Steven Raga: First Filipino Elected In The State Of New York

by Elpidio R. Estioko

Do you know that Steven Raga was the first Filipino American, the first Southeast Asian, and the first person of color ever to hold the Assembly seat for the New York Assembly, District 30?

In addition, I would say that he is a down-to-earth public official because when I emailed him requesting an interview, he immediately responded and without hesitation directed his scheduling team to find time for the interview.

Dolma Lama, District Director in the office of Assemblymember Raga, patiently went through his availability and scheduled the interview outright. Thank you, Dolma!

In the interview, he told me that he could not refuse the multiple calls from community leaders and elected officials urging him to run for the Assembly. The support was overwhelming, he said.

“At the time, I was the Executive Director of Woods On the Move, the non-profit organization for my neighborhood in Queens, which is home to “Little Manila” and the largest concentration of Filipinos in New York City,” Raga said.

“Once the sitting Assemblyman announced he was not running, I received multiple calls of support from both community leaders and elected officials. I ran and became the first Filipino American (and Southeast Asian) to win an elected position in New York State history, as well as the first person of color ever to hold the Assembly seat for the 30th district.”

He has a long history of advocacy and public service and has committed to be an accessible and responsive representative of the people he serves.

Steven Raga was born in Queens, New York but after only a few months, he was sent to the Philippines to live with his dad who was waiting to complete his immigration process to the United States.

His mom, a long-time resident of Woodside, Queens, is from Alaminos, Laguna and his dad is from Lumban, Laguna. His dad passed away when he was just 7 years old, and his mom passed away recently in 2019.

While in the Philippines, he lived in San Pablo City, Laguna until elementary school, when he moved back to New York. He often visits the Philippines, and his last visit was in December 2023.

Raga is a well-rounded professional and a well-educated public official.

As to his educational attainment, he graduated from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executive in State & Local Government Certificate Program.

He has an MBA at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business; a Master’s Degree (MS) in Healthcare Leadership at Weill Cornell Medicine; MPA at Baruch College’s Marxe School of Public and  International Affairs; has a Graduate Diploma in International Human Rights Law at the American University in Cairo; a BA and MPP at Stony Brook University; a Certificate of Philippine Studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman; and a holder of Professional Certificate of Global Affairs at New York University.

Steven Raga is a public official par excellence, I would say!

Asked what his priorities are for the incoming Legislature, he said:

“I am excited to join the Executive Board of the Assembly and the Senate’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, as well as serving as the Chaplain.”

For the upcoming legislative session, he continued:

“My top priorities are to increase government transparency; secure funding for Mitchell Lamas and alleviate Medical Debt for New Yorkers. I am excited to be working with the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project to pass a bill that would make it easier for people to request agency information that is not publicly accessible. I also plan to continue championing for increased funding to our Mitchell Lamas as they are an affordable housing option for our low and middle-income residents.”

Additionally, he said: “I am also looking forward to working with Undue Medical Debt to alleviate $1 billion worth of medical debt for low-income New Yorkers with just a $15 million investment from the state.”

As to his message to his constituents, he said:

“Our office is always here to support you – please email me at ragas@nyassembly.gov. I will make myself available and accessible to you. My website serves as an important resource for you. Please visit it more often. If your need is outside our jurisdiction or work scope, we will be happy to refer you to someone who can help. We also have employees who can converse in Tagalog and Cebuano if that is your preference.”

Congratulations, Assemblymember Steven Raga! More power to you!Proud to be a Filipino! Mabuhay!

ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist in the US. His book, Unlocking the Chain of Poverty: In Pursuit of the American Dream is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Xlibris Publishing. For feedback, comments… please email the author @ estiokoelpidio@gmail.com     

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