David Siffert
Climate
In coverageDavid Siffert supports fully funding the CLCPA to meet emissions targets, making large electricity consumers pay higher rates, building large-scale solar capacity, funding community solar, navigating obstacles to build offshore wind, passing the Stop Funding Polluter Handouts Act to end fossil fuel subsidies, ending construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure, passing the rest of the NY HEAT Act, fighting for flood protection for waterfront communities, and fighting for more green spaces.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Conducted research at NYU Law on climate lawsuits against fossil fuel industry, filed amicus brief arguing Governor could not unilaterally halt congestion pricing (helped get program back on track), supported climate advocacy through VID and community organizations.
Healthcare
In coverageDavid Siffert supports defending Medicaid from cuts, passing the Health Information Privacy Act, ensuring affordable insurance on health exchanges, holding health systems accountable for hospital closures, and championing reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare access.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Served as counsel in lawsuit to save Beth Israel Hospital (kept it open for an additional year), coordinated advocacy for Medical Aid In Dying Act, advocated for Health Information Privacy Act (passed legislature, vetoed by Hochul), conducted research on gaps in HIPAA and state health data privacy protections.
Housing
David Siffert supports a 10x increase to the Housing Access Voucher Program, a residential vacancy tax on empty units, passage of the Social Housing Development Authority Act, reducing street homelessness with supportive housing, statewide right to counsel for eviction, closing Good Cause Eviction loopholes, requiring landlord accessibility accommodations, and requiring cooling systems in apartments.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Organized weekly tenants clinics, traveled to Albany to support 2019 tenant protection package, convened conferences at NYU Law on landlord abuse of courts.
Education
In coverageDavid Siffert supports universal childcare and afterschool that is actually funded and available, fixing Tier 6 to provide benefits comparable to Tier 4, increasing pay for paraprofessionals, changing liability rules so schools can donate leftover food instead of throwing it away, and guaranteeing translators at parent-teacher conferences.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Worked on legislation requiring insurance companies to cover dyslexia screenings for children (now law), runs NYU's State Government Initiative educating students about state government.
Immigration
David Siffert supports passing the New York For All Act to make New York a sanctuary state, the Access to Representation Act guaranteeing counsel for those facing deportation, banning ICE from state and municipal property without a judicial warrant, and creating a private right of action for constitutional violations during immigration enforcement.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Policy subcommittee member of New York For All coalition, member of NY Immigration Coalition Immigrant Leaders Council, spent a week at South Texas Family Residential Center preparing detained mothers and children for credible fear interviews, organizing Village businesses for ICE raid preparation, volunteered at immigration clinics.
Labor
In coverageDavid Siffert supports fixing Tier 6 for fair retirement benefits, restricting employer surveillance of workers, passing the Fair Pricing Act to prevent hospital gouging, passing the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act to strengthen wage law enforcement, supporting legislation protecting union organizers from retaliatory lawsuits, and convening tech companies and unions to develop a vision for employment in the age of AI.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Provided legal advice to unions regarding potential illegal seizures of striking workers' property, compiled model union contract language addressing workplace surveillance and employee privacy, worked with advocates to get legislators to cosponsor the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act, attended union-organized protests including actions against Amazon's labor practices, walked NYSNA picket line multiple times.
Reproductive Rights
In coverageDavid Siffert supports passing the Health Information Privacy Act, expanding the New York Abortion Access Fund, defending and expanding New York's shield laws for reproductive healthcare, strictly regulating 'crisis pregnancy centers', expanding protections for pregnant incarcerated people, expanding Medicaid coverage for maternity patients and newborns, and enacting comprehensive privacy laws for people seeking reproductive healthcare.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Active coalition member for Health Information Privacy Act, assisted in drafting rules banning anti-abortion ads targeted to people in abortion clinics (now law), worked with National Institute for Reproductive Health on privacy trainings, fought alongside Planned Parenthood for privacy legislation, advocated for shield laws for abortion providers.
Transportation
In coverageDavid Siffert supports 6-minute service for every subway line, prioritizing funding for MTA signal upgrades, expanding protected bike lanes and daylighting at intersections, enforcing traffic laws on bikes and e-bikes while holding delivery apps responsible for unsafe time pressures, championing fast and free buses with expanded bus lanes, and continuing to support congestion pricing with rebates for in-district residents and increased prices for Ubers and Lyfts.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Filed amicus brief arguing Governor could not unilaterally halt congestion pricing (helped get program back on track), worked with Village Independent Democrats to support congestion pricing with fair treatment for in-district drivers, helped shape VID's response to 14th Street busway including getting additional benches installed.
Elections
In coverageDavid Siffert supports passing a constitutional amendment for same-day voter registration, reforming the NYC Board of Elections, and restoring voting rights for incarcerated New Yorkers.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Wrote and passed the Gender Inclusive Ballot Act (now law), convened a working group to reform the NYC Board of Elections, drafted legislation allowing New Yorkers to vote at any polling place in their county, served as member of Let New York Vote's Board of Elections Working Group.
AI, Tech & Privacy
In coverageDavid Siffert supports banning biometric surveillance (facial recognition, gait analysis, voice recognition), regulating data brokers to end sale of location and health data, requiring AI transparency and accountability for decisions on jobs/housing/loans, requiring pre-deployment safety audits for AI systems, restricting workplace surveillance, passing the Health Information Privacy Act, and banning invasive surveillance technology.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Legal Director of Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), led advocacy for RAISE Act (now law), passed two bills in NYC Council requiring NYPD disclosure of surveillance tech, advocated for Health Information Privacy Act (passed legislature, vetoed by Hochul), drafted state legislation on facial recognition bans, data broker regulations, and workplace surveillance restrictions.
Animal Welfare
David Siffert supports passing legislation banning sale of products produced in violation of animal cruelty laws, regulating tethering of dogs outdoors, banning fur products, banning glue traps, banning commercial octopus farming, giving students plant-based options in school meals, reducing subsidies for the horse racing industry and redirecting funds to affordable housing and education, increasing funding for the Companion Animal Capital Fund, creating a fund for shelters holding animals as evidence in criminal cases, funding high-volume low-cost spay/neuter operations, building more wildlife bridges, and creating stipends for wildlife rehabilitators.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Drafted an amicus brief on behalf of animal welfare organizations supporting NYC's ban on foie gras sales, drafted legislation to ban sale of animal products produced in violation of animal cruelty laws, drafted legislation to regulate tethering of dogs outdoors.
Arts
David Siffert supports increasing funding for the arts specifically to help artists afford to live in New York, and modifying professional discrimination laws to permit giving artists preference in housing.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Helped found two arts non-profits (raised over $100,000 for an arts foundation, incorporated a successful theater), hosted large-scale Zoom forums during pandemic to help artists and freelancers with unemployment and assistance, hosted numerous arts events including a music photography exhibit in the East Village.
Civil Rights
In coverageDavid Siffert supports the Justice Roadmap package to combat discrimination in criminal and immigration legal systems, Cecilia's Act for Rights in the Sex Trades, Communities Not Cages to end draconian sentencing, Parole Justice with transparent parole board determinations, the Electronic Communication Privacy Act and Geofence Warrant Ban, a universal private right of action for constitutional violations, limiting law enforcement access to sensitive data, and clemency from the Governor.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Won lawsuit against NYC for forcing arrestees to remove religious head coverings in booking photos, drafted and passed legislation in NYC Council increasing NYPD transparency, drafted state legislation to ban discriminatory facial recognition, fought against 'excited delirium' diagnosis and DNA phenotyping.
Courts
In coverageDavid Siffert supports lifting the constitutional cap on Supreme Court justices, requiring judicial screening commissions to ensure judges meet basic qualifications, allowing family court judges to handle divorce proceedings, and providing free brief-period legal services for those who cannot afford a lawyer to navigate the courts.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Leading member of the Court New York Deserves coalition which successfully advocated for Judge Rowan Wilson to be elevated to Chief Judge, served multiple times as Judicial Delegate for the 66th Assembly District.
Disability & Accessibility
In coverageDavid Siffert supports repealing the minimum wage exception for disabled employees, setting a 7% target for new state hires with disabilities, introducing legislation to help older New Yorkers age in place with landlord requirements and state funding, and making streets more accessible through daylighting, taxi vouchers for people with disabilities, and adding hand-pedal and recumbent tricycle options for Citibike.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Sued Mount Sinai Health System to prevent closure of Beth Israel Hospital on grounds of disability discrimination, helped draft legislation requiring insurance to cover dyslexia screenings (passed and signed), drafted and filed amicus brief in support of congestion pricing which funded subway elevators.
Government Transparency
In coverageDavid Siffert supports re-passing the FOIL Timeline Act to require agencies to respond to public records requests on a timeline, making it easier to recover attorneys' fees when agencies unreasonably deny FOIL requests, reforming the FOIL appeals process, and strengthening open meetings requirements.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Drafted the FOIL Timeline Act (passed both houses, vetoed by Governor), filed FOIL lawsuits on behalf of journalists and civil rights organizations including representing Amnesty International for documents on surveillance of Black Lives Matter protests, represented a journalist suing DHS for documents on biometric surveillance of immigrants, convened a working group to modernize New York's Freedom of Information Law, drafted and passed legislation in NYC Council requiring agencies to publish documents produced in response to FOIL requests.
LGBTQIA+
In coverageDavid Siffert supports creating a private right of action for anyone denied gender-affirming care in a New York State healthcare institution, making it easier for non-biological parents in gay marriages to obtain parental rights, the Healthy and Safe Students Act for LGBTQIA+-inclusive sex education, the GIRDS Act to protect incarcerated transgender New Yorkers, and a gender-affirming care fund modeled after the abortion access fund.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Wrote and passed the Gender Inclusive Ballot Act (now law), drafted amendments to Manhattan Democratic Party rules implementing the act, served as Board Member of Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, advocated against SAFE for Kids Act and federal KOSA, advocated for shield laws for gender-affirming care.
Revenue
In coverageDavid Siffert supports passing the Heirs Act to tax inherited wealth, increasing income taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and corporations, reforming property taxes to provide relief for low- and middle-income families while increasing taxes on the wealthiest, and rejecting regressive taxes that burden working families.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Early member of Invest in Our New York coalition pushing for progressive taxation, helped draft the Heirs Act, former tax attorney with expertise in revenue policy and tax law.
No public position yet on Voting Rights & Election Reform, Mental Health Investment, Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform, LGBTQ+ Protections, LGBTQ+ Rights and Gender-Affirming Care, Protect Small Businesses and Cultural Spaces, Animal Wellness & Subsidy Reform, Thriving Arts and Culture, Universal Childcare, Justice for All, Government Transparency & Ethics, A Government that Delivers, Innovation & Job Creation, Ending Street Homelessness, Preserving Neighborhood Character, Protect Seniors, Dignity for Aging and Disabled Neighbors, Sexual Violence Prevention, Substance Use Treatment and Public Health, Economic Equality, Solving Traffic Violence
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