Top 70 Letitia James Quotes

We have these events, ‘Talk to Tish.’ They’re basically kitchen-roundtable discussions about issues in the City of New York, because you can learn more by listening.

The Internet serves as a channel of endless information through which individuals now access the news, employment opportunities, education, entertainment, etc.

The status quo is clearly broken, and we must strive for bigger, bolder solutions that will provide New Yorkers with the support they need to remain in their homes.

Retirement shouldn’t be making the choice between buying much-needed medication or putting food on the table; making the choice between heating an apartment in the cold winter months or paying rent; making the choice between paying a phone bill or seeing a doctor.

Some contractors force workers to provide paybacks to keep their jobs. Others intentionally misclassify workers in order to underpay them – by, for example, paying a skilled construction worker as a general laborer.

Our system of government works best when there are checks and balances led by independent entities that are empowered to conduct fair and rigorous oversight. These are the same principles enshrined in the founding document of our country – our Constitution.

Wage violations are tantamount to theft.

I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

The NYPD has taken steps to engage marginalized communities and attempts to bridge gaps between these neighborhoods and those sworn to protect and serve them.

It is no secret that New York City has an affordable housing shortage. For those who’ve returned from the battlefield, the problem is even more pronounced.

We must stand vigilant to protect our voting access.

We must ensure that we are hiring and retaining qualified, diverse candidates not only to teach in our classrooms, but to work at the DOE overseeing our students’ education.

The vast majority of our teachers, our principals and our PTAs are well informed and well meaning, but even those with the best intentions can benefit from cultural competency training.

Within New York City and state, families in need face a confusing hodgepodge of supplemental rental assistance programs, many of which are ineffective individually and all of which are clearly ineffective in the aggregate.

To my dismay, inadequate signage, non-ADA compliant ramps, narrow doorways, and poorly-placed voting machines are preventing hundreds of thousands of people from exercising one of our most basic rights as Americans.

We must simply do every single thing in our power to protect our children from abuse and help them live healthy, prosperous lives.

What’s historically been referred to as ‘gerrymandering’ can more aptly be labeled an incumbent protection program.

Our justice system allows district attorneys to be charged with the great responsibility of prosecuting the very same police officers they work side-by-side with every day and whose union support they seek when running for reelection.

The Office of Attorney General should be independent and the Office of Attorney General should have the power to investigate without the approval of the governor of the state of New York. It’s absolutely critically important.

While New York City cannot prevent other jurisdictions from selling firearms, it has taken a powerful stance against guns by divesting pension funds from gun manufacturers.

I’ve been independent all of my life.

The ADA prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities receive the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstreams of American life, which includes participating in government programs and services.

I come from a long line of very strong, tough women. We stick to our principles and stand up for what we believe in, which is fundamental fairness, which is my raison d’etre.

Only when we ensure that the mistakes of our past are not the vision for our future, will we truly have achieved justice.

Our evenly matched rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness require an equal paycheck.

I come from a family of eight on public assistance, my parents were separated. My mother struggled, my father struggled.

No NYCHA resident should have to worry about the walk home at night through their neighborhood after they finish work. Yet for some NYCHA residents, worrying is a part of daily life.

As Public Advocate for the City of New York, I will be working with the Administration for Children’s Services and others to bring about necessary reforms – and ensure that our city meets its most solemn responsibility – protecting the welfare of our children.

Is truth about domestic violence and those who enable it more important than a company’s corporate partnerships? I think so.

We have a moral responsibility to help veterans avoid homelessness and displacement.

We may not be able to make working at the airport stress-free, but we can at least give these workers the security of knowing they will be paid their due.

New Yorkers want to be compassionate, and they want to live in a city where homeless people aren’t stuffed into shelters, spilling out onto the streets. They also want a support system that works.

Every hard working New Yorker, regardless of their income, race, or gender deserves an equal shot at attaining retirement security.

Increases in stabilized rents impact rent stabilized tenants directly, but they also affect the affordability of all New Yorkers’ rents.

I come from humble beginnings myself.

World Aids Day is both a day of remembrance and a day of hope.

As we express our gratitude to veterans for protecting our freedom, it is imperative that we provide them the necessary services and benefits they rightfully deserve.

Wage discrimination lasts forever. The disparity haunts women beyond their years in the labor force, impacting how much they save for retirement and ultimately receive in Social Security benefits.

More cops on our streets and in our neighborhoods mean safer streets and neighborhoods.

As Public Advocate for the City of New York, I have a duty to speak truth to power and do what is best for our City and its residents.

Around the nation, lawmakers have drawn up their districts with such perverse precision and aversion to competition, that legislators rarely face competitive challenges.

During my campaign for Public Advocate, and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign for mayor, we committed to making Eid school holidays a reality.

Human induced climate change is real, and the evidence is right in front of us. It threatens our shores. It promises to bring intense heat waves and powerful storms. It has the power to disrupt our economy, endanger our food supply, and imperil global stability. We must take action to stop it.

In reality, handing over public space to private developers does not guarantee that new library spaces will be comparable in size or otherwise remain fully-functional.

I have never had doubts about the courage of the young men and women we sent overseas wearing the uniform.

Dysfunction in Washington has stalled any meaningful federal action on gun control. So it’s increasingly up to big cities like New York to take bold steps to get weapons off our streets and change the national discourse.

The workers who get hurt by corner-cutting often do not realize they are being wronged. Even when they do, they do not have the support and resources to fight back. Without a union to stand behind them, these workers are forced to stay in bad jobs, or face no job at all.

All of my life and particularly throughout of my public career, I have been talking about the feminization of poverty. And one of the manifestations of the feminization of poverty is the issue of pay inequality in our society.

In today’s world, access to the Internet is inarguably critical to function in informal and formal spaces – and the costs to digital segregation are rising.

On the local, state and federal level, government is working alongside veteran’s organizations and other stakeholders to provide services such as medical assistance, employment resources, and housing support to veterans and their dependents and survivors. But there are still gaps in services that must be rectified.

Though few hiring managers would deliberately choose to offer women less money than their male counterparts, when using salary history to determine compensation, they unintentionally preserve the status quo. Too often, women will have a lower salary history, and, therefore get a lower offer.

We cannot justly seek to expand access to HASA and enroll more New Yorkers in the program, if we do not act to improve the program to ensure that tenants receive the benefits and services they are entitled to.

Legally, many contractors are required to pay a prevailing wage. However, bad actors often find ways to get around this requirement.

I say that our economic future is in the new technology that will lead to more fuel efficient cars and cleaner energy.

Telling the truth about domestic violence – and those who shield it – should not be punished.

Home Stability Support is our best shot at creating an all-encompassing and effective system to ensure that our at-risk children and families can remain in the homes they deserve.