AAPI groups take the initiative and give new California governor their recommendations

SCREEN CAPTURE

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was sworn in by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye while his family looks on.

WASTING NO TIME, over 40 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) organizations delivered a series of policy recommendations to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office Monday (Dec. 7), his inauguration day. 

The recommendations urge the Governor to address the needs of low-income, limited-English proficient and immigrant communities of color in California.

Newsom, the former Lt. Gov. and former San Francisco Mayor, issued a long list of pledges in his first speech as the state's chief executive. He made it clear that he will defend California against the egregious policies of Donald Trump, saying his administration will  "offer an alternative to the corruption and incompetence in the White House."

“People’s lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe — they all hang in the balance,” Newsom, 51, declared to a crowd of several hundred packed into a tent outside the Capitol in Sacramento.

The letter from the AANHPI communities put Newsom on notice that they will be a political force to reckon with and will no longer be satisfied being bystanders.

AANHPI communities are the fastest growing racial groups in California. There are over 6.6 million Asian Americans living in California, making up nearly 17% of the state's population. Despite the growth of the AANHPI population and electorate and their social and economic diversity, policies focused on and engagement with AANHPI communities have not kept pace.

"Historically, the needs of AANHPI communities have been overlooked while their impact on the state has grown by leaps and bounds over recent decades." said Anthony Ng, Immigrant Rights Policy Manager at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles. 

"The AANHPI community is critical to California's shared future and should be considered and prioritized by the incoming Governor. We recommend policies that will uplift our most marginalized communities, and as a result will lift us as a whole."

A major component of the policy recommendations brought forward by the organizations is to disaggregate data across state programs, departments, and services. The state currently lacks disaggregated data for AANHPI sub-groups such as the Bangladeshi, Cambodian, and Samoan population, which has contributed to the wide education and health disparities that exist across the spectrum of AANHPI ethnic groups.

Other policies outlined in the recommendations include:

• Expand restorative justice strategies, strengthen requirements around school bullying, and institute student programs focused on intercommunity relations
• Grant mass pardons to immigrants and refugees facing deportation who have demonstrated that they have rehabilitated
• Support the California Department of Justice and Attorney General in their ongoing litigation challenging the proposed citizenship question on the 2020 Census
• Protect and advance the rights of low-wage immigrant workers against labor exploitation, with an emphasis on combating wage theft, immigration status-related retaliation, discrimination, and labor trafficking
• Increase development of affordable housing, and address homelessness
• Support universal coverage and health for all regardless of immigrant status, and increase cultural and linguistic competency of our healthcare system
• Reduce barriers to voting for limited-English proficient voters

"We call on Governor Newsom to enact these recommendations from Asian and Pacific Islander civil rights organizations to create a more inclusive, prosperous California for all of its communities," said Angela Chan, Policy Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. "The needs of low-income AANHPI communities are urgent and deserve action by the new administration."

Underscoring the rising influence of the AANHPI communities, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakaue, a Filipino American, swore in the new governor.

She also swore in Controller Betty Yee and Treasurer Fiona Ma, the highest ranked AAPI  elected state officials.

On Saturday, Newsom also named Julie Su as secretary of labor and workforce development. Su, a 2001 winner of a MacArthur Foundation genius grant, has been California labor commissioner since 2011. She also was litigation director for Advancing Justice LA.

The full set of policy recommendations from the AANHPI communities can be found at bit.ly/AANHPI-Newsom.
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