Welcome to the California Asian Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus website. Here you will find information about the members and activities of the caucus. There are also resources such as past publications and legislative priorities that are provided to assist you in better understanding and connecting with the legislative process.

Accounting for about 14% of the state’s population, APIs continue to be among the fastest growing racial and ethnic groups in the state. California alone is home to about one-third of the nation’s API population. As part of the substantial demographic shift in recent decades, the Caucus was founded in 2001 and serves to represent and advocate for the interests of the API community, including increasing API representation and participation at all levels of government.

Now in our eighth year, the API Caucus continues to grow and represent the diverse API communities around the State. With the historic election in 2008 and subsequent additions of Senator Carol Liu and Assemblymembers Paul Fong and Mariko Yamada to the Legislature, the Caucus has now reached a historic ten members. Considering that as late as 1991 there were no API members represented in this body, this is a remarkable achievement.

With the further growth and political maturity of the API community, we hope to continue addressing the needs of this population while organizing our increasing influence. Functioning as a critical swing vote in this state and several others, it is an exciting and politically significant time for the API community.

Please contact us with your thoughts and suggestions as they are valuable to us.

Sincerely,
Ted Lieu, 53rd Assembly District
Chair, Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus