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The Office of Ethnic Affairs acts as a bridge between government and those who don't feel they have a voice, and eliminating it through budget cuts would be devastating, according to a crowd of about 70 people who met Monday night to strategize ways to save it.
Members of the Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee will listen to testimony by several supporters of the office, but as immigration attorney Roger Tsai told the crowd, the decision to cut it is essentially done. A recommendation to eliminate the office's funding was accepted by the Legislature's main budget committee Monday afternoon, though lawmakers were quick to point out they may well restore money to some programs and agencies as the revenue estimates firm up.
Instead, Tsai urged people to talk about the economic impact minorities have on the state and use the time to make a public case for Gov. Gary Herbert's yet-unknown plan to restructure the Office of Ethnic Affairs.
"These are business people," Tsai said. "That's what they care about."
Ernie Gamonal, secretary of the bipartisan Latino Legislative Task Force, said it was crunch time for those that hope the office is spared — or at least restructured under another agency.
Gamonal said a large, unified voice would be needed.
"I'm not very rosy about this. Personally, I think the Office of Ethnic Affairs is targeted, and we need to fight that vigorously," he said. "We have to howl and roar like we never have before. I'm not one to call for crazy action, but if you have family in Cedar City or Logan or Ogden, call them."
Carlos Linares, chairman of the Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council, said he worries about the loss of the Office of Ethnic Affairs — an umbrella entity that houses four groups representing Asians, Pacific Islanders, blacks and Latinos. It consists of 10 employees who act as facilitators between government and minority communities.
The preliminary recommendations are part of a plan by the Legislature to cut more than $300 million from the state budget.
But Tsai urged those to remember that the Legislature isn't targeting them specifically — that a whole host of programs are facing the ax.
Linares said the office provides key services for minorities who might feel they have nowhere to turn when confronted with anything from problems in the neighborhood to issues in the workplace.
"In schools or in the work force — someone maybe who was fired without just cause — it gives them a voice," Linares said. "By cutting this, you silence those voices."
On Friday, as a budget subcommittee followed through on a recommendation by legislative analysts to eliminate the office, Rep. Todd Kiser, R-Sandy, said Gov. Gary Herbert's office has made money available to continue some services. However, those details haven't been revealed yet.
There is growing concern — notably among the Latino community — about the future of the office after it decided to pull out from its previously official role in sponsoring the third annual Latino Day at the Capitol.
That decision — based on financial considerations as well as a desire to steer away from appearing to endorse pending immigration legislation — sent Gamonal and others scrambling to put on the celebration anyway.
Latino Day is still scheduled for Feb. 16 — without official sponsorship from the state, though Herbert will issue a declaration "for this important and commemorative event," according to spokeswoman Ally Isom.