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Council Member Julissa Ferreras is a charismatic, pro-active leader and a powerful voice advocating for the needs of her community and New York City’s most vulnerable citizens. She proudly serves Corona, Elmhurst and parts of Jackson Heights. Council Member Ferreras grew up in Jackson Heights and currently resides in Corona. Elected to the 21st Council District in 2009, she is the first Latina to hold a Queens seat on the City Council. She currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Women’s Issues where she has raised the profile of that committee, holding hearings on important issues such as human trafficking and domestic violence. She is a member of key council committees, including Civil Rights, Consumer Affairs, Economic Development, Finance, Health, and Parks & Recreation. She is also a member of the Policy and Program Working Group, the Progressive Caucus, the Women’s Caucus, and the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. Council Member Ferreras is passionately dedicated to improving the status of women in New York City, particularly immigrant women. As a member of the Budget Negotiating Team and the Finance Committee, she has been able to secure millions of dollars for programs working to end domestic violence. Partnering with Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York Police Department, Council Member Ferreras was a leader in developing the City Council’s Four-Point Plan to end domestic violence. Through community outreach efforts and a public education campaign about services available to victims, the plan focuses on developing a sense of shared community responsibility for ending domestic violence. Through Julissa’s leadership, the Committee on Women’s Issues has addressed a variety of matters that affect women’s daily lives. The committee made an in-depth study of the problem of sex trafficking to learn how the City can best use social services and law enforcement to end this form of slavery. In her district, she is working with law enforcement, community leaders, and City agencies to prevent the sexual exploitation of vulnerable women and girls that occurs along Roosevelt Avenue. The committee has also explored issues such as the gender wage gap and the impact of the Violence Against Women Act on services for immigrant women in New York, and sexual harassment of women that takes place in public spaces such as city streets Council Member Ferreras uses her position to improve the quality of life for the residents of her district. She has made the improvement of the Roosevelt Avenue business corridor, support for small businesses, and the 82nd Street Business Improvement District a high priority. She has involved the community in creating solutions through Small Business Town Hall meetings and the Roosevelt Avenue Task Force. She has sponsored initiatives such as educating local bar and restaurant owners on their responsibilities as liquor license holders and funding the placement of larger litter baskets and additional basket collection. She has worked closely with the NYPD precincts in her District to address the problems of gang violence and organized crime. She has worked to ensure that the three billion dollar mixed-use development project at Willets Point proceeds responsibly and that the community has a voice every step of the way. Aware of how difficult it can be for New Yorkers to access affordable housing, Council Member Ferreras fought to guarantee that 35% of the new housing built in the Willets Point Redevelopment will be affordable. Julissa has used her personal knowledge of the schools in her District to ensure the children receive the quality education they deserve. Growing up in the district, she attended elementary school at PS 19 and middle school at IS 145. Knowing the importance of access to technology, she allocated millions of dollars for technological equipment for district schools. Julissa has made alleviating school overcrowding a top priority and worked with the Department of Education to secure the construction of five new schools in the District in the next few years. Julissa is concerned about many aspects of the lives of children and youth. She has spoken out about the damage bullying causes in the lives of young people at events such as the White House Bullying Prevention Summit held by the Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. She also called upon the New York Mets to do more to help prevent bullying, who created an anti-bullying public service announcement featuring Mets players to broadcast in the stadium and during games. She participates in the annual celebration of Respect for All Week to discourage bullying and harassment in the public schools. Julissa is dedicated to solving the problem of obesity and giving children access to healthy food choices. She introduced legislation requiring calorie posting on the menus of mobile ice cream vendors because they market strongly to children by parking near schools and playgrounds. The only child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Council Member Ferreras is committed to the rights of New York’s large and growing immigrant community. To help people with questions about their immigration status or a pending case, she hosts CUNY School of Law Community Legal Resource Network attorneys who provide free legal assistance at her office in Queens and free citizenship drives with CUNY Citizenship Now! Outraged about the Department of Corrections practice of funneling undocumented Rikers Island prisoners to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation processing, Julissa participated in a June 2010 civil disobedience action to protest this unjust policy. Julissa has been a community leader from a young age – serving on the Corona Youth Council at fourteen years old and then as president of the Corona-East Elmhurst NAACP Youth Council for three years. She began her career as the Beacon Director at P.S. 19Q, the nation’s most overcrowded school, giving hope to at-risk youth through mentoring, after-school programs and homework help. At age 24, Julissa served as a New York State delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention then went on to become Chief of Staff for the Council Member of her home district. She took a two-year hiatus from that position to act as the New York Director of NALEO. A variety of organizations have benefitted from Council Member Ferreras’ service and leadership. She served on the Board of Directors of Elmcor and the 82nd Street Business Improvement District. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). For her tireless efforts, she has been honored by numerous community and civic organizations. Some of her most recent recognitions include the 62nd Annual Freedom Fund Political Service Award from the Corona East Elmhurst NAACP; the Business Leadership Award from the Statewide Association of Minority Businesses PAC; the 2011 Rising Star Award from the Queens Courier; City University of New York’s Educational Leadership Award in honor of her outstanding support and commitment to higher education and CUNY schools.
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