VoterLens
New York State Assembly District 66
University of Chicago—BA; NYU School of Law—JD
Data last updated 10/21/2026
David Siffert is a civil rights lawyer, NYU law professor, and Democratic nominee for New York State Assembly District 66. They have served as Legal Director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, leading litigation and legislation work on surveillance, privacy, technology, and civil rights, and are the founding Executive Director of NYU Law's State Government Initiative. Siffert previously worked as a litigator and tax lawyer and clerked for the New York Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
David Siffert, Democratic nominee for New York State Assembly District 66, frames healthcare as a right and emphasizes protecting access, affordability, Medicaid, health-data privacy, reproductive healthcare, gender-affirming care, mental healthcare, and community hospitals. His stated record includes legal work to keep Beth Israel Hospital open, advocacy for the Medical Aid in Dying Act, and advocacy for the New York Health Information Privacy Act.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Siffert says he served as counsel in litigation to save Beth Israel Hospital, arguing the closure illegally discriminated against people with disabilities and kept it open for an additional year.
SourceCourt docket materials for Community Coalition to Save Beth Israel Hospital and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary v. Mount Sinai list David A. Siffert as an attorney for the plaintiff challenging closure-related actions.
SourceSiffert states that he advocated for the Health Information Privacy Act and supports passing it again to protect New Yorkers' health data privacy after a veto.
SourceSiffert states that he coordinated lower Manhattan advocacy for the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which expands end-of-life options for terminally ill New Yorkers.
SourceSiffert's platform calls for a private right of action for anyone denied gender-affirming care in a New York healthcare institution and for a gender-affirming care fund modeled on the abortion access fund.
SourceDavid Siffert’s Economy & Jobs platform emphasizes stronger wage-law enforcement and labor protections, limits on employer surveillance, and policies to keep Lower Manhattan small businesses viable amid vacant storefronts and high commercial rents. They also support tax and regulatory tools such as a commercial vacancy tax, commercial rent stabilization, and incentives for long-term low-increase leases with small businesses.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Siffert supports passing the EmPIRE Worker Protection Act to strengthen public enforcement of wage laws, especially for immigrant New Yorkers.
SourceSiffert proposes disincentivizing landlords from leaving storefronts vacant by imposing a commercial vacancy tax on spaces vacant for more than six months.
SourceAt a District 66 small-business forum, Siffert was among candidates described as supporting tax breaks or incentives for leasing to independent businesses, taxing landlords who keep storefronts empty, and reducing red tape for small businesses.
SourceSiffert supports instituting commercial rent stabilization for New York City small businesses and passing a Neighborhood Small Business Rent Increase Exemption for low-increase, 10-year small-business leases.
SourceSiffert supports AI transparency when algorithms decide job applications and supports restricting employer surveillance such as keystroke and bathroom-break tracking, while convening tech companies and unions on employment in the age of AI.
SourceDavid Siffert supports making New York a stronger sanctuary state and limiting state and local cooperation with ICE. Their immigration platform also backs deportation-defense counsel, banning ICE from state and municipal property without a judicial warrant, and legal remedies for rights violations during immigration enforcement.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Siffert says New York should pass New York For All so state and local law enforcement do not actively assist ICE enforcement actions.
SourceSiffert stated that New York should ban ICE from state property and, on the campaign platform, extend that ban to all state and municipal property without a judicial warrant.
SourceIn a candidate survey for Assembly District 66, Siffert criticized Albany for letting deportation right-to-counsel legislation languish and said New Yorkers are being deported without a fair chance to demonstrate their rights.
SourceSiffert cites organizing Village businesses door-to-door to prepare for ICE raids and ensure shop owners and employees know their rights.
SourceDavid Siffert treats climate change as an existential threat to waterfront neighborhoods in New York Assembly District 66 and says New York must fund and implement its climate targets rather than merely set them. Their platform supports full CLCPA funding, stronger utility and energy-consumer accountability, solar and offshore wind buildout, ending fossil-fuel subsidies and infrastructure, and passing the remaining NY HEAT Act provisions.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Siffert says New York should fully fund the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act so the state can meet its emissions-reduction targets.
SourceThe New York League of Conservation Voters says Siffert pushed for transparency and accountability for large energy users and helped students draft and introduce environmental legislation including a bill to regulate data center energy use.
SourceSiffert filed an amicus brief arguing that the Governor and Transportation Commissioner lacked authority to delay, block, or control the MTA board’s congestion-pricing decisions.
SourceNYLCV Gives Green endorsed Siffert for New York State Assembly District 66 during Climate Week, citing the need to defend New York’s climate progress and build a healthier, more sustainable future.
SourceDavid Siffert supports expanding access to quality education through fully funded universal childcare and afterschool, better compensation and retirement benefits for school workers, and family supports such as translation access and school food donation reforms. They also cite work on enacted dyslexia-screening insurance coverage legislation through NYU Law's State Legislative Externship.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Siffert supports making universal childcare and afterschool programs actually funded and available to every family that needs them.
SourceSiffert supports fixing Tier 6 so teachers and other public employees receive retirement benefits comparable to Tier 4.
SourceSiffert supports increasing pay for paraprofessionals, describing them as essential to schools.
SourceSiffert supports changing liability rules so schools can donate leftover food instead of throwing it away while families go hungry.
SourceSiffert says they worked through NYU Law's State Legislative Externship on legislation requiring insurance companies to cover dyslexia screenings for children, which became law.
SourceDavid Siffert, Democratic candidate for New York State Assembly District 66, frames public safety around criminal legal reform, anti-surveillance civil rights, youth diversion, harm reduction, and alternatives to incarceration rather than expanded policing or punitive sentencing. He supports Communities Not Cages and Parole Justice legislation, expanding afterschool programs to reduce youth crime, investing in harm reduction centers, and improving NYPD transparency and accountability.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Siffert said he supports the Second Look Act, Earned Time Act, Marvin Mayfield Act, and Elder Parole, and said he has organized and worked in coalitions to advance these reforms.
SourceIn his VOTE411 response for New York Assembly District 66, Siffert said he would prioritize Justice Roadmap bills including Communities Not Cages and Parole Justice packages as part of social and racial justice policy.
SourceSiffert's public safety platform states that he supports expanding funding for afterschool programs to divert youth from criminal activity.
SourceIn a response published by the Coalition Against Rogue Riding, Siffert said he was committed to addressing e-bike safety and suggested requiring delivery apps and Citi Bike to handle registration as a more viable path than relying only on the current Priscilla's Law bill.
SourceAs legal director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, Siffert testified before the New York City Council Public Safety Committee in favor of public reporting and transparency measures addressing delayed NYPD and agency records responses.
SourceSiffert for Assembly
https://www.siffertforassembly.com/about/Fetched: biography, location, professional background
Citizens Union Voters Guide
https://citizensunion.org/voters-guide/2026-primary-election/assembly-district-66/Fetched: education, professional background
Tribeca Citizen
https://tribecacitizen.com/2026/05/11/the-candidates-2026-david-siffert/comment-page-1/Fetched: age, location, professional background
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/candidate/david-alfasi-siffertFetched: campaignFinance, votingRecord
NYC Follow the Money
https://securecontactrecords.nyccfb.info/FTMSearch/Home/FTMSearchFetched: campaignFinance
Siffert for Assembly - Endorsements
https://www.siffertforassembly.com/endorsements/Fetched: endorsements
Blue Voter Guide - David Siffert
https://bluevoterguide.org/NY/candidate_David_Siffert/760486Fetched: endorsements
NYSUT Endorsements
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/voter-guide/endorsementsFetched: endorsements
New York League of Conservation Voters
https://www.nylcv.org/press-item/during-nyc-climate-week-nylcv-gives-green-announces-final-round-of-2026-endorsements/Fetched: endorsements
Trellis Law
https://trellis.law/doc/248449936/exhibit-s-4-motion-001-cover-letter-to-closure-planFetched: issuePositions
Branch.vote candidate profile
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-state-representative-ny-state-house-66/candidates/david-siffertFetched: issuePositions
New York State Department of Health
https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medical_aid_in_dying/Fetched: issuePositions
Branch
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-state-representative-ny-state-house-66/candidates/david-siffertFetched: issuePositions
Nina Roberts NYC Substack
https://ninarobertsnyc.substack.com/p/nycs-mercantile-mayhem-crafting-withFetched: issuePositions
PoliticsNY Campaign Insiders
https://politicsny.com/2026/05/27/campaign-insiders-a-qa-with-ad-66-candidate-david-siffert/Fetched: issuePositions
Downtown Independent Democrats Candidate Survey
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/didnyc/pages/1824/attachments/original/1768526271/David_Siffert_66AD_DID_Candidate_Survey.pdf?1768526271=Fetched: issuePositions
New York League of Conservation Voters
https://www.nylcv.org/candidate/david-siffert/Fetched: issuePositions
CourtHouse News PDF Repository
https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/amicus-congestion-pricing-hochul-law.pdfFetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide - New York Assembly District 66
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/race-detail.do?id=26978091Fetched: issuePositions
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club - Candidate Answers to JOLDC: David Siffert for NY Assembly District 66
https://jimowles.squarespace.com/news/candidate-answers-to-joldc-david-siffert-for-ny-assembly-district-66-2026Fetched: issuePositions
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
https://jimowles.squarespace.com/news/candidate-answers-to-joldc-david-siffert-for-ny-assembly-district-66-2026Fetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/race-detail.do?id=26978091Fetched: issuePositions
New York City Council Legistar
https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/View.ashx?GUID=5FC56B78-AE64-4C96-BA53-28B3595B2A08&ID=14993852&M=FFetched: issuePositions