicted without #GoodCause. We also need more solutions to
true affordable housing such as with social housing, public housing, and community land trusts to help solve the housing crisis.
+Medicare For All
I am an advocate for free healthcare. I believe in universal health care and that health care is a human right. I support medicare-for-all because of how expensive everything has become at the fault of greedy health insurance companies and the politicians in their pockets. They are in it for the profits such as from stocks or in collecting campaign donations, and not for the health or safety of Americans, so they must be held accountable.
We need a single payer national health insurance program to provide everyone in NY with comprehensive health care coverage. We should expand health care coverage to all immigrant community members regardless of coverage qualification. There should be no networks, no premiums, no deductibles, no copays, no surprise fees/bills, and certainly no middle-men insurance companies acting as brokers between you and rightful access to healthcare.
I will support the New York Health Act (NYHA) which is a NY state level solution to address most of these issues within the health care system.
+Public Safety
I am a strong proponent of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's vision for
public safety in protecting our community, especially through the use of an additional department with mental health professional to help solve and de-escalate mental health crises to prevent future incidents similar to what had happened to Win Rozario's family where officers Alongi and Cianfrocco failed to help Win Rozario or his family, and instead used excessive force in yet another instance of police brutality without any accountability. We also need more protection outside of schools and religious centers.
Law enforcement need to utilize their time more effectively to protect community members where they are most needed protection especially in addressing hate crimes towards religious groups and immigrant/ethnic minorities.
I don't believe we need additional policing or that they need additional funding. I believe that we have an adequate amount.
However, I believe that funding utilized for trainings for law enforcement internationally should instead be done within NY or at the very least in the United States. It should also not be conducted with any foreign government. We also should only have trainings conducted with trainers who are not involved with or associated to foreign governments. In general, our taxpayer dollars should not go out of New York or our country for that matter. That funding can go instead be reallocated to our communities such as for our schools or to fund for universal childcare.
City and state law enforcement should not work with or share information/data to federal government agencies like ICE. The city and state government, including the NYPD should protect our immigrant community members from ICE who have proven to violate the U.S Constitution in infringing the basic rights of the people and unlawfully detaining our community members. We also need to end qualified immunity to hold corrupt police officers otherwise known as "bad apples" accountable such as officers Alongi and Cianfrocco so that they are fired as well as hold accountable abusing their power in using excessive force or being involved in police brutality incidents, or failing to do their job in protecting and serving New Yorkers.
+Protection For Immigrant Rights
I am an immigrant rights activist as a second generation immigrant and proud son of Bangladeshi immigrants who came here with little to no money in their pockets leaving behind their homes for a better life in raising a family here in New York seeking the American Dream. Seeking a better life, refuge, and political asylum is a human right as recognized by international law as well as immigration law.
Unfortunately, racism and fascism is on the rise with the current political climate and administration. We must protect all immigrant community members by maintaining the sanctuary city status of NYC, but also expand these protections in all other cities across NY so that we can officially become the first sanctuary state in the great United States of America living up to being the home of the Statue of Liberty. I also support banning ICE from being able to wear masks and believe they should not be allowed to be in NY in general. We should be banning city and state cooperation with Trump administration + ICE. The NYPD should not be able to share data or information with ICE.
I believe we need to have a restoration of Municipal Voting rights, but even try expanding it for the state level so that all immigrant community members who are at least Green Card Holders or
filing their taxes can be able to vote. If community members pay their taxes and contribute to the community, they have every right to vote and live a dignified life. After all we once protested for no taxation without representation.
We need to provide more protections and health coverage for immigrant community members. No one should be excluded from coverage.
+Language Access & Diversity
Language justice is a human right.
I am a strong supporter of language accessibility and diversity through inclusivity. I believe every city, state, and federal government including agencies and departments should prioritize making their hiring processes more inclusive by hiring people reflecting the diversity of the communities they're meant to serve, but prioritizing on those who come from BIPOC/marginalized communities as well as those who speak fluently in another language. That also means hiring folks who speak fluently in a language spoken widely across the community they're meant to serve. This is especially because I believe representation matters in all levels of government as well as the agencies/departments funded by it. We should provide resources and information provided in multiple languages as well. Any nonprofits or businesses receiving taxpayer dollars or tax breaks should also adhere to this in being more inclusive in their hiring process this way and provide resources/information in multiple languages.
We should also provide free English language statewide for community members via in person and Zoom. At the same time job training programs should also be provided in multiple languages to help address the rise of unemployment.
We need a restoration of diversity, exclusivity, and inclusion (DEI) policies to help bring representation for BIPOC/marginalized communities especially those underrepresented in the various fields.
+Free Public College & Fully Funded Schools
Quality education is a basic human right.
As a product of NYC public schools and graduate of CUNY John Jay College blessed enough to have received a quality education for free, I believe all CUNY and SUNY college campuses should be tuition-free, that all loans should be forgiven, and that any student debt should be canceled.
Our public schools should also be fully funded so we can hire more teachers, expand schools, build more classrooms, provide teachers get adequate wages, get more funding for books, get more funding supplies, and that students receive a quality education.
+Environmental Justice