Inna Vernikov: Policy Positions
Public Safety and Policing
Vernikov ran for office in 2021 opposing efforts to defund the New York Police Department and has consistently advocated for increased police funding and staffing . She has criticized what she characterizes as soft-on-crime policies by progressive prosecutors, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg . In 2025, she introduced a City Council resolution supporting state-level legislation that would make it easier for New Yorkers to purchase pepper spray, framing the issue as a self-defense measure particularly relevant to women's safety . She has co-sponsored legislation establishing a reward program for information leading to the apprehension of individuals responsible for fatal or injuring hit-and-run incidents 5. Her office has stated that it resolved over 10,000 constituent service cases during her first term, many related to quality-of-life and public safety concerns .
Immigration and the Migrant Crisis
Despite her own background as an immigration attorney who represented undocumented clients, Vernikov has been among the most vocal Council members in opposing New York City's handling of the migrant influx from the southern border . She testified before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce in January 2024, describing strains on the city's schools, hospitals, and public safety infrastructure caused by the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants . She has argued that the city's right-to-shelter mandate was intended for homeless New Yorkers, not migrants, and has opposed the use of school facilities for migrant housing . She has expressed support for removing sanctuary city protections and for reopening U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations within the city . She has opposed the city's multi-million-dollar deportation defense program, calling it a failed experiment .
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates was a central plank of Vernikov's 2021 campaign and her early tenure in the Council . Shortly after taking office in December 2021, she organized a rally outside Gracie Mansion opposing Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine requirements for private employers, private schools, and children participating in extracurricular activities . She marched with workers who had been terminated for refusing vaccination and has co-sponsored Resolution 5, a measure calling for the reinstatement of unvaccinated city workers without requiring legal waivers .
Antisemitism and Israel
Combating antisemitism has become a defining issue of Vernikov's tenure . She withdrew $50,000 in Council discretionary funding from CUNY Law School after its faculty passed a BDS resolution in 2022 and redirected the funds to Legal Services NYC . She helped organize the first-ever City Council hearing on antisemitism at CUNY in June 2022 and participated in a follow-up hearing in November 2024 reviewing the findings of the Lippman Report on antisemitism within the CUNY system . She has advocated for the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism within CUNY, for sensitivity training, and for a dedicated diversity officer to handle antisemitism complaints . In January 2026, she was named co-chair of the Council's Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism . She is a supporter of Israel and has described Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a threat to the future of Jewish New Yorkers . In November 2025, she sent a public letter inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit New York City on the day Mamdani took office, directly countering the mayor-elect's campaign pledge to enforce the International Criminal Court warrant against Netanyahu .
Education
Vernikov has focused on CUNY accountability as an education priority, pressing for changes to hiring practices to prevent the exclusion of candidates with pro-Israel viewpoints and for reforms to the selection of commencement speakers . She has co-sponsored legislation requiring the city to reimburse nonpublic schools for the cost of video surveillance cameras 5. She has supported merit-based education and school choice .
Constituent Services and Quality of Life
Vernikov's office has prioritized sanitation issues, enforcement against illegally parked commercial vehicles, confiscation of illegal vending operations, and support for small businesses and community organizations in her district . She has cited the repair of the Ocean Avenue pedestrian bridge as a local infrastructure achievement of her first term . She co-sponsored legislation establishing a pilot program for power-washing machines to clean commercial corridor sidewalks 5.
Gender and Social Issues
Vernikov resigned from the NYC Council Women's Caucus in February 2025, objecting to what she described as the caucus's refusal to condemn Hamas's treatment of women during and after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel . She also criticized the caucus's bylaws for allowing members who identify as women to join, stating the caucus could not agree on a definition of womanhood .