Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta released a report showing hate crime rose 20.2% in California last year, with the biggest jump in crimes involving sexual orientation bias.
His office’s 2022 Hate Crime in California Report released Tuesday counted 2,120 hate crime incidents in 2022, 357 more than the 1,763 tallied in 2021.
Crimes targeting Blacks remained the most prevalent and increased 27.1% from 513 in 2021 to 652 in 2022, while anti-Asian crimes decreased by 43.3% from 247 in 2021 to 140 in 2022.
Hate crimes involving sexual orientation bias rose 29.0% from 303 in 2021 to 391 in 2022, and anti-Jewish crimes increased 24.3% from 152 in 2021 to 189 in 2022
“This report is a stark reminder that there is still much work to be done to combat hate in our state. I urge local partners and law enforcement to review these findings and recommit to taking action,” Bonta said.
“The alarming increases in crimes committed against Black, LGBTQ+ and Jewish people for the second year in a row illustrates the need for our communities to join together unified against hate,” he said.
Bonta issued an updated Law Enforcement Bulletin to all district attorneys, chiefs of police, sheriffs, and state law enforcement agencies with a summary of the multiple California criminal laws that prohibit hate crimes or provide enhanced penalties for specified hate-related acts, as well as guidance related to the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.
The California Department of Justice has been collecting and reporting data on hate crimes since 1995. A hate crime is defined as a single occurrence but may involve more than one hate offense.
Reports of hate incidents can be made to the California Civil Rights Department online portal at any time in 15 languages or by calling (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE.
