Biography

José Peralta is a first-generation Dominican-American, who was first elected to the New York State Assembly at the age of 30. Like so many before them, Peralta's parents came to the United States in search of the American dream and a better life for their children. His parents worked hard to sustain their family on the wages of entry-level positions: his father a bank teller and his mother a seamstress at a sweatshop. They struggled to ensure that their children received a quality education that would provide them with opportunities and would teach them the importance of public service.

Peralta has lived in Queens for a total of 22 years, living in the Corona area for the past 20 years. Peralta is a product of the public school system in Queens – having attended elementary school PS 14, Intermediate School 61: Leonardo Da Vinci, Flushing High School, and finally Queens College.

Peralta's interest in representing issues of concern to his community is demonstrated by his active participation in student government at Queens College, where he became the first Latino Student Body Vice President and subsequently the first Latino Student Body President. He also represented over 200,000 students within the CUNY system as a member of the University Student Senate in which he held the positions of Vice Chair of Legislative affairs and Vice Chair of Fiscal affairs.

In all of these positions, he focused on bringing student concerns to the forefront, often lobbying state officials on the importance of issues such as: state tuition hikes; student healthcare; the reduction of childcare funding and the lack of services available to students with disabilities. Peralta's interest in fighting for these issues has not been limited to Queens College. He also became involved in local school boards and worked on various political campaigns.

For his work he received numerous citations and awards such as the President Multicultural Award, the CUNY Leadership Award, and the Goodman, Chaney, and Scherer award – given to a student leader committed to ending racial and gender discrimination.

After graduating from Queens College, Peralta began working with Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin as a community liaison. In this position he continued to develop the skills and knowledge necessary of an effective public servant, including an understanding of the legislative process. While at McLaughlin's office, he not only worked in helping constituents in the Flushing area that the assemblyman represented, but he also worked for the Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst communities – spearheading many immigrant causes and community improvements.

Most recently, Peralta served as the Director of the Commission on the Dignity for Immigrants at the New York City Labor Council, representing over 1.5 million union members. The Commission is a partnership between the labor movement and the Archdioceses of New York. Under Peralta's direction, the Commission has championed the mission of creating political empowerment for all immigrants in a variety of ways, including registering over 20,000 new citizens.

Peralta is a member of various political and community organizations such as the Northside Democratic Club, the New Century Democratic Club, the JFK Democratic Club, the Dominican American Society, the Gran Alliance of Queens, The Dominican American Hispanic Congress, Community Board 3 and the Inter-American Political and Civic Parliament. He is also a member of Local 153 OPEIU. Peralta has one son named Matthew.