Levine taught bilingual math and science at Junior High School 149 in the South Bronx from 1991 to 1993. He was a Teach For America corps member in the program’s early years. In 1994 he founded Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, a cooperatively-owned financial institution serving low-income families in the Washington Heights section of Northern Manhattan. Levine ran for the New York City Council in 2001, finishing second in a ten-way Democratic field. In 2007 Levine was elected Democratic District Leader in the 71st Assembly District, Part A, representing parts of Hamilton Heights/West Harlem and Washington Heights. He was an early supporter of Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential primary, and ran on Obama’s delegate slate that year in New York’s 15th Congressional District. In 2009 Levine founded the Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, a progressive, reform-oriented local political club. In 2010 he ran for New York State Senate in the 31st District, finishing second in a four-way race with 39% of the vote.
Levine took office in January, 2014. During his first term he served as chair of the City Council's Parks Committee, chair of the Council's Jewish Caucus, and founder and co-chair of the Council's Affordable Housing Preservation Taskforce. Levine was lead sponsor of legislation passed in 2017 which established a right to counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction in housing court, making New York City the first place in the nation to grant such a right. Other issues Levine has focused on include: construction of affordable housing, greater equity for parks in low-income neighborhoods, improved police-community relations, safer streets and expanded mass transit, dual-language education, historic preservation, expanded access to medical marijuana, and acceptance of bitcoin for payment of NYC fines and fees. In addition to chairing the health committee, Levine is currently a member of the education, transportation, economic development, juvenile justice, and hospitals committees. He is a member of the Progressive Caucus and the Jewish Caucus. In 2017, Levine won the Democratic primary to remain in his council seat with 75% of the vote over closest competitor Thomas Lopez-Pierre with 25%. Levine was a candidate for City Council Speaker in 2017. In his role as chair of the City Council's health committee, Levine gained wide attention during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
