California governor establishes Racial Equity Commission

California state Sen. Richard Pan, left, and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

It has been quite a week for California's AANHPI communities with Gov. Gavin Newsom taking action aimed at countering the anti-Asian hate plaguing these ethnic groups.

With one of the most diverse populations in the US, including the largest Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities (AANHPI), California is sensitive to the institutional barriers that they face.

“In California, we recognize that our incredible diversity is the foundation for our state’s strength, growth and success – and that confronting inequality is not just a moral imperative, but an economic one,” said Newsom. 

Following his appointments to the Commission on the State of Hate Tuesday, Sept. 13, Newsom announced additional action to build on California’s leadership in expanding opportunity and justice for all including the establishment of the Racial Equity Commission. 

Hours later, the governor signed two bills that will bolster enforcement  against anti-Asian hate on public transit, (SB 1161) and private businesses (AB2448) and ordered the creation of a Racial Equity Commission.

“Our state has made great strides in redressing historic wrongs and stubborn disparities, but we know that much work remains to tackle the barriers that hold back too many Californians and undermine our collective prosperity. California won’t shy away from this challenge – with today’s action, our state is doubling down on the ongoing work to make the California Dream a reality for every one of us,” said Newsom.

The Commission, developed with state Senator Dr. Richard Pan and the racial equity organizations that sponsored SB 17, will produce a Racial Equity Framework consisting of resources and tools to promote racial equity and address structural racism. More broadly, the Commission will recommend tools, methodologies and opportunities to advance racial equity, and will be available to provide direct assistance to state agencies in reviewing and updating policies and practices upon request. 

“Dismantling systemic racism to achieve equity is difficult work, and I applaud Governor’s Newsom’s leadership in beginning to confront these challenging issues in state government in his Executive Order,” said Senator Richard Pan, California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Chair.

Executive Order

“Policy changes and cultural shifts go hand-in-hand,” said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. “As we work together toward a more just and equitable society, good policy – like today’s executive order – will go a long way to shifting workplace cultures, as well as the hearts and minds of the workforce. For this reason, we are intentionally embedding equity into the mission and practices of state agencies and departments – a critical model for private sector employers as well."

Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies and departments to take additional actions to embed equity analysis and considerations in their mission, policies and practices. 

This action will help expand opportunity for all by addressing disparities for historically underserved and marginalized communities. Addressing unequal circumstances helps drive equal outcomes so all Californians have the chance to reach their full potential and lead healthy and rewarding lives, and all California communities can thrive and prosper. 

State agencies and departments are being directed to embed policies and practices in their strategic plans in order to further advance equity and opportunity and address disparities in access and outcomes. As part of these efforts, agencies and departments will incorporate more inclusive public engagement and data analysis to better serve all Californians.  

In addition, the order helps protect communities against hate violence and discrimination through accelerated actions, supports equitable investment of federal infrastructure funding, promotes a more inclusive and diverse state workforce, and encourages contracting opportunities for California businesses in disadvantaged regions and communities. 

Under the order, the California Health and Human Services Agency and Government Operations Agency will also develop recommendations to improve language and communications access to state government services and programs.

FYI: A copy of the executive order can be found here.

Newsom earlier this year appointed Pam Chueh as  the state's first State Chief Equity Officer at the Government Operations Agency for leadership as it relates to state operations, procurement, information technology and human resources. The Governor has taken action to embed equity within the state budget process led by the Department of Finance. 

Legislation 

Additionallly, besides the establishment of the Commission on the State of Hate, Newsom has signed two of bills sponsored by Asian American legislatures were inspired by the surge in attacks against AANHPI people.

• AB 2448 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) directs the state’s Civil Rights Department to create a pilot program that recognizes businesses for creating safe and welcoming environments for customers free from discrimination and harassment.
• SB 1161, the Increase Safety for Public Transit Riders. sponsored by Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), requires the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to create a community survey for California transit operators to strengthen and promote passenger safety. The data collection effort is a critical first step in creating a larger framework for meaningful safety solutions. The data-driven approach centers rider experiences and ensures consistency in the collection of demographic information, first and last mile safety concerns, and overall experiences with safety, including street harassment.

The passage of these laws, which go into effect Jan. 1, 2023, are first steps towards giving legislators to write stronger laws that hopefully give law enforcement the legal tools  to stop and, if necessary, arrest people for harassing other people, the most common form of anti-Asian acts.

The governor also signed several bills focused on advancing equity and tackling disparities. 

• AB 316 by Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) requires CalHR to prepare a report on gender and ethnicity pay equity in certain classifications where there is an underrepresentation of women and minorities.

• AB 1604 by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) will provide workers with greater opportunity to move upward within state service through improvements and best practices in processes for hiring, recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.

• AB 1957 by Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) will update the information that the Department of Developmental Services and regional centers are required to compile and report on the purchase of services for individuals with developmental disabilities to better identify disparities in race, ethnicity and language.

“As Chair of the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus," said Pan, "I have witnessed how often inequity is justified by racist tropes such as the Model Minority Myth and the devastating impact of inequity on American health and lives. Governor Newsom’s Executive Order is an important step toward a more fair and just state government for all Californians.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter. Last edited Sept. 22 to clarify details of SB 1161.

 

UCLA developing AANHPI material for the classroom

As more states come to the realization that there is a huge gap in their curricula when it comes to telling the stories of AANHPI, educators, accustomed to having their lesson plans guided by Europe-centric material are scratching their heads where they will get the information about the new, more diverse viewpoints.

The UCLA Asian American Studies Center has received $10 million in state funding that will propel the development of a free multimedia learning experience that will equip teachers across the country with materials that can fill a curricular gap about the experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

“This AAPI Multimedia Textbook produced by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center will provide an authoritative and invaluable resource for California high schools and colleges as we prepare for the teaching of ethnic studies throughout the state,” said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, which championed the budget alloation. 

 The AAPI Multimedia Textbook will feature an open-access, online platform with lessons for students in high school, college and lifelong learners. Its chapters will highlight the histories, struggles, cultures and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. It will integrate content developed by scholars from across the country, and engaging learning activities in flexible modules for teachers and students. The materials will focus on high school and college students.

“The textbook will be the most comprehensive, scholar-informed, online history of AAPIs that redefines the American narrative and opens unlimited possibilities for building a just, multiracial and democratic future,” said Karen Umemoto, Helen and Morgan Chu Endowed Director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. One of the key features of the multimedia textbook is the input from members of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Teachers will have flexibility

The online platform will allow students to navigate chapters on different topics, periods and places with visual, audio and archival artifacts that bring history to life, Umemoto said. Chapters will be standalone and operate as customizable modules designed for a single class period or a week-long series that educators can “take off the shelf” to teach in their classrooms.

“The work that Dr. Umemoto and the UCLA Asian American Studies Center is doing is more important than ever,” said Assemblymember Mike Fong. “The increase in anti-AAPI hate crimes is an indication of the lack of understanding and appreciation for the contributions made by our community to California and our nation.” 

UCLA

 

Following a long history of racism in the United States, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders became scapegoats of the COVID-19 pandemic, facing xenophobia, physical violence, bigotry and hate. While the mainstream media has helped make this surge of anti-Asian racism more visible to the public, scholars and policymakers believe the dearth of AAPI history in classrooms is a critical gap that enables these racialized ideologies to persist generation after generation.

“As California requires ethnic studies for high school graduation, the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus secured funding for the AAPI Multimedia Textbook, which brings together distinguished scholarship, open access technology and ethnic studies pedagogy as a critical resource to teach AAPI history,” said Dr. Richard Pan, state senator and chair of caucus.

In 2021, California legislation made ethnic studies a graduation requirement for all public high schools, Cal State University campuses and community colleges in the state.

Many other states and school districts across the country are also starting to require ethnic studies as a high school and college graduation requirement. Illinois, New Jersey and Rhode Island now have requirements that AAPI history be taught in every public elementary and high school. More than a dozen other states have legislation in the pipeline adding AANHPI material to their curricula.

“There will be a tremendous need for high-quality curricula that reflect cutting edge Asian American studies scholarship and pedagogy with learning outcomes that will equip future leaders to build a more just and equitable future,” said Kelly Fong, co-director of the project and a lecturer in UCLA’s Asian American Studies department.

Dangerous ignorance about tAANHPI

Umemoto was part of an academic advisory committee for the 2022 Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the U.S. Index that found the contributions of Asian Americans continue to be invisible and unfamiliar to the American public. Fifty-eight percent of Americans were unable to name a prominent Asian American and 42% were unable to name a significant Asian American historical moment more recent than the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The AAPI Multimedia Textbook Project will help improve understanding of how AAPIs have influenced and shaped the United States, as well as foster a sense of belonging and acceptance of Asian Americans.

“For decades, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have been longing to be seen and heard. In my experience growing up, I didn’t learn anything about AAPI history in school. It’s as if we didn’t exist, which contributes to perceptions that we don’t belong in America,” said Phil Ting, who chairs the Assembly’s budget committee. “Inclusion in textbooks and lessons are key to fostering greater understanding and acceptance, and I’m happy to champion state funding that help us reach those goals.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

California governor signs state budget that includes $157 million to fight anti Asian bias

California is taking historic steps to address the recent rise in hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a $262.6 billion budget that includes $156.5 million to support victims of anti-Asian hate incidents, data collection and media outreach. 

The API Equity Budget sponsored by the API Legislative Caucus is among the most significant actions ever taken in response to the surge in anti-AAPI hate and violence over the past year and addresses racial inequities that have harmed AAPI communities since the 1800s.

“This funding is essential in addressing both the pandemic-related hate our community is facing and the racial inequities that have too long shaped the lives of California’s AAPI community," said state Senator Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, Chair of the API Legislative Caucus. 

“This sends a message to the API community that the State of California sees them and that we matter."

The majority of the funds, $110 million, will go to community groups who have been engaged in fighting the racist attacks and assisting the victims. Since the start of the pandemic, xenophobia and bigotry against the AAPI community have escalated to unprecedented levels. 

Stop AAPI Hate, a community organizing collecting reports of anti-Asian incidents  has received more than 6,600 reports of hate incidents since March 2020. Almost half of those incidents were reported in California, and these racist attacks have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable members of the community, including elders, young people, and AAPI women who report hate incidents two times as often as AAPI men.

The API Equity Budget is a small line item in the $260 billion-plus state budget  signed by Newsom. The budget can still be amended before the Legislature adjourns in September, but the API caucus is calling on Newsom to keep the fAPI Equity Budget intact in the final version.

“For decades, API communities have been longing to be seen and heard. The pandemic amplified the need to do more amid rising hate against Asian Americans. The state’s remarkable investment acknowledges this struggle by ensuring that victims have access to culturally competent services and resources," said said Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. 

"It also shores up research and data collection, so we can look at ways to prevent such attacks from happening in the first place. Every person has the right to shop, go to school and enjoy our neighborhoods safely without fear of being attacked. It is my hope that with this historic investment our communities feel safe once again.”

Following is a summary of where the funds will go:

• $10 million will provide support to Stop AAPI Hate to track, respond, and prevent incidents of racial bias and harm;
• $10 million will go to the AAPI Data project to increase accurate data collection and data equity on AAPI needs, challenges, and barriers;
• $10 million will go to anti-bias block grant to provide funding to schools to create restorative justice programs to address hate and macroaggressions early;
• $5 million will support a peer social media network project addressing bullying and mental health for children and youth;
• $1.5 million will go towards a workgroup to address education attainment for low income first generation AAPI college students, and support the Commission on Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs as it coordinates these programs; and
• $10 million will go to ethnic media outlets to reach AAPI and other underserved communities in California.

“Our communities have been vital to California since its founding in 1850,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, Chair of the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. “These investments are unprecedented in the state’s history, and will go a long way to ensure that our state remains deeply inclusive and is able to harness the talents and contributions of everyone who calls California home.”

As the sponsor of this effort, the API Legislative Caucus built a strong partnership with the California Commission on APIA Affairs and the Stop AAPI Hate Coalition, and together mobilized and joined forces with over 150 AAPI and ally organizations to champion this historic bill.

“The challenge to root out systemic racism will not be completed overnight, but we now have the tools to expand services, invest in the hardest-hit neighborhoods, increase anti-bias education, and better track and prevent these cowardly attacks,”  said Assemblymember Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, who serves as Vice Chair of the API Legislative Caucus.

The $263 billion-plus state budget can still be amended before the Legislature adjourns in September, but the API caucus is calling on Newsom to keep the fAPI Equity Budget intact in the final version.

“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,” said Ting.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

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".

California voters will face the question of affirmative action once again

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

The California Senate Wednesday voted to send the question of affirmative action to the voters in November.

The two Asian American members of California's state Senate voted on opposite sides Wednesday when the Senate voted 30-10 to put ACA 5 on the November ballot.

Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 (ACA5) would allow for consideration of race and gender in public education and public hiring and contracting by overturning Proposition 209, which banned the use of affirmative action and was passed by voters in 1996.

Diamond Bar Republican Sen. Ling Ling Chang said that ACA 5 amounted to legalized racism, and drew parallels with Legislature's support of the Chinese Exclusion Act which discriminated against Chinese immigrants into the 20th century.

"The problem with ACA 5 is that it takes the position that we must fight discrimination with more discrimination," Chang said.

Voting for ACA 5, state Sen. Richard Pan, a Democrat, said: "Why do we support ACA 5? Because we understand that by the time you get to the college application process, structural racism ensured that people are not at the same starting point, no matter what your talent is."

Pan said the current ban on affirmative action is “blindness towards structural racism… This is an issue of fairness and equal opportunity for all Californians.”

Pan is vice chair of the the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, which formally endorsed the measure on Monday.

In the California State Assembly, Asian Americans were clearly split along partisan lines earlier this month. Eight Democrats supported the measure, while three Republicans opposed it. Two Democrats and one Republican sat out the vote.

Since the implementation of Prop. 209, enrollment of Blacks and Latino students at the state's colleges dropped while the number of Asian American students rose.

Since 1995, the number of black and Latino students admitted to UCLA and UC Berkeley dropped by 70% to 75% at the UCLA and UC Berkeley, compared to just 35% and 40% for Asian and white applicants, according to Patricia Gándara, a research professor of education at UCLA and co-director its Civil Rights Project.

According to Market Watch, Asians account for 33% of the undergrad and graduate student body, followed by Latinos at 22%, Whites at 21% and Blacks at 4%.

These figures do not reflect California’s population, where Latinos account for 39% – the largest ethnic group – and Asians account for 15%.

The University of California Board of Regents recently endorsed their support for ACA 5.

Despite the loud protests against ACA 5 by some Asian Americans, mostly first-generation immigrants, the vast majority of AAPI support affirmative action, according to AAPI Data.

The vote that would repeal Prop. 209 comes at a time when the nation is coming to grips and gaining the realization of the extent of systemic racism in the country's institutions, including education spurred by the death of George Floyd and other unarmed Blacks at the hands of police and vigilantes.

The senators debated the measure for two hours before the emotional vote. 

"I know about discrimination. I live it every day. We live it in this building," said state Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, who is Black. "Quit lying to yourselves and saying race is not a factor … the bedrock of who we are in this country is based on race."

Anti-vaxxers use racist imagery against Asian American lawmaker

SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE

California Sen. Richard Pan speaks in behalf of his bill.

ASAM NEWS

Asian and Pacific Island legislators in California Tuesday (Sept. 10) denounced racist imagery directed at California State Sen. Richard Pan.

Opponents of a bill authored by Pan (D-Sacramento) and just signed by Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted photos of the Senator along with an image of Chairman Mao Zedong against a rising sun.

The tweet included three Asian American elected officials from other states who also support measures cracking down on doctors who grant medical exemptions for vaccinations.

In another tweet, actor and anti-vaxxer Rob Schneider wrote, “My Congratulations to the People’s Republic of Chinafornia Chairman Mao Jr. @DrPanMD…” Ironically, Schneider’s mother is half Filipino.

California’s SB 276, along with another bill (SB 714), give the state Department of Public Health authority to review medical exemptions to vaccinations issued by doctors. The bills were authored in an attempt to curb the number of unnecessary vaccination exemptions given by doctors.

The California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, which advocates for the interests of the diverse API communities throughout California, condemned the racist remarks made against Senator Pan.

“Racist rhetoric and imagery targeted at Senator Richard Pan and other Asian American leaders is dangerous and cannot be tolerated,” Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, said. “For too long, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been seen as perpetual foreigners and generations of contributions from our communities have been ignored. We call on SB 276 opponents to publicly condemn the racism expressed by members of the anti-vaccination movement.”

Pan’s bill has drawn the ire of many anti-vaxxers. Within in the past week, several anti-vax protesters have descended on the capitol building in Sacramento to voice their concerns.

Much of the outrage has been aimed at Pan himself. A few weeks ago, according to Capitol Weekly, an anti-vaxxer shoved Pan when confronting him about vaccines.