REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Al Zelinka, City Manager
VIA: Travis K. Hopkins, Assistant City Manager
PREPARED BY: Grace Yoon-Taylor, Principal Administrative Analyst
Subject:
title
Report on Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents and Recommendations by the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee (HRC)
body
Statement of Issue:
On April 5, 2021, the City Council directed the Huntington Beach Human Relations (HBHRC) to work with the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) and City staff to publish quarterly data summaries of reported hate crimes and hate incidents on the City website and submit recommendations to address these issues based on community stakeholder input. This was partly in response to an increasing number of hate crimes and incidents against Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) throughout Orange County and to support the City’s policy and commitment to safety and inclusivity for all.
As such, the HBHRC formed an ad-hoc subcommittee, comprised of the Chair V.C. Rhone and two Committee members, Vanessa Chow and Dr. Hemesh Patel. The Ad-hoc subcommittee has worked on this task over the past fifteen months, and City staff also had an opportunity to review and provide feedback.
The full report was presented and approved by the HBHRC on November 8, 2022 during their regular public meeting and is now being submitted to the City Council for consideration.
Financial Impact:
None
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Receive and file the Report on Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents and Recommendations by the Huntington Beach Human Relations Committee
end
Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve, and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
Based on the 2021 OC Hate Crimes Report by OC Human Relations Commission, hate crimes have been on the rise with a 165% increase in reported hate crimes and hate incidents in the last five years. Compared to 5 years ago, anti-LGBTQ related hate crimes/incidents have increased by 21-fold, anti-AAPI communities by 50-fold, and anti-Semitic cases by 26-fold. Last year alone, a total of 1,763 hate crimes were reported in California; in Orange County, there were 97 reported hate crimes and 301 hate incidents.
Huntington Beach, like other communities, has been experiencing similar trends in recent years. In 2021, Huntington Beach had a total of 8 reported hate crimes and 5 hate incidents motivated by race/ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The City also responded to several cases of anti-Semitic flyers distributed at our neighborhoods in 2021 and 2022.
|
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022* |
|
Hate Crimes |
4 |
8 |
4 |
8 |
7 |
|
Hate Incidents* |
|
|
|
5 |
6 |
|
Total |
4 |
8 |
4 |
13 |
13 |
*HBPD does not have hate incident data available before 2021.
**2022 data only indicates cases reported as of July 2022.
Per Council direction, HBHRC has researched the City’s approach to this issue and employed several data collection methods:
1. Huntington Beach’s crime data statistics on hate crimes and incidents received by the HBPD
2. Five meetings with HBPD liaison to HBHRC to better understand existing practices of tracking and handling cases of hate crimes and incidents; and
3. Benchmark research on other cities and their approaches (including Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Santa Ana and San Diego);
4. Review of research papers related to hate crimes and incidents;
5. Community Stakeholders meeting on August 24, 2022 with 52 invites of faith leaders, community leaders, Visit HB staff, and business owners.
Based on these findings, the HBHRS made the following recommendations to the City.
Summary of the recommendations from the HBHRC include:
A. Provide support to victims and persons impacted by hate and direct the HBHRC to create and help the HBPD distribute a Resource Tool Kit, which includes brochures, a letter of support, and community resources; and
B. Plan and implement a system to track both hate crimes and hate incidents and publish the quarterly report on the City’s website; and
C. Support the HBHRC to plan, promote, and implement meaningful community engagement opportunities.
Additional recommendations from the HBHRC:
1. Request the City to consider adding more financial support to hire/partner with a subject-matter-expert(s) in human rights, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and/or community engagement. Having an expert would benefit the City to conduct a more thorough examination of the specific needs of the City and to further provide a more coordinated anti-hate, anti-discrimination efforts to the City team and its residents.
2. Request the City to define and/or expand roles and responsibilities of the HBHRC. In reviewing common practices of Boards, Committees, and Commissions of the other municipalities, the Ad-hoc subcommittee has noted that some cities use committees while others use boards or commissions. For example, the City of San Diego’s Human Relations Commissioners are empowered to draft and promulgate regulations, investigate policy, and mediate disputes of discrimination, exclusion, and bias. By understanding these different approaches, the Ad-hoc subcommittee recommends that the City conduct a needs assessment on the HBHRC’s roles and responsibilities. Please see the full report (Attachment I) for more information.
Environmental Status:
Not applicable.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Financial Sustainability, Public Safety or Other
Attachment(s):
1. HBHRC Report on Hate Crimes and Hate Incidents