the fight to save the dc office on apia affairs

The Washington Post picks up on D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's decision to save money by eliminating the city's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, and the ensuing protest effort by Asian American groups to keep the office intact: Fenty's Plan to Close Agency Is Decried.

In his fiscal 2010 spending plan, Fenty proposes consolidating the office within the larger Office of Community Affairs, which would allow the city to cut four positions and save $300,000. He claims they're not eliminating outreach to the API community but rather streamlining agencies to "save money on redundant administrative costs."

But activists contend that the office, which has seven employees and a budget of about $1 million, would be swallowed by the larger agency, which focuses on aiding seven different constituent groups. There's no guarantee the community affairs office would focus on helping Asians. To learn more about the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, go here.