1. Jose Rafael Peralta was an American politician who served in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate.
30 Facts About Jose Peralta
1. 2.
Jose Peralta previously represented District 39 in the New York State Assembly, which is located in Queens, New York and includes Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.
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Jose Peralta was elected to the New York State Senate in a landslide on March 16,2010.
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Jose Peralta was re-elected in 2012,2014 and 2016, but was defeated in the 2018 Democratic primary.
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Jose Peralta died of leukemia at the age of 47 on November 21,2018.
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At the age of 8, Jose Peralta moved with his family from Washington Heights, Manhattan to Queens.
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Jose Peralta attended public elementary school in New York City and graduated from Flushing High School in 1989.
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Jose Peralta enrolled at Queens College, City University of New York and became the first Latino Student Body President at the college.
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Jose Peralta graduated from Queens College in 1996, with a degree in psychology.
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Jose Peralta represented the interests of immigrants on the New York City Central Labor Council, serving in the position of Director of the Commission on the Dignity for Immigrants.
11.
Jose Peralta was a political staffer on campaigns in New York including Brian McLaughlin's campaign for New York State Assembly, Toby Stavisky's campaign for New York State Senate, Alan Hevesi election bid for New York City Comptroller and Hillary Clinton's campaign for United States Senate.
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Jose Peralta was married to Evelyn, and had two sons, Myles and Matthew.
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Jose Peralta ran as a Democrat and beat candidate Charles Gonzales, a Republican.
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Jose Peralta was the first Hispanic from Queens, New York to win an election to serve in the New York state Assembly.
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Jose Peralta was sworn in as a member of the Assembly by Civil Court Judge Diccia Pineda, of Dominican heritage.
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Jose Peralta took the oath of office in Corona, New York at the New York Hall of Science.
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In March 2004, Jose Peralta requested that state Republican leadership pass legislation which proposed to increase the state's minimum wage to $7.15 per hour.
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In June 2007, Jose Peralta was among a majority of the Assembly that voted to support passage of a same-sex marriage bill in New York.
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In January 2008, Peralta co-signed legislation with Sheldon Silver, Audrey Pheffer and Rory I Lancman which put forth a proposal of $150 million in funding for families that had the possibility of their homes being foreclosed upon.
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Jose Peralta worked with fellow Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry to change the Rockefeller drug laws.
21.
Jose Peralta served in the Assembly as Chair of the Subcommittee on Banking in Underserved Communities.
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Jose Peralta worked to encourage banks to move into underserved regions through his Banking Development District legislation.
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In October 2009, Jose Peralta stated his intention to run for the New York State Senate for a seat representing District 13.
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Jose Peralta became a candidate for the March 16,2010 special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant due to Monserrate's expulsion.
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On March 2,2010, Jose Peralta received an endorsement from New York City Council member Julissa Ferreras.
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Jose Peralta received the endorsement of the Empire State Pride Agenda due to his support for LGBT rights.
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Jose Peralta received endorsements from groups including the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women, building services workers union the Service Employees International Union sector 32BJ and Fight Back New York.
28.
On March 16,2010, Jose Peralta was elected to the New York State Senate.
29.
In January 2017, Jose Peralta joined the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of Democratic senators that caucused with the Senate Republicans, allowing the Republicans to control the chamber.
30.
Jose Peralta received a $12,500 stipend for his position as vice chair, although state law designates these stipends for committee chairs only.