Urge the Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus to Stand Against AB 84
Asian & Pacific Islander Community Members:
Your Voice Matters - Help the AAPI Caucus Understand What’s at Stake
If you are an Asian or Pacific Islander parent, caregiver, educator, or small business owner whose family is supported by charter schools or educational partnerships, your voice can make the biggest impact. The members of the California Asian & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Legislative Caucus are committed to representing the needs and values of AAPI communities. When they hear directly from AAPI families about how AB 84 would limit your children’s education and threaten the small businesses that support them, it carries weight. Please consider reaching out to share your story and urge them to oppose this harmful bill.
Who Is the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus?
The California Asian & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Legislative Caucus is a coalition of lawmakers in the State Assembly and Senate who identify as Asian or Pacific Islander or represent districts with large AAPI populations. These legislators work together to advocate for the well-being of California’s diverse AAPI communities through public policy and government leadership.
You can learn more about the Caucus at their official website: https://aapilegcaucus.legislature.ca.gov
The AAPI Legislative Caucus Prioritizes:
- Advance educational equity for Asian American and Pacific Islander students, including multilingual learners and immigrant families
- Support small and family-owned businesses, many of which are AAPI-owned and vital to local economies
- Promote culturally responsive policy solutions that reflect and protect AAPI values and traditions
- Ensure representation and access in all areas of public life, including education, healthcare, and economic opportunit
This caucus plays a critical role in shaping state laws to ensure California remains inclusive, diverse, and opportunity-rich for AAPI families.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who authored AB 84, is himself a member of the AAPI Legislative Caucus. That makes it even more important for fellow caucus members to hear from the AAPI families who will be most harmed by this bill. As a community, we must urge the caucus to stand up for educational choice, protect small businesses, and ask Assemblymember Muratsuchi to pull AB 84. This bill does not reflect the values of representation, equity, or cultural responsiveness that the caucus was created to uphold.
How AB 84 Threatens AAPI Communities
AB 84 proposes strict limitations on how charter schools, especially non-classroom-based (NCB) and independent study programs, may operate. These schools offer flexible, personalized, and culturally responsive education, and are heavily relied upon by AAPI families seeking academic rigor, heritage language instruction, and support for mental and emotional well-being.
Charter School Enrollment Among AAPI Students
Charter schools are a vital part of the AAPI educational experience in California:
- According to a 2022 research brief from the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), approximately 37,000 AAPI students were enrolled in California charter public schools during the 2021–2022 school year, about 5.5% of all charter school students statewide
- 43% of those AAPI charter students came from low-income households, compared to 38% in traditional public schools
- AAPI students in charter schools outperformed their traditional school peers in both English Language Arts and Math, especially among Asian, Filipino, and Pacific Islander groups
- These students reflect extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity, speaking over 40 different native languages, including Vietnamese, Tagalog, Arabic, and Mandarin
While this data is from the 2021–22 school year, AAPI enrollment in charter programs has likely continued to grow, particularly in models that provide flexibility, family choice, and cultural alignment.
Source: California Charter Schools Association. AAPI Charter School Students in California (2022)
Why AB 84 Conflicts with the AAPI Legislative Caucus Priorities
AB 84 directly undermines the AAPI Legislative Caucus’s core values:
- Educational Equity: AB 84 strips families of their right to choose flexible learning environments that honor their culture and support their child’s academic and emotional success
- Small Business Support: The bill would destroy longstanding partnerships between charter schools and local small businesses that focus on education and expanded learning, many of which are AAPI-owned
- Community Voice and Cultural Preservation: AB 84 ignores the voices of families who choose educational programs that reflect their heritage, language, and traditions
- Economic Opportunity: By eliminating these school-community partnerships, AB 84 would harm small business owners and educators who are deeply embedded in their communities
Flexible educational models and local partnerships have supported AAPI families since the 1990s. Removing them now would erase decades of innovation, growth, and cultural resilience.
If You Are an Asian or Pacific Islander Californian with Children in Charter School
Your voice matters. As a parent, educator, or community member, you have every right to share your concerns with the elected leaders who represent you, and who specifically serve on the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
If your family benefits from charter schools, flexible education, or enrichment through local small businesses focused on education and expanded learning, please consider:
- Calling or emailing a member of the AAPI Caucus
- Sharing how AB 84 would affect your child’s education or your family business
- Encouraging others in your community to speak up
Together, we can protect culturally inclusive, family-centered educational opportunities.
How to Take Action – Speak Up to the AAPI Legislative Caucus
Sample Call Script
Hello, my name is [Your Name], and I'm a California parent.
I’m calling today because I’m very concerned about Assembly Bill 84. This bill would take away educational options that many Asian American and Pacific Islander families depend on, especially non-classroom-based charter schools and their partnerships with local small businesses that focus on education and expanded learning, such as tutoring, language, arts, and enrichment programs.
These schools help our families preserve our language, culture, and high academic expectations. AB 84 threatens those opportunities.
The AAPI Legislative Caucus has always stood for educational equity and supporting small businesses, especially in immigrant communities.
I'm urging you to stand with families like mine, and to ask Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a member of your own caucus, to pull this harmful bill. AB 84 does not reflect the values of representation, equity, or cultural responsiveness that the caucus was created to uphold.
Please vote NO on AB 84 and help protect educational freedom for our community. Thank you.
Sample Email or Letter
Subject: Please Oppose AB 84 – Protect AAPI Educational Opportunity and Small Businesses
Dear [Assemblymember or Senator Name],
As a California parent and member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, I’m writing to urge you to oppose Assembly Bill 84.
This bill would severely limit the ability of charter schools, particularly non-classroom-based programs, to partner with local small businesses that focus on education and expanded learning. These programs provide tutoring, arts, language, STEM, and culturally aligned enrichment that AAPI families rely on to support our children’s academic and emotional growth.
According to the California Charter Schools Association, 37,000 AAPI students were enrolled in charter schools in 2021–22, many from low-income households. These students thrive in flexible educational models that support their culture, language, and academic goals. Eliminating these options would disproportionately harm our children and dismantle hundreds of AAPI owned small businesses that serve our communities.
The API Legislative Caucus has always stood for equity, representation, and supporting immigrant families. AB 84 directly contradicts those values.
I respectfully urge you to oppose AB 84, and to call on Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, as a member of your own caucus, to withdraw this harmful bill. It does not align with the mission of culturally responsive leadership and community-driven policy.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City or County]
[Parent, Educator, Small Business Owner – optional]
Bullet-Style Talking Points
- AB 84 threatens flexible, personalized educational options that many AAPI families rely on
- The bill would ban charter schools from partnering with local small businesses that focus on education and expanded learning, cutting off access to tutoring, language, STEM, arts, and wellness services
- These small businesses are often AAPI-owned and operated, serving thousands of students statewide
- According to CCSA, over 37,000 AAPI students attend California charter schools, many of them low-income and multilingual
- Charter schools help AAPI students outperform traditional public school averages, especially in English and math
- AB 84 would eliminate choice for immigrant families and contradict the AAPI Caucus’s mission of equity and inclusion
- Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, the author of AB 84, is a member of the AAPI Caucus, making it critical that fellow caucus members urge him to pull this harmful bill.
- AB 84 contradicts the AAPI Caucus’s mission of promoting equity, economic opportunity, and culturally responsive education.
How to Contact the AAPI Legislative Caucus
Official Website:
https://aapilegcaucus.legislature.ca.gov
Caucus Staff Contact:
Sophia Kwong, Assembly Consultant
Contact: https://aapilegcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/contact
Phone: (916) 319-2065 (Main Assembly switchboard)
Full member list:
https://aapilegcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/members
