EMPOWERING & ELEVATING AANHPI COMMUNITIES IN CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA COMMISSION
ON APIA AFFAIRS

Image courtesy of Stanford Graduate School of Business Teaching and Learning Hub

GET TO KNOW US

About the Commission

California is proud to be home to over six million Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA), the fastest growing ethnic population in the state.

The California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs (CAPIAA) statute was created in 2002 and formally established and convened in 2004. CAPIAA is charged with elevating the political, economic, and social issues of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (APIA), in the state.

The Commission advises the Governor and the Legislature on how to best respond to views, needs, and concerns of the state’s diverse and complex APIA communities. Additionally, the commission provides assistance to policymakers, state agencies, departments, and commissions to develop appropriate responses and programs that meet the needs of APIA communities, including focus on cultural language sensitivity, and hate incident and hate crime prevention measures.

THE STORY

From Vision to Reality

Former Assembly member George Nakano (Torrance) authored Assembly Bill (AB) 116 in 2002 to establish the commission, with members of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus (APILC) co-authoring the bill. The concept for the commission originated from strong community support and advocacy. The commission’s creation is a historic recognition of the accomplishments and needs of California’s growing Asian American Native Hawai‘ian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations.