What They’re Saying: State and Community Leaders Applaud New Anti-Hate Hotline After First Year, Remain Committed to Combatting Hate Statewide

SACRAMENTO – Following the release of new data and initiatives in the fight against hate, state and community leaders across California today applauded the first year of results for California’s new statewide anti-hate hotline and reaffirmed their commitment to combatting hate. Officially launched a year ago this month by Governor Newsom, California vs Hate is 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. In the first full year of operation, initial data submitted to the California Civil Rights Department, which operates the program, showed approximately 1,020 acts of hate reported to the hotline.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta: “Advancing the civil rights of all Californians and combatting hate in our communities remains a top priority. In California, our diversity is our strength. The CA vs Hate initiative is an important effort to combat hate and extremism in our communities. DOJ remains committed to new and ongoing efforts to combat hate and bias.”

Russell Roybal, Chair of Commission on the State of Hate: “CA vs Hate and the Commission on the State of Hate are direct responses to the documented, alarming increase in hate across the country. In California, we’ve seen hate crimes spike in recent years, reaching their highest level since the aftermath of 9/11 in 2001. The Commission has heard from many communities who do not feel safe reporting hate to law enforcement, which is why CA vs Hate is so critical. Here in California, we’re keeping up the fight to create a state where everyone can feel safe and where everyone can thrive.”

Eliana Kaimowitz, Acting Director of the Office of Equity for the California Department of Social Services: “California’s Stop the Hate program, in partnership with the Civil Rights Department’s CA vs Hate hotline, helps bring communities across the state one step closer to Governor Newsom’s vision of a California for ALL. Through the Stop the Hate program, 180 organizations are assisting Californians with reporting hate crimes and responding to the trauma faced by victims and survivors through the delivery of direct individual services, such as mental health and wellness, legal consultation, and case management in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. These organizations also work to prevent hate crimes and incidents in their communities by offering education and training, safety escorts for the elderly, and developing youth programs aimed at combatting bullying and hate in schools and across campuses. The tremendous collaboration amongst state and community partners, including the California Civil Rights Department, the California State Library, the California Department of Justice, and the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, is helping us protect communities as we work to ensure their right to safety and well-being.”

Lynda Gledhill, California Victim Compensation Board Executive Officer: “I thank CA vs Hate for establishing a pathway for all Californians to report hate crimes and learn about services available to victims, making California a safer and more inclusive place for all. At CalVCB, we work closely with state government organizations that serve victims of crime to ensure there is no wrong door when accessing assistance and resources. As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of CA vs Hate, CalVCB is grateful for the ongoing work and partnership in increasing awareness and support for victims of crime.”

Mina Fedor, Founder and Executive Director of AAPI Youth Rising: “AAPI Youth Rising is proud to celebrate the first anniversary of California vs Hate. This past year, we shared our youth opinions about California’s first non-emergency hate reporting hotline. We’re proud of its impact. Growing up is filled with challenges, including facing hate in our schools and communities. That’s why California vs Hate is necessary now more than ever to provide the resources and support that we all deserve.”

Regina Brown Wilson, Executive Editor of California Black Media: “California Black Media is so appreciative of our partnerships with the Civil Rights Department and the California State Library as we commit ourselves to promoting education, awareness, and cross-cultural cooperation. These relationships have equipped our network of over 30 independent Black-owned news outlets across California to join hands with other stakeholders of all races who are committed to advancing our common goal of eliminating hate, discrimination, and violence in all corners of our state.”

Amy E. Lerman, Executive Director of the University of California’s Possibility Lab: “CA vs Hate plays a critical role in helping to build resilient communities, by receiving reports of hate through their platforms and providing resources to those who have experienced hate incidents. 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.”

Yolie Anguiano, CA vs Hate Director for 211 LA: “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. 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. We’re thankful for the targeted people, community advocates, and the witnesses of hate acts who have trusted us. We look forward to sharing this safe space with those who are ready to report hate.”

Manjusha Kulkarni, Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance: “We applaud the state for creating and supporting California vs Hate, which has provided a much-needed avenue for Asians, Pacific Islanders, and other Californians to not only report acts of hate but also receive essential resources, care, and support. New research from Stop AAPI Hate reveals half of AA/PIs in the U.S. have recently experienced discrimination or racism. But due to long-standing inequities in funding and outreach, many AAPI community members –- including those who face language barriers — often don’t know where to turn when they experience a hate act. By investing in this robust, non-carceral, and culturally-competent approach, California continues to lead the way in tackling hate while centering the needs of impacted community members.”

Bamby Salcedo, President and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition and Vice Chair for the California Commission on the State of Hate: “The TransLatin@ Coalition is grateful for our partnership with the California vs Hate initiative. This platform has allowed many members of our community to be able to report hate crimes and hate incidents in a way that is supportive and able to connect people to very much needed resources. CA vs Hate is a platform for all people to be able to see that there is an intentional way to eradicate hate in our beautiful state, because hate is not welcome in our state! We are grateful for all the work that the Civil Rights department and the team of CA vs Hate has done to better the lives of all Californians!”

Amr Shabaik, Legal and Policy Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles: “At CAIR, we serve a diverse clientele and community in the fight against hate. A lot of our clients are Muslim Americans, they’re Arab Americans and Palestinian Americans. We’ve seen a rise in hate against those communities, as well as other communities. So, having a government entity like CA vs Hate that’s also addressing these issues and providing resources is so important. The more voices that we have and the more organizations that we have in California that are able to address hate, the more that we can have an impact and make a change in California for the better.”

Luz Gallegos, TODEC Executive Director: “We congratulate the California Civil Rights Department for their one-year anniversary. We are proud of our state for standing up against hate and injustice. The work that has been done this past year to create awareness and to reach our state’s most vulnerable residents has been a partnership that we are very proud of as an organization to work in partnership with the California Civil Rights Department. As we all strive for a California for All and for all our residents to feel safe, accepted, and seen.”

Rick L. Callender, NAACP CA/HI State Conference President: “Today, the NAACP California Hawaii State Conference celebrates the first anniversary of the CA vs Hate hotline. We will continue to stand as a proud supporter of the CA vs Hate hotline resource, as we know our Black and Brown brothers and sisters are disproportionately targeted with hate and discrimination. The State NAACP plans to continue amplifying the hotline and toolkit across our 15,000 branch members and partners across California. Fighting against hatred stands as a fundamental cornerstone of the NAACP, and we will continue to fight for justice because when we fight, we win.”

Richard Hirschhaut, Los Angeles Director of American Jewish Committee: “AJC is proud to partner with the California Civil Rights Department in the fight against hate. Together, we’re helping our communities better understand how to identify and report hate crimes and bias incidents — and confront antisemitism. AJC is pleased to provide practical information on how to access CA vs Hate and share information on implementation of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, both nationally and regionally. We are grateful for the Civil Rights Department’s ongoing partnership and unwavering commitment to confronting hate across California.”

Dahlia Taha, Al Enteshar News Reporter: “Al Enteshar has worked very closely with community members, whether it’s regular people to community leaders, mosque leaders, and church leaders, to help improve access overall to anti-hate resources in California. Through the California State Library grant, we’ve been able to extend our reach through both our newspaper and our social media outlets, as well as through word of mouth and community events. We’ve gained so many more resources to be able to advertise and discuss resources like CA vs Hate throughout the community. With CA vs Hate in particular, people are excited to know that it’s accessible in over 200 languages and really demonstrates that California is a home to everybody.”

Puneet Kaur Sandhu, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy for the Sikh Coalition: “As the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States, the Sikh Coalition considers CA vs Hate a vital resource — especially given that there are more Sikhs in California than any other state in our nation. These inaugural year findings are sobering: They underscore how minority religious communities continue to face rising numbers of hate crimes and bias incidents, and emphasize the necessity of this safe, anonymous, and multilingual reporting platform. We look forward to increased data collection and analysis going forward through CA vs Hate’s newly launched partnership with UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab, and to further collaboration with partners across the state as we work to turn the tide against targeted hate.”

CA vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal. Reports can be made anonymously by calling (833) 866-4283, or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT or online at any time. Hate acts can be reported in 15 different languages through the online portal and in over 200 languages when calling the hotline. For individuals who want to report a hate crime to law enforcement immediately or who are in imminent danger, please call 911. For more information on CA vs Hate, please visit CAvsHate.org.

A copy the factsheet compiled by UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab analyzing the first year of CA vs Hate data is available here. A web version of the analysis is available here.

Photos, video, and more from the press conference highlighting the impact of CA vs Hate in its first year are available here.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

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