Steven Raga’s not done yet

By Cristina DC Pastor

After two years serving as New York State Assembly member for New York City’s District 30, Steven Raga has announced he was seeking reelection. There’s still work to be accomplished, he said, and he would like to keep going.

“You can’t do all the work you have to do in one year, two years,” Raga told a gathering of about 50 supporters at his April 13 fundraiser at the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture in midtown Manhattan. The event raised about $10K from people who attended and those who could not come but pledged their support.

Raga said there’s unfinished business that needs to be addressed, such as housing, free transportation and meals for seniors; funding for non-profit organizations; investments to benefit the Asian American community; and assistance to public schools.

“It takes about a few terms  to get up,” he said. “Six years, three two-year terms (maybe).” He added, “I’d like to do things with schools.”

For now, he said he’d be  happy to serve two more years in Albany. In the last two years, he has crisscrossed his district, covering the neighborhoods of Woodside, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Middle Village, Jackson Heights, and Astoria. He noted how just a few years ago, the presence of Asian Americans in state legislature was scarce, and remembers just lone politician Ron Kim making a  breakthrough in 2016.

He believes the tide is turning. The legislature now has nine Asian Americans, including himself,  in the State Assembly. Raga’s distinction as the lone Southeast Asian representative underscores the need for broader representation, encompassing not just the Filipino community but also the growing Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations.

“We have to uplift their voices as well,” he said.

Raga said he just became a member of the Assembly’s Aging Committee. “I just got added to the Aging Committee so I am in those discussions,” he said.

“We have a lot of great things we’re doing for all of New Yorkers,” he declared.

He shared an anecdote of how he was visiting  the Jackson Heights-Elmhurst Senior Center and how a group of 10 Filipinos recognized him and ran up to him asking for photographs and inviting him to their events. Such incidents, he told reporters, are always a pleasant surprise for him: meeting Filipinos for the first time and making meaningful connections.

He said the 1.6 million federal grant awarded to the New York chapter of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations is one of his accomplishments for the FilAm community.

Although the grant to fund a proposed Philippine community center has been approved largely through the effort of N.Y. Representative Grace Meng, it would not be enough to immediately  the center, he said.

“($1.6 million) is just capital funding,” explained Raga. “To improve the space you need more than that, more for improvements, maybe an elevator. We need more programmatic funds so we can hire staff, a few full time staffers…so we can get the work done and move the community forward.”

Raga said it was through his effort that the Assembly has passed resolutions recognizing Filipino American History Month in New York State in October, and Philippine Independence Day in June. He said a resolution honoring Filipino World War II veterans is currently being drafted.

In her full throated endorsement, philanthropist and CEO Loida Nicolas Lewis, pointed out that Raga  has been a community organizer all his life and has “given his life” for the community.

“I think that’s part of the reason he has not married,” she said to chuckling laughter from the audience.

As the first Filipino elected to the Assembly, Raga said his journey is not just about personal achievement but about uplifting his district and advocating for the rights and representation of its residents.

Asked about his reelection chances,  Raga said  he is navigating the complex landscape of politics, but he remains “cautiously optimistic” about the future.

The Saturday fundraiser was organized by Dr. Romulo Aromin Jr., Edwin Josue, Tess Dela Cruz, Dr. Angie Cruz, Kelvin Dickinson, Francis Triviño-Dickinson and Loida Nicolas Lewis as co-chairs.   Food was provided by Tradisyon and piano entertainment by Bobby Ramiro.

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