Weekly Update from California Attorney General's Office

NEW HATE CRIMES GUIDANCE AND REPORTS:
On Wednesday, the California Department of Justice unveiled new guidance, reports, and resources to help the public and law enforcement better understand and address the rise in hate crimes in California. Overall hate crimes in the state are at their highest reported level in more than a decade, with California seeing 1,330 bias events in 2020. This significant increase in hate crime activity — impacting a wide range of Californians — was particularly pronounced for Asian Americans during periods in which harmful rhetoric from public figures sought to connect the Asian community with COVID-19. This week’s announcement provides both the public and local officials with the necessary tools and information to better prevent, increase reporting of, and prosecute hate crimes in our state. It’s going to take all of us working together at the DOJ to take on hate and its toxic effects on our society. Check out our latest video on tackling hate crimes here.

2020 GUN SALES DATA ANNOUNCED:
On Thursday, we released statewide 2020 gun sales data, which shows a record increase in the number of hand guns legally sold in the state and that the number of long guns sold last year was second only to 2016. While legal gun sales do not always translate into violent incidents, they are a reminder of the importance of California’s red flag laws, such as Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) and Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROs). GVROs and DVROs can help local law enforcement temporarily recover firearms or prevent the purchase of firearms by individuals who have shown a probability to commit violence. Red flag laws can be a proactive tool to help prevent gun violence.

REDUCING HFC EMISSIONS:

This week, we supported the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a greenhouse gas that is thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide in its ability to trap heat over a 20-year timeframe. HFCs are a commonly-used refrigerant and the fastest-growing source of emissions in the United States and around the world. We’re running out of time to fight climate change, and its impacts are disproportionately being borne by our environmental justice and tribal communities. Reducing HFC emissions is one of the most effective and speedy ways to blunt its rise.

DEFENDING STATES’ RIGHTS TO REGULATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS:

We also filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals supporting North Dakota’s regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). PBMs – which act as the middlemen between pharmacies, drug manufacturers, health insurance plans, and consumers greatly impact the price that people pay for prescription drugs and are critical to ensuring residents have access to their prescribed medication. The net price that consumers pay for pharmaceuticals has continually risen under the oversight of PBMs, emphasizing the need for regulation in order to protect Californians.

FIVE ADDITIONAL STATES ADDED TO TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS LIST:

On Monday, the California Department of Justice announced that the state will restrict state-funded travel to Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia, as a result of new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation recently enacted in each state. The five states are a part of a recent, dangerous wave of discriminatory new bills signed into law in states across the country that directly work to ban transgender youth from playing sports, block access to life-saving care, or otherwise limit the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community. The new restrictions on state-funded travel to the states are prescribed by law in California pursuant to Assembly Bill 1887, which was enacted in 2016 to avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.

DEFENDING NY ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW:

Today, we joined a multi-state coalition in defense of New York’s public accommodation law in Emilee Carpenter, LLC v. James. The case involves a wedding photographer who posted a notice on her website indicating her intention to refuse service on the basis of sexual orientation and then sued the state to seek an exemption. Refusing service to someone because of who they love or who they are isn’t just discriminatory, it’s wrong. Public accommodation laws — like California’s and New York’s — work to protect the rights of all state residents, particularly members of disadvantaged groups, from the economic, personal, and social harms caused by discrimination.

ANNUAL STATISTICS:

Yesterday, our office released four annual reports as well as 10 new data dashboards from the Research Center that provide the public with statewide data on criminal justice statistics in California. The reports are available on OpenJustice, a data-driven initiative that works to increase access to criminal justice data and support the development of public policy. While the report shows that violent crime rates are still well below historical highs, the increases this past year are unacceptable.