During 2021, in the state of California, 1,763 bias events were recorded, which meant that reported hate crimes in California increased by 32.6 percent from 2020 to 2021, reaching their highest level reported since 2001.
According to the 2021 California Hate Crimes Report released by the state attorney general, Rob Bonta, highlighted that these types of crimes reported against African-American or Afro-descendant people continue to be the most frequent, and increased by 12.5 percent, from 456 in 2020 to 513 in 2021.
Meanwhile, reported hate crime events against the Asian community rose dramatically again, growing by 177.5 percent from 2020 to 2021, from 89 to 247; while those related to a sexual orientation bias also increased significantly, by 47.8 percent, rising from 205 to 303 in that same period.
Anti-Hispanic or Latino bias events increased 29.6 percent, growing from 152 in 2020 to 197 in 2021.
Among hate crime events involving a religious bias, those with anti-Jewish bias were the most frequent, rising 32.2 percent from 115 in 2020 to 152 in 2021.
The document states that during that period, the number of cases brought for prosecution by district attorneys and elected municipal prosecutors related to hate crime charges increased by 30.1 percent.
Amid this rise in hate crime events, Bonta urged local partners and law enforcement to