Hate Crime Trends in California

This graph highlights the significant rise in hate crimes over the years, with notable increases among Black, Latino, and Asian communities.

May 30, 2024 Story by: Editor

Hate crimes in California have been steadily rising for nearly a decade, with a significant increase observed between 2020 and 2022, according to the most recent data. These crimes are characterized by evidence suggesting they are motivated by the victim's race, ethnicity, gender, or other personal traits.

Recent surges in hate crimes have predominantly impacted Black, Latino, and Asian Californians, with violent incidents being a major driver of this trend. The actual number of these crimes is likely higher than reported, as they are widely believed to be underreported. In response, California is allocating funds to enhance reporting and support the affected communities.

It's important to note that the latest data from the California Department of Justice only goes up to 2022, meaning recent events like the Israel-Hamas war are not reflected. However, the data still offers critical insights into this pressing issue across the state.

Long-term trends show a troubling pattern. Reported hate crimes in California decreased significantly after 2001, the first year on record, reaching a low in 2014. Since then, hate crimes have risen steadily, with more than a doubling from 1,015 incidents in 2019 to 2,120 in 2022.

The increase in violent hate crimes—up by 791 incidents—accounts for most of this recent surge, while property hate crimes rose by 314 incidents. In 2022, the most common violent hate crimes included assault (505 cases), aggravated assault (418 cases), and intimidation (464 cases). Property hate crimes mostly involved destruction of property/vandalism (605 cases), theft (16 cases), and arson (12 cases).

Notably, hate crimes against Black, Latino, and Asian Californians saw some of the largest increases. From 2019 to 2022, hate crimes against Black Californians nearly tripled from 243 to 661; against Latinos, they almost doubled from 110 to 210; and against Asians, they more than tripled from 43 to 143 (with a peak of 248 anti-Asian hate crimes in 2021). While some crimes may involve multiple biases, the data only reflect a single aspect of the victim's identity.

The rise in hate crimes is predominantly due to violent crimes rather than property crimes. In 2022, over 75% of all reported hate crimes against Black, Latino, and Asian individuals were violent. Weapons were used in 25% of these crimes, with knives (64 cases), blunt objects (57 cases), and handguns (34 cases) being the most common. Source: PPIC

These figures likely underestimate the true extent of the problem due to issues with reporting and identification. Victims might be reluctant to report hate crimes, and law enforcement may have limited resources to identify the motivation behind a crime accurately.

To combat these challenges, both community-based and official initiatives have been launched. Organizations like Stop AAPI Hate encourage safe reporting of incidents. Law enforcement agencies have improved their policies and ability to recognize hate crimes over the years, adding more categories for bias motivations .

The California Legislature is also taking steps to address hate crimes. AB 485, passed in 2022, mandates local law enforcement agencies to post monthly updates on hate crimes online. AB 449, passed in 2023, requires all law enforcement agencies to adopt protocols for reporting suspected hate crimes and for state agencies to report this information to the state attorney general. Additionally, Governor Newsom's " CA vs Hate " campaign includes an online reporting hotline and funding for local organizations that support victims.

These initiatives may have contributed to a higher willingness and ability to report hate crimes in recent years. Increased media coverage of the issue might also partially explain the uptick in reported incidents.

As these efforts continue to develop and more information becomes available, ongoing monitoring of these critical criminal justice trends will remain essential.