NYC DSA on Their Big Wins, and the Future

**Brian Lehrer** (0:10)
Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now, the two co-chairs of the group NYC DSA, New York City Democratic Socialists of America, Grace Mausser and Gustavo Gordillo. We'll talk about the recent DSA and other Democratic primary wins in the city and beyond, the hopes of some and concerns among others about what those wins mean nationally for November and for the country on a policy level, and how Mayor Mamdani, a member of course, is doing so far by DSA standards. Grace and Gustavo, welcome back to WNYC.

**Gustavo Gordillo** (0:43)
Thanks for having us on.

**Brian Lehrer** (0:45)
Want to start with the mayor? On his big three campaign planks, he got the stabilized rent freeze. He got a start from Governor Hokel on universal child care with the beginnings of a program for two-year-olds. A lot more to go.
He just agreed with the MTA on a plan to make buses faster but not free as he wants. How is he doing according to you, whoever wants to start?

**Gustavo Gordillo** (1:10)
I can start.

**Grace Mausser** (1:11)
Go ahead. Sorry.

**Gustavo Gordillo** (1:13)
I think we've got one out of three down and the other two, we've made significant progress. It's only been a few months. I personally never could have guessed that we would be this far along in advancing the affordability agenda. When we endorsed the mayoral campaign back in October of 2024, when this was such a long shot, no one thought he could win. Now, we have a Democratic Socialist Mayor in the largest city in the country. The rent freeze is a particularly historic accomplishment of the working class movement in the city. I think it's going to freeze rents for two years, two-year leases in over a million apartments. That's going to affect over two million New Yorkers.
This housing fight has actually been one of our core struggles that we've taken on in New York City DSA through this movement. The first elected who we got into office was Julia Salazar back in 2018 in the state senate.
She ran on a housing platform and the following year, 2019, we strengthened tenants' rights all across the state. This was one of our hallmark fights and it's something that we've built on every year since. I think that it's great to see the mayor build on that foundation.

**Brian Lehrer** (2:48)
I see our phone lines are starting to light up already. So listeners, just want to make sure you all have the phone number for anything you always wanted to ask the co-chairs of NYC DSA, but didn't have them over for dinner.
212-433-WNYC 212-433-9692.
You can call in or of course you could text. Grace, he had also run on holding the NYPD headcount steady. No defunding, but no additions. Then he did propose adding about 500 officers to address certain conditions in the Bronx. But after a backlash, that did not make it into the final budget. Was DSA pushing back on that? And do you feel canceling those new cops was your doing?

**Grace Mausser** (3:35)
We did push back on that. We had a public statement. And we, you know, of course, did so. Still in partnership with the administration, we're not trying to do any gotchas. And we're really excited that we helped to lead and just further empower a movement of groups and people across the city that don't believe that endlessly investing in more and more cops is the way to true public safety.
I believe that Zohran also believes that. That's why his administration has created and invested in projects like the Office of Public Safety. But we also knew going into this, that there were real political constraints that simply winning an election, even the mayoral election, would not get rid of. We have a very powerful in my PD.
We have a very powerful politics in America and in the city that cops, cops are the only way to achieve public safety. And we have a lot of work to do to kind of convince people that that may not be the truth. So I'm very glad that we were able to make progress here and that the mayor eventually changed his mind.

**Brian Lehrer** (4:57)
Of course, that's a long-term project, I imagine you would say. But now he's got to show immediately that he can get the crime reduction results he was aiming for in the Bronx without those additional officers. Otherwise, you know, there are news organizations as well as politicians waiting in the wings. I don't have to name them. Just, you know, chomping at the bit to say, oh, this mayor failed.
Crime is rising here or there or wherever. Do you have an alternative way in the short term? Or do you not get that into the weeds?