Thank you to Ciditty Kiddie Pre-K in Soundview for inviting me to be part of your graduation ceremony and a huge congratulations to all the graduates! The world eagerly awaits all the incredible things your parents, teachers and I know you will achieve. Dream big, work hard, and always remember that your community is in your corner.

I joined the Jacobi Stand Up to Violence team at the Bronx River Community Center for a ‘Shoot Hoops Not Guns’ event for kids and adults. Basketball was one of my favorite after school activities growing up and I am happy I can pass that to the next generation of Bronxites through funding groups like SUV.

I spent Healthy Kids Day at the Castle Hill YMCA!

It was great to see organizations from around the City in Castle Hill to serve our families and kids public health needs. I love coming by to support everyone at the YMCA!

I made a very special delivery to Glebe Senior Houses and Rebekah Assisted Living with early Mothers Day presents. Thank you to our partners at the New York Botanical Garden for providing these beautiful orchids from the orchid show for our moms and grandmas in CD18.

I helped kick off Bronx Week with CD18’s own Castle Hill, Clason's Point, Soundview, and Parkchester Libraries with a special Bronx Hip Hop Storytime in da' Park event. Our borough is rich with so much important history and it’s critical we pass that onto the next generation of Bronxites.

I joined the Bangladeshi and Bengali community for a parade and celebration of the Bangla New Year!

Thank you BAFA for organizing this event each year and extending the invitation to my office. We enjoy every opportunity to celebrate together!

I presented a proclamation to the nursing staff at Jacobi Hospital in celebration of National Nurses Week.

This proclamation, signed by the Bronx Delegation, is a sign of our appreciation to the extraordinary nurses who offer comfort, care, and compassion to so many throughout the year.

I celebrated our amazing District 8 Student Government leaders for their work and dedication this school year.

I am so proud of each and every one of them for their dedication to their peers, schools, and surrounding community. I can not wait to see the difference they make for the future of our city!

I joined MS 127 in Castle Hill for their school’s Career Day!

It was great to meet with so many bright and dedicated young women - like their Girls Leadership Council - who are looking to make a difference in our community. 

I was happy to join a City Council funded program with Teatro Círculo showing an incredible performance of ‘Abuelito, Dime Tú’ at the Soundview Older Adult Center.

I joined District 8 schools for their second annual series of Peace marches to end the gun violence affecting our schools and communities.

We were glad to join last year’s walk and stand again this year still grounded in our commitment to the health, wellness, and safety of our students and families.

I was out-danced by our CD18 seniors at the Parkchester Community Dance Party & Performance. Thank you to the Parkchester Enrichment Program for Seniors, Silver Shoes Dance Club, Bronx Council for the Arts, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Aging for making this happen!

My office and I were happy to join the Soundview Reunion Committee and Phipps for their annual Juneteenth Health & Wellness Fair!

Thank you to Bubbles and all the leaders on the Soundview Reunion Committee, as well as all our community and health partners for planning an amazing event for our CD18 community.

I had a great time marching, singing, and dancing with my Council colleagues and fellow Nuyoricans at the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Puerto Rican communities across the City look forward to this parade every year and I am so proud to be able to represent CD18’s Puerto Rican community in the Bronx and at City Hall each and every day!

I was humbled to be honored by LT Works at their annual gala. When we shared a building at the beginning of last year it was clear to me how much good community work comes out of their organization. Thank you to co-founders Pastor Raymond Serrano and Pastor Persis Serrano and the entire Life Together team for this recognition.

Thank you to the Kips Bay Senior Center and Executive Director Emily Pelayo for honoring my work as Council Member. I am so grateful for your continued partnership with my office. Supporting our seniors is a top priority of mine and I am proud to fund programming for the Kips Bay Senior Center and others throughout the district.

Our first summer family day in Caserta Playground was a big success thanks to all the families and friends who joined us. I had so much meeting new neighbors, seeing lots of familiar faces, and racing around on the bouncy houses together.

Encanto movie night at Soundview Park was a hit!

I know that Encanto is one of CD18's favorite movies (and mine too) and I am so happy to have seen the kids and their families get to enjoy it together while getting some fresh air and free popcorn.

My office hosted a street co-naming ceremony to unveil Roxanne Reid Way! Roxanne served as a fierce housing advocate for over three decades at Castle Hill Houses and as the Castle Hill TA President, a school crossing guard for the 43rd Precinct, and even started her own tenant patrol. We can now see her work enshrined on the very corner she would walk each and every day!

It was great to host a Movie Night Under the Stars event in Harding Park where we watched Thor: Love and Thunder.

I was happy to have joined my neighbors and Senator Serrano for a fun movie night. There’s nothing like eating some popcorn on a nice night and spending some quality time with your family!

Thank you to everyone who joined the street co-naming ceremony for Sahan Erguder. He was a dedicated family man, a loving father and husband, a selfless community member, and the beloved owner of the Sunoco on Castle Hill Avenue. You can check out Sahan Erguder Way on Castle Hill Ave and the Cross Bronx Expressway.

It was great to see so many District 18 residents- of all ages - having fun on the bouncy houses, getting their faces painted, dancing to the DJ, and getting out at my family day in Soundview Park!

Thank you to our partners for helping us put on a great and resourceful event for CD18 to enjoy and learn more about services that are available to them.

It was great to join the 45th Precinct Community Council’s monthly meeting. I was able to personally update some of our most engaged community members on efforts from the Council and Mayor on derelict cars, towing and trucking, cannabis shops, and what support is needed in the Westchester Square area. As always, thank you for having my office each month and I look forward to our continued partnership. 

Civic association meetings are where the community work happens, and in my office we make sure to attend every meeting we are invited to each month to hear from residents on what issues are affecting them most and how I can bring that back to City Hall. In May and June we attended, Monroe Houses Tenant Association, Sonia Sotomayor Houses Tenant Association, 43rd Precinct Community Council, Soundview Houses Tenant Association, Jaime Towers New Management Meet & Greet, Castle Hill Houses Tenant Association, 45th Precinct Community Council, Police Service Area 8, and Community Board 9’s monthly meetings.

Earlier this month, our community saw a devastating fire at 1420 Noble Avenue in Soundview. With the brave work of our first responders all residents made it out of the building with no fatal injuries, but the entire building is in disrepair. This fire has displaced all 79 units with a full vacate order from the City.

In the aftermath of the fire I have worked closely with Mayor Adams, Borough President Gibson, Senator Natalia Fernandez, Assembly Member Kenny Burgos, the American Red Cross, HPD, DOB, the Bronx River Houses community, Rethink Food, Met Council, the Hunts Point Produce and Meat Markets, and St. Helena's Church to provide our neighbors with the support they need and deserve. We were able to provide meals with Rethink Food in the immediate aftermath, provide residents with gift cards and boxes of essential items thanks to Met Council, coordinated clothing drives with St. Helena’s Church, and advocated to HPD and DOB so everyone can get their belongings safely and find temporary housing as close to home as possible.

Work has started at the Parkchester train station to finally make it more accessible!

Accessibility upgrades include the installation of two street-to-platform elevators, the relocation and replacement of the Manhattan bound escalators, relocation of new ADA-compliant stairs with railings, new ADA-complaint boarding areas, and sidewalk and curb improvements outside the station.

The NYC Department of Transportation begun Phase 1 of the Soundview Street Improvement Project on Soundview Avenue and Rosedale Avenue in May to help improve the street safety of our community.

The New York City Department of Sanitation has new cameras up around the district to help combat illegal dumping.

See the cameras at work here.

It was a busy two months at City Hall! I attended several committee hearings and executive budget hearings, co-chaired two important hearings, and passed and introduced exciting and necessary legislation that addresses a number of issues. You can watch all past City Council hearings at https://council.nyc.gov/livestream/ or check out my Instagram and Facebook for my highlights. 

I joined Mayor Eric Adams and my neighbors Assembly Member Burgos and Shorehaven H.O.A President Haydee Rosario to announce the creation of the water bill amnesty program.

This citywide amnesty program was not only inspired by, but is thanks to the leadership and advocacy of Assembly Member Burgos, the Shorehaven community, and myself. I’m so proud that we got this win for not only our communities, but for hard working families all across the City!

I co-chaired a hearing with my Bronx colleague, Council Member Rafael Salamanca on New York City’s Industrial Business Zones (IBZs) and discussed my bill, Intro 1012, which would require the Departments of City Planning , Small Business Services, and the Economic Development Corporation to develop an industrial development action plan for IBZs every five years that focuses on supporting the sectors growth. I look forward to finding ways to collaborate with all our City agencies and our unions to best serve our industrial workers and businesses, who are predominantly working class.

I am proud to have co-hosted a Panhellenic Day Celebration of the amazing leaders and members throughout Divine Nine organizations of this city. Through service, leadership, and unity, our organizational work continues to uplift and support each other and our communities. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., it was great to be with Speaker Adams in the people’s house with my sisters and see how much love and respect was radiating from everyone - Alphas to Iotas - in the Council Chambers!

I joined my partners at the NYCEDC to announce the expansion of Bio Bus across the Bronx! I have had the pleasure of seeing BioBus in action in our CD18 schools and experienced firsthand how engaged our students are during the lessons. I am happy to support this wonderful program in our schools through my discretionary funding. Thank you Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer, and Andrew Kimball for expanding BioBus to serve more of our amazing Bronx students - NYC’s future scientists!

Happy Caribbean Heritage Month! The diversity and joy of the islands were definitely present at the City Council's event through the amazing performances and energy of all who attended and we even got to end the night with incredible food from all across the City- including Haitian patties from Brooklyn to Jerk Chicken from Uptown Manhattan. I proud to have co-sponsored this event with Speaker Adrienne Adams, my Bronx colleagues Council Members Kevin Riley and Marjorie Velazquez and more.

In May, I announced a Menstrual Equity Bill Package with my Council colleagues and advocates that will take much needed steps to continue to further codify menstrual equity into New York City law.

With the five bills included in the package we are ensuring that comprehensive menstrual health education is integrated into school curricula, that young people are empowered with knowledge and confidence, that the Department of Education, the Department of Correction, and the Department of Housing Services report on its distribution of menstrual products to ensure accountability, and that sustainable period products like menstrual cups are included and promoted by our City. Thank you to my fellow prime and co-prime sponsors on this bill package: Speaker Adrienne Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Council Members Selvena Brooks-Powers, Tiffany Caban, and Carmen De La Rosa.

At the May and June Stated meetings I introduced 9 new bills and passed 37 bills on several issues including anti-bias training, transparency on healthcare prices, for-hire vehicles, a zero waste goal, Caribbean Heritage Month, and so much more:  

Highlights included:

Passed- 

• Intro 844-A: A Local Law in relation to establishing an office of healthcare accountability.
• Intro 686: A Local Law requiring DYCD to coordinate with other agencies to develop summer youth employment opportunities.
• Intro 556: A Local Law requiring all children with an individualized education program to be transported in buses with air-conditioning.
• Reso 199: Resolution declaring June Caribbean Heritage Month.

Introduced- 

• Reso 638: Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the New York State Governor to sign, legislation that would create a surcharge that would go towards funding the expansion of wheelchair accessible and all-electric for-hire vehicles.
• Intro 1101: A Local Law mandating anti-racism training for human services contractors in the workforce.

On June 30th, Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Adams came to an official agreement on the Fiscal Year 2024 budget for New York City!

The City Council’s Budget Negotiation Team, of which I am a member of, has spent hundreds of hours in meetings and at executive budget hearings to negotiate a budget to meet the needs of our working class communities and address the continued housing crisis. Under the leadership of Speaker Adams we fought hard to restore two rounds of cuts to ensure our city services meet the needs of our communities. Some highlights and wins in the budget include, $31 million back into the NYCHA for their Vacant Unit Readiness Program, $32.9 million restored to CUNY, $20 million baseline to expand Fair Fares, $150 million for a cost of living adjustment for non-profit workers, restored $36.2 million for libraries and so much more. While there are many more details to come, which I will be sharing on social media soon, on the key investments I will be bringing back home to Council District 18.