Maritza Davila

New York State Assembly Member, District 53

Maritza Davila was born in Cataño, Puerto Rico, and moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn as a young girl, where she has lived throughout her life. As a single mother raising three children in Bushwick, she worked to improve conditions in her neighborhood and has become a lifelong community advocate dedicated to serving marginalized communities.

Davila began her career in public service as a community organizer, advocating on issues of education, healthcare, public safety, affordable housing, open space, and economic development in Bushwick and Williamsburg. She has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including those of community gardens, local New York Police Department precincts, and area hospitals.

For over 20 years, Davila has focused on affordable housing preservation and expansion in Williamsburg and Bushwick. She has helped restore hundreds of families to rehabilitated rent-stabilized homes, supported affordable housing development, worked with tenant association leaders to improve NYCHA housing, and assisted young parents in securing lead paint remediation. In 1996, she joined the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, where she helped found a local credit union, organized merchant and tenant associations, secured lifeline benefits for struggling residents, and provided job training and housing assistance to hundreds of families.

Davila also founded the Northern Brooklyn Residents Association, a community advocacy group focused on affordable housing and community development at the city and state levels.

Education

• BA in Communication from Monmouth University
• Master's in Administrative Science from Farleigh Dickinson University
• AA in Political Science from Long Island University

Political Experience

Davila is a member of the Democratic Party and has served as Assembly Member for New York State Assembly District 53 since 2013. She holds several committee positions, including:

• Chair of the Social Services Committee
• Member of the Housing Committee
• Member of the Children and Families Committee
• Member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus
• Member of the Legislative Women's Caucus
• Member of the Rules Committee

She previously chaired the Subcommittee on Retention of Homeownership and Stabilization of Affordable Housing. Davila has received recognition for her community work, including the Paterson City Mayor's "Women Changing Paterson" award in 2010 and the Cambio Newspaper Excellence Award for Communitarian Services in 2009.