30 CityAndStateNY.com
August 24, 2020
48 VICTOR PICHARDO
Catalina Cruz advocates for undocumented immigrants.
Mercury, the former Bronx Borough President and twotime mayoral candidate serves on the MTA board, even once filling in as acting chair, and is recognized as a leader in revamping cities.
45 CATALINA CRUZ
Assembly Member When Assembly Member Catalina Cruz makes her way to a microphone, people listen – and the results can be viral. The first Dreamer elected to the Legislature, Cruz advocates for undocumented immigrants on issues like the Green Light Law, which allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. Cruz now has her sights on fulfilling a promise by Queens borough president candidate Donovan Richards to create an immigrant welcome center in her home borough.
46 NICK SIFUENTES
Executive Director Tri-State Transportation Campaign The vision of an equitable and fairer transportation network drives Nick Sifuentes,
executive director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Since taking the helm, Sifuentes has highlighted the need to roll out the Fair Fares initiative, advocated for e-bike laws, and called for the MTA board to have its vacant spot occupied by a member with a physical disability. Sifuentes is continuing the work he began at Riders Alliance, where he served as deputy director.
47 KARINES REYES
Assembly Member Karines Reyes spends half the year in the Assembly chambers and the other half at Montefiore Einstein Hospital in the Bronx as a registered nurse. It’s the perfect mix for Reyes, who has advocated for better nurse-to-patient ratios and single-payer health care, both in the Assembly and as a member of the New York State Nurses Association. There’s now talk that Reyes could replace Assembly Member
Assembly Member This could be the year for the four-term Assembly member: a growing Dominican population in the Bronx could help him become the borough’s first Dominican Democratic Party boss. But even if he doesn’t secure the spot, Victor Pichardo will still be a busy man, reigniting the debate on legalizing recreational marijuana while defending bail reform, two pieces of legislation that have a direct impact in the 86th Assembly District.
49 CESAR PERALES
Vice Chair SUNY Board of Tru stees With a career that spans four decades, including a stint as assistant secretary for health, education and welfare under President Jimmy Carter, Cesar Perales brings a wealth of experience from all levels of government to his role as a trustee to the SUNY board, where he has helped shepherd a task force aimed at creating a more inclusive campus experience across the network’s 64 higher learning institutions and campuses. Perales’ resume also includes stints as New York state commissioner of social services under Gov. Mario
Cuomo and a member of the board of directors of Empire State Development, New York state’s economic development agency.
50 ISRAEL ROCHA JR.
CEO NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhu rst As CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, the public hospital at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, Israel Rocha Jr. has increased patient revenue by $50 million per year, secured funds to build a new emergency room, a neurosciences center, and an ambulatory surgical center, and has renovated various departments at the hospital. He previously worked for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas’ 15th Congressional District.
51 FAUSTO PICHARDO Chief of Patrol NYPD
The highest-ranking Hispanic member of the NYPD, Fausto Pichardo became the first Dominican-born chief of patrol this year. Pichardo sustains the morale of the city’s 23,000 patrol officers while serving as a go-between for the NYPD and minority neighborhoods that have long felt slighted by the department – a fraught role during the recent civil unrest in the city.
Reyes spends half the year in the Assembly and the other half as a registered nu rse.
JASON FALCHOOK; ASSEMBLY; ALMA MEDIA; EMILY HLAVAC GREEN PHOTOGRAPHY
Marcos Crespo as Bronx Democratic Party boss.