Steven Raga: Offers track record as ticket to the New York Senate
By Marivir Montebon
New York - From consumer and health protections to environmental and public safety, Queens Assemblymember Steven Raga has shown that his track record is his ticket to the New York Senate in November.
“I have always stood for Queens and my work as an organizer and now legislator has proven that,” he said in a conversation at a Philippine gala in Woodside.
Raga with Philippine Consul General in New York Senen Mangalile, wife Fe, and this writer.
For now, Raga and his team are rolling up its sleeves for a grassroots campaign to secure the Democratic nomination this summer.
A heartfelt and vigorous conversation in Queens with Assemblymember Steven Raga who is clinching the Democratic nomination for Senate in the June 2026 primaries.
Raga’s campaign website reads: “Our campaign doesn’t take money from real estate developers, corporate lobbyists, police unions, or the fossil fuel industry. We are 100% people-funded and people-fueled.”
The communities have been vigorously responsive, with donations ranging from $25 to a thousand.
Raga is an endemic leader in Queens where he was raised by his solo parent mother, a Filipino nurse who made Woodside her second home. He was elected the first Filipino and Asian American to land an elected post in New York State in 2022.
As assembly member, he has sponsored bills that look to the wellbeing and safety of his constituents.
For instance, Raga has co-sponsored a bill requiring public schools to offer plant-based food options in food service.
Assemblymember Raga, son of Filipinos in the diaspora, rises as an endemic leader in Queens.
It requires all public schools in New York to offer plant-based food options as an alternative to every meal or snack served in their food service, upon request by a student or their parent or guardian. The law will take effect immediately but will apply to school food service starting with the school year that begins one year after the bill becomes law.
He co-sponsored the bill known as the “Solar UP Now NY Act” which defines a "portable solar generation device" as a solar power system designed to plug into a building's electrical outlet, limited to a maximum output of 1,200 watts per utility account, and certified by a recognized testing laboratory.
The bill seeks to exempt these devices from the usual interconnection or net metering requirements. This means owners won't be forced to get approval from their electric company or pay extra fees to connect them or send excess energy back to the grid.
The bill also requires the state's building code to allow these devices to be connected through standard electrical outlets, with no changes needed to a building's wiring for devices under 391 watts. It only mandates owners to notify their electric company of the device's installation.
Raga also co-sponsored a proposed Act to amend the military law, in relation to prohibiting outside militias without permission.
The bill seeks to prohibit any organized militia from another state, territory, or district from entering New York to perform military duties unless they have explicit permission from the governor, or if they have been called into federal service and are operating under the authority of the President of the United States.
Raga has secured funding for schools and nonprofit organizations in his district. $2.1B for SUNY and CUNY state-wide; $800M for the safety net of hospitals; $90M for AAPI nonprofits across New York; $110M for Mitchell-Lama Housing; and 1400+ resolved cases for constituents.
No one has been left behind in the Raga campaign. Even fur parents. Raga is proposing legislation to help New Yorkers afford the cost of caring for their furry family members.
“His bill would allow New Yorkers to claim up to $150 for everyday pet expenses and $300 for vet bills per pet. No one should have to choose between staying afloat and caring for family,” said John Bahia, one of Raga’s campaign leaders. #
