Publication: KPCC Radio & LAist
It’s a small line item in the hulking state budget passed today, but a $200 million package to fund Asian American and Pacific Islander initiatives is unprecedented in its size and scope.
The proposal, pushed by the API Legislative Caucus after a rise in anti-Asian hate incidents and crimes over the last year, would attempt to help affected communities through strategies ranging from promoting language access to offering alternatives to incarceration.
“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 Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), who took a lead in crafting the proposal as chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.