Working for the People

by Todd Fuqua

When his time on the popular series “Breaking Bad” came to an end in 2013, Steven Michael Quezada (Attended 81–83) figured he’d go back to what gave him a start in the first place – standup comedy.

“During the day, I was working for Youth Development, Inc., at night, I was doing my comedy act for chicken wings and a couple of beers, maybe an extra $20 or $50,” he said. “I was able to raise my three daughters by telling jokes.”

He was getting steady work, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, curtailing any further work in that vein. It’s hard to get audiences to laugh when audiences aren’t allowed to gather.

Steven has found a different purpose – public service. He ran and won election to the Albuquerque School Board in 2013, later trading that position for an elected spot on the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners in 2016.

“I’ve been looking at education and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. I remember my experience at ENMU, and I learneda lot,” Steven shared. “Dr. Patrick Rucker was the theater professor then, a great guy that gave me a few good roles for my skill set. He prepared me for my acting journey.”

While at ENMU, Steven gained insight to how education doesn’t work for some, which is what prompted him to get into public service.

“There’s a huge gap in education in Albuquerque, New Mexico,” Steven said. “Standardized testing shows where the student is in development, but it doesn’t tell you how they learn. I was successful in theater, but that’s because it was a group thing. I was unable to learn well in a solo environment, and the system in Albuquerque has to take that kind of learning into account.”

Steven initially got into public service when he started a gang intervention program in Albuquerque, using theater as a way to involve youth. Eventually, he moved the program into film production and began winning awards for his work.

Steven continues his acting work, which includes a number of appearances in independent films (the most recent being 2019’s “Wish Man”) and a pair of appearances in his role as Steven Gomez in “Better Call Saul,” the prequel to “Breaking Bad.”

He’s also shopping around a comedy special he created.

While education and behavioral health care inspired him to serve in local government, it’s the business of a functioning government that keeps him busy, particularly when representing his constituency in the South Valley.

“There are so many things we have to be concerned with, like infrastructure, roads, water. I’m the voice to keep government accountable,” he said. “Once you’re elected, you can’t be political. You have to do your job.”