One year since its launch, the CA vs Hate initiative looks to continue its efforts to combat hate in the Golden State

 EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an ongoing CALÓ News series on the state of hate in L.A. and California. If you are an expert on the subject, a victim, an activist or community leader, please contact us at brenda@latinomedia.org. To follow the series, click here.

It has been one year since California vs Hate, the state’s first-ever multilingual statewide hotline and online portal that provides a safe, anonymous reporting option for victims and witnesses of hate acts, was inaugurated and presented to the 40 million California residents. 

On Monday, state leaders and anti-hate organizations celebrated CA vs Hate's first anniversary at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento.  

In May 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom, along with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), announced the official launch of CA vs Hate as a direct response to the rise in reported hate crimes in California, which reached their highest levels in the last few years. 

“When California was confronted by an alarming increase in hate, we didn’t just sit back and hope it got better,” Kevin Kish, CRD director, said. “We came together and launched an array of nation-leading programs to ensure all our communities feel welcome and protected. I’m incredibly proud of our state’s resilience and commitment to a California for all. This work is only just beginning, but it would not be possible without the advocacy of our community partners and the foresight of our state’s administration and legislature.”

California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, who represents the 66th Assembly District (Torrance), located in the Los Angeles South Bay and Harbor Area, was the person who started the conversation to create a state hotline to report hate crimes in 2021 for Asian Americans, Latinos, Black Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, religious minorities and other communities.

Today, CA vs Hate continues to tackle hate crime unreporting or underreporting due to a variety of factors, including fear of retaliation, lack of culturally competent resources, concern around potential immigration consequences, distrust of law enforcement and for many Latinos, language barriers. 

Accessing the CA vs Hate hotline services is confidential and provided for free, regardless of immigration status. When anyone calls the hotline, they are eligible to receive ongoing care coordination in 15 different languages online and 20 languages, when calling the hotline. Resources and support within the hotline include legal, financial, mental health, and mediation services.

In L.A. County, hate crimes also reflect the state's alarming increase in hate acts. The latest data published last November by L.A. County’s Commission on Human Relations’ Hate Crime Report showed that in 2022 hate crimes in L.A. County rose to their highest level in 21 years, jumping 18% from the previous year. 

In addition, the report also stated that the second-largest group of victims of racial hate crimes in 2022 were Latinos, who were targeted in 22% of racial hate crimes in L.A. County. Anti-Latino crimes also rose 3% from 117 to 121 and in 73% of these crimes, anti-Mexican slurs were specifically used.

Latinos were also classified as less likely to report crimes because of distrust in law enforcement or concerns about immigration status. 

The statewide initiative, CA vs Hate, was also inspired by L.A.’s local efforts to combat and denounce hate. 

LA vs Hate is a community-centered system designed to support all residents of L.A. County through 211 LA, a hub for community members and community organizations looking for health, human and social services in the county. The system aims to address the normalization of hate and inspire people to stand up to it, build understanding about what constitutes a hate act and how to report it, as well as support individuals and communities as they heal from the trauma of hate.

Yolie Anguiano, CA vs Hate Director for 211 LA, expressed her hope for Latinos and other communities to feel safe and ready to report hate.

“For the past year, 211 LA, with the 211-provider network of California, has responded to Californians’ hate act experiences with an empathetic, culturally competent and trauma-informed approach. Those who do choose follow-up services after reporting receive connections to supportive resource referrals so that it can help them heal from their experience,” she said. “The safety net the CA vs Hate Network casts is fortified by the partnership with five community-based organization partners: ADL, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, CHIRLA, Hate Violence Prevention Partnership made up of Bienestar, Brotherhood Crusade and MPAC, and the LGBT Center, who assist with identifying pathways towards solutions.”

The Possibility Lab at the University of California, made up of policy researchers and practitioners, was in charge of analyzing the first year of CA vs Hate. The findings were presented and released at Monday’s ceremony. 

According to the analysis, in its first year of operation, CA vs Hate had contact with 80% of California’s counties, including L.A. County, and all 10 of the state’s most populated counties.

CA vs Hate also had 60,500 website visits and 2,118 contacts from members of the public seeking assistance, including non-hate related reports, and directed people to resources, regardless of whether a report was tied to an act of hate.  

The most common reasons cited for the reports were discriminatory treatment (18.4%), verbal harassment (16.7%) and derogatory names or slurs (16.7%). The majority of these reports happened in residential areas (29.9%), workplaces (9.7%) and public facilities (9.1%).

The analysis also concluded that CA vs Hate received 1,020 actual reports of hate, based on the information provided by the individual reporting the act. Of those reports, approximately four out of six people agreed to follow up for care coordination services, including direct and ongoing support accessing legal aid or counseling.

“The Possibility Lab is proud to partner with the CA vs Hate team to strengthen data collection, reporting, and outreach so that we can continue to serve all Californians who are taking action to stop hate,” Amy E. Lerman, Executive Director of the University of California’s Possibility Lab, said.

The CDR said they recognize CA vs Hate is fairly new but will continue to earn the trust of communities across the state. As CA vs Hate continues to grow, the program is looking to launch new initiatives soon, such as exploring the idea of a text-responsive reporting option to support increased access to the CA vs Hate hotline, establishing new quarterly meetings with city and county government partners to support increased responsiveness to local communities and beginning to work with faith-based leaders from a range of backgrounds to better address acts of hate targeting Californians based on religion.

Reports can be made anonymously by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PT) or online at any time. 

For more information on CA vs Hate, please visit CAvsHate.org.