INTRO
Good afternoon, da jia hao, annyeonghaseyo!
Thank you all for being here today. It is truly an honor to stand before you to deliver my third State of the District address as your Councilmember. Representing the district where I was raised and continue to call home is one of the greatest privileges of my life.
THANKS
Let me start by thanking Glow Community Center for again graciously hosting this event, as well as the Youth Orchestra and the YWCA’s Evergreen Korean Drum Team for their amazing performances. These artists are proof that Flushing has become one of the art and cultural centers of New York!
THIRD YEAR IN OFFICE
During the first year of my second term, I continued to hear from thousands of constituents who came to us with their concerns and issues, both big and small.
We secured property tax exemptions for senior citizens and helped property owners settle their Department of Buildings violations.
Over the past year, my staff helped hundreds of people recover tens of thousands of dollars in SNAP benefits that were stolen from them through fraudulent machines at grocery stores and other businesses, money they use to put food on the table for themselves and their families.
Over the past three years, my focus has been on ensuring that services and resources reach every corner of our community. Together, we’ve worked hard to bring meaningful programs and support to District 20.
This year, I allocated additional funding so representatives from Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. could be in my office more frequently to help people apply for critical government assistance programs. From affordable housing to free or low-cost internet, hundreds of people are now getting the benefits they not only need, but are entitled to.
I continued to fund pro-bono legal services, hosting attorneys from CUNY Law School and Queens Legal Services. As they have been since I took office, legal experts from CUNY Citizenship Now are in my office every Wednesday assisting people with their immigration and citizenship issues.
We also brought city government to Flushing. Representatives from Housing Preservation and Development were in my office helping people apply for affordable housing, while the Department of Finance, Office of Administrative Trials and Hearing, and Department of Small Business Services all brought their services directly to the people of District 20 over the past year.
Hard-working entrepreneurs and business owners are the backbone of our local economy, and supporting them has been a priority of mine since taking office. I am proud of my partnership with the Queens Chamber of Commerce, which gives our small business owners access to a specialist from the Small Business Resource Network in my office twice a month.
In September, I partnered with the Speaker’s Office to offer free estate planning services at the YWCA of Queens. Pro bono lawyers provided consultations and prepared legal documents, including last wills and powers of attorney. Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy, and judging by the overwhelming response my office received, there is a demand for these services in our community.
More importantly, we delivered all of these services in multiple languages, including Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, Korean, and Spanish to better serve our immigrant communities.
I believe that expanding access to local government goes hand-in-hand with inspiring civic participation in our immigrant communities. We need more bilingual and culturally competent people in all levels of government, but especially here in New York City, fostering communication and understanding across different communities.
In an immigrant community like ours, people too often neglect regular medical checkups, so I partnered with several local organizations to provide free health services throughout the year.
We hosted free prostate screenings, devoted an entire day in Kissena Park to wellness, invited the Mammogram Bus to Flushing to provide free breast cancer screenings, and distributed free flu vaccines in my district office.
But beyond the services, it has been just as important to me to meet you where you live—right in the heart of our neighborhoods.
At events throughout the year, we distributed 300 rain barrels, gave away hundreds of backpacks to students returning to school, and distributed helmets in Kissena Park to encourage safe bicycling. We welcomed thousands of you to the always-popular Fall Festival, and we enjoyed movies and live music together in our parks.
In November, we worked with local sponsors to distribute nearly 600 hundred turkeys to people and families in need. Later this month, we will be distributing hundreds of toys to children to brighten their holidays.
Every interaction, every story you share, reminds me why I love this district and why I am so committed to its success.
2024 was an amazing year, and in 2025 I am determined to continue fighting for the resources, services, and investments that will make this community an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
But before we look ahead, let’s look back at some of the challenges we faced during my first three years in office and how, with your support, I tried to meet them head on.
SIDEWALK CONGESTION
One of the most pressing challenges I’ve been working to address since taking office is the sidewalk congestion in downtown Flushing. Our streets have become so crowded with unlicensed vendors and businesses that ignore the rules regulating the displaying of merchandise on sidewalks, it has become increasingly difficult—and at times dangerous—for pedestrians.
While it may be hard to see some days, I can assure you that we are making progress on this issue. When I took office, there were hundreds of vendors on Main Street, and thanks to increased enforcement, that number has been brought down considerably.
When I took office, the enforcement of these issues was under the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, a civilian agency that was simply not equipped to tackle such a pervasive problem.
I knew we needed a better solution, which is why I fought to have enforcement transferred to the Department of Sanitation. With its uniformed officers who have decades of experience keeping our streets clean, this department was far better suited to address the issue.
Today, there is a dedicated vendor enforcement team in each borough, a clear sign that the city is taking this issue seriously. On many occasions, I have invited representatives from the Department of Sanitation, 109th Precinct, and Patrol Borough Queens North to walk Main Street to ensure the people responsible for enforcement understand the scope of the problem firsthand.
Just last month, I joined Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch—who has since been tapped to lead the NYPD—on another visit to downtown Flushing. At my insistence, the commissioner agreed to expand enforcement to weekends, when the problems of unlicensed vending and sidewalk congestion are at their worst.
In last year’s State of the District address, I announced legislation I introduced to dramatically increase fines for businesses that repeatedly violate stoop line stand regulations. This past summer, I was proud to see that legislation pass. The previous fine of $50 was nothing more than a slap on the wrist—a cost of doing business at the expense of the greater community. By increasing these fines, we’re sending a clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated.
I also want to acknowledge the attention and resources that Inspector Kevin Coleman, our amazing commanding officer of the 109th Precinct, has devoted to tackling this issue. He oversees one of the largest precincts in the city, so I appreciate the attention that he pays to downtown Flushing.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Speaking of public safety, when I first took office in 2022, our community was grappling with a crisis. Post-COVID, the surge in crime was deeply concerning to all of us.
At the time, I made it clear that one of the primary factors driving this crisis was the shortage of police officers at the 109th Precinct. Since then, I have worked tirelessly to address this issue and advocate for the resources our precinct needs to keep us safe.
Thank you again to Inspector Kevin Coleman for his proactive and dedicated leadership. Since taking over this role, he has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to addressing public safety concerns in our community.
Just yesterday, I sat down with him to discuss some of the pressing safety issues we face—a continuation of the many productive in-person meetings we’ve had since he took command.
Thanks to Inspector Coleman’s efforts and the hard work of the men and women under his leadership, we have seen a steady decrease in crime. This progress is a testament to his strategic approach and the dedication of everyone at the 109th Precinct.
But let’s be clear: while it is the responsibility of our police officers to protect and serve, it is also the responsibility of city government to equip them with the tools and resources they need to do this critical work effectively.
That is why, in the last budget, I secured $211,000 to fund additional Argus Security Cameras for the 109th Precinct. This is on top of the $312,000 I secured in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget for the same purpose.
These cameras are invaluable. They deter crime and, when incidents do occur, they provide essential evidence that helps law enforcement bring perpetrators to justice.
We all remember the horrific incident in Kissena Corridor Park in June of this year when a teenage girl was sexually assaulted in broad daylight near two schools. One of the key pieces of evidence that led to the arrest of a suspect was a photo recovered from a nearby security camera. Without that photo—and the courageous descriptions provided by the victim and her friend—the perpetrator might still be free in our community today.
Stories like these remind us of why investing in public safety is so critical. Cameras don’t just document crimes; they are a powerful tool in ensuring that justice is served and that our neighborhoods remain safe for everyone.
SATELLITE PRECINCT
I want to highlight one significant step forward in ensuring the safety and quality of life for all our residents: the establishment of a satellite precinct for the 109th Precinct, operating out of the Police Academy in College Point.
From the start, I supported the concept of a satellite precinct, but only if it truly enhanced safety across our district without diverting critical resources from downtown Flushing or the neighborhoods surrounding Kissena Park.
After thorough discussions with Inspector Coleman and monitoring the rollout of this new initiative, I’m pleased to report that the satellite precinct has delivered on its promise—and then some.
Since its opening, the satellite precinct has allowed the 109th Precinct to receive 66 additional officers. The original 109th Precinct is now focused on patrolling the southern part of our district, while the satellite precinct takes on calls from the northern part. This division of responsibilities ensures that all neighborhoods receive the attention and responsiveness they deserve.
In just six weeks, we’re already seeing remarkable results. Response times for 911 calls in downtown Flushing and neighborhoods to the south have dropped by up to 39 percent—a clear sign that these changes are making a real difference.
Faster response times mean safer streets, quicker interventions during emergencies, and greater peace of mind for our residents.
But the benefits don’t stop there. With the increased manpower, Inspector Coleman has shared plans to double the vendor enforcement unit starting in 2025.
As we move forward, I am committed to continuing this partnership with Inspector Coleman and the officers of the 109th Precinct. Together, I am confident we will build on the progress we’ve made and continue to drive down crime in Flushing and beyond.
TRAFFICKING IN FLUSHING
I also want to address a concern that I have heard from many constituents, families, and visitors to our district—the growing presence of sex workers on the streets of Flushing.
First, let me assure you that I hear your concerns and share them. While I understand the frustration many feel seeing sex workers and promoters on our streets, this issue is a complex one that requires explanation and context.
We must recognize that many of these individuals are victims of human trafficking, primarily Asian women. These women are often deceived into coming to the United States with promises of legitimate jobs or are even sold and brought here against their will.
Upon arriving in Flushing, they are trapped in a cycle of exploitation. Some take out loans based on promises of work, only to find themselves coerced into fulfilling impossible contractual obligations.
Traffickers force them to pay exorbitant interest rates, often using drugs as a control mechanism and ultimately pushing them into providing sexual services.
Traffickers also use threats, including endangering the women’s families abroad or misrepresenting U.S. immigration laws to instill fear of incarceration.
As this exploitation continues, the women’s debts and interest grow in an unending, upward spiral.
My office has taken this issue seriously. We have convened meetings with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the IRS. We have engaged with the NYPD’s Vice Unit and partnered with nonprofits like Garden of Hope, KAFSC, and, most recently, a national organization called The Network.
It is clear that this issue cannot be resolved easily, as traffickers quickly replace any sex workers who are removed. To truly address this crisis, we must focus on identifying, arresting, and prosecuting the organizations behind this horrific industry.
KISSENA PARK FLOODING
Just before I took office in 2021, our community experienced a devastating tragedy. Severe flooding around Kissena Park caused extensive property damage and tragically took the lives of a family of three who were unable to escape as water rushed into their basement apartment on Peck Avenue. That moment, and others like it, have served as a sobering reminder of the very real and growing impacts of climate change.
Since then, we’ve been reminded on several occasions of the damage and heartbreak that extreme weather events can bring. These events are becoming more frequent, and they pose a direct threat to our community. But while climate change is not going away, that doesn’t mean we can’t plan for a more resilient future.
I have been working with the Department of Environmental Protection to address the chronic flooding with both short- and long-term solutions.
In 2023, Kissena Park was selected to receive several cloudburst management projects aimed at managing stormwater during periods of intense rain.
In May of this year, I hosted a town hall with the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection at PS 24. The agency shared the work being done to address this critical issue, and I am proud to say we’re equipping our neighborhoods with some of the latest stormwater management technologies.
Those include stormwater retention areas that double as recreation spaces during drier times, large-scale rain gardens like the one near Kissena Boulevard and Booth Memorial Avenue, and porous pavement that absorbs rainwater instead of overwhelming our sewer system—these are tangible steps toward protecting our community from future flooding.
But this is just the beginning. I am committed to ensuring our community remains a priority in the city’s plans for climate resilience. Together, we will continue to advocate for the investments and innovations needed to protect our homes, our families, and our future.
While these projects will help, we also have to be realistic that some neighborhoods and homes will always be susceptible to flooding.
So I sent a letter to Mayor Eric Adams urging him to launch a government program to purchase the homes of owners who are interested in relocating from flood-prone areas like Peck Avenue. At May’s town hall, the Commissioner shared that a voluntary buyout program could potentially roll out as soon as next year.
BUDGET
2024 also marked the first year that I served on both the City Council’s Budget Negotiating Team and its Leadership Team.
The Budget Negotiating Team is made up of a select few Councilmembers who negotiate the City’s $112 billion budget with the Mayor. The Leadership Team are the eight members who direct the Council as a body and determine its priorities.
As a member of the Budget Negotiation Team, we faced difficult decisions about how to allocate our city’s resources while still delivering for our residents. As a member of both BNT and Leadership, I have been prioritizing raising quality of life issues in our district.
As a part of that, I have endeavored to secure increased funds for our local community so that families continue to want to call our community home.
Among the challenges we confronted was a $58.3 million cut to New York City’s three library systems—cuts that forced libraries to eliminate programs, reduce the acquisition of new resources, and, perhaps most damaging, cut their hours of operation.
Here in Flushing, it meant the elimination of Sunday service—a service so many of you rely on because of your busy work weeks and family commitments.
I want to thank everyone who reached out to my office to share your stories about how these cuts were impacting your lives. You inspired me and my colleagues to fight back.
And I am proud to say we did. Together, we restored that $58.3 million in funding, allowing the Flushing Library to resume Sunday service and ensuring libraries across the city can continue to serve as cornerstones of opportunity, learning, and connection.
This funding has now been baselined, which means we will not have to fight for it next year.
But we didn’t stop there. I am proud that during my first three years in office I have been able to secure nearly $70 million for capital improvements to our schools, expansion of our open spaces, and vital services the people of District 20 rely on.
PARKS
As many of you know, I have made funding our community’s parks a major priority.
This year, we celebrated the reopening of Bland Playground in downtown Flushing. We also began discussing the renovations of Weeping Beech Park on Bowne Street, which I helped fund.
Perhaps most exciting of all, I am thrilled to have been able to secure a game-changing $11.9 million dollar investment in the Eastern Queens Greenway. This brings the total investment in the Greenway since I took office to over $25 million dollars.
Once completed, the Greenway will act as a vital artery connecting our community’s many parks.
Children and families will be able to walk or ride from Flushing Meadows Corona Park through Kissena Park to Cunningham Park, Alley Pond and Little Bay Park under the Throgs Neck Bridge.
This isn’t just beautifying our green spaces or creating a wonderful new running path, it will also serve as an important mode of transportation through Eastern Queens.
The need for this infrastructure in Flushing was made clear with the assault in Kissena Park.
This area of the park has long been a source of issues. Despite being next to a hospital and a school, as well as numerous apartments, the park lacks either a path or lighting and we’ve seen crimes happen here year after year.
The Greenway will bring this area back to life, with large investments to create a new entrance to the park, build new paths, install lighting and more.
EDUCATION
A good education is the key to success for children, who we know are the future of our community. That’s why I’m proud to allocate millions of dollars every year to our local schools.
This year, I’m particularly proud of a $1.1 million dollar allocation to P177 The Robin Sue Ward School, which is a second home to 500 students with autism, emotional and behavioral challenges, and intellectual disabilities. This funding will provide for an art room remodel, new auditorium and bathroom renovations to create spaces better equipped to meet their needs.
I allocated an additional $1 million dollars for auditorium remodels at Flushing High School, PS 162, PS 214 and PS 22. Auditoriums are spaces where the school community comes together to celebrate milestones, where students take their first steps onto a stage to sing, act, dance, or play an instrument, and where they present their ideas and grow in confidence.
I also allocated $950,000 dollars for technology upgrades at PS 242, 162, 214, 20, 244 and 22. This investment will ensure that our next generation is prepared for the economy of the future and have the skills to navigate an increasingly digital world defined by AI and semiconductors, as much as railroads and cars defined prior eras.
SANITATION
Flushing is the busiest bus-to-train transfer point in the entire city. Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is the third busiest intersection in New York behind Time Square and Union Square.
The tens of thousands of people passing through Flushing every day creates vibrant streets, but it also makes keeping those streets clean an immense challenge. Securing money in the budget for those services is paramount.
I was able to secure $145,000 for the Flushing BID to provide additional cleaning services and graffiti removal, and another $160,000 for the Department of Sanitation to provide mobile litter patrols to target illegal dumping across the district. I also allocated $5,000 for the Sanitation Department’s new Better Bins, which will help prevent rats in our community.
My office also allocated $10,000 for events that allow community members to dispose of their electronic waste conveniently and near home. At every one of these events over the past three years, residents have dropped off thousands of pounds of electronic waste that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.
Finally, I allocated $8,000 to the Queens Economic Development Corporation for graffiti removal. With these funds, we’ve been able to clean local small businesses and get rid of graffiti with offensive language across the district.
INITIATIVE FUNDING
Partnering with Speaker Adams, we were also able to secure $178,000 for Garden of Hope and the Korean American Family Service Center in order to provide domestic violence services in the community.
Thanks to $20,000 in funding I allocated to the Met Council, we were able to quickly mobilize a large food delivery to a senior housing center after dozens of its seniors fell victim to EBT skimming, leaving them unable to put food on the table.
And thanks to tens of thousands of dollars that I allocated to legal service organizations, we were able to assist hundreds of constituents facing legal issues.
LEGISLATION
However, bringing resources back to the district is just one of my responsibilities as your City Council representative. Serving this district has always been about addressing the real issues you face every day.
That’s why my legislative work is never about making laws for the sake of it, but rather creating solutions to improve the lives of our neighbors, making city government more accessible to immigrant communities and ensuring the law is implemented and enforced.
Over the past year, I am proud to have passed and introduced legislation designed to address some of our district’s most pressing concerns.
For families in crisis, navigating the city’s shelter intake system can feel impossible. Too often, families with young children are forced to travel long distances to the PATH intake center in the Bronx, missing work or school along the way.
But we know the first stop for many of these families is their local community-based organizations, which are trusted, present where families live, and already doing much of the work.
That’s why I passed a bill requiring the city to study the feasibility of empowering these organizations to process shelter intake applications. This is about meeting families where they are, and providing the support they need here in the community without creating unnecessary hardships.
After hearing from concerned parents about people smoking cigarettes and marijuana near parks and playgrounds, I introduced legislation to ban smoking on sidewalks adjacent to these public spaces. Parks and playgrounds should be safe and healthy spaces for our children to play, and no parent should have to worry about their child being exposed to harmful smoke while enjoying the outdoors.
When squatters began taking over partially vacant homes in northeast Queens and other parts of the city, I heard from homeowners about the frustration and helplessness they felt. To address this, I introduced legislation to create a registry within the NYPD to allow homeowners to formally declare their property vacant, but not abandoned, protecting from squatters and a potentially long and expensive legal battle to have them removed.
The introduction of a shared e-scooter program in eastern Queens came despite my strong objections. The concerns I raised—reckless riders, carelessly parked scooters, and pedestrian hazards—materialized almost immediately.
In response, I introduced legislation to prohibit the operation of shared e-scooter programs in downtown Flushing.
Finally, earlier this year, hundreds of newly planted trees in Kissena Park were destroyed by people illegally riding motorized vehicles. These reckless actions devastated reforestation efforts, and the perpetrators were never caught.
To deter this kind of harm to our shared open spaces, I introduced legislation requiring the Parks Department to install cameras in parks with known instances of illegal motor vehicle use. This is about protecting our parks and holding people accountable for their actions.
Each of these pieces of legislation stems from listening to you—your concerns, your experiences, and your hopes for our community. While there is still much work to be done, I am proud of the progress we’ve made and the groundwork we’ve laid for meaningful change.
2025
As I reflect on the past year, I am immensely proud of the work we’ve done together to improve the lives of the residents of this district. From passing critical legislation to advocating for small businesses and hosting events that bring our community closer, we have made significant progress. But as we look to the future, we know there is still much to be done.
As your Councilmember, I’ve always believed that representation matters. It’s vital that we have a voice at the table when important decisions are being made that directly affect our community. I am honored to be that voice and to serve as a bridge between our immigrant communities and city government.
As the only Asian-American member of the Speaker’s Leadership Team and a member of the City Council’s Budget Negotiation Team, I will continue fighting to ensure that city agencies have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.
Take, for example, the Department of Sanitation’s vendor enforcement unit. It was formed to address the growing issue of unlicensed vending on our public sidewalks, but without adequate funding, the unit cannot assign enough officers to tackle this problem. That is why I will fight for resources to ensure this and other initiatives can deliver on their promise to improve our community.
I will also work to ensure that our nonprofit organizations and community groups are not overlooked in the city’s budget. These organizations are the backbone of our community, providing essential services and creating opportunities for so many. They deserve our support and investment.
This commitment is especially important as major development continues at Willets Point. While Willets Point may not be within the boundaries of my Council District, the economic opportunities from these projects have the potential to transform the surrounding neighborhoods, and I am determined to make sure that Flushing benefits from this transformation.
My priority will be to ensure that nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses in our district are not overlooked, but are instead positioned to reap the economic rewards of this development.
But economic impact is just one piece of the puzzle. With large-scale development comes the need for significant investments in infrastructure and public services. That’s why I am also focused on leveraging these projects to secure tangible improvements for Flushing, including improved mass transit and sanitation and beautification efforts.
We know that growth can bring challenges, but it also brings opportunities. Our goal must be to manage this growth responsibly and ensure that it enhances the quality of life for everyone in Flushing.
For me, this work is personal. I am the daughter of immigrants who fled genocide in Cambodia and came to this country seeking a better future for my brother and me. Through hard work and determination, they built that future here in Flushing.
In the coming year, I will continue championing policies that break down barriers, create pathways to success, and foster an inclusive environment where hard work is rewarded with genuine opportunity.
As I look out into this audience, I see dedicated and committed community leaders. Together, I know we can meet any challenge that comes before us. I am inspired by your passion, your energy, and your unwavering commitment to making our community better.
I am excited about the work ahead and the positive impact we can create together. And I promise you this: I will continue to work tirelessly to justify the trust you have placed in me as your representative.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you, and thank you for being such a vital part of what makes this community so special. Let’s keep building together.
Thank you.