Hate crimes dip in San Diego amid surges in other major U.S. cities

San Diego saw a significant decline in hate crimes last year, down 15% to 39 total offenses in 2022, according to a new report.

• Meanwhile, hate crimes spiked in most of the nation's 10 largest cities, setting a record at 1,889 cases nationally.

Why it matters: It was the second straight year of increases in major metros' average number of hate crimes — typically defined as violence stemming from victims' race, color, sexuality, religion or national origin, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.

• The unpublished report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino reflects a 22-year trend of increasing hate crimes nationwide, amid a rise in white nationalism and soaring number of attacks on Asian Americans during the pandemic.

Context: San Diego's drop in hate crimes comes after the city hit a 12-year high in 2021 with 46 hate crimes reported, per the report. Those range from vandalism to threats to assault, SD Police Department data shows.

Zoom in: While the decline appears to be good news, these attacks are still prevalent locally.

• San Diego Police are investigating an antisemitic hate crime near SDSU, where police say a local rabbi was attacked in late August.
• The attack followed other recent antisemitic incidents, including racist flyers on cars in Allied Gardens area and swastikas drawn at UCSD's campus.

Between the lines: The types of incidents in the San Diego area, including 2019's deadly synagogue shooting in Poway, suggest the city is a microcosm of what's happening in cities across the country, the center's director Brian Levin told Axios.

By the numbers: The San Diego County District Attorney's Office filed charges in dozens of hate crime cases perpetrated by adult offenders over the last five years. The vast majority were race-related.

• 22 of 31 cases were race-based in 2018
• 15 of 30 cases in 2019
• 18 of 21 cases in 2020
• 25 of 30 cases in 2021
• 16 of 21 cases in 2022

Of note: Others involved sexual orientation, religion and gender bias.

The big picture: Los Angeles and Sacramento each hit a record number of hate crimes in 2022, while San Francisco and San Jose experienced dips, the report shows.

• A decrease in hate crimes against Asian Americans contributed to that, yet California saw a rise in hate crimes overall.

What they're saying: San Diego's downtrend could be the "eye of the storm" as election season approaches, a time when hate crimes often spike in major cities, Levin warned.

• These incidents also tend to pick up at the end of the year around religious holidays, he said.

Be smart: Witnesses and victims can report hate crimes to local law enforcement online or over the phone at (619) 515-8805.

• Counseling and other resources are also available through a statewide hotline at (833) 866-4283.