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Los Angeles Hosts Annual ‘Stop the Hate’ Campaign Amidst Growing Reports

Los Angeles County hosted its seventh annual United Against Hate Week with community partners to rally against the growing hate incidents that are occurring across the country. United Against Hate Week (UAHW) is used as a call for local civic action to stop hate, discrimination, and implicit biases that negatively impact our diverse communities across the state.

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While hate crime reporting is still very underreported, mainly due to fear from victims, Toma said the LA vs Hate reporting line has changed the way people view reporting crimes because victims are now given the option to receive resources, such as counseling, to help get them through their trauma. Before the reporting line existed, victims felt ignored by police because often no action was taken from the report.
While hate crime reporting is still very underreported, mainly due to fear from victims, Toma said the LA vs Hate reporting line has changed the way people view reporting crimes because victims are now given the option to receive resources, such as counseling, to help get them through their trauma. Before the reporting line existed, victims felt ignored by police because often no action was taken from the report.

By Magaly Muñoz

Los Angeles County hosted its seventh annual United Against Hate Week with community partners to rally against the growing hate incidents that are occurring across the country.

United Against Hate Week (UAHW) is used as a call for local civic action to stop hate, discrimination, and implicit biases that negatively impact our diverse communities across the state.

Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission Executive Director Robin Toma said the event is usually held in November, but they decided to move the event up to September because of the fall election and the negative rhetoric it has brought to certain groups.

“We knew that with this special election year there would be a lot of things said that would foment hate, foment division, foment hostility and scapegoating of others,” Toma said.

Following the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, where Trump spread misinformation about Haitian immigrants eating animals, hate crimes against Haitians grew in Springfield, Ohio.

Although the group will not publicly endorse a candidate, Toma encouraged everyone to “vote against hate” because who and what people vote for can contribute to whether hate continues to rise or not.

While hate crime reporting is still very underreported, mainly due to fear from victims, Toma said the LA vs Hate reporting line has changed the way people view reporting crimes because victims are now given the option to receive resources, such as counseling, to help get them through their trauma. Before the reporting line existed, victims felt ignored by police because often no action was taken from the report.

LA County District Attorney George Gascón, who has served as San Francisco District Attorney and Police Chief, said the DA’s office is taking two major actions against hate crimes.

The first action is prosecution where the case calls for it, but Gascón said this is not the sole approach he wants to rely on.

The DA’s office also prioritizes education and restorative justice programs for hate crimes to offenders who qualify. This could involve offenders visiting the communities where they committed their crime so that they may learn the severity of committing these hateful acts.

“In a county as diverse as Los Angeles, my office is extremely proud of our partnership with this important community coalition to take strong action against hate crimes, and to encourage acceptance and understanding among Angelenos,” Gascón said.

LA County recently had a reported spike in hate crimes by 18% from 790 to 929 reported crimes in 2022. Gascón said the county has the highest prosecution rate for hate crimes in all counties across California.

Hate crime victim Frankie Aguirre also spoke at the United Against Hate event, sharing his experience as a gay man in Los Angeles.

Aguirre was the victim of harassment by his neighbors for six years because of his sexuality. He often felt he could not invite family and friends to his home for fear that residents in his building would bully them too.

Aguirre said he decided to call the 211 LA Hate hotline number to report the harassment he’d been receiving. After calling, he was connected to a care coordinator that connected him to services and resources, which he said he wouldn’t be here without.

The team at LA vs Hate helped him get out of his toxic living situation and he urged others in a similar place to contact the team to receive help.

LA vs Hate has received more than 2,700 reports of hate, over 800 during the last year, according to the organization. Nearly 90% of callers have requested personal assistance through case management.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate program.  The program is supported by partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

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Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans
Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

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Activism

OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

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Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.
Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.

Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.

Our community is hurting. Things have to change.

The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.

I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.

SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.

For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.

This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.

Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.

Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.

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