Entries by CNK Staff

“Asian American businesses are dealing with two viruses”: Reeling from racist incidents, many are hurting financially during COVID-19

March 9, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

In a recent article by MarketWatch, research done in collaboration with the Asian American Studies Center was referenced in a discussion about anti-Asian hate crimes and rising unemployment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. As documented incidents of harassment, assault and discrimination against Asian Americans have escalated during COVID-19, many groups within the community have also […]

Majority white areas got more PPP business loan money than Latino areas, UCLA study says

March 4, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

Research from our latest report with UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative was recently featured in a Los Angeles Times article, which revealed how majority white areas received more money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) than majority Latino areas. The disproportionate amount of PPP money going to wealthier, whiter areas may make economic […]

Disparities in the Distribution of Paycheck Protection Program Funds in California’s Congressional Districts

March 4, 2021 /2 Comments/in /by

The necessary lockdowns to reduce the spread of COVID-19, along with the ensuing reduction in consumer demand, have created huge economic challenges for small businesses, especially those owned by Latino or Black business owners. To prevent a massive wave of layoffs and small business closures, the U.S. Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic […]

New PPP plan aims to level playing field for smallest businesses

February 24, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

For two weeks starting today, the Paycheck Protection Program will be open only to especially small companies, firms that employ fewer than 20 people. It’s part of several tweaks the Biden administration has made to the loan program, money that becomes a grant if criteria are met. The Paycheck Protection Program has distributed more than […]

How Barriers at EDD Keep Already Vulnerable Californians From Their Benefits

February 23, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

In an KQED article, CNK Director Paul Ong was interviewed to discuss the disproportionate access for marginalized communities in receiving unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic, we saw a much more rapid and steeper escalation of the unemployment rate for Asian Americans,” Ong said, “and we saw that particularly for the less […]

On eve of Lunar New Year, COVID-19 pushes Chinatown businesses to the brink

February 11, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

A year since the coronavirus spread globally, many small business owners in Chinatowns around the world are closing down, yet there remains hope for recovery. CNK Director Paul Ong was recently interviewed with Reuters, discussing the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on small businesses within ethnic enclaves, in particular Chinatowns worldwide. “But Chinatowns, in […]

Vulnerability Indicators and At-Risk Smaller Populations in California and Los Angeles: American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and Select Asian Ethnic Groups

February 8, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

Place-based vulnerability indices are valuable analytical tools that policy makers could use to prioritize the most-at-risk neighborhoods for interventions, including the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. The indicators, nonetheless, may not be appropriate for many at-risk populations, particularly smaller groups that tend to be less geographically concentrated. To better understand the limitations of four vulnerability indicators, […]

How Biden can undo the divisions Trump deepened in immigrant communities

February 6, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

CNK Director Paul Ong was recently featured in a NBC News article discussing how the Biden administration can build unity amongst immigrant communities after four years of Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies targeting and excluding these communities. “I implore the Biden administration to live up to its call for unity by precisely not using this […]

Assessing Vulnerability Indicators and Race/Ethnicity

February 6, 2021 /0 Comments/in /by

This past week, our recent COVID report was recently featured on the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health website. Led by CNK Director Paul Ong and supported by UCLA Fielding School professors Vickie Mays and Ninez Ponce and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research‘s California Health Interview Survey, the study assessing four vulnerability indicators being used by public agencies to select the most […]