In this episode of The Signal, Dino leaves L.A. for New York to unpack the shock election of Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist who just became mayor of America’s biggest city. From door-knocking volunteers to Bronx harm-reduction workers, hear how people power, rent rage and immigrant pride shook a political dynasty, challenged fear—and what it signals for cities like Los Angeles.
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TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
00:00:10:22 - 00:00:28:21
MICHAEL
Hey, this is Michael O'Keefe. You're listening to KPFK 90.7, Los Angeles 98.7, Santa Barbara 93.7. San Diego and 99.5 Ridgecrest and China Lake. Radio powered by the people.
00:00:28:23 - 00:01:04:03
MUSIC INTRO
00:01:04:05 - 00:01:31:02
DINO
Good afternoon, Los Angeles, and welcome to another episode of The Signal. News, information and analysis. I'm your host, Dino. So today, we're taking a look at the wonderful city of New York. We're actually going to travel there. We're going to go on over to New York, visit our brothers and sisters out there, because something remarkable just happened out in the, in the city.
00:01:31:04 - 00:02:02:17
DINO
What is it they call it? Slide, the Big Apple, right? And, you know, we're going to take a break from the usual punditry and experts, which, by the way, as one of them, I love our our guests, our academics, our elected officials. But today, when you know, my producer, Neil and I were talking about this episode, and even Sly was in on it, you know, we were talking about the importance of of really elevating those that make the abundance possible.
00:02:02:17 - 00:02:48:09
DINO
Right? And I'm not talking about just with regard to, how we help write their scripts, how we help build their, their, their, their information, their news, their analysis. But the folks that are the genuine volunteers, the ones that are the supporters, the ones that start that first line of defense that begins with faith in them. Right. So and one of the most competitive mayoral races in decades, voters in New York chose Zohran Mamdani, a 34 year old democratic socialist, an organizer, a son of Ugandan immigrants of Indian descent, as their new mayor, 34 years old.
00:02:48:11 - 00:03:21:16
DINO
Largest city in the country. It is a victory that has already been described as a political earthquake and a cultural turning point in America's largest city. The numbers tell part of the story. More than two 2 million New Yorkers went out to the polls, the highest turnout in mayoral election since 1969. Mamdani received just over 1 million votes, secure in about 50% of the total, while Andrew Cuomo.
00:03:21:16 - 00:03:45:21
DINO
You guys remember that cat, who ran as an independent endorsed by Donald Trump, drew roughly 40% and the third with a Republican? Well, we're just not even going to bother with that cat. It was a command and win for a candidate many had dismissed early on. And in fact, many didn't even know. Certainly those of us on the West Coast, we didn't know.
00:03:45:23 - 00:04:14:02
DINO
But behind the numbers, there was this other, larger story. There is this other, larger story of Montana's campaign build. One of the biggest volunteer networks in modern city politics, modern city politics. Ladies and gentlemen. So that is why we decided to go and try and find us one of those volunteers to come talk to us and let us know what motivated them.
00:04:14:04 - 00:04:46:24
DINO
Because at the end of the day, part of our show today will focus on what people power is all about. What is it that drives us individually and collectively? Who, by the way, this group of volunteers that I'm doing this campaign was able to put together, knocked on more than 3 million doors across five boroughs from Jackson Heights to Harlem, from the Bronx to Bushwick, neighborhoods that had been politically quiet for decades suddenly came alive.
00:04:46:24 - 00:05:21:16
DINO
Oh man, what an exciting thing to be a part of. This movement was powered by as little knickknacks go off over here. This movement was powered by ordinary people immigrant students, workers, blue collar workers, longtime residents all join forces to fight on issues of affordability in the city, of the importance of having a more humane city. They came together under one message that the true crisis in New York is not crime.
00:05:21:18 - 00:05:47:15
DINO
It is the cost of living, housing, wages, transportation. They all became core issues. And for those of us who follow politics, as we monitored the news, as we looked at the websites, as we got the messages both from friends and allies and the many, what, $10 billion social media posts that were coming out of New York? This was a consistent message.
00:05:47:15 - 00:06:10:01
DINO
Mamdani called for a rent freeze. He said, you know, we need to have free city busses. We need universal childcare. He spoke about dignity, fairness and belonging. Now, look, I'm the one, the first one to say when all of this got started, I didn't know I had never heard of it. And I consider myself somebody who does follow politics, not just in L.A., but indeed across the country.
00:06:10:03 - 00:06:35:08
DINO
This election was more than a political context, folks. Contest. Excuse me? It was it was a test on whether people still believe in the possibility of change. And this week, New Yorkers stood up and they said, hell yeah. Yeah, we still believe in change. It was a demographic shift. He is the first Muslim mayor. He is the first South Asian mayor.
00:06:35:10 - 00:07:01:06
DINO
He is the youngest in over a century at 34 years old. First African born mayor, his parents, his, he he was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to New York with his family at the age of seven. And one of my favorite little factoids about this incredible new guy who's coming into the political arena. He's a former, hip hop artist.
00:07:01:08 - 00:07:32:12
DINO
Did you know that, Sly? Yeah, right. Looking at my engineer and we're both smiling about there, he's a former hip hop artist who started, I think, in college, if I remember correctly, on our notes here. He went on to become a democratic socialist. So he identifies as the democratic socialist and ran on an unapologetically, platform. That's, as my mother would say, that wakes up on the left side of the bed, called on rent freezes, rent stabilized apartments, tax the rich.
00:07:32:14 - 00:08:00:19
DINO
So a lot of these messages resonated with folks, and we were able to contact one of those individuals, a phenomenal person herself. My guess is my first guess is going to be Farnaz Malik, who is joining us from New York, a member of the community who has, dedicated, her life in part to the good and betterment of all members of society.
00:08:00:19 - 00:08:33:15
DINO
She dedicated, hundreds of hours, to this effort, particularly doorknocking and mobilizing voters, supporters and and talking to foreigners leading up to this program. I was really captivated by some of the experiences that she shared and what she, you know, encountered. So without further ado, let's get let's get into it. Welcome to the show. Farnaz Malik from New York.
00:08:33:17 - 00:08:37:16
FARANAZ
Hey, you know, thanks for having me. Happy to be here. Well, I need to talk about this.
00:08:37:19 - 00:08:59:15
DINO
Thank you. Thank you for your dedicated service. Thank you for joining us. You know, on this Saturday afternoon, which out there for you all, it's already well into the afternoon. And we just got over a little brunch time here. But. So let me start off with the most basic, question, Farnaz, what what motivated you what inspired you to join this effort?
00:08:59:17 - 00:09:26:06
FARANAZ
Yeah. I mean, you also summarized it so well, but I think I feel like maybe I can speak for a lot of us, but after that election last year when I know I was dealing, really hopeless, just watching the way we were descending into into fascism, but also trying to remind myself about, showing up for my communities.
00:09:26:08 - 00:09:45:18
FARANAZ
Especially now. I mean, I think that was what I kept telling myself was that we keep ourselves safe. We we show, have to show up for our neighbors. And so I also realized I wanted to tap in more into to local elections, because that's exactly what they don't want us to do. They don't want us to show up for our our communities.
00:09:45:20 - 00:10:08:06
FARANAZ
And I was learning a little bit more about, you know, what was happening in New York. And as a muslim myself, I had heard about the Ron. You know, he'd been involved in Muslim demos of New York, and he was a state assemblyman. He had gone on this hunger strike. For taxi workers years ago. And I kind of also heard about DSA, and I wanted to see if I could get more involved in that.
00:10:08:08 - 00:10:28:24
FARANAZ
And so that's kind of what brought me to the movement was me just searching for hope, amidst the times when it was just things to not feel so not feel, like there was a lot of hope. And I was researching his campaign, and I felt really inspired just by how he was showing up for the communities already.
00:10:29:01 - 00:10:45:08
FARANAZ
And so I decided I wanted to try to get involved. And so that's when I decided with my friends that, you know, maybe we should start canvasing. Maybe we should show up for this person. And I honestly hadn't canvased before, but I had a friend who was involved in politics a lot, and she really encouraged me to do so.
00:10:45:08 - 00:10:58:17
FARANAZ
And that's kind of how I started to get involved. And I could tell already that this was a movement that was building, but I wasn't quite sure you know what was going to happen. I just knew that I wanted to feel more connected to my community.
00:10:58:19 - 00:11:28:03
DINO
So if I understand correctly, you're saying that you were this wasn't necessarily a movement that you joined at the beginning, at least because of him and who he was. Rather, you were first motivated by the circumstances under which we're all living today, under the current administration of the formerly convicted, now president, Trump. So which to me, I you know, that inspires me to be quite honest.
00:11:28:03 - 00:11:54:00
DINO
Right. As oftentimes when we do our programs here and, you know, we sit behind these microphones in these screens and, you know, we don't get to engage. Oftentimes, folks like yourself who are genuine members of the community, who are demonstrating and reminding us of why people power is important. So you join the team and you start to have a sense that this is going to be a defining political moment from New York City.
00:11:54:00 - 00:11:56:15
DINO
What was that like?
00:11:56:17 - 00:12:21:02
FARANAZ
Well, honestly, at first I wasn't quite sure if it would end up being a defining political moment. You know, I just knew that I could tell that this person seemed different. You know, Zoran seemed like the way he was showing up for, Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested by Ice in earlier this year. Or, you know, protesting for for Palestine and for a ceasefire.
00:12:21:03 - 00:12:41:06
FARANAZ
And I saw him showing up there and I was like, you know, I think this is somebody who represents something that a lot of us have not seen in politicians. And so I first, I, I was telling people about him at the beginning of the year, and no one really, you know, knew who he was. They were he was polling at 1% and is really unheard of outside of like the organizing and DSA spaces.
00:12:41:08 - 00:13:02:02
FARANAZ
But then it started to the momentum really started to grow. You know, he was showing up in a lot of different community organizing spaces. He was showing up at events. He was doing the work and he was talking to the people. You know, early on. And that's when I started to feel like this. This is different. You know, you know, versus just kind of like being all talk.
00:13:02:03 - 00:13:19:14
FARANAZ
It was really amazing to see communities also organizing for him. Like, I would walk by a bodega and see his photo in the window. And I started to feel like, okay, this is getting big. But then when Cuomo, you know, threw his hat in the ring, I got a little nervous that you thought that name recognition people remember him from Covid.
00:13:19:14 - 00:13:23:05
FARANAZ
That also started coming out too, when I was talking to people.
00:13:23:07 - 00:13:25:24
DINO
So.
00:13:26:01 - 00:14:00:15
DINO
At one point you say, okay, I'm going to sign up. I want to be a volunteer. By the way, for those of you who are just joining us, my guest is for a National League, a volunteer, in the New York election, the historic New York election that just happened that elected on Monday to the mayor's office in New York and she helped knock on thousands of doors, was part of a 100,000 strong base of volunteers, the largest, and in New York in quite some time.
00:14:00:17 - 00:14:19:17
DINO
And we're talking about what inspired her. And part of our motivation for this week's episode of The Signal is to elevate what people power is all about. And as you start knocking on these doors, what was that experience like? What stood out to you?
00:14:19:19 - 00:14:44:11
FARANAZ
Yeah, I mean, it's exactly that. It's like you're actually talking to the people, canvasing. It was so, so different than what I normally do. I mean, my my job does require work in public health, so it does require speaking to people. But this was an opportunity to speak to New Yorkers and engage with people from all walks of life.
00:14:44:13 - 00:15:02:18
FARANAZ
And it was it just brought me so much, so much hope. You know, of course, there were there were times where I would speak to someone and they just, you know, they really wanted to talk. They had stuff to say. And then there were other people who would tell me, what are you doing in my building? How'd you get in here and there?
00:15:02:23 - 00:15:24:20
FARANAZ
I'm a door in my face. And I completely understood that, too. You know, it's like not everybody wants to have someone come up to their door. But to me, it was so important to speak to New Yorkers, to hear their experience, to get their feedback. And, like the way I would meet the, the most, like dedicated people at these canvasing.
00:15:24:20 - 00:15:45:24
FARANAZ
Like I met a mom who, on my first canvasing, and she was really the one who inspired me. She brought her 17 year old daughter. Can't even vote. But felt so galvanized and excited about this movement. And it was what I really appreciated about canvasing was that people were kind of coming together to fight for one another.
00:15:45:24 - 00:16:15:15
FARANAZ
And it wasn't like about a politician saving us, you know, they were doing it because they wanted to own their politics, because for so long we're just been told that politics is over there and we're not involved. Right. It's actually what we do together. And so I spoke to so many different types of people. You know, I spoke to, young man in, in Queens and Elmhurst, to these 21 years old, never voted before, but kind of heard about Zora through TikTok and I, you know, encouraged him to vote.
00:16:15:17 - 00:16:38:03
FARANAZ
I spoke to, you know, people who actually didn't feel very encouraged by politics. You know, they were in Crown Heights and they talked about how, you know, I, I don't vote because I feel discouraged. I spoke to people who were like, well, you know, I can't really talk about it with my colleagues. I voted for Zora on that.
00:16:38:05 - 00:16:58:03
FARANAZ
Or you said you were going to vote for Zora on, but he said he was telling all of the people he knows that he's voting for Cuomo. So it was just a really important thing to do, to speak to as many New Yorkers from as many neighborhoods as I could, because, as we know, defined the geographic breakdown. The way people voted was different depending on where they lived.
00:16:58:09 - 00:17:12:02
FARANAZ
Their experiences are different. And so basically what stood out to me was that this was a movement. Every day there was canvasing. Right. And I just found that so inspiring.
00:17:12:04 - 00:17:38:12
DINO
And so, so tell me, for the the campaign. So what managed to make this to bring this campaign together? I mean, we're talking different boroughs, different communities. How did the campaign manage to unite so many diverse, distinct communities across so many different, ideological spectrums and generations? What was your observation about that?
00:17:38:14 - 00:17:57:18
FARANAZ
Yeah, I feel like that's a really important question that a lot of people have. Like, how did they do it? Right? Like like what I was just describing, there was just so many different communities. But I think that the campaign, from what I could see as a volunteer, was really good at using very clear and effective messaging that resonated with voters.
00:17:57:18 - 00:18:36:01
FARANAZ
No matter where they lived in New York, you know, messaging around, like what you were saying earlier around the cost of living crisis, people, what people care about or affordability, cheaper rent, cheaper groceries, having child care. I mean, these are basic things that we all deserve. And I think that's why so many people resonated with it, because it was finally speaking to them and their lived experiences, versus like, you know, just kind of saying things about policies that didn't resonate with the average New Yorker.
00:18:36:03 - 00:19:02:20
FARANAZ
And so when I would talk about these issues with people while canvasing, we would also talk about the root causes, like, why are we having such a cost of living crisis? We need better leadership who actually will care for the people. And so I feel like that's what really brought communities from all over together. Was this clear messaging that this is for them, that this is about dignity.
00:19:02:22 - 00:19:11:21
FARANAZ
And then we thought he got 50.4 or something percent of the vote, like got a majority. And that's a mandate. So, right. It's really.
00:19:12:02 - 00:19:52:04
DINO
You know and I'm glad you're touching on that. My guest is for a nice Molly from New York City. She's a public health expert who volunteered on the, campaign for the newly elected Syrian Mamdani, mayor of New York, 34 year old democratic socialist who were scheduled to take office, at the beginning of next year and has essentially shaken up the political establishment by having run a remarkable campaign in which she did take a majority, to win the democratic socialist, ticket and is now poised to be, you know, the youngest mayor in recent, if not in all, of history of New York.
00:19:52:04 - 00:20:17:20
DINO
I'm trying to remember what that was, but we're talking about the significance, the importance of the volunteer base. This particular campaign was able to generate 100,000 plus members, an unprecedented a number of folks who joined this campaign at this particular juncture and this, you know, very difficult, historical period that we're all experiencing under the Trump administration.
00:20:17:22 - 00:20:40:16
DINO
And you touched on this voter sentiment issue, right, which I think oftentimes speaks to the political energy that, every campaign may have or not. And in your conversations with voters, Farnaz was there what was the one thing that you heard come up the most? You touched on? You know, the issue of affordability and and rent was probably at the top of the list.
00:20:40:16 - 00:20:46:06
DINO
But were any any other conversations that stood out to you?
00:20:46:08 - 00:21:16:05
FARANAZ
Yeah. Yeah. So so like you said, those are the some of the big ones that came up was affordability and rent. I also think that what came up a lot was people feeling disillusioned, and ignored, by leadership that's supposed to represent them. Like, I, spoke to a woman in Canarsie, who did say, you know, she was going to vote for Saron.
00:21:16:07 - 00:21:45:07
FARANAZ
Canarsie in Brooklyn and, and said, well, let me show you something. So, you know, she took me to her lawn and her front lawn and apparently, like, this whole tree had fallen into her lawn. And she was saying that she's been calling the city for weeks and weeks and no one's helping her. And so what people were and, you know, what she was getting at was the fact that they don't people don't feel that they're being heard or that they're being seen.
00:21:45:09 - 00:22:19:09
FARANAZ
And so there's a lot of that type of sentiment about, again, like I said, this, this just feeling discouraged in leadership. But what she said was that she was hopeful that this was finally a campaign that was talking about basic things, affordability and cost of living, and that they would there was there was going to be change to the city and and so I'm not saying that this is going to be an easy fix, of course, but that's why getting and speaking directly to the communities to get their feedback and input is going to be critical.
00:22:19:11 - 00:22:29:05
FARANAZ
And I think another thing that also came up a lot was that authenticity, you know, not being really sure if they're going to be truthful, politicians because, you know, if our experience with them.
00:22:29:10 - 00:22:40:11
DINO
Sure, sure. I know that we've we've already kept you for a significant amount of time. And I'm hoping you can join us still for a few more minutes. I, I got so many questions, but maybe just a couple of more, if that's okay.
00:22:40:11 - 00:22:40:22
FARANAZ
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:40:24 - 00:23:09:03
DINO
For us. Great. So, you know, earlier I was and I probably already mentioned this, at the beginning, the issue of this being a generational campaign. Right. And in New York, like la la, we have 15 Council district. New York has, I think, 50, 51 council districts and one of the first things that I remember standing up for me when I was, started following this issue is that, you know, this issue of Millennial Rising.
00:23:09:03 - 00:23:47:20
DINO
That's what I like to call it, right? The political millennial rising campaign that I think is going to define the future of politics as as it normally would. Right? As people gen out generational out. So in this particular case, how did the campaign do with reaching out to young voters, first time voters you mentioned earlier, somebody bring in their 21 year old, you talking to somebody who had not voted before and others bringing, younger folks in your observations as a volunteer, as part of this 100,000 corps volunteer base for the new mayor of New York, what were your observations in reaching younger and first time voters?
00:23:47:22 - 00:24:22:08
FARANAZ
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's so great to see the young voters coming out. I at his rally that I went to a couple weeks ago, a couple of us were polled to, to speak to a new media and there was a kid there who was 16 and was a huge advocate. And so I think, you know, people like I said, again, it's just like this the way this messaging, they had this effective messaging, you know, I would speak to young voters and they'd be like, oh, yeah, I saw them on my social media.
00:24:22:08 - 00:24:49:24
FARANAZ
I saw my Instagram info on TikTok. But not only that, it was that, you know, from what I can understand, you know, people want more authenticity. People want to see leadership that shows up. And I love that millennial rising. You know, I'm in, like a DSA run club. And just in the last couple of days, we've seen this huge influx of people joining our group who who were like, I came from canvasing.
00:24:49:24 - 00:25:10:23
FARANAZ
I wasn't even involved in DSA. But now I feel so moved by this campaign. And I think it was, you know, how they were effectively able to, talk about issues that young voters really care about, right. And do so and do so on platforms that young voters are tapped into. And so to me, that was that was really remarkable.
00:25:10:23 - 00:25:27:24
FARANAZ
And, props to the campaign for doing that. But also, you know, people overall felt very encouraged and excited about this candidate, that was able to, to reach those who in the past don't really feel like they've been connected to politics.
00:25:28:01 - 00:26:07:21
DINO
So let me ask you perhaps the final question. And to me, one of the more important ones, after hundreds of hours of volunteering for an Oz, of giving your time, your energy, you have a professional career, you have a day job, you have all things going on in your life. And you say to yourself, self, it's time that we contribute to this democratic process that ultimately defines what we, at least in this conversation, folks in the studio here with us know, which is that the power belongs to the people.
00:26:07:23 - 00:26:29:18
DINO
And what is the one thing that, for you stands out, right? If there is, as I said, for an age, give me that personal reflection. What what are you have to look forward to so that our listeners who are listening to you, who are being motivated, who are being inspired by your volunteerism, what is that message that you're going to share with folks?
00:26:29:20 - 00:26:31:09
DINO
00:26:31:11 - 00:26:58:23
FARANAZ
You know, I would say that it's it's that we like we are the people who are going to make change. And like I said at the very beginning, we keep ourselves safe and the power like, is like you said, belongs to the people. We're done being told that what we want in society is too much. And you can see that, you know, people are fed up.
00:26:58:23 - 00:27:30:10
FARANAZ
They want to see change. And so I would also say that we've also been told that politics is this thing that that's like an individual thing, but it's no, it's a team sport. And these campaigns are a really powerful platform for this grassroots and community mobilization. We're seeing that in LA too. You know, I've got, my sister is a DSA, member who's running for city council in LA and running a very similar campaign.
00:27:30:12 - 00:27:48:16
FARANAZ
About power back to the people. So, you know, my big takeaway from this is that we have each other and we're going to get, you know, this, like Lauren said in his speech, have to get through us. And, it's just really exciting to see that we're just taking back that power.
00:27:48:19 - 00:28:04:02
DINO
So. So you're not going to drop that little jaw. Now tell us a little bit more. You know, your sister is running for office. You heard it here on the signal, we're going to reach out. Tell us a little bit about her and her campaign. What do we learn more? And where do I contact her? Give me the website, girl.
00:28:04:04 - 00:28:39:09
FARANAZ
Yeah, yeah. So, Yeah. You know, like la, lots of solidarity between New York and LA, right. And, and I know that there are some DSA electeds already in city council. But my sister Malik is running for city council, for 2026 to represent district 11. And, you know, it's a lot of the same types of, policies that she's running on, which is affordability, inclusivity, making everyone feel like they belong to to, la.
00:28:39:11 - 00:29:00:05
FARANAZ
You know, right now in LA, we're seeing families being torn apart through these Ice raids and in general, just across the country, people not having access to food or being able to afford rent. And so I'm really excited for for more people like, like Faiza and Zoran who are showing up and, showing that, like I said, the power really belongs to people.
00:29:00:07 - 00:29:02:22
FARANAZ
So yeah, please, that would be great. If you could connect with her.
00:29:03:03 - 00:29:18:10
DINO
Absolutely. Fizer. Malik, you heard it here. If you're listening to the show. And if you're not, that's just because you didn't want to listen to your sister. So I'm going to have to gripe with you about that. But, you know, it's funny you mentioned that, like city council. Let me see if I remember my my city council politics.
00:29:18:10 - 00:29:42:06
DINO
Right. As of right now, I'm pretty sure that it's six members of the 15 or in that millennial age, four of which I believe are part of the Democratic Socialist Party, and the rest are, Gen Xers with one Boomer remaining. So, that brother sister's holding on. We're not going to name them out, but that one boomer remaining.
00:29:42:10 - 00:30:06:13
DINO
So, you know, I got to thank you. Farnaz, you have inspired, I hope our audience has. You have me. You said something to me in our pre-interview that stood out, and I want to just kind of echo it before we let you go. And you said something like that in the beginning of the year. You were craving community, or you were longing for community, and, and through this campaign, you found out.
00:30:06:19 - 00:30:28:24
DINO
So I want to thank you very much. On that note, Farnaz Malik, public health professional in New York City, calling us live from New York and a volunteer of the 100,000 member base that got the newly elected mayor, in New York, elected after an unprecedented campaign. Thank you for being with us today.
00:30:29:01 - 00:30:31:15
FARANAZ
Thank you so much. This is great.
00:30:31:17 - 00:30:37:04
DINO
Talk to you soon. We'll be right back. Stay with us for.
00:30:37:06 - 00:31:16:12
Speaker 1
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00:31:16:14 - 00:31:51:20
DINO
Welcome back to The Signal. News, information, analysis I'm your host, Dino, and today we took a break from our standard approach to the, news, information and analysis. Perhaps this more of an information focused show, but information that comes to us directly from the community, directly from the base. We are spending our afternoon in New York by way of phone line, by way of studio line and talking to folks in New York City who have been a part of and or just stood on the sidelines.
00:31:51:22 - 00:32:24:16
DINO
And in that regard, you know, also experience this incredible transition of power that's taking place in the city of New York. Something remarkable that just took place where one of the most competitive mayoral races in decades, saw the voting of a new mayor, Sarhan Mamdani, a 34 year old democratic socialist organizer, son of Ugandan immigrants of Indian descent, and who voted who they voted as our new mayor.
00:32:24:18 - 00:33:12:10
DINO
It is a victory of unprecedented impact across the national spectrum, not only because it was part of a wave of victories, for the opposition party, the current opposition party to the federal administration, Democrats in particular. But because this is a candidate who speaks to the multi-generational immigrant base, politically active power that we see growing in this country as a result of what the current administration has created by way of of their draconian, authoritarian policies that are slowly but surely deconstructing this nation.
00:33:12:12 - 00:33:35:01
DINO
And what it's been for, decades, if not longer. So our second guess is another New Yorker, longtime, lifelong New Yorker, somebody who I've, crossed paths with over the years, and journalism and other areas of work, a public health expert himself, which, by the way, this was not meant to be that way. When we were setting up the show.
00:33:35:03 - 00:33:56:23
DINO
I didn't know that. Farnaz, our previous guest, was in the public health industry as well. So it just kind of happened, to, to be a coincidence. But we'll talk a little bit more about that. But my next guest is Jerry Otero. Jerry Otero, he's a respected public health advocate and educator who has worked for decades to support people affected by drug use.
00:33:57:00 - 00:34:16:01
DINO
At Saint Anne's Center. He leads a program that provides clean supplies, overdose prevention programs, health care referrals, counseling grounded in compassion and evidence rather than punishment. His work has helped transform the harm reduction community, in the Bronx area. Right, Jerry?
00:34:16:03 - 00:34:20:06
FARANAZ
Indeed. Armando. Good to be here. Good. Good to have you.
00:34:20:06 - 00:34:22:02
DINO
Welcome to the show.
00:34:22:04 - 00:34:30:04
FARANAZ
Thank you so much. And thanks for thinking of us. It is a historic moment. You called it all on the right and said all the right things about this.
00:34:30:09 - 00:34:52:14
DINO
So? So let me let me ask you, Jerry. All right. So you're sitting there, you're following this, you're working, you're listening. You got your ear to the community. You're on the ground. You're there in the Bronx. And walk me through your own experiences as you see this relatively unknown guy rise to power. Up until that moment, that.
00:34:52:16 - 00:34:58:24
DINO
Wow, he gets elected mayor of New York. Walk me through what? The experience, what that experience was like for you.
00:34:59:01 - 00:35:29:21
FARANAZ
It's amazing. It's, beyond amazing. Zion Montgomery hobbled, dynasty, by reimagining new York City safety and affordability. Genius. Simple and spoke right to the people. And guess what? He closed the deal and Trump the renowned dealmaker. You really need to take notice. Because somebody did close this deal. Now that's a New York moment in of itself.
00:35:29:23 - 00:35:30:16
FARANAZ
00:35:30:18 - 00:35:56:13
DINO
A New York in and of itself. Now you work on the ground with a lot of New York's most impacted, right? Especially in the drug user community, folks who are, you know, directly impacted by the long standing history of draconian drug laws that, you know, New York has a long history of, of of implementing those, indeed, the whole country for that matter.
00:35:56:13 - 00:36:02:21
DINO
L.A is certainly. No, no, beacon of, of, transparency and, an example.
00:36:02:21 - 00:36:02:24
FARANAZ
Or.
00:36:02:24 - 00:36:12:21
DINO
Compassion or compassion. Right, right. But so in your experience in working with the community, what were you hearing there on the ground? What were people saying about this newly elected mayor?
00:36:12:22 - 00:36:37:20
FARANAZ
You know, this is a really interesting point because the jury is still out and people, unfortunately, still vote against their interests. And I'm talking to people after the election who were, you know, people from the community who voted for Cuomo and, spoke candidly about being afraid of change and, not knowing what the future held.
00:36:37:20 - 00:37:17:02
FARANAZ
And, somehow though, being being raising awareness to the fact that there are folks out here who are interested in the issues that plague our community, like the one you mentioned. Yes, I do work. I work in the Bronx, which is ground zero for opiate related, overdose deaths. We also lead the country in so many other metrics that only, that that are emblematic of the insistence of, of punishing people, and not caring for them.
00:37:17:02 - 00:37:42:21
FARANAZ
We care more about how we punish people than we care about their life outcomes, about their birth outcomes. And, Mamdani is speaking to these folks, directly. He mentioned the Hunt Point neighborhood in his victory speech, which I thought was pretty amazing. And, I think that bodes well for his awareness that we need to be focusing on, on these things.
00:37:42:21 - 00:37:51:07
FARANAZ
I think that what's what's what's most important. Well, I don't know what's most of when there's so many things that are so important about this. But, you know.
00:37:51:09 - 00:38:00:09
DINO
And Jerry, let me ask you, you mentioned that he did reference the Hunts Point, neighborhood in New York. Tell us about that neighborhood. And why does that stand out for you?
00:38:00:11 - 00:38:32:07
FARANAZ
Well, in the area where our organization is and corner of harm reduction, operates, we are the longest running, continuously running syringe exchange program in the country. 33 years now, going on 34 years. And this was back in the time started back in the time when even the distribution of clean syringes was illegal. Our founder, Joyce Rivera, saw within it, within her power to do something about that.
00:38:32:07 - 00:38:59:17
FARANAZ
And went against the tide and began distributing needles, working with the local dealers. Very controversial, but working with the local dealers to create a coalition. And this is what Mamdani did. Mamdani, instead of, using identity to create division, he used identity to create coalition.
00:38:59:19 - 00:39:21:02
DINO
Which, by the way, so as I look at the the voter maps in the Hunts Point, community or district, we see that overall turnout was at about 22%. But it's important to note that the Bronx had historically voted with Cuomo in the past and.
00:39:21:02 - 00:39:46:20
FARANAZ
Oh, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. And that's why I say I don't I don't say it lightly, toppled a dynasty. The the significance of that, the historical significance in that, I think is beyond compare and really needs mentioning and focus. You know, what he showed us in this is that politics is not something you have. Rather, it's something you do.
00:39:46:22 - 00:39:55:15
FARANAZ
And in this moment, we did it. We have an immigrant mayor and an immigrant city. Don't get it twisted.
00:39:55:17 - 00:40:34:17
DINO
I love that. Yeah. Yes. And in fact, I was trying to make that point earlier, in describing how you know, this, in my view, from afar, from the West coast, the West Coast, how as we look towards a place like there now, we've had our own share of immigrant, descendants. I would say, here in L.A. certainly, you know, and but, you know, to see, an immigrant, born in an African country, a muslim, a person who is so young and to run such a successful campaign now be in power.
00:40:34:21 - 00:41:04:11
DINO
I think it speaks to the country's desire for a recognition of diversity and embracing of this diversity. And I think we're seeing it there. And Andrew Cuomo, primarily due to the cascade of scandals that we've talked about. Cuomo, that emerged in his final year as governor, most notably, multiple incredible accusations of sexual harassment, controversial administration wide effort to, underreport Covid 19.
00:41:04:13 - 00:41:20:23
DINO
Is this would you say that these were the things that hurt him, the most or were just I know you mentioned folks were just tired of him, tired of the establishment here. We still have one, you know, baby boomer in office in LA. But, it sounds like what you're describing is folks are just it's just had it with them.
00:41:21:00 - 00:41:51:19
FARANAZ
Had it with him. Andrew Cuomo does not belong anywhere near City Hall. And we are now no longer operating out of fear. You know, I'll take a page from journalist Naomi Klein's interview with, Amy Goodman a couple of days ago. This is how we fight fascism. This is how we fight racism. This is how we fight all the isms.
00:41:51:21 - 00:42:15:15
FARANAZ
But it wasn't that we are continuing to live with that. Folks in the community have been railing against people like myself and my organization that work for, have been fighting for and been behind the eight ball, which, you know, nothing is working. Armando and Trump's answer, and Cuomo's answer is to blame the immigrant, blame the street people, blame the drug users.
00:42:15:17 - 00:42:41:07
FARANAZ
Instead of saying, hey, let's fix the busses, let's deal with the reasons why people are afraid. You know, safety isn't only about police. Safety is about being able to feed your family. Safety is about having a place where your kids can play, where they can get a decent education, where you could, you know, where you can, exchange a day's labor for a decent wage to support your family.
00:42:41:07 - 00:42:47:20
FARANAZ
Again, I'll, I'll quote Naomi, quote. This is how we do it. This is how we fight fascism.
00:42:47:22 - 00:43:11:04
DINO
My guest is Jerry Otero. Calling us live from New York to today's episode of of the signal. We are hanging out in New York by way of the phone lines here at the studio. And, we're talking to folks who are there experiencing this historic election of the 34 year young, Suhan Mamdani, who, has been elected, in New York as mayor.
00:43:11:04 - 00:43:40:17
DINO
And now it's important to note, folks, for those of you who aren't aware, and, you know, while you think of mayor, council and, and the respective, sharing of power, there is a very distinct difference in how this plays out. And what I mean by that is, in the case of New York, the mayor holds significant executive power controlling city departments, city school systems, and the city council holds considerable power over the city's budget and priorities, including the ability to override mayoral vetoes.
00:43:40:19 - 00:44:08:21
DINO
Where in Los Angeles? There is much more of a hybrid system. There's much more of, you could call it balance of power. Some would probably disagree. The mayor in LA is the chief executive, who proposes the budget, appoints the general managers, and has veto power over city ordinances while the city council, is the city's legislature with the power to approve and reject department heads and commissioners nominated by the mayor.
00:44:08:21 - 00:44:32:13
DINO
So you do have a distinct difference in how these cities operate. But at the end of the day, you know, New York has 51 councils, L.A has 15, the two largest city in the country. And both have one very important thing in common, and that is the rise of democratic socialists representing, themselves not only in power, but a reflection of the communities that they are part of.
00:44:32:16 - 00:45:08:23
DINO
You know, Robert from L.A. sent us a message, said, Kpfk needs to represent all of the people, not just Democrats, and refers to some of our other programing who oftentimes promotes more, one party or another. And in this case, I think you can reach that conclusion. But, here on the signal for us, you know, we want to represent the interest of as many folks as possible, because at the end of the day, to Jerry's point, you know, this is about recognizing the diversity of the communities we serve and the political structures that come with it, including some of these, millennial rising democratic socialists.
00:45:08:23 - 00:45:32:08
DINO
So, Jerry, as we as we as we look towards the immediate future, what what is it that excites you most about this? He does have we must recognize that, you know, he does have, a tough road ahead. No new roads are ever easy. The city itself, at the end of the day, still had about 50% of those who voted against him or just not voted for him.
00:45:32:10 - 00:45:46:09
DINO
But in your view, as a professional on the ground, working with community, working with grassroots, a long time, lifelong New Yorker, what are you most looking forward to?
00:45:46:11 - 00:46:05:01
FARANAZ
Wow. Great question. Amanda. You know, and I've said it before, you are the real ag of this country. Just just want to say what I'm looking forward to most is the connecting of global issues to local consciousness.
00:46:05:03 - 00:46:05:20
DINO
Global issues.
00:46:06:00 - 00:46:06:11
FARANAZ
Local.
00:46:06:11 - 00:46:08:07
DINO
Consciousness.
00:46:08:09 - 00:46:40:16
FARANAZ
And again, using these, you know, you mentioned all the things that could be strikes against them. Muslim, South Asian, African born young, you know, but despite that and so and so this is what I want. I want young people who have an appreciation for the things that are actually happening in this world. Right. And again, that politics is not something you have.
00:46:40:16 - 00:47:14:21
FARANAZ
It's not an abstraction. It's something that you do. And, I'm looking forward to doing it with the community. And it is it is a tough sell. Still, I think there's a lot of education, a lot of love that needs to be, you know, that needs to be demonstrated and a lot of compassion. And we need to move from systems of technology and punishment into systems that, provide compassion or are rooted in compassion and provide real care.
00:47:14:23 - 00:47:34:23
FARANAZ
And that's what people are yearning for, and that's what people are going to demand as they start getting it. And as they start seeing the possibilities. You know, I think, the world is our oyster at this point. And so I said it as well. The future is in our hands. Right. Good work, New York.
00:47:35:00 - 00:47:54:15
DINO
Good work. Hey, listen, great job, New York, I applaud you. Set aside, the, you know, West coast, East coast rivalries from rap to to baseball, which, of course, we handed it to you. But, listen, Jerry, I want to thank you for taking the time. Actually, I want to encourage our listeners in the last few minutes that we have, to call in.
00:47:54:15 - 00:48:23:12
DINO
I want to hear what L.A. has to say about the Mamdani election in the city of New York. You can call us at 8189557358189855735818985 Kpfk hit that option one. You'll get a straight into the studio. And our producer, Niklas back there. But, Jay, I want to thank you for, you know, sharing your view and letting us know what is on the mind of New Yorkers, along with my previous guests.
00:48:23:14 - 00:48:31:09
DINO
Farnaz, also in New York. We look forward to coming back to you next time we have big news coming out of New York. Man. Thanks a lot for being with us.
00:48:31:11 - 00:48:41:17
FARANAZ
Keep the on on your speed down and check out Saint Anne's Corner of Harm Reduction online to see the work we're doing. Harm reduction. And, let's connect and let's build coalition.
00:48:41:23 - 00:48:43:14
DINO
Stay positive brother, thanks for being with us.
00:48:43:17 - 00:48:46:06
FARANAZ
And thank you for.
00:48:46:08 - 00:49:23:09
Speaker 6
Kpfk invites you to tune in to the Global Village weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. we're bringing you a global mix of hosts seeking the universal soul and making musical connections between our geographical and musical cultures. That's the Global Village Kpfk flagship music program with the new and familiar voices. Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., right here on 90.7 FM and online@kpfk.org.
00:49:23:11 - 00:49:40:18
DINO
Welcome back to The Signal. I'm your host, Dino. Today's episode. We've spent the greater part of the hour. We're going to take maybe 1 or 2 calls. So if you're on there. Great. George, I think you're on there. Standby. I'm coming to you in a second. I want to hear about this, comment you just shared with us online.
00:49:40:20 - 00:50:18:16
DINO
But today's episode, we spent the afternoon in New York talking to folks on the ground community members, volunteers, advocates, nonprofit leaders about the election. This, remarkable, event that just took place in New York and one of the most competitive mayoral races in decades. Voters chose Sergeant Mamdani, the 34 year old Democratic socialist organizer, son of Ugandan immigrants of Indian descent, as their new mayor, and it is a victory that has undoubtedly already been described as a political earthquake and a cultural turning point in America's largest city.
00:50:18:18 - 00:50:27:23
DINO
And I want to hear what you guys have to say. We have a few minutes left on the on the program. And George from Lake, another flint rich, are you there?
00:50:28:00 - 00:50:45:01
DINO
We might have lost George. Well, you know, let me tell you what George was saying. And again, if you're if you want to join us, (818) 985-5735. That's 818985 Kpfk hit option one. I'll take you straight to the, to the studio. George, are you there?
00:50:45:03 - 00:50:47:11
FARANAZ
Damn.
00:50:47:13 - 00:50:50:07
DINO
Yeah. You need to turn down your radio, George.
00:50:50:09 - 00:50:57:18
FARANAZ
Well, you can't even take what you can hear if you want to join us. 818985572581.
00:50:57:20 - 00:51:25:18
DINO
So what? George was saying was that he was asking a question. He says, you know, Dino, do you see any parallels between what's happening in New York and what's happening in L.A.? And I think what he's describing, as I understood, as was shared via online, is this parallel between an awakening that's happening among a new generation of elected officials, officials, a generation that's getting elected by way of social media, a different type of interaction.
00:51:25:20 - 00:51:44:24
DINO
There was a time in history in this country where for those of us who are of age, relative to that generation, you would learn about politics by reading the newspaper. And if you had a, at, television screen, you did that. But many of us learned it on radio in this time. And and the evolution of technology, grew.
00:51:44:24 - 00:52:04:10
DINO
I remember having a conversation with an elected official here just before she ran. And we were talking about, you know, what it would be like to be the first generation to be elected as a result of TikTok and Instagram, and that has already happened. So a lot of things are changing. Leo. In line, line for Leo.
00:52:04:10 - 00:52:06:00
DINO
Where are you calling us from?
00:52:06:02 - 00:52:11:02
FARANAZ
Calling from ground terrorists. Hello. Good morning, and thank you for your show, Mr. Dino. I like the signal.
00:52:11:04 - 00:52:27:13
DINO
I appreciate it. Leo, talk to me from Grand Terrace. So, what are your thoughts on this? Newly elected, the mayor in New York. I know that it's new York, right? I mean, New York, the other side of the country. Right? But there's so many other factors that I think play into why this matters for the country.
00:52:27:18 - 00:52:29:18
DINO
What are your thoughts?
00:52:29:20 - 00:52:45:08
FARANAZ
I believe also it's the youthful exuberance that's out there. But young people are realizing what's going on, and they've already seen too much of the violent, actions being taken by, number 4547 so far.
00:52:45:10 - 00:53:02:11
DINO
You know what? I like that, right? Because we were talking to our first guest, Farnaz. Who? You know, a woman who said. And I love what she said to me and one of the pre interviews she said, or in the pre-interview, you know, I was looking for community at the beginning of 2025, and I found it in this movement.
00:53:02:13 - 00:53:19:23
DINO
And she's not, you know, certainly not of my age or my generation. And, and I agree with you. I think this I like the, the as you described it, the exuberance that we're seeing among young people. And do you see a parallel back to, to this one of our other guests who said, is there a parallel what's happening in New York and L.A.?
00:53:19:23 - 00:53:29:17
DINO
And yes, certainly with the parallel that is the younger generation here, but is there, any other observation, Leo, that you think is worth looking at?
00:53:29:19 - 00:53:34:13
FARANAZ
I think, well, this is a little off. What? You were just,
00:53:34:15 - 00:53:35:04
DINO
That's all good.
00:53:35:09 - 00:54:00:16
FARANAZ
You know, people tend to think of, symbology and places that are symbolic, such as, you know, when you say, the East Coast, you thought you say New York, right? If you say West Coast, you say either L.A. or some Francisco. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but but then again, if you get you focus since the more you say Dodgers, you think of Dodger Stadium there,
00:54:00:18 - 00:54:02:04
DINO
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got you.
00:54:02:04 - 00:54:15:11
FARANAZ
It's something like that. But I want to tell you that, there is a, monument statue for the Bill of rights on the South lawn of City Hall that nobody says anything about.
00:54:15:13 - 00:54:17:00
DINO
Oh, no. All right.
00:54:17:02 - 00:54:43:08
FARANAZ
And I think it would be a rallying point right there where actually, it's been vandalized. The the brass thieves have taken off the brass, in the, you know, notation that people have put on it since 1991 when, mayor Tom Bradley had it erected there for the Bill of rights, day. And we should celebrate it.
00:54:43:08 - 00:54:49:03
FARANAZ
It's on December 15th. Hello, everybody out there. December 15th.
00:54:49:05 - 00:54:49:20
DINO
Day of.
00:54:49:20 - 00:54:51:01
FARANAZ
Rights Day.
00:54:51:03 - 00:55:04:12
DINO
Done. Leo, thanks a lot for the call. We we have a few minutes left. We're going to power through this so much. Thanks, Leo. So we're going to, Dave on line one. We have about a minute for your, comment. Talk to me.
00:55:04:14 - 00:55:32:08
FARANAZ
Yeah. And CD 11. We have, Councilwoman that has taken money from the GOP in a slight of hand, staying where he, had it donated to others. And then, they passed it on to her, and now we're we're determined to beat her in the next election. No matter how much money that she takes, from, from the, from moneyed interests and from the real estate.
00:55:32:08 - 00:55:32:18
FARANAZ
So.
00:55:32:18 - 00:55:33:10
DINO
Got it.
00:55:33:12 - 00:55:43:20
FARANAZ
We're already working, and we're very heartened by the wins in New York. And we're glad to hear from the, sister who has, her who is running here. Yes.
00:55:43:20 - 00:55:54:04
DINO
We're hoping to reach out to her. And, Dave, we're going to reach out to her and see if we can get her on on the show and talk more about it. Thanks for the commentary. We will we will. Harvey.
00:55:54:06 - 00:55:56:23
FARANAZ
Was going to win. He's going to win in the next election.
00:55:57:01 - 00:56:04:20
DINO
Got it. Thanks, Dave. Harvey, you're our last caller. We had about a minute and producers signaling me. We got to go. Talk to me. Harvey. You? About a minute. You know.
00:56:04:20 - 00:56:17:04
FARANAZ
Thank you so much for taking my call. And thank you so much for your very relevant, program show today. Great. And I'm very thankful. Appreciate it. I mean.
00:56:17:06 - 00:56:19:07
DINO
I thank you this young man.
00:56:19:09 - 00:56:52:20
FARANAZ
Man. Danny, I think that he was, trying to sell, a grassroots approach that is needed by our politicians here, to to admit, you know, to, do things like that also so that, you know, people will be, interested because that's what we need. We need people like, Montana and, you know, Bernie Sanders, message and, and and, Ocasio Cortez.
00:56:52:20 - 00:57:13:16
FARANAZ
I mean, those are the kind of people that we need, you know, and these, corporate Democrats to step aside when we need the games. And I think people will be much more interested and, vote for these kind of, people that, speaking to that. What do you think?
00:57:13:18 - 00:57:35:02
DINO
Listen, I, I couldn't agree. I couldn't agree with you, more, Harvey. I think, in fact, that's a great way to segue into the closing, because, this is what I think. Harvey, let me tell you what, precisely what I think. I think, engagement is not a seasonal activity. It is the oxygen of civic life itself, Harvey.
00:57:35:08 - 00:57:58:08
DINO
So it is how we build communities, that reflect our values is how we hold leaders accountable once they are elected and how ultimately we build this movement we call a democracy. With that, I want to thank, all my guests who participated today from New York talking about the election, the historic election in the city of New York.
00:57:58:08 - 00:58:31:15
DINO
I saw Harmon, Danny, farmers, my league, the volunteer and community organizer out in New York, and Gerry Otero from Saint Anne's Corner, both on the streets in the community. Contributing their assessment and ultimately, experiences in this newly elected campaign. I want to, thank especially our audio engineer, Sly rivers, and my phenomenal producer, Nella Barbara, our Nella Barbara, and remind you all you can listen to this and more on our website, kpfa.org with programs are archived.
00:58:31:17 - 00:58:36:14
DINO
And thank you, the listeners. Stay tuned for shows coming up next.
00:58:36:16 - 00:58:42:01
ANOUNCER
Dennis, on 20 tonight.
00:58:42:03 - 00:59:14:13
BRAD
Hey, this is Brad Friedman of the Brad cast, heard right here on Kpfk Mondays at 3 p.m.. As you know, Kpfk is corporate free, listener supported radio. But that means we need you to support our work and help drastically shorten our fund drives. By joining the Kpfk Sustainer circle today, you can pledge $5, $10, 20, or any amount you like automatically collected each month to help keep the broadcast and all of the other Kpfk shows on the air.
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BRAD
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00:59:33:12 - 00:59:42:16
ANOUNCER
Coming up this week on L.A. works. Three young artists are struggling to make ends meet until they meet an affluent and gullible art patron.
00:59:42:17 - 00:59:44:20
ANOUNCER
I told her, I have a credo.
00:59:44:23 - 01:00:02:09
ANOUNCER
But you don't have a credo. But I will soon. The Credo Canvas by Keith Bunin, starring Hilary Swank, Jeremy Sisto and Chad Lowe. Next time on L.A. Theater Works. That's this Sunday evening from 10 p.m. until midnight. L.A. theater works right here on Kpfk.
