Welcome Letter

Dear Neighbor,

Welcome to my official New York State Assembly website!

As a lifelong resident of Queens and a dedicated public servant, I am honored to serve the communities of Woodside, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Jackson Heights, Astoria, and Middle Village in the New York State Assembly. As your Assemblymember, I am committed to being an accessible and responsive representative, and this website is designed to be a valuable resource for you.

Here, you will find details about my background, our legislative and policy priorities, contact information, and the initiatives we are working on to improve the lives of our constituents. 

I have a long history of advocacy and public service, having served as Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Brian Barnwell for over four years, where I led innovative programs such as community advisory councils, small business outreach initiatives, cultural and heritage celebrations, and a groundbreaking internship program. I have also worked within the non-profit sector, advocating for the rights of senior citizens, working in healthcare advocacy, and fighting for marginalized immigrant communities and veterans.

As the son of a single working-class mother and proud Woodsider, I understand the challenges facing our community and the importance of protecting the rights and safety of our working-class families. I look forward to advocating for our district and bringing home the vital resources that our neighbors deserve. 

Thank you for visiting our website, and please feel free to reach out to our office with any questions, comments, or concerns by calling our district office at 718-651-3185. 

Sincerely,
Steven Raga

Biography

Assemblymember  Steven Raga

Steven Raga proudly serves as Assemblymember for District 30, encompassing the neighborhoods of Woodside, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Middle Village, Jackson Heights, and Astoria.

With two decades of public service experience, Steven has served as Executive Director of the non-profit organization Woodside on the Move, as the Northeast Regional Manager for Policy & Advocacy for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Brian Barnwell, and Senior Strategist for Multicultural Leadership at AARP.

He has previously sat on the boards of the Western Queens Community Land Trust, Queens LGBT Pride, National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), National Urban Fellows Alumni, and Pilipino American Unity for Progress (UniPro) which he founded in Woodside. Steven also served as a Member of Queens Community Board 2 and the Queens District Attorney’s Advisory Commission for Asian American Affairs.

Currently, he is also a NY State Advisory Committee Member for the U.S. Federal Commission on Civil Rights, appointed under President Obama, which has conducted investigations on discriminatory practices in housing, education, and prison reform.

Steven has completed fellowships at the CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance, New American Leaders, National Urban Fellows, We Are All New York-Queens Fellowship, Cornell Law School, the Cornell University Emerging Markets Institute, and Coro New York's Immigrant Civic Leadership Program.

Steven holds an MBA from Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, an MS in Healthcare Leadership from Weill Cornell Medicine, an MPA from CUNY Baruch, a Graduate Diploma in International Human Rights Law from the American University in Cairo, and an MPP and BA in Political Science from SUNY Stony Brook. He also holds a Professional Certificate in Global Affairs from the NYU Institute for Global Affairs, a Certificate in Philippines Studies from the University of the Philippines and graduated from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executives in State & Local Government program.

District Map