Zoning and demographic changes similarly reshaped Western Queens’ Long Island City and Astoria, the districts where democratic socialists Mamdani, Valdez and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez debuted onto the political scene. She was a housing advocate who championed tenants’ rights in those neighborhoods long before she ran for elected office. Both areas have become significantly wealthier: in Astoria, the median household income rose to $93,000 from $66,000 in the same period, and in Long Island City to $100,000 from $70,000. BLDG Management’s The Orchard in Long Island CityLast year, Long Island City scored a major developmental coup when the City Council voted to rezone 46 blocks of Long Island City, the final neighborhood rezoning under the Adams Administration. “We are living in a capitalist world, but how can we make sure that we democratize this process of housing development?”