CA Hate Hotline Launches as New Report Shows Hate Crimes Rose in 2022

By Assemblymember Phil Ting–

Despite increased awareness and education on how wrong it is to discriminate, bully, harass, or assault someone based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics, acts of bias are still on the rise. A new report by the California Department of Justice shows hate crimes jumped 20 percent last year—from 1,763 cases in 2021 to 2,120 in 2022.

The following groups experienced the biggest increases in the same one-year period:

• transgender people saw a 55 percent rise;
• anti-Islamic incidents swelled nearly 40 percent, while those that were anti-Jewish were up 24 percent;
• biases involving sexual orientation rose 29 percent;
• and hate crimes against Black communities were the most prevalent, rising 27 percent with 652 cases last year.

The one piece of encouraging news from the latest report is that hate against Asian American/Pacific Islanders is down 43 percent. The last three years have been especially tough for AAPIs because a former U.S. president and others wrongly blamed this community for the COVID-19 pandemic. The rhetoric largely spurred attacks against Asians.

As Assembly Budget Chair, I credit the $166.5 million Asian Pacific Islander Equity Budget I helped champion the last couple of years in reducing the number of incidents impacting this community. The added resources not only included victim support, but also educational outreach and violence prevention programs. There’s another $40 million in the new state budget to ensure the progress we’re making continues.

As part of the funding to stop AAPI hate, a new non-emergency statewide hotline to report hate incidents was created and is open to all communities. It’s called “California vs. Hate” and it launched just a couple of months ago.  

The number is (833) 8NOHATE, or 833-866-4283, and is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Care coordinators can provide assistance in more than 200 languages.

Because victims may be afraid of law enforcement, the hotline workers can also facilitate involving the police or local prosecutors, if warranted. But people can also remain anonymous, if they choose. Online reporting is also available at https://www.cavshate.org/

(Please note that 911 is still the best number to call in emergency and/or life-threatening situations.)

The California vs. Hate hotline can also connect victims with programs to help them deal with the aftermath, including legal services, mental health support, or housing. Some may not know what to do once they’ve experienced a hate incident, and we wanted to make sure they could move forward with experts who understand the network of resources available.

In its first month of operation, the hotline is already proving to be a valuable tool. Preliminary data shows 180 incidents were reported statewide. Race and ethnicity were most commonly cited, followed by religion and sexual orientation.

If you experience a hate incident, I encourage you to contact the California vs. Hate hotline to not only report what happened to you, but also to get the support you need. Additionally, reporting your case will help policymakers, like me, to get a fuller picture of hate in our state. This will, in turn, enable us to take more steps to address it.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the west side of San Francisco along with the communities of Broadmoor, Colma, and Daly City, as well as part of South San Francisco and San Bruno.

Assemblymember Phil Ting
Published on July 13, 2023