Attorney General Bonta Releases 2025 Hate Crime Report, Calls for Renewed Commitment to Combat Hate Across California

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released the 2025 Hate Crime in California report and highlighted information and resources to support ongoing efforts across the state to combat hate. Reported hate crime events in California decreased by 3.4% from 2,023 in 2024 to 1,955 in 2025. However, reported hate crime events involving racial or ethnic bias increased by 6.2% from 1,011 in 2024 to 1,074 in 2025. In particular, anti-Hispanic or Latino bias events increased by 30.3%, anti-citizenship status bias events increased from 16 in 2024 to 40 in 2025, and reported hate crime events involving gender bias increased by 23.8%. Amidst these continued threats, Attorney General Bonta urges local partners and law enforcement to review the resources highlighted today and to recommit themselves to taking action.

"There is absolutely no place for hate in California. Transparent and accessible data is a critical part of understanding where we are and how we can end hate crimes in our communities," said Attorney General Bonta. "While the overall number of reported hate crime events decreased in 2025, the data makes clear that too many Californians continue to be targeted because of who they are, where they come from, how they worship, who they love, or how they identify. Everyone has a part to play as we continue to fight intolerance in California, and I urge leaders up and down the state to review the data and resources available and recommit to standing united against hate. The California Department of Justice remains steadfast in our commitment to continue working with law enforcement, elected leaders, and community organizations across California to keep our communities safe."

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) has collected statewide data on hate crimes since 1995. Under California law, a hate crime is a criminal act committed in whole or in part because of a victim's actual or perceived disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or association with someone with one or more of these characteristics. If you believe you or someone you know has been the victim of a hate crime, notify local law enforcement and consider taking the following steps:

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911 and, if needed, seek medical attention.
• Write down the exact words that were used and take note of any other relevant facts.
• If safe to do so, save all evidence and take photos.
• Get contact information for other victims and witnesses.
• Reach out to community organizations in your area that deal with hate crimes or incidents.

Hate incidents are actions or behaviors motivated by hate that may be protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of expression or which otherwise do not violate criminal laws. Examples of hate incidents include name-calling, insults, and distributing hate material in public places. Californians can call 211 for referral services after experiencing an act of hate.

Historically, hate crime data has generally been underreported, and DOJ recognizes that the data presented in its reports may not adequately reflect the actual number of hate crime events that have occurred in the state. Caution should be used when comparing 2025 hate crimes data to prior years, as not all agencies were able to submit a full year of data for 2025. For more information, please reference the "Understanding the Data, Characteristics and Known Limitations" section in the report.

Some of the key findings from the 2025 Hate Crime in California Report include:

• Reported hate crime events decreased 3.4% from 2,023 in 2024 to 1,955 in 2025.
• Hate crime offenses decreased 4.2% from 2,568 in 2024 to 2,461 in 2025.
• The number of victims of reported hate crimes decreased 3.6% from 2,491 in 2024 to 2,402 in 2025.
• Anti-Black or African American bias events rose from 494 in 2024 to 508 in 2025, an increase of 2.8%.
• Anti-Hispanic or Latino bias events rose from 198 in 2024 to 258 in 2025, an increase of 30.3%.
• Anti-Asian bias events fell from 119 in 2024 to 95 in 2025, a decrease of 20.2%.
• Anti-citizenship status bias events rose from 16 in 2024 to 40 in 2025.
• Anti-Jewish bias events fell from 310 in 2024 to 289 in 2025, a decrease of 6.8%.
• Anti-Islamic bias events rose from 24 in 2024 to 38 in 2025.
• Anti-Sikh bias events rose from 4 in 2024 to 9 in 2025.
• Between 2024 and 2025, hate crime events motivated by sexual orientation bias decreased by 35.2% from 455 in 2024 to 295 in 2025 and anti-transgender bias events increased by 23.3% from 73 in 2024 to 90 in 2025, accounting for the majority of the 23.8% increase of gender bias events, from 84 in 2024 to 104 in 2025.
• From 2024 to 2025, the number of hate crimes referred for prosecution increased from 818 to 870. Of the 870 hate crimes that were referred for prosecution, 595 cases were filed by district attorneys and elected city attorneys for prosecution. Of the 595 cases that were filed for prosecution, 369 were filed as hate crimes and 226 were filed as non-bias motivated crimes.

In California, it is considered a hate crime if you are targeted because of your actual or perceived nationality, including your immigration or citizenship status. The Attorney General has released guidance and resources on hate crimes for law enforcement, prosecutors, and the victims of these crimes. These resources include an updated law enforcement bulletin on laws prohibiting hate crimes, a hate crimes rapid response protocol for the deployment of DOJ resources, guidance to prosecutors to help strengthen hate crimes prosecution enforcement, and a fact sheet to help Californians understand their rights and protections under hate crime laws. These, and other resources can be found on oag.ca.gov/HATECRIMES.

Attorney General Bonta launched the Racial Justice Bureau, which, among other things, supports DOJ's broader mandate to advance the civil rights of all Californians by assisting with new and ongoing efforts to combat hate and bias. Beginning in 2021, the Attorney General began proactively engaging with local city leaders in the biggest cities in California through roundtables in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, Riverside, Long Beach, Santa Ana, San Jose, Stockton, Anaheim, Bakersfield, Fresno, and Irvine. Attorney General Bonta is deeply committed to responding to the needs of historically marginalized and underrepresented communities and, in July 2021, also launched the Office of Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement (CARE) to work directly with community organizations and members of the public as part of the effort to advance justice for all Californians.

CARE will host a virtual Community Briefing on Thursday, July 30 at 2:30 PM PT to share highlights and findings from the report. People interested can register here: https://events.zoomgov.com/ev/Aq2rYipa3xTPVS_-BSE2zVGUR5Ho0-icemBw869mKmTON_1HhaaP~As5h1X3ZsuNdEh14AaQ6wIUaLDwKYAeYNLnQX8arnsnrtrCiU1kKtLBOIw

This briefing will highlight the latest hate crime data trends and findings in California from 2025 as reported by local law enforcement agencies to DOJ, including the most common types of hate crimes broken down by county and protected class. The briefing will also share information and resources to support ongoing efforts across the state to combat hate. CARE Community Briefings are public virtual webinars to share information about DOJ reports, publications and resources. Please contact [email protected] for any questions about this virtual presentation.

Members of the public can further explore the most recent hate crime data on OpenJustice.