San Diego, CA
San Diego leaders offer tools and resources amid increase in hate crimes
Two San Diego City Councilmembers on Thursday denounced hate amid a rise in hate crimes in the city, state and country, offering tools and resources to report incidents and support victims.
Councilmembers Raul Campillo and Stephen Whitburn met Thursday during United Against Hate Week.
“In District 3, we’ve seen targeted attacks on our LGBTQ+ community and businesses, a stark reminder that hate has real and harmful impacts on our friends, neighbors and loved ones,” Whitburn said. “We cannot and will not allow hate to divide us or undermine the inclusive values that define our city.”
Following a post-pandemic spike in crime in 2021, rates of both violent and property crime in the city and state have declined. Not so for hate crimes, which have increased significantly from that date. According to a San Diego Association of Governments report, the number of incidents had grown from 81 in 2021 to 96 in 2022 and 133 in 2023 — a growth of 64%. The number of victims too has increased by 48% since 2021.
The top motivation for hate crimes in 2021 was race, making up about 70% of the incidents, followed by sexual orientation and religion. However, in 2023 — and displayed in quite a few incidents so far in 2024 — the percentage of crimes motivated by sexual orientation and religion have increased — from a respective 22% and 7% in 2021 to 31% and 24% in 2023.
Earlier this month, a 19-year-old man accused of carrying out a string of pellet gun shootings targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Hillcrest pleaded not guilty to battery charges and hate crime allegations.
Hernan Garduno Hernandez is accused in three separate gel pellet shootings on six victims along University Avenue on the night of Sept. 7.
That night’s first attack happened around 9:40 p.m., when a group of friends standing outside the Burger Lounge restaurant were fired on. Three of the victims were struck in the arms and legs.
About 15 minutes later, an employee of Urban Mo’s Bar & Grill was outside when he was hit by a gel pellet, according to the case prosecutor. Twelve minutes later, a couple walking out of Urban Mo’s were struck in their upper bodies. The couple saw a car drive past and heard laughter coming from the vehicle, she said.
The attacks happened in Hillcrest, the center of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community.
Whitburn and Campillo today gave a nod to California vs. Hate, a free and confidential online and phone hotline available in over 200 languages that allows people to report hate incidents and receive support — including legal, financial, mental health and mediation services, a statement from the councilmen read.
“Unfortunately, recent data has confirmed what our communities have already felt firsthand: hate is on the rise in San Diego and across the nation,” Campillo said. “By reporting hate incidents using tools like California vs. Hate, we end the normalization of behavior that truly has no place in San Diego or anywhere else.”
San Diego County is not alone in seeing a rise in hate. Gov. Gavin Newsom has acknowledged the problem and maintains the state is on the leading edge to address it.
“In California, we’re coming together in solidarity to say no to the division and hate,” he said. “From United Against Hate Week to cutting-edge anti-hate programs, we’re leading the nation in the fight against hate. We’re not going back and we’re not giving up. We’re committed to a California for all.”
Gloria relents on December Nights, some community cuts in budget revise, but arts funds still on chopping block
by City News Service | Times of San Diego
Some library and recreation center hours and December Nights support were restored in Mayor Todd Gloria’s revised Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Wednesday, but city funding for the arts could still be gutted.
Gloria was joined by civic leaders Wednesday morning to announce changes to his initial proposed budget, released last month. He added “targeted protections” of certain neighborhood priorities and maintained police and fire service levels while arriving at a balanced budget.
Proposed additions include protecting rec center and library hours in Council Districts 4, 8 and 9, represented by Henry L. Foster III, Vivian Moreno and Sean Elo-Rivera, respectively.
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The Learning Curve: He’s San Diego Unified’s Next Trustee – No Race Needed
By Jakob McWhinney | Voice of San Diego
The primary is still nearly a month away. The general election is even further out. Still, it’s already clear that Hayden Gore will be San Diego Unified’s next trustee. That’s because he’s running unopposed to fill the seat left open by current Trustee Cody Petterson, who opted not to run for re-election.
Though he’s a political newcomer, Gore was the early choice of San Diego Unified’s union. In fact, he was recruited by the former president of the San Diego Education Association to run for the seat.
It’s not hard to see why. He’s an avowed progressive and a longtime educator who led the then-newly formed union at High Tech High to its first contract. Exactly the kind of resume that would have SDEA champing at the bit.
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Join Us Friday, July 17, 2026 for the 11th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute
By RJS Law
The Institute is the premier annual tax event in San Diego. The region’s top tax attorneys, enrolled agents (EAs), certified public accountants (CPAs), law and business school professors will discuss topics including government loan relief and abuses, challenges in cross-border transactions, and practical and realistic solutions in trust, estate planning, and tax matters.
DATE AND TIME
Friday, July 17, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Theatre
5555 Marian Way, San Diego, CA 92110
EVENT STATUS
Open to the Public
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – For many families, libraries are a safe space for kids after school and a place to study.
After community outcry, the city is scaling down some of its proposed budget cuts, bringing the original $6.3 million in cuts to libraries down to $4.8 million.
Patrick Stewart, CEO of Library Foundation SD, said the change is a step in the right direction.
“We are very pleased. I think this moves the needle in the right direction.”
Mayor Gloria’s revised budget proposal restores funding focused on youth-centered programs, which includes bringing back library hours in Council Districts 4, 8, and 9 — those in underserved communities.
“This is City Heights and San Isidro, Barrio Logan, and Oak Park, and traditionally, those are smaller branches. And the kids and the families in those communities frankly, they use their library very differently than in a lot of other communities, and it’s a lifeline to them,” said Stewart.
The City Heights library is among those included in the mayor’s revised budget to restore funding. While library officials say this is a good first step, there is still concern about long-term financial challenges.
In order to voice concerns about how deep the cuts go, the Library Foundation has created a way for supporters to express that through postcards. Thousands of cards have been mailed directly to Mayor Gloria and councilmembers.
Stewart said the effort is making an impact.
“They’re seeing that this is hundreds and hundreds of people that are taking this very seriously, so it helps them to know immediately what their community feels like when it comes to these proposed cuts,” he added.
The restored funding would also keep Monday hours at Carmel Valley Library and protect the North Clairemont Library branch from closure.
Library officials remain optimistic as the revised budget heads back to the City Council.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
A man suspected of a fatal shooting in Barrio Logan was arrested Tuesday.
Benito Garcia Jr., 31, was arrested in the 3600 block of Grand Avenue in San Marcos at about 1 p.m. Tuesday for allegedly gunning down 64-year-old Raul Torres near the east end of the Coronado Bridge, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Patrol officers responding to an anonymous report of a shooting found the mortally wounded victim on a sidewalk in the 2000 block of National Avenue, near Chicano Park, shortly after 10 p.m. last Tuesday. Torres died at the scene, SDPD Lt. Lou Maggi said.
Police have not disclosed a suspected motive for the slaying.
Garcia was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of first- degree murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
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