Julia Salazar: Quotes and Statements
Julia Salazar has made public statements across a range of policy areas and political topics throughout her career. The following paraphrases reflect the substance and positions conveyed in her public remarks rather than direct reproductions.
On the Good Cause Eviction law, Salazar has expressed that the legislation represents one of the most significant expansions of tenant rights in New York in decades. She has described the law as protection for hundreds of thousands of tenants against debilitating rent increases and unwarranted evictions . In the lead-up to the bill's passage, she conveyed strong confidence that Good Cause would be included in the final budget and characterized the ongoing negotiations as constructive . She also indicated that she was open to compromise on certain elements of the bill while insisting that any final version must preserve the legislation's core integrity .
On tenant organizing, Salazar has explained that the Good Cause Eviction law removes a major barrier to collective action by unregulated tenants, noting that before the law, tenants in unregulated housing had few protections against landlord retaliation, which discouraged organizing . She has stated that Good Cause will empower many more tenants to form tenant associations without fear of reprisal .
Regarding criminal justice reform, Salazar has consistently framed solitary confinement as a form of torture. Following the passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, she stated that the legislation would end a practice that had perpetuated violence and caused irreparable harm within the state's correctional system . She has also declared that the law will never be repealed because New York will not return to sanctioning torture . In the wake of the murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, Salazar described New York's prisons as plagued by a systemic pattern of racism, staff violence, and human rights abuses, with little to no accountability or oversight .
On the Prison Reform Omnibus Bill, Salazar expressed that the legislation is a serious step toward making the state's prisons less violent, while acknowledging that the enacted version did not include everything she had sought . She has called for continued reform, including parole justice, sentencing reform, expanded pathways for release, and treatment as an alternative to incarceration .
On democratic socialism, Salazar has described the ideology as one that recognizes capitalism as an inherently oppressive and exploitative system and works toward replacing it with a socialist economic model 9. She has drawn a distinction between democratic socialists and progressives, characterizing the latter as those who offer reforms within the capitalist framework rather than seeking systemic change, while noting that there is overlap between the two orientations 9.
Regarding sex workers' rights, Salazar has stated that sex workers deserve dignity, protections, and decent working conditions rather than the abuse and criminalization they currently face . She has argued that criminalization puts everyone involved in sex work at greater risk rather than offering protection, and she has framed the decriminalization of sex work as integral to broader criminal justice, labor, and immigration reform .
On climate and energy policy, Salazar has argued that launching a bold era of public power is the only way for New York to meet its legally binding climate goals. She has called on Governor Hochul to direct NYPA to build 15 gigawatts of new clean energy and to maximize remaining federal funding under the Inflation Reduction Act .
On the housing crisis more broadly, Salazar has stated that evicting paying tenants does nothing to address the housing crisis, and she has pushed back against proposals that would limit Good Cause protections to certain regions of the state, arguing that tenants outside New York City deserve equal protection .
On her identity and background, Salazar has stated that she does not believe her personal identity should be the focus of her political career, and she has emphasized that her campaign was always rooted in policy rather than biography .
Julia Salazar has made public statements across a range of policy areas and political topics throughout her career. The following paraphrases reflect the substance and positions conveyed in her public remarks rather than direct reproductions.
On the Good Cause Eviction law, Salazar has expressed that the legislation represents one of the most significant expansions of tenant rights in New York in decades. She has described the law as protection for hundreds of thousands of tenants against debilitating rent increases and unwarranted evictions . In the lead-up to the bill's passage, she conveyed strong confidence that Good Cause would be included in the final budget and characterized the ongoing negotiations as constructive . She also indicated that she was open to compromise on certain elements of the bill while insisting that any final version must preserve the legislation's core integrity .
On tenant organizing, Salazar has explained that the Good Cause Eviction law removes a major barrier to collective action by unregulated tenants, noting that before the law, tenants in unregulated housing had few protections against landlord retaliation, which discouraged organizing . She has stated that Good Cause will empower many more tenants to form tenant associations without fear of reprisal .
Regarding criminal justice reform, Salazar has consistently framed solitary confinement as a form of torture. Following the passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, she stated that the legislation would end a practice that had perpetuated violence and caused irreparable harm within the state's correctional system . She has also declared that the law will never be repealed because New York will not return to sanctioning torture . In the wake of the murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, Salazar described New York's prisons as plagued by a systemic pattern of racism, staff violence, and human rights abuses, with little to no accountability or oversight .
On the Prison Reform Omnibus Bill, Salazar expressed that the legislation is a serious step toward making the state's prisons less violent, while acknowledging that the enacted version did not include everything she had sought . She has called for continued reform, including parole justice, sentencing reform, expanded pathways for release, and treatment as an alternative to incarceration .
On democratic socialism, Salazar has described the ideology as one that recognizes capitalism as an inherently oppressive and exploitative system and works toward replacing it with a socialist economic model 9. She has drawn a distinction between democratic socialists and progressives, characterizing the latter as those who offer reforms within the capitalist framework rather than seeking systemic change, while noting that there is overlap between the two orientations 9.
Regarding sex workers' rights, Salazar has stated that sex workers deserve dignity, protections, and decent working conditions rather than the abuse and criminalization they currently face . She has argued that criminalization puts everyone involved in sex work at greater risk rather than offering protection, and she has framed the decriminalization of sex work as integral to broader criminal justice, labor, and immigration reform .
On climate and energy policy, Salazar has argued that launching a bold era of public power is the only way for New York to meet its legally binding climate goals. She has called on Governor Hochul to direct NYPA to build 15 gigawatts of new clean energy and to maximize remaining federal funding under the Inflation Reduction Act .
On the housing crisis more broadly, Salazar has stated that evicting paying tenants does nothing to address the housing crisis, and she has pushed back against proposals that would limit Good Cause protections to certain regions of the state, arguing that tenants outside New York City deserve equal protection .
On her identity and background, Salazar has stated that she does not believe her personal identity should be the focus of her political career, and she has emphasized that her campaign was always rooted in policy rather than biography .