CALIFORNIA, USA — As California continues to see an uptick in hate crimes across the country, the state is bringing about a new effort to stop hate with the help of civil rights activists and experts.
The California Commission on the State of Hate, comprised of nine members, met for the first time on Thursday, Dec. 1. The Commission was established by Assembly Bill 1126, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Richard Bloom and signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021. It's housed within the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
"Our job is to enforce civil rights laws protecting people from discrimination in many contexts, including employment, housing, businesses, as well as enforcing other civil rights protections," said Kevin Kish, director of CRD. The department does this by investigating and prosecuting civil law violations, as well as providing conciliation, mediation, training and support to communities under its Community Conflict Resolution Unit.
Now, the newly formed commission is working to strengthen California's efforts to stop hate across the state. Through research, education and advisement, commissioners will help communities around the state and government officials effectively monitor, prevent and respond to hate crimes and incidents.
One way that will be achieved is through a series of community forums - four per year. A subcommittee will be deciding the structure of the forums.
"I'm interested to see what they propose. They could be focused on a geographic area or region, focused on a specific community or identity, focused on particular types of incidents, on religious groups, or different types of hate speech," said Kish.
The Commission on the State of Hate has also been tasked to release annual reports on hate crimes in California, which will include data on hate crimes, proper recommendations and policy proposals for state and local governments to respond to hate. The first report is due July 1, 2023.
"We want to fill in gaps in data. Hate crimes are notoriously underreported in particular communities so we want to make sure we are not only relying necessarily on law enforcement agencies or other state agencies to gather that data, but through the community forums or other partnerships with community organizations," said Russell Roybal, chair of the Commission on the State of Hate.
Kish said there is one piece of data they do have now, which will be critical to the work of the commission.
"One of the pieces of data we know is that there are groups that are more likely to be targeted than others, and that's Black people. Combating anti-Blackness has to be at the core of any response to hate even as we don't leave anyone out," said Kish.
The Commission will also gather additional information about hate crimes through the state's new CA vs. Hate Resource Line and Network, an online and phone-based service designed to connect those targeted by hate to services that would be beneficial and ultimately provide culturally competent resources.
"So depending on what they want, it might be facilitating a connection with law enforcement or it might not because we know a lot of people don't want to involve law enforcement in these scenarios. It could also be connecting them to other legal resources, social services, with housing assistance or with mental health resources," said Kish.
The hotline is available now. If you have been targeted by a hate crime or incident, you can report it HERE through their online portal or by phone.
While their work has just started, Roybal hopes the future impact of the commission will spread beyond state borders.
"The commission has so much promise and is an opportunity for California to not only make an impact in our state but also nationally. We can provide a model for other jurisdictions around how to keep track of this work, how to move this work forward, and make sure government officials and law enforcement have the tools they need to address hate," said Roybal.