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(Para ver la versión en español visite aquí).
Dear Neighbors,
Memorial Day weekend arrives with familiar signs of the season: families gathering, grills warming, parks filling with laughter, and beaches across New York City opening their gates to summer. Yet beneath the ease of the long weekend remains a solemn obligation: to pause, to remember, and to honor those who gave their lives in service to this nation.
Remembrance, at its best, is not passive. It asks something of us. It calls us to measure the freedoms we inherit against the responsibilities we carry. Those who sacrificed their lives did not do so for democracy as an idea locked in history books, but for a living promise that must be defended in every generation, in every community, and in every hall of power where the future is shaped.
That is the work I carry with me to Albany. This past week, I participated in critical committee meetings and helped advance meaningful legislation rooted in transparency, justice, and dignity. Several of my bills also moved forward (see “Action Jackson” for details) as the legislative session continues to intensify and the urgency of our work grows sharper by the day.
That same responsibility is also shaping the work unfolding in this year’s state budget negotiations. This week, the Senate and Assembly moved the budget process forward by taking up and voting on the Education, Labor and Family Assistance budget bill, better known as ELFA, followed by the Public Protection and General Government budget (PPGG) bill.
While progress is finally being made, negotiations continue around what has become the latest state budget in nearly two decades. For families, schools, workers, and community organizations waiting on critical investments, delay is never just a matter of process. It is a reminder that the decisions made in Albany are felt far beyond the Capitol.
That reality is especially clear for immigrant communities across our state. I am proud to share that protections connected to my bill, S4121, to safeguard sensitive locations from civil immigration enforcement actions, were advanced as part of this year’s budget negotiations. These protections help ensure that schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, shelters, and other essential spaces remain places of safety, not fear.
For immigrant families, the ability to seek medical care, attend school, worship, or access community services without intimidation is not political theater. It is dignity. It is public safety. And it is a reflection of the kind of New York we must continue building together. I remain deeply grateful to the advocates, organizers, and immigrant communities whose courage and persistence helped move this effort forward.
When New York shortchanged our students, we took the State to court and won billions in historic school funding through the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case. Foundation Aid was never symbolic. It was structural change that reshaped what educational justice could look like in our state.
Now, in this year’s budget, we are continuing that work. Changes to the school aid formula will increase support for New York City students who are homeless, in foster care, or learning English. State funding for New York City schools will increase by $860 million, bringing total state aid to nearly $15.3 billion, alongside additional investments in early childhood education, transportation, and classroom materials.
The future of our schools, neighborhoods, and public institutions ultimately depends on public participation. Democracy is not self-sustaining. It lives through participation, through accountability, through the simple but powerful act of showing up. As Primary Election season approaches, I encourage every eligible voter to make a plan and make your voice heard.
- Early Voting: June 13–21, 2026
- Election Day: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
- Poll Hours: 6 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Please confirm your polling site here, and participate in the democratic process that belongs to all of us.
As you spend this long weekend with loved ones, neighbors, and friends, I hope you find time to rest, reconnect, and enjoy the communities that make our city feel like home. In moments of gathering and joy, we are reminded that community itself is part of what we are called to protect.
In the sections below, you will find community updates, resources, and opportunities for you and your family.
In Unity,
RJ
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