The Latin Majority, NYC's Mayor Should Speak Español & Immigrants Built NY Con Senator Jessica Ramos
February 27, 2025 • 44 mins
In this episode, we sit down with Senator Jessica Ramos, a proud daughter of Jackson Heights, Queens, whose journey from a working-class Colombian immigrant household to the New York State Senate fuels her fight for the people. Now, she’s running for NYC Mayor, determined to create a city that truly uplifts immigrants, workers, and everyday New Yorkers.
She calls out Mayor Eric Adams for vilifying immigrants while benefiting from their labor, exposes NY’s wage theft crisis, and stresses why a Latino-majority city needs a Spanish-speaking mayor. She also shares her life beyond politics—being a mom, still riding the NYC subway, her love for salsa music, and even meeting Bad Bunny before his rise to fame.
With her campaign in full swing, she’s raising funds to qualify for the ballot and pushing for real change. Tune in to hear why she believes it’s time for bold leadership in NYC!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Gracias Come Again a podcast by Honey German.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
All Right, today we have a senator with us, and
not just any old senator. We have blass Jessica Ramos
with us. Welcome to Grass has come again?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Grass.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Yes, honey, it's a pleasure to be here with you.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You feel so organic and like so real. It's like
you know, you hear senator. You think big stuffy politicians,
and you think people that are just not going to
be approachable or relatable.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
You feel like my friend.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
I want to be everybody's friend. I want people to
believe in government again. For a long time, I feel
like our public institutions have failed us. That's why I
ran for office in the first place.
Speaker 5 (00:42):
How did that?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I want?
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I want to go back to your childhood.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
But before I go anywhere, I need to know how
did you end up being a senator? You are so young,
you're a double minority, you're that meaning it is Una Latina.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
How did this happen?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
You know, I've always been interested in public service, and
my parents raised me.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
To help other people.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
In fact, my dad had a radio show when I
was a kid, and he was really about helping those
who had fallen victim to the War on drugs were
on Colombian American The end of the eighties and the
nineties were really rough for us out in Jackson Heights,
and so growing up within that context, I just wanted
to make myself useful to my neighbors. Unfortunately, my predecessor
(01:25):
in the Senate, we had been voting for him as
a Democrat, but he was going up to Albany to
vote for a Republican majority, and I ended up running
against him and unseating him by twenty two hundred votes.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Who was that his name? And God rest his soul.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
His name was.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Jose I remember, born and raised New Yorker. That's why
I asked, what was his name? Yeah, and here we are,
But I need a little more context.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
What did you do?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Like you were like, Okay, this is my neighborhood. I'm
going to run for like a small off like where
did it star? Where was that seed planted?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Well, my dad was on the community board in Jackson
Heights for a few years. So my dad would always
come home talking about what was going on in the community,
and I would grow up and join that same community
board too. While I was working for some labor unions.
But then I was appointed to the Doblasio administration, so
(02:18):
I worked for the previous mayor first in order to
deliver on the Universal pre K program. I'm very proud
to have been part of that. Something great. We need
that the mayor did, saving parents like twenty g's on childcare.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Right, that's a lot of but that's that's another rent.
And uh.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Then I got promoted to be director of Latino Media
for the City of New York.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I want to tell you what is that because I'm
like Latino Media, like, how do I not know this exists?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It doesn't still exist presently.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
I'm not sure that it exists under the current mayor anymore.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But to be honest, it was kind of a misnomer.
I dealt with all community and ethnic media.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
My job was to make sure that New Yorkers understood
what city Hall was doing for them in their language,
wherever wherever they get their news, the audio.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
The world jerk, the eyes and ears of the people inside.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Oh, I love that. I can see. I can see that,
and that's that's the job. I quit to run for office.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
This is so may I am so impressed by you,
and and I've interviewed so many people Cardi B and like,
I was so memori She's she's she is hysterio and
what she's been able to do amazing.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
A whole nother story. But I was so excited because
I was like, Wow, I don't know why.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
It just feels like I feel like somebody can become
a rapper ten times easier than you can become a senator.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I don't know, I feel like it's hard to get
that hit.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Well, yeah, I didn't say they were gonna get it.
I was saying that they could become a rapper. I
was just like, I was so intrigued. I was like,
I need to know how she got to that seat.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
I love people. I like talking to people. I like
being out in the street and figuring out you.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Know, I was, I was talking your Instagram, I said,
I finished talking Instagram.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
I said, I'm tired. Does this woman ever go home? Yes,
I very much?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Do.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I actually prize my sleep very very much.
Speaker 6 (04:19):
Okay, Clara, right, no no no no, no, Latinas, we
gotta look.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Tight Columbia and when it comes to bed, yeslo detals.
I'm like my Columbian friends. I'm like, girl, you're gonna
last forever the way where you now that we're talking
about Columbia.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Mom and dad both Columbianos.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Mom and dad are both Columbianos.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
My dad was born in a town called Bouga outside
of Cali, and my mom is from Panaeda, from the
coffee growing region. My older sister was also born in Peda.
My little sister and I I were born here. I
was born Elmhurst Hospital, in the hood, in the district
that I represent.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
That's so amazing that you've been able to you know,
grow and you know, just help your community. So sometimes,
you know, you have to go places to become somebody,
and you were able to rise right there where your
parents planted you per se. Now, their immigration journey.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Was very difficult. It was very difficult, you know. My
my parents met and got married in Colombia. But my
dad came here first and my mom followed him a
year or two later. But she decided to come through Mexico,
so she crossed the border. Actually, just like a lot
of people.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Are doing right now, it's happening.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
So not that much has changed, actually because that was
in the late seventies, a long time ago, so and
she was only twenty four years old and she did
it by herself and it took her three days.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And I mean, una, Nina, because when I see twenty
four year olds now, I'm like.
Speaker 6 (05:54):
You're a kid junoas Camiano Scuccati, Stodias. You know, people
getting hurt, all sorts of things. So to me, all
of the public service I do really isn't is to
honor their sacrifices.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I don't want them to have been in vain.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And your advocacy, and you know, your message is surrounded
a lot around immigrants, immigration, the Spanish speaking, you know,
New York City and New York resident How hard is
that on you? Do you get backlash like, hey, you
only care about your own people. But sometimes that happens,
especially when you really want to help your own people.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I think in the current political landscape, specifically.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
For the climate right now.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Well, I mean the current mayor has done a great
job of using immigrants as a scapegoat, you know, saying
that they're going to destroy New York City. villainI my friend,
if anybody has ever edified and strengthened New York City,
it's been our generation of immigrants, whether it was the Italians,
the Jews and the Iriy people those hundreds of years ago,
whether it's the Latinos today.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
We are here to make New York City better.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
And you know, our children grow up to be senators
and mayors and all sorts of leaders who are going
to create an economy so that we can all make money,
because that's why we came here.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
In one thing about us, Latinos.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Work ethic is impeccable, unmatched. You have Latinos that work
a day job and a night.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Job in the side, hustle and.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
In a disrespect. But there's people that I know born
and raised here and here we are, you know, struggling.
So the way that you know, Latinos and immigrants are
being portrayed in the media currently bothers me.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
You know what I find most offensive about that, honey,
that the work that immigrants do is sometimes the most
important because rich people trust them to raise their kids,
to clean their homes, to take care of their aging parents. Right,
these are the most important people to their homes, so
(08:10):
they trust us with their most prized possessions. And then
they'll turn around and say, oh, but not you. You
don't get dignity, you don't get the opportunities that you know,
my ancestors got.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
That's not right. And all I ever ask, all I
ever hope for and pray for, is that when my
kids grow up, we're able to end that xenophobic sentiment
so that it does that cycle needs to stop repeating itself.
We can't just.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Hate the immigrants that are going to come, you know,
twenty thirty years from now, because that's never going to end,
especially with climate change and all the stuff that's going
on in the world.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
So we got to be better, and you know, I
push you know, our culture, our people forward as much
as I can in a positive life because there is
so much negativity surrounding us. And when I saw the
Mexican firefighters out in California helping fight the fires, I
was like, are these the same Mexicans that are you know,
(09:06):
villainized in the press.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Are these the same Mexicans you don't want here? Or see?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
These the same Mexicans you want to build a wall
for that Trump wants to get rid of as soon
as he takes off.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
It's the same.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
It's the same Mexicans that are cooking at your favorite restaurants.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
You they see that, they see that either you don't
want to. You don't want I mean, we want to.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
We want to use immigrant labor in order to exploit it.
I mean, one of the biggest issues that I've tried
to champion in the Senate is precisely wage theft.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
You know, it's a big problem. Is it's super oh yeah,
and overtime checks bounce all the time.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
It's like three billion dollars a year, honey in New
York State, and it's and you know what, I see it.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
My sister is a CPA and she knows, Oh, she knows,
and she represents clients.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
And I'm like, what's going on? What is this mess?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
A million dollars worth of wage theft for you know,
Latinos and blacks that this company and I have to
represent them. And I'm like, what do you mean wage steps?
She's like, they don't pay them. They're overtime, they don't
pay them their vacations, they don't pay them.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
This Las Castle lass.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
The nail technicians, Okay, they're supposed to be getting paid
at least fifteen dollars an hour, they're supposed to make
at least minimum wage. But when you go get your
nails done, ask the lady how she's treated. It's very
often that you hear that the boss is only paying
them if they have a customer in front of them,
or they pay them a percentage of what the nail
(10:33):
of what the customer is asking for.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
That's not right, that's illegal.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
And so in our office, actually in my Senate office,
we we help people file wage theft claims.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Oh that's amazing, So somebody can contact you and be like, hey, absolute,
please happening.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Absolutely, And because it needs to be, it needs to
be reported to the Department of.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Labor as it should.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
No one should work for free, and no one should.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Ducky and York.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
You know, what's fair is fair.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I feel like we need to break after that because
I feel so worked I guess so worked up when
it comes to like, you know, issues, especially when it's
more like the disenfranchised and you know, like the people
that are not capable of maybe.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Honey, I would love listen.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I always say it's either church or politics, one of
the two, because my thing is people. My thing is
you're not gonna get away doing that to that person.
And when I see someone either being targeted, bullied, or ostracized.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I'm like, get up under here. That's right.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I'm not gonna let theseus do this to you. We're
not gonna let them do this you. We're gonna make
you popular. We're gonna they're gonna be like Honey loves her.
You won't love it too because it is done. And
sometimes as a society and as a community, people tend
to want to jump on the most vulnerable. And with
with immigration and even with the migrant crisis, like right now,
(12:02):
like do you see what these people are going through?
And now we want to jump on them and you know,
make them seem like, you know, criminals. And not to
say that crime is not being committed, but you know,
there is a lot of people are living in the street,
there's poverty.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
I am, but US.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Citizens commit more crime on average than immigrants to and
that's a very important statistic to understand. But I think
more than that, we can't forget that there are reasons
why people are coming here.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Right, Let's not act like there's not a dictatorship.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
In Venezuela, right there, meeting, do you feel like a
bully Dominican? A bully Dominican? Is that Jina live Inlanaminoesulana
and it's weird because waitressing. He calls and I'm like, no,
(12:53):
can may be up and said, okay, yo Velaslana's working.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
You know, the dictatorship has destroyed the economy in Venezuela.
And look, I mean the situation is not too dissimilar
in other Latin American countries.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
To see.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
We're all trying to escape, you know, because we live
in New York City and this is full of everything.
I'm talking Colombians, Dominicans, everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Well, you know, New York City is about to become
a third Latino in terms of population. So we we
people need to stop. We need to stop calling ourselves
a minority.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Listen, I am not no minority.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Yeah, that's why we need a Latina mayor. And we're
gonna get why our mayor should speak Spanish.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Listen.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Oh of course, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
I was.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
I was looking at your at all of your initiatives
and everything that you're championing for, and I was like,
you can't have access to Spanish pages through our government,
Like if you're Latino, you don't have access to the
information you.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
It's really hard and it doesn't need to be, especially
in the age of technology.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
It shouldn't be that hard. The CHAGPT can translate all that,
right is sactamente? Yeah, no, I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
You know, I want to be able to use those
skills to communicate with our people so that they know
where they can seek the services that they need.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
A sisally Molante.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
When did you get this itch that you were like
I could be the mayor?
Speaker 3 (14:35):
You know, it was.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Very clear that the current mayor had management issues.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
All of a sudden, a bunch of people around him
who he had hired were getting investigated by the.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
FBI in indicted, and then came his investigation, which is
still ongoing. There's like I think, like a couple of
days ago they were like new charges and bochin.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Bus Superseding indicted because he got in trouble about uh
you know, why are fraud with.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
The Turkish government.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
But apparently there is some wrongdoing with the Chinese government.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
So I I don't know what's going to happen.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
They don't know, senor.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
No, Yeah, I like you said, you don't know what's
going to happen. But too much criminality is surrounding a
mayor and we need someone who.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Is clean, a fresh star, a fresh start.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
And look, all of that stuff distracts him from filling
our potholes, picking up our garbage. I mean, it starts
back to the basics, right, I mean, I got a
twenty block stretch in my district without a trash can talk.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
That's not okay, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
And it's hard as a senator because as a senator,
I legislate in Albany, so we don't have a state
sanitation department.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
It belongs to the city.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And of course constituents are right, they don't want to
hear that, Oh no, that the city's fault, not mine.
I want to be able to deliver for them, especially
as a mom to teenagers, you know, like I want
my streets to be clean. I want to walk around
with a power washer and hose everything down. And yeah,
it's just starting with city hall.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Well, and have you how does this work? Like have
you already like done your paperwork? Like it's official, Like
I'm running for mayor.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It's official. I'm running for New York City mayor. We
are raising money, We're doing very well. The campaign is
growing every day.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
What we gotta do.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Tell me, the first thing that's gonna happen is petitioning Okay,
so just to do a little political education for your listeners.
Make so starting February twenty fifth, there's going to be
people with clipboards walking around New York City asking Democrats
for their signature so that the candidates can qualify for
the ballot, and then those ballots will get certified within
(16:50):
two months, and then the Democratic primary will be on Tuesday,
June twenty.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Fourth, Okay, so by the summertime, that's right.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
And this is the second mayoral election in the history
of New York City that is going to be ranked
choice voting, so actually people can go to the polls.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
And not just vote for one person.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
They can vote for up to five of their favorite
candidates in their order of preference.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And we're going to be like Senator Jessica Ramos, my
number one choice. So thank you.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
You know, Latino, we have a big audience here in
New York for the podcast and for our radio stations,
and we got to make sure that as Latinos, we
band together and understand that you know, we need one
of ours in office because you understand our struggles, you
understand our language, You are us, you are you know
la mamasnigana la you know what I'm saying like you
(17:46):
understand us, and you understand the issues that we want resolved.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Bernota I want us to do well. I want our
children to do even better than we're doing. I mean,
we can put together a city with childcare with youth jobs,
a youth jobs guarantee, which I wanted to talk to
you about because I read about you, honey, that you
(18:10):
really care about providing especially girls with internships.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
And one of the things and one of the.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Things that I want to do as mayor is provide
a youth jobs guarantee, meaning that for young people ages
sixteen to twenty four. We want to partner with people
like you in the private sector to be able to
provide them with their first job opportunity.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
I love that keep them off the.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Street, allow them to make a little money so that
they can cover some of their expenses and help mom
and dad.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
That's important.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
And that age is such a vulnerable age where you
can be molded, and if you put them in the
right environment, with the right mentors and the right role models,
this can change the course of their life entirely. Versus
if we lead them outside of a building, you know,
where gang members and drug dealers can pull them into
a life of crime. Get it, I get it one
(19:00):
hundred percent if we remove them from those environments where
they're just gonna be idle all day and have nowhere
to go and nothing to do. Like I speak from experience.
You know, my friend son super smart, ended up spending
a summer in Brooklyn, got caught up with the wrong kids,
hanging out with somebody in their house, ends up getting.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Shot by a friend.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
No, just because they were hanging out in the house
and one kid.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Had a gun.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
But what they didn't have nothing else to do. They
were just bored hanging out and somebody said, look I
have a gun. And the trauma that he has experienced
and I know that changed the course of his life
and mentally it damaged him so much as a teenager.
And it was all because all these kids were.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Just they were bored. They had nothing to do. Yeah, no, no, no,
that's not you know, that's not okay.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
We and we want we want them to, hey, you know,
have the opportunity to explore different fields. It'll lead to
greater job satisfaction because hopefully they'll be able to hone
their full potential and figure out, well, you know what
I want to be just like honey, or I want
to run for off this, or I want to own
my own shop.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
We want them to do that.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
And hey, maybe even start contributing to their Social Security
a little.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Earlier immediately so they could get a good check. That's
what matters. That is what matters.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I love the conversation we're having. It just feels so
I just feels so real. You know, with politicians and
you know I've met you know, I've met the blouse,
I've met Eric Adams, and you know, there's always like
a barrier, kind of like I can't get too close.
I can't really engage them too much.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
I'm just a New.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yorker that wants to be mayor and wants to see
my city be the best city in the world.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
For real, for real.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
I want to be like Merima Jessica.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
How do you say mayor in Spanish? Oh my god?
Speaker 3 (20:44):
But I mean, we've never had a woman in New
York City and we need it. We've never had a
latina or Latino in New York City.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Can we make this happen.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
We can make this happen. So I have a record.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
It's all about getting out the vote all right, letting
people know that our campaign is out there fighting for
them to rebuild our middle class and to get our
city in order. There's too much disorder and it's it's
not okay.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
And you know when Latinos banded together that Jessos be
our next mayor, we can make this happen. You know,
latinas a whole initiative around you, because New York City,
New York State is just full of Latinas.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
That's right, that's right. And look, we can put you
and off and we can't. We can't leave out other
people too.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
But this is something I love particularly about being Latina,
because we come in every shape and colorida and every
flavor and and and I think that particularly prepares us
to lead everyone else because that diversity is within us,
(21:55):
within our own families, and it's it's something that we should.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Use to lead in the communities where we live.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
It is we're we're very open to embracing kasun Kuwano, Cosume, Mehican,
cas Dominican, so Loka. It's h like kind of like
that divide of different races or different countries or or we're.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Just we just love all of us Lambidia you know,
when or not one.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
The best of us.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
But but but those are the things that we have
to overcome precisely with that sense of unity and that
sense of respect that we have to have for each other.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
I love this. I love this.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
I am so like fired up right now, I'm like,
who am I going to contact? What are we gonna do?
I want to meet them all? When are the dates
gonna happen? Like what are we doing? Is it gonna
be a barbecue? What are we doing to get get
everybody's signature? You know, because you know, community is so
much about coming out and being together and just one
person telling another person. And I am sure that this interview,
in this conversation, when the person listening right now finishes, they're.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Gonna be like hey.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Mayor and say wamanasu.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Instagram and one person puts another person on.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
It's kind of like music.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
We share an artist, your medicund Joe the Scudia, Bad Bunny.
I was sharing him with everybody. This is like ten
years ago when first started, and now everybody's like, I
remember when you told me about Bad Bunny. It is
all about sharing, It is all about spreading the word.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
It was incredible, so I got to meet Bad Bunny
before he was famous.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
I didn't even I mean, we didn't know who he was.
I'll tell you.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
So. I was working at City Hall and Daddy Yankees
manager his wife at the time, our former wife, had
reached out to City Hall to ask for a permit
to shoot the video for uh Builbeah. I forget the
name of the song, but he wanted to shoot it
on Twelfth Avenue here in Manhattan, and he was having
(23:48):
a little trouble and so I ended up going to
the shoote you know, I helped out and everything, and
that was a song that he did with Bad Bunny
but bab Nadia Saba and I remember the manager coming
up to us and be like, oh, no, Bad Bunny's
about to be the number one artists on Spotify.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
And I was like, oh look at that.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
You were like, Mina, who are your favorite artists?
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Fun? No matter, I love a group. It's Carnegie who
I rarely miss a group concerts.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Are you going to go?
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Probably hopefully.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I just saw Evy Queen there before the Holidays. I
love it was amazing, said that can be in the way.
It's crazy that you mentioned I.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Know, I love I mean I'm a big cat fan.
Uh huh, of course.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
I love her.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Yes, she's number one. It's been doing amazing.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
And then well, actually we were talking with your producer
about Lisa Lisa before.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I'm a big Free Style fan.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I'm born and raised in New York City, you know Latina,
So to me, Sapphire has always been my favorite. And
and even through Nina Sky, who's who's from Queens.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
I mean, it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
We just we just got we had a conversation. They
were like, oh, Nina skuy wants to lose the show.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Is that you mentioned?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
They are incredible and that's from Queens and they're pioneers.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
I love them and I love everything that they've been
able to do. So yeah, so we got group.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Yeah, and I like my hip hop. You hip frost hip.
Of course, love hip hop.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
I mean, well the beat Nuts and Noriega come from
the district I represent.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
He said, Lizen well Left Frack Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
He's right by, Yes, he's from Left Frack, from fifty
seventh Aven. You shout out to Left Frack City. And
actually a few nights ago I was with Smith and Wesson.
Really we were honoring them for the thirty year anniversary
of the Shining.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Which was a big deal. And I got to meet
Havoc from Mob Deep for the first time. Oh my god,
I was I understand, I mean.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Rip Prodigy, who was originally from Left Frock by the way,
you know, But for for the past few years on
Queen's Day in the New York State Senate in Albany,
I've been, I've been, I've been wrapping you know, a
few bars from shook ones.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
So and of course, now you know, don't be doing
it right now, don't we do it right now?
Speaker 3 (26:12):
But to see Havoc and get to meet him, I mean,
it was just incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Of course, Hello gangs, ain't you don't you?
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Is that also show?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
No?
Speaker 2 (26:26):
I love I love, I love I love this. Now
what do we need to do right now? What do
you need from us, the public New Yorkers?
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Well, to be honest, to run a campaign, we are
going to need to print lit we are going to
need to get our message out there. Okay, I'm gonna
want to buy TV ads and ads here at iHeart radio.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah, I'm gonna voice them for you.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
So make Spanish words go out really really good.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Glad Okay, see we see no and we want our
trusted messengers, of course to get out there and connect
with our community.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
And Martinez, we coming for you.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Oh, Angie's Angie's incredible, She's a legend. But yes, people
should visit our website ramos r AMOS four fo r
NYC dot com. And there's actually a public matching funds
campaign program. So for every ten dollars that a New
York City resident donates, it gets matched eight to one,
(27:23):
So ten dollars becomes ninety dollars, one hundred dollars becomes
nine hundred dollars. And that's really really important for us
to have the funding that we need to get our
message out there.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Is there an official number that you need to make
sure you make it to Grazie match.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I need to be able to raise at least two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
That's easy.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
We can make this happen for you. Yeah, I said,
you're gonna tell me a million dollars.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
No, no, no, no, but mind that that that translates to
eight times two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
So I let me donate to fifty, you're gonna get
eight times down exactly.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
You donate to fifty, I get two thousand, two hundred
and fifty dollars for those two fifty. Yeah, that makes
me really competitive. And remember I'm the only woman in
the race.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Just want to strength of that. Every single female out
here we gotta get. We gotta get Jessica Ramos and.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Off and people should know. I just want to be mayor.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
I don't see this as like a trampoline or a
launch pad to go for a higher office. I don't
want to go to Washington, DC. I love New York.
I love New York City, and I just want my
people to be safe, to have clean streets, for our
kids to have a great education. So that's the type
of campaign that you'd be supporting.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I just want to fight like a mother from my city.
And you're not gonna go celebrity on us, right, No?
Speaker 3 (28:38):
You?
Speaker 1 (28:38):
I mean I you see my personality. I see your personality.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
But you know one thing that super turned me off
always about Eric Adams was that he was so showy
and I always felt like he wanted to be a
celebrity and he wanted to be a swagger is Yeah,
like always with the Gucci scar. I'm like, listen, I
need you to fix the city. I don't need you
to be hanging out with Fa Joe.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Yeah. Well, my Airmax ones are a little not as
clean as I usually like them. But you you just
a little swagger. I think you know, you got a
whole lot of swag.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
But I felt like it was more important to him
to be popping and lit and than the work.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Well, he always says that he likes to get stuff done,
and I always say I don't want to get stuff done.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
I want to get work done, you know, because stuff
can mean a lot of things.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
And I guess in that respect, he's been doing a
lot of stuff that he shouldn't be doing.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
And that's what we need.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
And I want my I want my mayor to work.
I don't want my mayor.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
That's hard to you. I'm sorry. You do your parties
with your friends and your family and stuff.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I don't want to walk into an album listening party
for a little baby and find my mayor there. I don't.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I'm sorry, I just don't.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I don't want to see you sit for Hennessy next
to me when we need shit done.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
That's right, that's right. No, no, and I'm an early birden.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
I want to grind as hard as New Yorkers. We
your mayor should match your grind.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
I don't want to feel like you're waking up late
and I'm over here struggling.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Speaking about early riser. You take the train I do.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
I've never gotten my driver's license.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
What I read? I read that.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Don't laugh at me. Do you know how to drive? No? Oh, okay,
I met all right. So I took like I took
like a lesson or two.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
Uh, you know, back when I was in college, and
I got my permit again renewed maybe at this point
over a year ago. But I haven't taken any new lesson.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
You have a permit.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
I admit that driving is a life skill that people
should have. Battle I don't know.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
I don't. I don't have a lot of interest in
owning a car. Let's be honest with you. I don't
want to park it the park. It sounds horrible.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
Listen, New York City.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
The parking is an issue with god parking.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
No, no, no, I get it. With my partner, I mean Mario.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
You know he will wake up at extra early on
Sundays because he has to move the car from one
side to the other.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
I was just like, I don't want to have to
do you got to leave the key to somebody to
move the car.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
Yeah, and never mind paying the Muni meter for the
car itself. The insurance sounds it sounds like a whole
other rent.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
And we haven't even mentioned the fact that driving in
New York City is like you're in fear for your
life the whole There.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
So many cars, there's so many cars.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
There's a lot of road rage that day.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Yet No, but yeah, I mean in general.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Actually, and this is one of my other topics that
I like to talk about, is our mental health.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Oh yeah, I had that here, mental health crisis.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
Yeah, I mean actually talking about taking the subways. Well,
today I've already taken the subway today three times, and
on two of the trains I've taken today so far,
there have been people who are clearly.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Struggling with severe mental illness.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
There was one gentleman this morning who was talking to
himself and screaming and you know, making people feel uncomfortable
because you know, you don't know if that what that
person may or may not do.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
It's unpredictable.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
How do you feel it scares me?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, of course, you know.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I keep my tough New Yorker persona on and I'm like,
I'm not moving, I'm just not going to engage them
or whatever.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
But nobody like this person can hurt anybody.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
And this is as much of a progressive as I am. Precisely,
I think that in having compassion for that person, it's
not okay to leave that person out.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
In the street, especially with winters.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
With the winter, I mean even with the summer.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
You know, like that person is not able to take
care of themselves and probably doesn't even understand the level
of help that they need. It's our responsibility to make
sure that they have the appropriate services before they hurt
themselves or before they hurt someone else.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Do you feel like there is a solution to the
problem here? I do, And what is it?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I think that the biggest problem we had is that
former Governor Andrew Quoma closed our mental health institutions over
a decade ago.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Why do you think, because I see I remember jebelos
Ai Fesios against stan Island and here what is that?
Oh that used to be a mental hospital, that used
to be mental hospitals.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Can we reopen those?
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I want to reopen them. I want to refurbish them.
I want to restaff them. And I want there to
be enough psychiatric beds so that people can get the
help they need. Some people might need short term help.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I think there's a good handful of people who need
long term help. But it's not okay to leave them
out in the street.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Making everybody unsafe, especially if you're a veteran who served
our country and coming back from war is the reason
why your mental health is destroyed. Our veterans deserve so
much more than we give them as a nation and
as a state and as a city. When you see
them and they're out there, like wow, this this man
(33:54):
gave his life or this woman gave her life to
our country and they're in the street right now begging
for money.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Now that we got to fix y.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Not that anyone deserves to be outside, but if you
gave your life to this country.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Well, look historically, since since after the Vietnam War, right
that generation of veterans on to the present have been
treated terribly. And I don't think you know, and I
feel very comfortable saying that here on the on your show, honey,
it was largely because it was a much more integrated
army by then.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
And so black and brown could serve.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
And and and so.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
And by the way, Latinos, we're the only group that
has served in every single war that the United States
has fought in. That's important to understand in terms of
our history, because we don't get to see ourselves in
history books the way we deserve. Everybody listening should know
and should be very proud of our legacy of service
to this country.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Okay, but then that also.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
Means that we need to have the people in power
to make sure that we're getting those services back. Because
the kids that the kids is los in Iraq and
Afghanistan and Kuwait were mostly Latino men, especially from here
from New York City, who thought they were going to
go or earn some money for their family, hopefully sometimes
(35:12):
even get.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Papers for their family. And we didn't even keep that promise.
We have had veterans deported that back to their.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Country after fighting a war for this country. Hate So, nah,
that's trifling, is trifling.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Yeah, I've been working with a group of veterans who
have actually experienced this and have are in contact with
with with all all of the folks who who unfortunately
are are having to campaign and advocating for this practice
to end.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
Got a lot of work ahead.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
There's a lot of work. I'm tired.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Just I thought I got tired about looking at your Instagram.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (35:59):
For me, I get disappointed, But for some reason that
God allows me to take that disappointment and actually fuel
me and motivate me to do something about And.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
You're like, I gotta fix this.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Yeah, I gotta fix it. If it was there, I gotta.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Clear problem solver.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
Yeah, and I can. That's absolute.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Do you you don't know where to start?
Speaker 1 (36:34):
I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure he's a lovely guy.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
I don't know where anything, But you don't know how
to do nothing, you.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Know, to give them money.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
If we're like the heart and soul and the brain
of the household, and you can give us any problem,
you could tell us, you know, Colombia, you know, and
you like, I'll come back, and you will come back,
(37:04):
Papalo the Banco, like we are.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It is just ingrained in our DNA. We're resourceful, oh
that we are.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
You know, even if we don't have it, if we
don't know I'll go and ask Roma.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
You know, I've never heard that one.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Oh, I know all sorts of like these, but I
think are mostly Colombian but Latino idioms that my dad
would always say to me.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
My sisters like that.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Dominicano. She keeps me laughing all the time.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
Because I'd be like, Jesus Christ, where did you? But
my mom always said them, and my grandmother always said them.
But I didn't have that a mental I guess, I
guess a little recorder she did. And I love them
and I love that you said that. I'm gonna remember
that one. Now, what are next steps for you?
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Well?
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Next steps for me is actually starting on Monday tomorrow.
I have to start going back up to Albany because
legislative session.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
Where do you live?
Speaker 3 (38:04):
Like, so, I live at Jackson Heights, Okay, And then
when I travel to Albany, I stay at a hotel nearby, Okay,
so that I can do my business.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Over there, and then I return home in the middle
of the week.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
I've always wondered, I'm like, how does that work? Do
you go every day?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
I go up every Monday and I come back in
the middle of the week. It depends on the week.
We have like a set schedule. I come back on Wednesday,
on Thursday, depending. March is the busiest month because and
everybody should know this, the New York State budget is
due April first every year, so negotiations start literally tomorrow,
(38:41):
the first official day of session, and we're negotiating the
budget through April first, when it's due.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
So March is really when all.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
Of the advocates are coming to Albany fighting for their causes,
trying to secure the funding for childcare.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
For example.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
Childcare and housing are two of the most important things
to me this year and every year. You know, I
want more people to be able to qualify for childcare subsidies.
And unfortunately in New York State, maybe some of the
moms listening know this. If you don't make at least
minimum wage in New York State, you don't get any
help for childcare. You don't qualify for childcare subsidies. What
(39:19):
do you mean, so you, as a New Yorker to
qualify for childcare subsidies as a parent, you have to
make at least minimum wage in order to qualify, meaning
that the women who are street vendors, perhaps you know,
with their children selling candy on the subway. We've all
seen them and other people who maybe only can.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Work part time, they don't qualify for childcare.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
So if you're unemployed and you want to go look
for a job and you need the childcare to go
to that job interview, you're not going to qualify for
childcare subsidies under the law right now.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I've been trying to fix that, but they probably need
it even more.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Sold them on this is e then wow, that's got
to get changed for sure.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Should be saying on it.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
There should be a safe place for any parent to
drop off their child at any given point in time,
you know, in case of an emergency. But that's what's
going to help our economy flourish more.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
Thank you for getting on top of that, because you know,
being a mom and being a working mom, I admire you.
Speaker 5 (40:19):
It's tough.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
I don't know how you do it because.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Either I just I'm just a worker and I'm shattered
half the time. So I can only imagine having you know, two, three,
four little ones that you have to you know, get
care for, and your government is not even helping you
with it.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
Yeah. No, it's it's been really hard. We've been able
to expand the legibility upwards. So now families making up
to ninety thousand dollars a year finally can qualify for
child care subsidies. But it should really be universal, you know,
it should be available to every child. This is about
the safety of the child, making sure that there are
educators who have access to helping diagnose them or identifying
(40:56):
developmental disabilities early on, so that you know, the kid
has a fighting chance to thrive in our city. That's
really important. And then the other thing, of course is housing. Yeah,
I mean here in New York City.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
La, I saw what happened in your apartment with the
oh you saw it?
Speaker 3 (41:12):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I live in a building that's
over one hundred years old in Jackson Heights, and I
saw that.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
You want to like advocate for like restoration of buildings
that are certain age.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
Yes, well with climate change and when New York City
being so old, our landlords, especially the smaller ones, don't
always have the funds available to retrofit or take care
of the roofs. Make sure that they're keeping up with
the code. And that's really important as we move forward
because we're getting more rainstorms and they're getting worse and worse.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I mean Hurricane Ida.
Speaker 3 (41:45):
You remember Superstorm Sandy many years ago that really hit
the rock always hard, hit Staten Island really hardly, yep,
destroyed the livelihood of lots of families. Hurricane Ida a
few years ago really messed us up. And Ea stelm
Her right by LaGuardia Airport, that neighborhood was ravaged. I mean,
and these things are going to keep happening unless we
(42:06):
do something. And the first thing we can do is
make sure that our homes are protected. So I'm hoping
to win the money in the budget this year in
order to help people fix that.
Speaker 2 (42:13):
You are going to win it. We're gonna manifest mess
for you. You know, you're going to be our mayor.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
I feel it, and I feel like if we really
you know, boots on the ground, and we really really
get it out there, we can get you into Gracie Man.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
Thank you, Thank you for me, for me. I'm really
asking for this promotion because I just want to work.
I I just I want to be able to see.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
And you said that's it, you would stay at Mary You're.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Not no, no do Washington d C. Familia not the
familiar right. See, no, no, no, it's not. It's just
not about that. It's it's about it's about.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Restoring the glory of our city being able to compete globally.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Met at Dubai Meta.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
I mean we we've always competed with London in Paris
and cities. But I mean the rest of the world
is developing, and our outcomes are not getting better. Our
healthcare outcomes aren't better, our childcare outcomes aren't getting better,
and our economy suffers for it. And now it's wi
Latinos starting to become the majority in New York City.
It's increasingly our responsibility. So let's let's get it going.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
I already I can already see it. I already see
you know, our Hispanic Heritage Month and our Dominican Night
party at Gracie Mansion, which you hosting. I can already
see it. I want Oh, I love too. They always
have the NYPD like bad chata. It's like a bad
chat band. Yeah, they always have it at Gracing Mansion.
(43:38):
Whenever they stuff with the Latinos, they are really really good. Yeah,
you're gonna take that party to the next level for us.
Speaker 4 (43:43):
I already know.
Speaker 2 (43:45):
Now I got my MC yallo, sub I'm here for you, man, Listen,
we got to get you in there. I appreciate you,
I admire you tremendously, and I'm happy we were able
to sit down today and once.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
You're mayor, to see you here again.
Speaker 3 (44:01):
Absolutely, you know, and maybe we can have a regular thing.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
That's the other thing.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
I always want to be able to be held accountable
and be able to report back to folks. I want
people to understand government that shouldn't be this thing that
nobody understands. No, no, no, and I think people like
you help us bring that message home.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
This thank you for this message will be delivered and
we're going to make this happen for you and come
again as a mayor, We're going to have you here. Absolutely,
I'm saying it now, I promise, glad, thank you.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
That was amazing. I'm happy that you're here, and I
am so Grassiers Come Again is a production of Honey
German Productions in partnership with Iheart's Mike podcast Network.
Gracias Come Again a podcast by Honey German.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
All Right, today we have a senator with us, and
not just any old senator. We have blass Jessica Ramos
with us. Welcome to Grass has come again?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Grass.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Yes, honey, it's a pleasure to be here with you.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
You feel so organic and like so real. It's like
you know, you hear senator. You think big stuffy politicians,
and you think people that are just not going to
be approachable or relatable.
Speaker 4 (00:29):
You feel like my friend.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
I want to be everybody's friend. I want people to
believe in government again. For a long time, I feel
like our public institutions have failed us. That's why I
ran for office in the first place.
Speaker 5 (00:42):
How did that?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I want?
Speaker 4 (00:43):
I want to go back to your childhood.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
But before I go anywhere, I need to know how
did you end up being a senator? You are so young,
you're a double minority, you're that meaning it is Una Latina.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
How did this happen?
Speaker 3 (00:56):
You know, I've always been interested in public service, and
my parents raised me.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
To help other people.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
In fact, my dad had a radio show when I
was a kid, and he was really about helping those
who had fallen victim to the War on drugs were
on Colombian American The end of the eighties and the
nineties were really rough for us out in Jackson Heights,
and so growing up within that context, I just wanted
to make myself useful to my neighbors. Unfortunately, my predecessor
(01:25):
in the Senate, we had been voting for him as
a Democrat, but he was going up to Albany to
vote for a Republican majority, and I ended up running
against him and unseating him by twenty two hundred votes.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Who was that his name? And God rest his soul.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
His name was.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Jose I remember, born and raised New Yorker. That's why
I asked, what was his name? Yeah, and here we are,
But I need a little more context.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
What did you do?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Like you were like, Okay, this is my neighborhood. I'm
going to run for like a small off like where
did it star? Where was that seed planted?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Well, my dad was on the community board in Jackson
Heights for a few years. So my dad would always
come home talking about what was going on in the community,
and I would grow up and join that same community
board too. While I was working for some labor unions.
But then I was appointed to the Doblasio administration, so
(02:18):
I worked for the previous mayor first in order to
deliver on the Universal pre K program. I'm very proud
to have been part of that. Something great. We need
that the mayor did, saving parents like twenty g's on childcare.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Right, that's a lot of but that's that's another rent.
And uh.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Then I got promoted to be director of Latino Media
for the City of New York.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I want to tell you what is that because I'm
like Latino Media, like, how do I not know this exists?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
It doesn't still exist presently.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
I'm not sure that it exists under the current mayor anymore.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But to be honest, it was kind of a misnomer.
I dealt with all community and ethnic media.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
My job was to make sure that New Yorkers understood
what city Hall was doing for them in their language,
wherever wherever they get their news, the audio.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
The world jerk, the eyes and ears of the people inside.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Oh, I love that. I can see. I can see that,
and that's that's the job. I quit to run for office.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
This is so may I am so impressed by you,
and and I've interviewed so many people Cardi B and like,
I was so memori She's she's she is hysterio and
what she's been able to do amazing.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
A whole nother story. But I was so excited because
I was like, Wow, I don't know why.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
It just feels like I feel like somebody can become
a rapper ten times easier than you can become a senator.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I don't know, I feel like it's hard to get
that hit.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Well, yeah, I didn't say they were gonna get it.
I was saying that they could become a rapper. I
was just like, I was so intrigued. I was like,
I need to know how she got to that seat.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
I love people. I like talking to people. I like
being out in the street and figuring out you.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Know, I was, I was talking your Instagram, I said,
I finished talking Instagram.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
I said, I'm tired. Does this woman ever go home? Yes,
I very much?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Do.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I actually prize my sleep very very much.
Speaker 6 (04:19):
Okay, Clara, right, no no no no, no, Latinas, we
gotta look.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Tight Columbia and when it comes to bed, yeslo detals.
I'm like my Columbian friends. I'm like, girl, you're gonna
last forever the way where you now that we're talking
about Columbia.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Mom and dad both Columbianos.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Mom and dad are both Columbianos.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
My dad was born in a town called Bouga outside
of Cali, and my mom is from Panaeda, from the
coffee growing region. My older sister was also born in Peda.
My little sister and I I were born here. I
was born Elmhurst Hospital, in the hood, in the district
that I represent.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
That's so amazing that you've been able to you know,
grow and you know, just help your community. So sometimes,
you know, you have to go places to become somebody,
and you were able to rise right there where your
parents planted you per se. Now, their immigration journey.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Was very difficult. It was very difficult, you know. My
my parents met and got married in Colombia. But my
dad came here first and my mom followed him a
year or two later. But she decided to come through Mexico,
so she crossed the border. Actually, just like a lot
of people.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Are doing right now, it's happening.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
So not that much has changed, actually because that was
in the late seventies, a long time ago, so and
she was only twenty four years old and she did
it by herself and it took her three days.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
And I mean, una, Nina, because when I see twenty
four year olds now, I'm like.
Speaker 6 (05:54):
You're a kid junoas Camiano Scuccati, Stodias. You know, people
getting hurt, all sorts of things. So to me, all
of the public service I do really isn't is to
honor their sacrifices.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I don't want them to have been in vain.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
And your advocacy, and you know, your message is surrounded
a lot around immigrants, immigration, the Spanish speaking, you know,
New York City and New York resident How hard is
that on you? Do you get backlash like, hey, you
only care about your own people. But sometimes that happens,
especially when you really want to help your own people.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I think in the current political landscape, specifically.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
For the climate right now.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Well, I mean the current mayor has done a great
job of using immigrants as a scapegoat, you know, saying
that they're going to destroy New York City. villainI my friend,
if anybody has ever edified and strengthened New York City,
it's been our generation of immigrants, whether it was the Italians,
the Jews and the Iriy people those hundreds of years ago,
whether it's the Latinos today.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
We are here to make New York City better.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
And you know, our children grow up to be senators
and mayors and all sorts of leaders who are going
to create an economy so that we can all make money,
because that's why we came here.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
In one thing about us, Latinos.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Work ethic is impeccable, unmatched. You have Latinos that work
a day job and a night.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
Job in the side, hustle and.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
In a disrespect. But there's people that I know born
and raised here and here we are, you know, struggling.
So the way that you know, Latinos and immigrants are
being portrayed in the media currently bothers me.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
You know what I find most offensive about that, honey,
that the work that immigrants do is sometimes the most
important because rich people trust them to raise their kids,
to clean their homes, to take care of their aging parents. Right,
these are the most important people to their homes, so
(08:10):
they trust us with their most prized possessions. And then
they'll turn around and say, oh, but not you. You
don't get dignity, you don't get the opportunities that you know,
my ancestors got.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
That's not right. And all I ever ask, all I
ever hope for and pray for, is that when my
kids grow up, we're able to end that xenophobic sentiment
so that it does that cycle needs to stop repeating itself.
We can't just.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Hate the immigrants that are going to come, you know,
twenty thirty years from now, because that's never going to end,
especially with climate change and all the stuff that's going
on in the world.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
So we got to be better, and you know, I
push you know, our culture, our people forward as much
as I can in a positive life because there is
so much negativity surrounding us. And when I saw the
Mexican firefighters out in California helping fight the fires, I
was like, are these the same Mexicans that are you know,
(09:06):
villainized in the press.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Are these the same Mexicans you don't want here? Or see?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
These the same Mexicans you want to build a wall
for that Trump wants to get rid of as soon
as he takes off.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
It's the same.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
It's the same Mexicans that are cooking at your favorite restaurants.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
You they see that, they see that either you don't
want to. You don't want I mean, we want to.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
We want to use immigrant labor in order to exploit it.
I mean, one of the biggest issues that I've tried
to champion in the Senate is precisely wage theft.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
You know, it's a big problem. Is it's super oh yeah,
and overtime checks bounce all the time.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
It's like three billion dollars a year, honey in New
York State, and it's and you know what, I see it.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
My sister is a CPA and she knows, Oh, she knows,
and she represents clients.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
And I'm like, what's going on? What is this mess?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
A million dollars worth of wage theft for you know,
Latinos and blacks that this company and I have to
represent them. And I'm like, what do you mean wage steps?
She's like, they don't pay them. They're overtime, they don't
pay them their vacations, they don't pay them.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
This Las Castle lass.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
The nail technicians, Okay, they're supposed to be getting paid
at least fifteen dollars an hour, they're supposed to make
at least minimum wage. But when you go get your
nails done, ask the lady how she's treated. It's very
often that you hear that the boss is only paying
them if they have a customer in front of them,
or they pay them a percentage of what the nail
(10:33):
of what the customer is asking for.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
That's not right, that's illegal.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
And so in our office, actually in my Senate office,
we we help people file wage theft claims.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Oh that's amazing, So somebody can contact you and be like, hey, absolute,
please happening.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Absolutely, And because it needs to be, it needs to
be reported to the Department of.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Labor as it should.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
No one should work for free, and no one should.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Ducky and York.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
You know, what's fair is fair.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
I feel like we need to break after that because
I feel so worked I guess so worked up when
it comes to like, you know, issues, especially when it's
more like the disenfranchised and you know, like the people
that are not capable of maybe.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Honey, I would love listen.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I always say it's either church or politics, one of
the two, because my thing is people. My thing is
you're not gonna get away doing that to that person.
And when I see someone either being targeted, bullied, or ostracized.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I'm like, get up under here. That's right.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I'm not gonna let theseus do this to you. We're
not gonna let them do this you. We're gonna make
you popular. We're gonna they're gonna be like Honey loves her.
You won't love it too because it is done. And
sometimes as a society and as a community, people tend
to want to jump on the most vulnerable. And with
with immigration and even with the migrant crisis, like right now,
(12:02):
like do you see what these people are going through?
And now we want to jump on them and you know,
make them seem like, you know, criminals. And not to
say that crime is not being committed, but you know,
there is a lot of people are living in the street,
there's poverty.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
I am, but US.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Citizens commit more crime on average than immigrants to and
that's a very important statistic to understand. But I think
more than that, we can't forget that there are reasons
why people are coming here.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Right, Let's not act like there's not a dictatorship.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
In Venezuela, right there, meeting, do you feel like a
bully Dominican? A bully Dominican? Is that Jina live Inlanaminoesulana
and it's weird because waitressing. He calls and I'm like, no,
(12:53):
can may be up and said, okay, yo Velaslana's working.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
You know, the dictatorship has destroyed the economy in Venezuela.
And look, I mean the situation is not too dissimilar
in other Latin American countries.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
To see.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
We're all trying to escape, you know, because we live
in New York City and this is full of everything.
I'm talking Colombians, Dominicans, everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Well, you know, New York City is about to become
a third Latino in terms of population. So we we
people need to stop. We need to stop calling ourselves
a minority.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Listen, I am not no minority.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Yeah, that's why we need a Latina mayor. And we're
gonna get why our mayor should speak Spanish.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Listen.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
Oh of course, you know.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
I was.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
I was looking at your at all of your initiatives
and everything that you're championing for, and I was like,
you can't have access to Spanish pages through our government,
Like if you're Latino, you don't have access to the
information you.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
It's really hard and it doesn't need to be, especially
in the age of technology.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
It shouldn't be that hard. The CHAGPT can translate all that,
right is sactamente? Yeah, no, I can't wait.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
You know, I want to be able to use those
skills to communicate with our people so that they know
where they can seek the services that they need.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
A sisally Molante.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
When did you get this itch that you were like
I could be the mayor?
Speaker 3 (14:35):
You know, it was.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Very clear that the current mayor had management issues.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
All of a sudden, a bunch of people around him
who he had hired were getting investigated by the.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
FBI in indicted, and then came his investigation, which is
still ongoing. There's like I think, like a couple of
days ago they were like new charges and bochin.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Bus Superseding indicted because he got in trouble about uh
you know, why are fraud with.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
The Turkish government.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
But apparently there is some wrongdoing with the Chinese government.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
So I I don't know what's going to happen.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
They don't know, senor.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
No, Yeah, I like you said, you don't know what's
going to happen. But too much criminality is surrounding a
mayor and we need someone who.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Is clean, a fresh star, a fresh start.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
And look, all of that stuff distracts him from filling
our potholes, picking up our garbage. I mean, it starts
back to the basics, right, I mean, I got a
twenty block stretch in my district without a trash can talk.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
That's not okay, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
And it's hard as a senator because as a senator,
I legislate in Albany, so we don't have a state
sanitation department.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
It belongs to the city.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And of course constituents are right, they don't want to
hear that, Oh no, that the city's fault, not mine.
I want to be able to deliver for them, especially
as a mom to teenagers, you know, like I want
my streets to be clean. I want to walk around
with a power washer and hose everything down. And yeah,
it's just starting with city hall.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Well, and have you how does this work? Like have
you already like done your paperwork? Like it's official, Like
I'm running for mayor.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It's official. I'm running for New York City mayor. We
are raising money, We're doing very well. The campaign is
growing every day.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
What we gotta do.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Tell me, the first thing that's gonna happen is petitioning Okay,
so just to do a little political education for your listeners.
Make so starting February twenty fifth, there's going to be
people with clipboards walking around New York City asking Democrats
for their signature so that the candidates can qualify for
the ballot, and then those ballots will get certified within
(16:50):
two months, and then the Democratic primary will be on Tuesday,
June twenty.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Fourth, Okay, so by the summertime, that's right.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
And this is the second mayoral election in the history
of New York City that is going to be ranked
choice voting, so actually people can go to the polls.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
And not just vote for one person.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
They can vote for up to five of their favorite
candidates in their order of preference.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
And we're going to be like Senator Jessica Ramos, my
number one choice. So thank you.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
You know, Latino, we have a big audience here in
New York for the podcast and for our radio stations,
and we got to make sure that as Latinos, we
band together and understand that you know, we need one
of ours in office because you understand our struggles, you
understand our language, You are us, you are you know
la mamasnigana la you know what I'm saying like you
(17:46):
understand us, and you understand the issues that we want resolved.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Bernota I want us to do well. I want our
children to do even better than we're doing. I mean,
we can put together a city with childcare with youth jobs,
a youth jobs guarantee, which I wanted to talk to
you about because I read about you, honey, that you
(18:10):
really care about providing especially girls with internships.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
And one of the things and one of the.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Things that I want to do as mayor is provide
a youth jobs guarantee, meaning that for young people ages
sixteen to twenty four. We want to partner with people
like you in the private sector to be able to
provide them with their first job opportunity.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
I love that keep them off the.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Street, allow them to make a little money so that
they can cover some of their expenses and help mom
and dad.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
That's important.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
And that age is such a vulnerable age where you
can be molded, and if you put them in the
right environment, with the right mentors and the right role models,
this can change the course of their life entirely. Versus
if we lead them outside of a building, you know,
where gang members and drug dealers can pull them into
a life of crime. Get it, I get it one
(19:00):
hundred percent if we remove them from those environments where
they're just gonna be idle all day and have nowhere
to go and nothing to do. Like I speak from experience.
You know, my friend son super smart, ended up spending
a summer in Brooklyn, got caught up with the wrong kids,
hanging out with somebody in their house, ends up getting.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Shot by a friend.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
No, just because they were hanging out in the house
and one kid.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Had a gun.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
But what they didn't have nothing else to do. They
were just bored hanging out and somebody said, look I
have a gun. And the trauma that he has experienced
and I know that changed the course of his life
and mentally it damaged him so much as a teenager.
And it was all because all these kids were.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Just they were bored. They had nothing to do. Yeah, no, no, no,
that's not you know, that's not okay.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
We and we want we want them to, hey, you know,
have the opportunity to explore different fields. It'll lead to
greater job satisfaction because hopefully they'll be able to hone
their full potential and figure out, well, you know what
I want to be just like honey, or I want
to run for off this, or I want to own
my own shop.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
We want them to do that.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
And hey, maybe even start contributing to their Social Security
a little.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Earlier immediately so they could get a good check. That's
what matters. That is what matters.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I love the conversation we're having. It just feels so
I just feels so real. You know, with politicians and
you know I've met you know, I've met the blouse,
I've met Eric Adams, and you know, there's always like
a barrier, kind of like I can't get too close.
I can't really engage them too much.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
I'm just a New.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yorker that wants to be mayor and wants to see
my city be the best city in the world.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
For real, for real.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
I want to be like Merima Jessica.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
How do you say mayor in Spanish? Oh my god?
Speaker 3 (20:44):
But I mean, we've never had a woman in New
York City and we need it. We've never had a
latina or Latino in New York City.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
Can we make this happen.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
We can make this happen. So I have a record.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
It's all about getting out the vote all right, letting
people know that our campaign is out there fighting for
them to rebuild our middle class and to get our
city in order. There's too much disorder and it's it's
not okay.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
And you know when Latinos banded together that Jessos be
our next mayor, we can make this happen. You know,
latinas a whole initiative around you, because New York City,
New York State is just full of Latinas.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
That's right, that's right. And look, we can put you
and off and we can't. We can't leave out other
people too.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
But this is something I love particularly about being Latina,
because we come in every shape and colorida and every
flavor and and and I think that particularly prepares us
to lead everyone else because that diversity is within us,
(21:55):
within our own families, and it's it's something that we should.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Use to lead in the communities where we live.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
It is we're we're very open to embracing kasun Kuwano, Cosume, Mehican,
cas Dominican, so Loka. It's h like kind of like
that divide of different races or different countries or or we're.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Just we just love all of us Lambidia you know,
when or not one.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
The best of us.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
But but but those are the things that we have
to overcome precisely with that sense of unity and that
sense of respect that we have to have for each other.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
I love this. I love this.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
I am so like fired up right now, I'm like,
who am I going to contact? What are we gonna do?
I want to meet them all? When are the dates
gonna happen? Like what are we doing? Is it gonna
be a barbecue? What are we doing to get get
everybody's signature? You know, because you know, community is so
much about coming out and being together and just one
person telling another person. And I am sure that this interview,
in this conversation, when the person listening right now finishes, they're.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Gonna be like hey.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Mayor and say wamanasu.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Instagram and one person puts another person on.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
It's kind of like music.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
We share an artist, your medicund Joe the Scudia, Bad Bunny.
I was sharing him with everybody. This is like ten
years ago when first started, and now everybody's like, I
remember when you told me about Bad Bunny. It is
all about sharing, It is all about spreading the word.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
It was incredible, so I got to meet Bad Bunny
before he was famous.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
I didn't even I mean, we didn't know who he was.
I'll tell you.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
So. I was working at City Hall and Daddy Yankees
manager his wife at the time, our former wife, had
reached out to City Hall to ask for a permit
to shoot the video for uh Builbeah. I forget the
name of the song, but he wanted to shoot it
on Twelfth Avenue here in Manhattan, and he was having
(23:48):
a little trouble and so I ended up going to
the shoote you know, I helped out and everything, and
that was a song that he did with Bad Bunny
but bab Nadia Saba and I remember the manager coming
up to us and be like, oh, no, Bad Bunny's
about to be the number one artists on Spotify.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
And I was like, oh look at that.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
You were like, Mina, who are your favorite artists?
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Fun? No matter, I love a group. It's Carnegie who
I rarely miss a group concerts.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Are you going to go?
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Probably hopefully.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I just saw Evy Queen there before the Holidays. I
love it was amazing, said that can be in the way.
It's crazy that you mentioned I.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Know, I love I mean I'm a big cat fan.
Uh huh, of course.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
I love her.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Yes, she's number one. It's been doing amazing.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
And then well, actually we were talking with your producer
about Lisa Lisa before.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I'm a big Free Style fan.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I'm born and raised in New York City, you know Latina,
So to me, Sapphire has always been my favorite. And
and even through Nina Sky, who's who's from Queens.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
I mean, it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
We just we just got we had a conversation. They
were like, oh, Nina skuy wants to lose the show.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Is that you mentioned?
Speaker 1 (25:10):
They are incredible and that's from Queens and they're pioneers.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
I love them and I love everything that they've been
able to do. So yeah, so we got group.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
Yeah, and I like my hip hop. You hip frost hip.
Of course, love hip hop.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
I mean, well the beat Nuts and Noriega come from
the district I represent.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
He said, Lizen well Left Frack Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
He's right by, Yes, he's from Left Frack, from fifty
seventh Aven. You shout out to Left Frack City. And
actually a few nights ago I was with Smith and Wesson.
Really we were honoring them for the thirty year anniversary
of the Shining.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Which was a big deal. And I got to meet
Havoc from Mob Deep for the first time. Oh my god,
I was I understand, I mean.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Rip Prodigy, who was originally from Left Frock by the way,
you know, But for for the past few years on
Queen's Day in the New York State Senate in Albany,
I've been, I've been, I've been wrapping you know, a
few bars from shook ones.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
So and of course, now you know, don't be doing
it right now, don't we do it right now?
Speaker 3 (26:12):
But to see Havoc and get to meet him, I mean,
it was just incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
Of course, Hello gangs, ain't you don't you?
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Is that also show?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
No?
Speaker 2 (26:26):
I love I love, I love I love this. Now
what do we need to do right now? What do
you need from us, the public New Yorkers?
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Well, to be honest, to run a campaign, we are
going to need to print lit we are going to
need to get our message out there. Okay, I'm gonna
want to buy TV ads and ads here at iHeart radio.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah, I'm gonna voice them for you.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (26:48):
So make Spanish words go out really really good.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
Glad Okay, see we see no and we want our
trusted messengers, of course to get out there and connect
with our community.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
And Martinez, we coming for you.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Oh, Angie's Angie's incredible, She's a legend. But yes, people
should visit our website ramos r AMOS four fo r
NYC dot com. And there's actually a public matching funds
campaign program. So for every ten dollars that a New
York City resident donates, it gets matched eight to one,
(27:23):
So ten dollars becomes ninety dollars, one hundred dollars becomes
nine hundred dollars. And that's really really important for us
to have the funding that we need to get our
message out there.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Is there an official number that you need to make
sure you make it to Grazie match.
Speaker 3 (27:39):
I need to be able to raise at least two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
That's easy.
Speaker 2 (27:45):
We can make this happen for you. Yeah, I said,
you're gonna tell me a million dollars.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
No, no, no, no, but mind that that that translates to
eight times two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
So I let me donate to fifty, you're gonna get
eight times down exactly.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
You donate to fifty, I get two thousand, two hundred
and fifty dollars for those two fifty. Yeah, that makes
me really competitive. And remember I'm the only woman in
the race.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Just want to strength of that. Every single female out
here we gotta get. We gotta get Jessica Ramos and.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Off and people should know. I just want to be mayor.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
I don't see this as like a trampoline or a
launch pad to go for a higher office. I don't
want to go to Washington, DC. I love New York.
I love New York City, and I just want my
people to be safe, to have clean streets, for our
kids to have a great education. So that's the type
of campaign that you'd be supporting.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I just want to fight like a mother from my city.
And you're not gonna go celebrity on us, right, No?
Speaker 3 (28:38):
You?
Speaker 1 (28:38):
I mean I you see my personality. I see your personality.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
But you know one thing that super turned me off
always about Eric Adams was that he was so showy
and I always felt like he wanted to be a
celebrity and he wanted to be a swagger is Yeah,
like always with the Gucci scar. I'm like, listen, I
need you to fix the city. I don't need you
to be hanging out with Fa Joe.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Yeah. Well, my Airmax ones are a little not as
clean as I usually like them. But you you just
a little swagger. I think you know, you got a
whole lot of swag.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
But I felt like it was more important to him
to be popping and lit and than the work.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Well, he always says that he likes to get stuff done,
and I always say I don't want to get stuff done.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
I want to get work done, you know, because stuff
can mean a lot of things.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
And I guess in that respect, he's been doing a
lot of stuff that he shouldn't be doing.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
And that's what we need.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
And I want my I want my mayor to work.
I don't want my mayor.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
That's hard to you. I'm sorry. You do your parties
with your friends and your family and stuff.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I don't want to walk into an album listening party
for a little baby and find my mayor there. I don't.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I'm sorry, I just don't.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
I don't want to see you sit for Hennessy next
to me when we need shit done.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
That's right, that's right. No, no, and I'm an early birden.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
I want to grind as hard as New Yorkers. We
your mayor should match your grind.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
I don't want to feel like you're waking up late
and I'm over here struggling.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Speaking about early riser. You take the train I do.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
I've never gotten my driver's license.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
What I read? I read that.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Don't laugh at me. Do you know how to drive? No? Oh, okay,
I met all right. So I took like I took
like a lesson or two.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
Uh, you know, back when I was in college, and
I got my permit again renewed maybe at this point
over a year ago. But I haven't taken any new lesson.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
You have a permit.
Speaker 1 (30:42):
I admit that driving is a life skill that people
should have. Battle I don't know.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
I don't. I don't have a lot of interest in
owning a car. Let's be honest with you. I don't
want to park it the park. It sounds horrible.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
Listen, New York City.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
The parking is an issue with god parking.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
No, no, no, I get it. With my partner, I mean Mario.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
You know he will wake up at extra early on
Sundays because he has to move the car from one
side to the other.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
I was just like, I don't want to have to
do you got to leave the key to somebody to
move the car.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
Yeah, and never mind paying the Muni meter for the
car itself. The insurance sounds it sounds like a whole
other rent.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
And we haven't even mentioned the fact that driving in
New York City is like you're in fear for your
life the whole There.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
So many cars, there's so many cars.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
There's a lot of road rage that day.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Yet No, but yeah, I mean in general.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
Actually, and this is one of my other topics that
I like to talk about, is our mental health.
Speaker 4 (31:36):
Oh yeah, I had that here, mental health crisis.
Speaker 3 (31:39):
Yeah, I mean actually talking about taking the subways. Well,
today I've already taken the subway today three times, and
on two of the trains I've taken today so far,
there have been people who are clearly.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
Struggling with severe mental illness.
Speaker 3 (31:54):
There was one gentleman this morning who was talking to
himself and screaming and you know, making people feel uncomfortable
because you know, you don't know if that what that
person may or may not do.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
It's unpredictable.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
How do you feel it scares me?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, of course, you know.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I keep my tough New Yorker persona on and I'm like,
I'm not moving, I'm just not going to engage them
or whatever.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
But nobody like this person can hurt anybody.
Speaker 3 (32:19):
And this is as much of a progressive as I am. Precisely,
I think that in having compassion for that person, it's
not okay to leave that person out.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
In the street, especially with winters.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
With the winter, I mean even with the summer.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
You know, like that person is not able to take
care of themselves and probably doesn't even understand the level
of help that they need. It's our responsibility to make
sure that they have the appropriate services before they hurt
themselves or before they hurt someone else.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Do you feel like there is a solution to the
problem here? I do, And what is it?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I think that the biggest problem we had is that
former Governor Andrew Quoma closed our mental health institutions over
a decade ago.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Why do you think, because I see I remember jebelos
Ai Fesios against stan Island and here what is that?
Oh that used to be a mental hospital, that used
to be mental hospitals.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Can we reopen those?
Speaker 3 (33:15):
I want to reopen them. I want to refurbish them.
I want to restaff them. And I want there to
be enough psychiatric beds so that people can get the
help they need. Some people might need short term help.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I think there's a good handful of people who need
long term help. But it's not okay to leave them
out in the street.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
Making everybody unsafe, especially if you're a veteran who served
our country and coming back from war is the reason
why your mental health is destroyed. Our veterans deserve so
much more than we give them as a nation and
as a state and as a city. When you see
them and they're out there, like wow, this this man
(33:54):
gave his life or this woman gave her life to
our country and they're in the street right now begging
for money.
Speaker 4 (34:00):
Now that we got to fix y.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Not that anyone deserves to be outside, but if you
gave your life to this country.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Well, look historically, since since after the Vietnam War, right
that generation of veterans on to the present have been
treated terribly. And I don't think you know, and I
feel very comfortable saying that here on the on your show, honey,
it was largely because it was a much more integrated
army by then.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
And so black and brown could serve.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
And and and so.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
And by the way, Latinos, we're the only group that
has served in every single war that the United States
has fought in. That's important to understand in terms of
our history, because we don't get to see ourselves in
history books the way we deserve. Everybody listening should know
and should be very proud of our legacy of service
to this country.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Okay, but then that also.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
Means that we need to have the people in power
to make sure that we're getting those services back. Because
the kids that the kids is los in Iraq and
Afghanistan and Kuwait were mostly Latino men, especially from here
from New York City, who thought they were going to
go or earn some money for their family, hopefully sometimes
(35:12):
even get.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Papers for their family. And we didn't even keep that promise.
We have had veterans deported that back to their.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Country after fighting a war for this country. Hate So, nah,
that's trifling, is trifling.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Yeah, I've been working with a group of veterans who
have actually experienced this and have are in contact with
with with all all of the folks who who unfortunately
are are having to campaign and advocating for this practice
to end.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
Got a lot of work ahead.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
There's a lot of work. I'm tired.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Just I thought I got tired about looking at your Instagram.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
You know what?
Speaker 3 (35:59):
For me, I get disappointed, But for some reason that
God allows me to take that disappointment and actually fuel
me and motivate me to do something about And.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
You're like, I gotta fix this.
Speaker 1 (36:12):
Yeah, I gotta fix it. If it was there, I gotta.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Clear problem solver.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
Yeah, and I can. That's absolute.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Do you you don't know where to start?
Speaker 1 (36:34):
I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure he's a lovely guy.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
I don't know where anything, But you don't know how
to do nothing, you.
Speaker 1 (36:41):
Know, to give them money.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
If we're like the heart and soul and the brain
of the household, and you can give us any problem,
you could tell us, you know, Colombia, you know, and
you like, I'll come back, and you will come back,
(37:04):
Papalo the Banco, like we are.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It is just ingrained in our DNA. We're resourceful, oh
that we are.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
You know, even if we don't have it, if we
don't know I'll go and ask Roma.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
You know, I've never heard that one.
Speaker 3 (37:20):
Oh, I know all sorts of like these, but I
think are mostly Colombian but Latino idioms that my dad
would always say to me.
Speaker 4 (37:26):
My sisters like that.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
Dominicano. She keeps me laughing all the time.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
Because I'd be like, Jesus Christ, where did you? But
my mom always said them, and my grandmother always said them.
But I didn't have that a mental I guess, I
guess a little recorder she did. And I love them
and I love that you said that. I'm gonna remember
that one. Now, what are next steps for you?
Speaker 1 (37:54):
Well?
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Next steps for me is actually starting on Monday tomorrow.
I have to start going back up to Albany because
legislative session.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
Where do you live?
Speaker 3 (38:04):
Like, so, I live at Jackson Heights, Okay, And then
when I travel to Albany, I stay at a hotel nearby, Okay,
so that I can do my business.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Over there, and then I return home in the middle
of the week.
Speaker 3 (38:17):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
I've always wondered, I'm like, how does that work? Do
you go every day?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
I go up every Monday and I come back in
the middle of the week. It depends on the week.
We have like a set schedule. I come back on Wednesday,
on Thursday, depending. March is the busiest month because and
everybody should know this, the New York State budget is
due April first every year, so negotiations start literally tomorrow,
(38:41):
the first official day of session, and we're negotiating the
budget through April first, when it's due.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
So March is really when all.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
Of the advocates are coming to Albany fighting for their causes,
trying to secure the funding for childcare.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
For example.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
Childcare and housing are two of the most important things
to me this year and every year. You know, I
want more people to be able to qualify for childcare subsidies.
And unfortunately in New York State, maybe some of the
moms listening know this. If you don't make at least
minimum wage in New York State, you don't get any
help for childcare. You don't qualify for childcare subsidies. What
(39:19):
do you mean, so you, as a New Yorker to
qualify for childcare subsidies as a parent, you have to
make at least minimum wage in order to qualify, meaning
that the women who are street vendors, perhaps you know,
with their children selling candy on the subway. We've all
seen them and other people who maybe only can.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Work part time, they don't qualify for childcare.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
So if you're unemployed and you want to go look
for a job and you need the childcare to go
to that job interview, you're not going to qualify for
childcare subsidies under the law right now.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
I've been trying to fix that, but they probably need
it even more.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Sold them on this is e then wow, that's got
to get changed for sure.
Speaker 4 (40:00):
Should be saying on it.
Speaker 3 (40:01):
There should be a safe place for any parent to
drop off their child at any given point in time,
you know, in case of an emergency. But that's what's
going to help our economy flourish more.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
Thank you for getting on top of that, because you know,
being a mom and being a working mom, I admire you.
Speaker 5 (40:19):
It's tough.
Speaker 4 (40:20):
I don't know how you do it because.
Speaker 2 (40:21):
Either I just I'm just a worker and I'm shattered
half the time. So I can only imagine having you know, two, three,
four little ones that you have to you know, get
care for, and your government is not even helping you
with it.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
Yeah. No, it's it's been really hard. We've been able
to expand the legibility upwards. So now families making up
to ninety thousand dollars a year finally can qualify for
child care subsidies. But it should really be universal, you know,
it should be available to every child. This is about
the safety of the child, making sure that there are
educators who have access to helping diagnose them or identifying
(40:56):
developmental disabilities early on, so that you know, the kid
has a fighting chance to thrive in our city. That's
really important. And then the other thing, of course is housing. Yeah,
I mean here in New York City.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
La, I saw what happened in your apartment with the
oh you saw it?
Speaker 3 (41:12):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I live in a building that's
over one hundred years old in Jackson Heights, and I
saw that.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
You want to like advocate for like restoration of buildings
that are certain age.
Speaker 3 (41:23):
Yes, well with climate change and when New York City
being so old, our landlords, especially the smaller ones, don't
always have the funds available to retrofit or take care
of the roofs. Make sure that they're keeping up with
the code. And that's really important as we move forward
because we're getting more rainstorms and they're getting worse and worse.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I mean Hurricane Ida.
Speaker 3 (41:45):
You remember Superstorm Sandy many years ago that really hit
the rock always hard, hit Staten Island really hardly, yep,
destroyed the livelihood of lots of families. Hurricane Ida a
few years ago really messed us up. And Ea stelm
Her right by LaGuardia Airport, that neighborhood was ravaged. I mean,
and these things are going to keep happening unless we
(42:06):
do something. And the first thing we can do is
make sure that our homes are protected. So I'm hoping
to win the money in the budget this year in
order to help people fix that.
Speaker 2 (42:13):
You are going to win it. We're gonna manifest mess
for you. You know, you're going to be our mayor.
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (42:19):
I feel it, and I feel like if we really
you know, boots on the ground, and we really really
get it out there, we can get you into Gracie Man.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
Thank you, Thank you for me, for me. I'm really
asking for this promotion because I just want to work.
I I just I want to be able to see.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
And you said that's it, you would stay at Mary You're.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
Not no, no do Washington d C. Familia not the
familiar right. See, no, no, no, it's not. It's just
not about that. It's it's about it's about.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
Restoring the glory of our city being able to compete globally.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Met at Dubai Meta.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
I mean we we've always competed with London in Paris
and cities. But I mean the rest of the world
is developing, and our outcomes are not getting better. Our
healthcare outcomes aren't better, our childcare outcomes aren't getting better,
and our economy suffers for it. And now it's wi
Latinos starting to become the majority in New York City.
It's increasingly our responsibility. So let's let's get it going.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
I already I can already see it. I already see
you know, our Hispanic Heritage Month and our Dominican Night
party at Gracie Mansion, which you hosting. I can already
see it. I want Oh, I love too. They always
have the NYPD like bad chata. It's like a bad
chat band. Yeah, they always have it at Gracing Mansion.
(43:38):
Whenever they stuff with the Latinos, they are really really good. Yeah,
you're gonna take that party to the next level for us.
Speaker 4 (43:43):
I already know.
Speaker 2 (43:45):
Now I got my MC yallo, sub I'm here for you, man, Listen,
we got to get you in there. I appreciate you,
I admire you tremendously, and I'm happy we were able
to sit down today and once.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
You're mayor, to see you here again.
Speaker 3 (44:01):
Absolutely, you know, and maybe we can have a regular thing.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
That's the other thing.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
I always want to be able to be held accountable
and be able to report back to folks. I want
people to understand government that shouldn't be this thing that
nobody understands. No, no, no, and I think people like
you help us bring that message home.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
So thank you.
Speaker 2 (44:20):
This thank you for this message will be delivered and
we're going to make this happen for you and come
again as a mayor, We're going to have you here. Absolutely,
I'm saying it now, I promise, glad, thank you.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
That was amazing. I'm happy that you're here, and I
am so Grassiers Come Again is a production of Honey
German Productions in partnership with Iheart's Mike podcast Network.
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