Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen’s bill, AB 1336 to create regionalized task forces to address hate crimes, passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee unanimously last week. Hate crimes have gone up at alarming rates during the past year. There have been over 1600 hate related crimes reported nationwide. Currently crimes of this nature are going largely unreported to law enforcement or to the Department of Justice. “People have been harassed, they have been shunned, personal property has been vandalized and in some cases, acts of physical violence and death have occurred,” said Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen. “We have a responsibility to protect every individual from hate-based crimes. No one should have to live in fear and AB 1336 is an important first step toward allowing people to feel safe.”