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[Para ver la versión en español visite aquí).
Dear Neighbors,
As one year settles into memory and another opens its doors, we pause—not to linger, but to take our bearings. 2025 was a year shaped by community resolve, steady progress, and hard-fought legislative wins. 2026 arrives with new urgency, new questions, and the same enduring responsibility: to govern with purpose and to deliver for the people we serve.
These are not easy times, and they are not abstract ones. Families are feeling the weight of rising utility bills and grocery costs that outpace paychecks. Rent, health care, and the basic cost of living continue to press into daily life. At the same time, many New Yorkers are watching, with justified concern, as rights once considered secure are challenged across the country. Recent events like the murder of Renee Good by an ICE agent have underscored a hard truth: when power operates without transparency or accountability, trust fractures, rights erode, and the promise of equal protection becomes dangerously fragile.
That is why I have introduced Senate Bill S176, legislation to end qualified immunity in New York—because no badge, agency, or authority should place anyone beyond the reach of the law. Accountability is not optional in a democracy; it is the condition that makes justice possible. This is not an abstract policy. It is a direct response to harm, and a commitment to ensure that violations of civil rights are met with consequences, not silence.
Moments of uncertainty test not just our values, but our capacity to govern. I have seen New York meet those tests before—choosing steadiness when chaos prevailed and action when others faltered. Under Democratic leadership, the State Senate has protected rights, defended dignity, and provided stability when Washington could not. That experience shapes how I lead today: with conviction rooted in principle, and realism guided by collaboration, discipline, and a commitment to deliver results that reassure families and make everyday life more secure.
As this legislative session begins, my focus remains clear. I will continue confronting the affordability crisis by addressing rising utility costs and food prices, advancing universal childcare, strengthening a health care system that puts patients first, and ensuring the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share—which is why I introduced Senate Bill S1622. Alongside my colleagues, I will also continue advancing strong civil rights protections. We are defending voting rights and equal protection under the law, and standing with communities too often targeted or marginalized—including our immigrant neighbors—by advancing the promise of a New York for all.
Here at home, Team Jackson remains guided by a Community First approach. From constituent services and tenant advocacy to school visits and neighborhood engagement across District 31, we will keep listening, collaborating, and taking purposeful action. Our strength lies in our diversity and in the shared belief that public service must be rooted in presence, accountability, and care.
In 2026, let us move forward grounded in what we have already accomplished, honest about the challenges ahead, and united in our responsibility to deliver—not with promises, but with action. New Yorkers are counting on this, and I’m ready.
In the sections below, you’ll find key community updates, resources, and job opportunities.
In Unity,
RJ
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