The total number of hate crimes across California decreased last year, but legislators, advocates and experts warned Tuesday that hostility against racial, ethnic, sexual and gender minorities is still flourishing in the state.
“We need allies to recognize that attacks on immigrant communities do not happen in isolation,” said Monica Madrid, a state policy advocate for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights during a hearing in the state Capitol. “Racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian hate, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and xenophobia are all interconnected.”
The California Department of Justice last month released a report that showed a 3.4% decrease in reported hate crime last year compared with 2024.
In total, there were 1,955 incidents reported by law enforcement agencies across the state in 2025. Still, that number was than double 2016’s total.
“In the past, we were all on the menu one at a time,” said Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Perris, who serves as chair of the Select Committee on Racism, Hate, and Xenophobia, which was holding the hearing. “What is new, is we’re all on the menu at the exact same time.”
The Department of Justice report did not analyze why the incidents across the state are happening. But speakers pointed to the ease of accessing hateful information on social media platforms and changes by the Trump administration — particularly those made in the name of eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts — as certainly not helping.