I'm excited to announce that an additional $30 million in Stop AAPI Hate grants has been distributed to 12 organizations throughout California to combat the rising number of attacks targeting members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. They're called Transformative Grants because of the impact they can have. The allocation is timely because a new report shows hate crimes overall were up 33% last year.

Grant recipients with locations in the San Francisco Area include:

• Coalition for Community Safety and Justice: $5,736,660
• Asian American Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus: $2,000,000

This funding, combined with the $14 million in grants distributed earlier this year, will help provide essential services and resources to hate crime victims, as well as strengthen violence prevention and public safety programs. As the pandemic persists, it is crucial we continue to work towards creating a safe environment for all Californians, especially those who are wrongfully blamed and targeted for COVID-19.

The grants are a part of the $166.5 million API Equity Budget I championed in 2021 as Assembly Budget Committee Chair. I was also able to secure $26 million last year for a new arts and media center in San Francisco's Chinatown and $5 million to renovate a commercially vital one-block stretch of Buchanan Mall in the City's Japantown. In this year's budget, my efforts to obtain $4 million for Portmouth Square and $6 million for the Japantown Peace Plaza were successful. All of these investments combined contribute significantly to promoting the welfare and contributions of Asian American communities to the San Francisco area.

I'm looking forward to the positive impact that these state investments have on our communities in the near future.