Asian Wave Alliance

“Wong said that connecting with Asian voters in Elmhurst and Rego Park was crucial. He garnered about 29% of his votes from those areas, so it paid off – he won in Elmhurst with about 70% and in Rego Park with about 60%.” @PhilWongNYC2025 cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/…

“We are very proud of Phil Wong and excited that he will not only represent District 30 constituents but also Asian New Yorkers citywide. Phil has been a tireless advocate for his community in upholding quality of life and staunchly backing the blue when ‘defunding the police’ was all the rage. As a public school parent, Phil fought to expand Gifted and Talented programs and keep the test for Specialized High Schools. Phil Wong embodies AWA values and we couldn’t be happier about his win,” said Yiatin Chu, president of the Asian Wave Alliance.” littleafricanews.com/phil-wong-wins…

“I want us to get away from identity politics and really engage with candidates who will be helpful to our community,” Chu said. “I want to help people participate in our elections, regardless of where they fall.”  asamnews.com/2025/10/31/zoh…

Asian Wave Alliance calls on all voters to cast a resounding NO on all six ballot proposals appearing on the general election ballot. These measures will sideline the civic and electoral progress we have fought for to reflect our priorities. While building more housing is a citywide goal, it must not supersede the rightful concerns of existing residents in our communities. City services like police precincts and firehouses, sanitation and schools must be addressed to support the growth from new developments. Proposals 2, 3, and 4 would erode this local control by shifting critical land-use decisions away from our community boards and elected City Council members and concentrate the power to the mayor and unelected mayoral appointees and expedite processes without important safeguards and evaluations by city agencies. We must vote NO to secure our seat at the table. Proposal 1 (Statewide: Amendment for Olympic Sports Complex in Essex County Forest Preserve): While this does not directly pertain to NYC residents, it will divert statewide public resources to develop this distant project that offers no benefit to our boroughs. Vote NO. Proposal 2, 3 and 4 (Expedited Land Use Review Procedure, Fast Track Review and New Zoning Appeals Board): By slashing timelines for "smaller" projects and spawn development in lower-density neighborhoods, these proposals will curtail full community scrutiny by removing local power and forums to hear neighborhood needs. The new Zoning Appeals Board proposal hands unchecked power to the mayor and his City Planning Commission appointees, sidelining the City Council. “It is important that we preserve the say we have on how our communities are shaped. Removing such checks and balances can lead to overdevelopment and do great harm to the existing environment without thoughtful planning,” says Amy Tse, treasurer of Asian Wave Alliance and member of Community Board 8 in Queens. “We urge voters to vote NO on all the proposals.” Proposal 5 (Unify the City Map Digitally): While centralizing and creating a digital system for outdated paper maps sounds logical, we have concerns about transparency of the process with no public input process or error adjudication; creation/changes/updates would be wholly centralized with the Department of City Planning. Additionally, we have not been given the cost or timeline of this proposal —vote NO until transparency is guaranteed. Proposal 6 (Even-Year Elections): Shifting city elections to even years might boost turnout overall, but it would drown out local races in the shadow of national politics, and dilute local organizing for local representation. It will also make it harder for challengers to incumbents. As a nonpartisan club, we want to see open and fair challenges to electeds who are not serving our communities well, regardless of party —vote NO to keep our elections vibrant and community-driven. “We stand with the City Council leadership in opposing these overreaches to eliminate democratically elected local representation on how our communities would change under the push for housing development. On November 4, join us in voting NO on all six. Your ballot is your voice: use it to protect the representation we've earned,” said Yiatin Chu, President of Asian Wave Alliance. ###

"Citing an original planned capacity of 3,300 people for the new borough jails, Cuomo noted that the Rikers jails currently house 7,000 — more than double that number." Cuomo proposed to repurpose the boro jail sites for affordable housing. thecity.nyc/2025/10/15/cuo…

D30 City Council: "Wong, a community activist who has argued against affirmative action and the city’s noncitizen voting law, calls himself a “conservative Democrat supporting some of the Republican agenda.” D47 City Council: "But Brooklyn Republicans are feeling optimistic in Bay Ridge too...Republicans aren’t just dreaming about making the purple district a bit more red – they’ve won and flipped overlapping state legislative districts." cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/…

"Mr. Wong goes to Washington!" In 2020, I was elected president of Chinese American Citizens Alliance Greater New York (CACAGNY). We filed 3 amicus briefs from District Court to the US Supreme Court in support of Students for Fair Admissions in their anti-discrimination lawsuit against Harvard University. Harvard was using racial quotas for admissions instead of basing admission on merit alone. In 2023, we prevailed when the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action. When you fight, you win! With me is @ycinnewyork, president of @Asianwave_org.

Asian Wave Alliance President @ycinnewyork spoke to @errollouis @InsideCityHall about the issues that matter in this election to NYC’s Asian community. Full episode — Chu’s interview at 30:00 youtube.com/live/fnHs2yLXW…

This was March 20, 2022: Rally opposing the Chinatown borough jail. It’s good to hear the alternate plan for Rikers and reimagining the jail sites for affordable housing from @andrewcuomo.

@emmagf This is welcomed news for Chinatown and the Asian community citywide. Jails don't belong in residential and small business districts. Rehabilate Rikers and use the borough-jail sites for affordable housing -- smart!

*New* Cuomo Calls for Rebuilding Rikers Island Instead of Closing the Jail Complex: nytimes.com/2025/10/08/nyr…

Asian Wave Alliance did not consider Mr. Rinaldi for an endorsement.

The most vibrant Chinese community is in Brooklyn. We were thrilled to have @andrewcuomo in the neighborhood to celebrate mid autumn festival with us.

Asian Wave Alliance Endorses Cuomo for New York City Mayoral Election, Sing Tao Daily 10/4/2025 @andrewcuomo 亞潮萌背書柯謨選紐約市長 亞潮萌（Asian Wave Alliance，簡稱 AWA）昨(3日)鄭重宣布，支持前州長柯謨（Andrew Cuomo）競選紐約市市長。作為曾任多年的州長，柯謨深刻理解亞裔社區所面臨的重大議題，包括住房可負擔性、公共安全與教育。他有能力兌現承諾，帶來切實成果。 singtaousa.com/2025-10-04/%e4…

“Mr. Cuomo was endorsed on Friday by the Asian Wave Alliance, a political club whose leaders criticized Mr. Mamdani’s statement this week that he wants to end a gifted and talented program for New York City kindergarten students.” nytimes.com/2025/10/03/nyr…

Honored to earn the endorsement of the @Asianwave_org, a leading voice for NYC’s Asian American communities across all 5 boroughs We share the same priorities: safe streets, excellent schools, thriving small businesses, and dignity for our seniors.

Asian Wave Alliance is proud to endorse Andrew Cuomo for Mayor of New York City. As a three-term governor, he understands the critical issues facing our community—affordability, public safety, and education, and can deliver results. “We believe Andrew Cuomo is uniquely prepared to lead the largest city in the nation.” @andrewcuomo asianwavealliance.org/post/asian-wav…

Asian Wave Alliance is proud to endorse Mark Levine for Comptroller. As Manhattan Borough President, he earned the affection and respect of Chinatown residents. Mark has done extensive outreach to Asian communities citywide and demonstrated that he understands our priorities. @MarkLevineNYC

Asian Wave Alliance is proud to endorse Phil Wong for City Council D30. Phil has worked tirelessly to advocate for the preservation of Specialized High Schools and to oppose poorly planned homeless shelters in residential neighborhoods. His common-sense approach ensures that our community’s needs are represented with integrity on the City Council. @PhilWongNY

Asian Wave Alliance is proud to endorse Vickie Paladino for her re-election to City Council District 19. Vickie is a steadfast voice for families, consistently putting her district’s needs first. As a member of the Common Sense Caucus, her commitment to public safety and community priorities makes her an essential advocate for Northeast Queens. @VickieforNYC