California AAPI legislators proposed $210 million to fight impacts of AAPI hate

The California State Capitol in Sacramento.

Editor's Note: Updated 12 p.m., June 15 to provide links to documents.

California AAPI lawmakers are proposing appropriating $210 million in the state budget to help victims of anti-Asian hate crimes and to assist those Asian communities and businesses that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic.

Among the budget items being requested is $10 million for the establishment of an Office of Racial Equity.

“This is a really historic proposal because it's really a flashpoint for our community to stand up and to ask to be seen, but also ask to be heard,”  Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, told LAist.

The API Equity Budget, part of the state's 2021-2022 budget that was approved by the state legislature Monday, is being pushed by the API Legislative Caucus to address the rising number of racist attacks against AAPI.

"The California Asian Pacific Islander population has faced increased attacks against members of their community since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than one year ago," states a letter by scores of AAPI organizations. According to Stop AAPI Hate, over 1600 hate incidents occurred in California in the past year.

"California must take a strong stance against this violence and provide community support, services, prevention against these attacks, and cultural and economic development for the community. This proposal requests $210 million over a three-year period to address hate incidents against the AAPI community."

There are over 6 million Asian Americans in California; 15.5% of the state's population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.

The budget proposal would provide funds to organizations combatting the hate incidents and the following:

• An Office of Racial Equity, including staffing
• The collection of disaggregated data
• Anti-hate programs in schools
• A racial bias task force
• An Interpreters' Corps
• Ethnic media outreach 
  

“Collecting the data and reporting on the data and getting in front of the media and other folks was really important,” state Senator Richard Pan, who chairs the API  Caucus, said of the coalition’s work. “Without that collaboration, without that effort, I’m sure we would have individual stories, but they would not have highlighted this challenge that we’re seeing.”

The state Senate passed their placeholder budget 30-8 and the Assembly 57-15 after about an hour of discussion in each chamber.

Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a $267 billion budget for 2021-2022 in May but the legislature added on to his budget Monday. The governor and legislature have until July 1 to arrive at a compromise budget and the back-and-forth negotiations will likely extend into the summer.

“California’s economy is coming roaring back," said Newsom after the legislature passed their proposal. "With the largest surplus in California history, we’re using this once-in-a-generation opportunity to create an economic recovery that will leave nobody behind – with money going directly back to Californians, the nation’s largest small business relief programs, and unprecedented investments to address California’s most persistent challenges such as homelessness, climate change and equity in our education system".