Kayla Santosuosso
City Council district 43
Why do you want LID’s endorsement?
I am a proud supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community, and would be deeply honored to have the endorsement of Brooklyn’s largest LGBTQIA+ political organization. In the months since Trump’s election there have been growing calls from across the political spectrum to roll back so much of the progress that has been made in my lifetime, but I will never deny or try and obfuscate my commitment to the rights and freedoms of LGBTQIA+ people.
If you have previously held office, describe a time while elected that you advocated and acted for the LGBTQIA+ community. If you have not held office, describe a time you have advocated for the LGBTQIA+ community.
I have never held elected office before, but working to run the office of current Councilmember Justin Brannan I helped to ensure that the particular needs of the LGBTQIA+ people in our district were being addressed by our office adequately. That included supporting programming by our local LGBTQIA+ groups. I also recently helped the office respond swiftly to a horrific incident of anti-LGBTQIA+ bigotry, wherein a bigot graffiti’d with a slur over a bench that had been dedicated to a young queer person who died by suicide. We ensured swift removal of the graffiti by the Parks department.
Outside of elected office, I also ran a bar in the neighborhood which for years proudly hosted LGBTQIA+ groups for meetings and gatherings, and displayed a pride flag in the window - an unfortunate rarity among drinking establishments in Southern Brooklyn.
Are you accepting campaign contributions from law enforcement or for profit real estate?
We are not soliciting endorsements or donations from any organizations that represent law enforcement, or for profit real estate developers.
Has Mayor Eric Adams met the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community? Please include “yes” or “no” in your answer.
No, Mayor Adams has not done nearly enough to address the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Are you committed to continuing and expanding city support for the Summer Youth Employment Program Pride initiative (SYEP Pride)?
Yes. The Summer Youth Employment program is one of the most successful programs in our city, and sets our young people on pathways for greater success in life. WIth such a vibrant community of LGBTQIA+ youth in New York City, we should be investing in their futures, and the SYEP is one of the most clear cut, longest lasting ways we can do that. We need leaders in the City government who will stand up for programs like this, particularly as the federal government fights to curtail the ways that it works for LGBTQIA+ youth specifically.
How will you support and empower the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly at this time when LGBTQIA+ rights, and transgender rights in particular, are under attack nationwide?
If elected to the city council, I will never try and hide or obfuscate by support for the LGBTQIA+ community, and will always keep their specific needs in mind when considering legislation. The efforts to curtail support of LGBTQIA+ in the rhetoric of the Democratic party are short sighted and wrong, and they can only be combated by local leaders who are committed to keeping the needs of LGBTQIA+ people front and center.
One of the specific issues I would like to work on is expanding insurance coverage for LGBTQIA+ couples who are pursuing fertility treatment. City worker insurance, for instance, covers fertility treatment like IVF and IUI for heterosexual couples who have been diagnosed with infertility. But the insurance does not cover the very same treatment for same-sex couples, despite the fact that they’d also rely upon the same procedures to conceive.
How will you support and empower marginalized Brooklynites?
The first and best way we empower and support every marginalized community is by making sure that local Council offices are run with efficiency, creativity and respect. It is impossible to know what changes will come to our communities in the years to come and so having Councilmembers who understand how to do the job, and use their office as a force for aid and support in trying times is more critical than ever.
Specifically, I want to deliver for working families throughout the five boroughs by focusing on affordability and livability. We need to increase the housing stock that is affordable for working and middle class families so that people can afford to stay here; create universal childcare and after school so that parents can afford to raise their families here; protect our immigrant communities from the federal crackdown on immigration and political protest; and make sure our public spaces like streets, sidewalks, parks, playgrounds, and schools are safe, clean, and adequately staffed, so that living in New York City is more livable, and not always a challenge.
Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in safeguarding the social safety net for millions of New Yorkers. Nonprofit organizations, including LGBTQIA+ community centers, are more than contractors; they are essential partners in addressing homelessness, hunger, healthcare, education, and more. However, chronic delays in city payments have left these organizations on the brink of collapse, threatening the services our most vulnerable residents rely on every day.
Will you commit to prioritizing timely payments to nonprofits, working to break down bureaucratic barriers that prevent timely payments, supporting financial stability for nonprofits, and working to uphold our critical NYC safety net?
Yes- as a former Deputy Director of an immigrant services nonprofit who handled applying for and handling reimbursements of city funding, I know firsthand how stressful this process can be for nonprofits. This significantly puts a strain on nonprofits who have to spend first and get reimbursed later, often relying upon bridge loans that rack up interest and cost organizations more in the long run. I’m a supporter of CM Brannan’s legislation to charge the City interest for late payments, both practically and as a cudgeon to force the City to pay up on time.
The city is currently behind the legally mandated timeline to close the jails on Rikers Island by 2027? Are you committed to this deadline and if so, what will you do to ensure the City meets it? If not, what steps do you propose taking to reduce incarceration and uphold the civil rights and human dignity of individuals confined in our City jails, particularly transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary people?
Rikers Island is overcrowded and dangerous, and the human rights violations that have occurred there are a terrible stain on our Cities legacy. As efforts to close it have unfolded, it has become increasingly clear that any attempt to meet the 2027 deadline to close Rikers will exacerbate the problems that the closure set out to solve. Reducing the number of people on Rikers Island must be our first priority. People must not end up on Rikers Island for low level offenses; we should ground ourselves in the fact that the fight around Rikers Island started because of the death of Kalief Browder, whose only crime was stealing a backpack. There is no path forward that does not include spending city money on new jail infrastructure, but we can focus the design, placement, and operation of these facilities to end human rights violations, reduce recidivism, and keep people connected to their families and communities.
Do you support the proposed Haven Green development in the Lower East Side, which would create much-needed housing for LGBTQ+ seniors, among others? What other steps will you take to address the affordability crisis and increase housing available to New Yorkers, particularly individuals moving here to escape harmful red-state policies?
Yes- newly constructed affordable housing is an essential pathway out of our housing crisis. While I support the Haven Green Development, I know it does not do nearly enough to increase the supply of housing in the Lower East Side, let alone the rest of the five boroughs. We need a unified approach amongst City housing agencies to identify sites where tens of thousands of new units of housing can be built, and we need support from our State and Federal partners to make sure this housing is deeply affordable.
What steps are you prepared to take to combat Trump Administration policies that harm New Yorkers?
I am running to represent one of the most “purple” districts in the City of New York, and I know that the Republican party is going to pour resources into our community to try and secure a new seat on the City council. Several candidates are plastering our neighborhood with signs that promote Trump's dangerous rhetoric; they are banking on fear, division and discrimination to win this race. In large part, I am running because I cannot sit back and watch that happen.
I want to offer an alternative vision of local leadership for people in my community, grounded in our highest principles, and committed to the idea that high quality, effective government services can hold a community together. Every day more and more threats to essential services come down from the federal government, and we must ensure that the person leading District 47 is committed to the idea that local government has a major role to play in averting the damage that these cuts will cause.
Please answer YES or NO to indicate support for, or opposition to, the following following city council initiatives:
Int. 3093-A: Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to access to gender-affirming care facilities and a cause of action related to interference with gender-affirming care.
yes
Int. 3184-A: Local Law in relation to requiring the chair of the commission on gender equity to develop a plan to support newly arrived migrants 24-years-old and younger and transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and intersex newly arrived migrants.
yes
Int. 3183-A: Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the commissioner of health and mental hygiene to develop a health agenda to promote the health and wellbeing of transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and intersex New Yorkers.
yes
Int. 3179-A: Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a public information and outreach campaign regarding legal rights and resources available to Transgender, Gender Non-conforming, and Nonbinary (TGNCNB) individuals.
yes
Int. 3105-Oversight: Ensuring Access to Supports for TGNCNB People in New York City.
yes
Int. 0149-2024: The Sex Worker Protection Act, championed by LGBTQIA+ Caucus Co-Chair Council Member Tiffany Cabán, Council Member Crystal Hudson.
While I strongly support ensuring that sex workers are not discriminated against in housing and city services, I do not believe in creating a program and funding stream until the state weighs in on decriminalizing sex work - otherwise I’m not sure that this passes legal muster.
COMMITMENTS:
If endorsed, do you commit to using LID’s full logo and full name on all materials and other places where you list endorsees (with the exception of lists of specific organizations (unions, etc) or elected officials)?
yes
Do you commit to using inclusive and gender-neutral language in press releases and other announcements (e.g., “the people of the..” instead of “the men and women of the…”
Yes