Council Member Sandra Ung gave her fourth State of the District Address in the Flushing Library last week as she prepares to enter her third and final term in Council District 20.
Ung looked back on the highlights of 2025 during her Dec. 16 address, pointing to multiple groundbreakings that took place in Flushing throughout the year, as well as the introduction of new legal and medical resources for the local community, including free breast cancer screenings and flu shot events.
“Since I took office, my focus has been ensuring that services and resources reach every corner of District 20,” Ung said.
She highlighted efforts to bring legal services to senior centers and neighborhoods in the district through the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Mobile Legal Health Clinic, and also pointed to a new initiative to provide funding directly to organizations that serve domestic violence survivors in immigrant communities. The “Culturally Appropriate Gender-Based Violence Initiative,” which Ung fought for on the Council’s Budget Negotiation Team and Leadership Team, creates a first-of-its-kind $3 million funding stream for nonprofit organizations that serve survivors in immigrant and BIPOC communities.
“As a former attorney who worked closely with survivors, I saw firsthand how life-changing it is when someone in crisis is connected to a service provider who not only speaks their language but understands their culture, their fears and the barriers they face,” Ung said at the address.
“No one should be forced to remain in an abusive situation because they lack financial means to leave,” she added. “Through these initiatives, you’re giving survivors real pathway to safety, stability and independence.”
Ung also touted efforts to bring an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) curriculum to P.S. 244Q over the past 12 months, which she said helped to make students see their stories reflected accurately and meaningfully in their classrooms.
“My hope is to replicate that model in schools across New York City, so more children, regardless of their background, benefit from a more inclusive, honest and complete education,” Ung said.
Pointing to groundbreakings that took place in her district in 2025, Ung outlined a recent groundbreaking for the $1.8 million redevelopment of Asian Americans for Equality’s headquarters, which is set to be converted into the Union Street Cultural Hub.
AAFE’s Union Street Cultural Hub will transform existing office space at 35-34 Union St. into a permanent home for the Asian American Arts Centre’s collection of art from the Asian American community across the United States, with the City Council providing $1.3 million in funding toward the project.
Ung also noted the groundbreaking for the $1.88 million project to redevelop the portico at the historic Flushing Town Hall and a $1 million project to redevelop the Flushing YMCA.
Looking ahead to 2026, Ung vowed to continue to fight against illegal street vending in Downtown Flushing. Ung voted against a recently-approved bill aiming to increase the number of street vending licenses in the city out of concerns tied to unregulated street vending.
In addition to providing an additional 2,100 licenses every year for five years, Intro 431-B requires the city to increase the number of enforcement personnel to ensure that licensed street vendors are operating safely. Individuals and businesses found to be committing serious or persistent violations would risk losing their license under the terms of the legislation. Ung, however, said she voted against the legislation because unlicensed street vending has continued “unabated” even with greater police presence in Downtown Flushing.
“In my own district, we have seen that even with increased enforcement, illegal vending continues unabated,” Ung said in a statement explaining her vote. “Expanding the total number of licenses does not address the fundamental issue of how to manage persistent unlicensed vending.”
In her State of the District Address, Ung pledged to continue to fight against unlicensed vending, which she said has created sidewalk congestion in the neighborhood.
She also pledged to fight to create more housing, which she said would help to provide more affordable housing for seniors. She said she would also fight for infrastructure upgrades to accompany any new housing developments.
“With new housing comes the need for more resources, and I hope to open a dialogue with everyone who has a stake in the future of District 20 regarding what we would like to see in our neighborhoods, from better transportation options, sewer upgrades, additional green space, more school seats or new businesses that reflect the needs of today’s Flushing.”
Ung additionally outlined ambitions to oversee the completion of the Eastern Queens Greenway before she leaves office in four years. Ung has successfully advocated for $43.4 million in Council funding to help build a continuous greenway between Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Kissena Park, Cunningham Park and Alley Pond Park. She said completion of the greenway before the end of her final term would represent a “lasting legacy of open space” for generations to come.
