news & Updates

Fall is in the air and there are lots and lots of important updates and upcoming meetings that affect Ward 7 coming up this month. Read on for more and be sure to mark your calendar for our next Ward 7 Joint Office Hours on October 19th. Details below. 

As always, there is no shortage of updates and important news to share with you about Ward 7 and all across the city. Please be sure to save the date for our next Ward 7 Community Meeting on September 24th at the West Somerville Neighborhood School cafeteria. I will be there, along with the Mayor and key city staff where you'll get to hear updates and ask questions, and most importantly, meet your neighbors!

Another June newsletter! There is a lot going on both in Ward 7 and across the city that I didn't want to delay in sending some updates to you all. Please read on for more!

Welcome to June... which means it's budget season on the City Council! Thanks to all who have already shared their ideas and input with me that helped to shape my budget priorities that I submitted back in March. The Mayor has now presented her budget (more on that below) and the next few weeks are filled with department budget hearings where we get to ask questions of city staff before our final cut night and vote on the budget.

Spring is here (although you wouldn't know it if you stepped outside this week!). I'm so looking forward to some more sunshine and warmer weather soon.

A huge thanks to those who joined us for our joint Ward 7 office hours recently at Yego Coffee. They are celebrating one year of being open and we were so glad to be able to host office hours there to honor one of the newest ward 7 businesses to open.

There is much going on here in Ward 7 and across the city so read on for some important updates and upcoming events and opportunities to get involved. As always, if there are questions you have about issues in our community, please do reach out. 

Welcome back to our Ward 7 Newsletter! As many of you know, I had a baby in April of this year and life with a new little one has kept me busy! I have so enjoyed showing Isaac the beauty of this great city, from walking the community path extension, to visiting the West Branch library for storytime, and going to his first Fluff Festival recently.

I’m excited to introduce you all to our newest Ward 7 constituent! My baby boy, Isaac, was born on 4/10/23 and my husband and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I am spending this precious time bonding with him and getting settled into life as a new mom and will be slower to respond to emails and requests.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! This year is flying by and it's already time to start thinking about and talking about next fiscal year's budget! Once again, City Councilors are being asked to submit their own budget priorities by the end of March.

Ward 7 city councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld echoed the concerns of several community members who spoke about residents who walk to the Stop & Shop on Broadway and what increased traffic could do to an already hard-to-use intersection and crosswalk.

A Somerville homeowner attempting to rent rooms in his house to Tufts students has faced unexpected resistance from the city government on the grounds that his request to house unrelated students is unlawful. The homeowner, who requested that the Daily not identify him by name, has been appealing to the Somerville City Council for months.

Happy new year! Looking forward to another year of serving you on the Council. We're already kicking off with a busy start to the year, and I'm excited to have been officially sworn in as the City Council Vice President! Looking forward to serving alongside Council President Ben Ewen-Campen.

The City of Somerville has passed a new ordinance that expands bereavement leave for city employees to include up to five days of paid recovery following a miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion. Passage of the ordinance was led by City Council Vice President Judy Pineda Neufeld.

Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld was sworn in as Vice President of the Somerville City Council for 2023, alongside Council President Ben Ewen-Campen. The incoming leaders were selected by their colleagues at the council’s annual caucus meeting in November, and formally voted in at today’s organizational meeting that began the 2023 session.

Happy December! I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe as we head into the holiday season. I wanted to be sure to start this newsletter (our last of 2022!) with a few personal and professional announcements!

Last week, we had a glass-shattering historic election here in Massachusetts! And believe it or not, it's been just over a year since I was elected to the Somerville City Council. We have so much to celebrate together and I hope you received my save the date for our end of year virtual celebration! I'm looking forward to sharing some highlights from the City Council and hopes and plans for next year.

Somerville Ward 7 City Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld has been nominated for the 2022 Latino Excellence Awards. The awards are done by the Massachusetts State House’s Black and Latino Legislative Caucus to commemorate Latinx Community leaders and trailblazers who are moving the needle forward in cities and towns across the state.

Happy Fall! The weather has certainly changed (although we have held out on turning on our heat yet... anyone else?) and I'm looking forward to voting for nearly all women on my ballot in a few weeks on Election Day! Don't forget to vote this year! More on how to vote below.

Happy September! The last couple of months have flown by me, between budget season, community events, a short vacation, AND a move to a bigger apartment (still in Ward 7!).

It’s been a difficult time for so many. As I write this, I am grieving the loss of a dear friend and someone who made such an incredible impact on our community, Stephenson Aman. Steph was a coach and youth mentor, community organizer, and fierce advocate for equity and justice. Steph and I worked together during the height of the Covid19 pandemic in the Immigrant Services Unit (pictured here). For those who would like to help his family during this difficult time, there is a GoFundMe set up.

From Somerville Wire:

Clarendon Hill, a 216-unit housing development in West Somerville, will be substantially enlarged, redesigned, and renovated, after the City Council last week authorized $14 million in borrowing to help finance the project.

Spring is in the air… can you feel it? The Union Square GLX station is open, flowers are blooming, and the sun is coming out most days again! Even as I pulled on my winter coat again this morning, I can see signs of Spring all around us, including the return of some of my favorite upcoming Somerville events! Read on for more, and as always, reach out anytime I can be helpful.

I have some *quick* updates to share with you, one of which I promised to share the moment I had an update about it. Read on for more!

(Somerville Wire) – The digital divide in Somerville, which was laid bare over the course of the pandemic, represents an issue of equity in the city, particularly as it relates to immigrants and other marginalized groups, say City officials.

City Council is back in session.... in person! Last night was the first time we met in City Hall and it was really nice to see my new colleagues and city staff in person. Looking forward to continuing to serve this amazing community.

During my campaign, I pledged to be a transparent City Councilor who keeps our ward updated on what is going on in our community and on the City Council, so I'm starting a monthly newsletter! In this email you'll find important updates from within the ward and across Somerville, ways to get involved, and shout outs to our neighbors.

In November, Judy Pineda-Neufeld was elected as the city councilor for Ward 7; however, she has spent much of her career working with and empowering people in her community.

"I have always cared about helping people and I want to motivate, inspire, and excite other people to become leaders in their own communities," she said.

Judy Pineda Neufeld has secured a victory in the November 2nd General Election for Somerville Ward 7 City Councilor. Pineda Neufeld earned 1,513 votes, topping competitor Becca Miller’s total of 1,244.