PRESS RELEASE
February 9th, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Hala Masri
Yanghee Park (323) 937-3718 (KOR)

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Devastated by Budget Cuts, Demand Justice: Release of Community Storybook Underscores the Suffering of Families and Seniors

Los Angeles—Members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community gathered today to mark the release of Fractured Justice: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Fighting to Survive California’s Budget Crisis, a storybook that chronicles the individual impact of severe budget cuts on diverse AAPI communities. Affected seniors and families rejected Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent budget proposals to slash or completely eliminate life-saving programs and called for revenue-raising solutions to close the state’s $19.9 billion deficit.

“Governor Schwarzenegger’s January budget plan proposes to dismantle California’s most essential services that promote the well-being of children, families and older adults,” explains Christine Lee, Program Coordinator with the Asian and Pacific Islander Older Adults Task Force. “These budget proposals threaten the health of our children and strip our seniors of their dignity.”

“Vulnerable Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are not only devastated by state budget cuts, they are outraged,” says Hala Masri, State Policy Advocate with the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. “In Fractured Justice, members of the community demonstrate to state leaders the human consequences of alarming reductions to vital services.”

“While attempting to address California’s massive budget deficit, state leaders must make choices that protect families and elderly individuals who are those most affected by the economic downturn,” explains Ernesto Hizon, Health Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator with the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. Offering no new revenue increases, the Governor proposes to eliminate basic aid for lawfully present immigrants and aims to cut health services, in-home care and living assistance to California’s most disadvantaged residents.

“The Governor’s budget proposal is unfair and unacceptable,” says Mark Masaoka, Policy Coordinator with the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. “Community organizations and the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders we serve are coming together to demand that state leaders preserve the health and livelihood of our seniors and advance justice for our youth.”

“Without revenue-based solutions to resolve the budget crisis, the Golden State faces a future of financial ruin,” explains Robyn Shultz, Health Access Project Associate with the Korean Resource Center. “As the state’s fiscal challenges continue to escalate, members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community call on lawmakers to raise the revenue needed to provide Californians with long-term stability and an effective government.”

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