Hate crimes reach historic low in LA County

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Hate crimes have risen in the nation and the state of California.

But in Los Angeles County, the numbers, released today by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, tell a different story. In 2010, L.A. saw 427 reports of hate crimes - the least recorded in the 21 years such crimes have been monitored.

The sharpest decrease was in crimes against African-Americans and Jews.

Robin Toma, the executive director of the commission, credited the decrease to a crackdown on gangs that target African-Americans. There's also been a reduction in anti-Semitic graffiti.

Toma said he's proud of the results.

"We are extraordinarily pleased and feel encouraged by this because we have working hard, along with many other partners that can really take heart in what we're seeing here," he said. "This is not just a blip on the screen. This is happening year after year and continuing on a downward trend. I think the challenge is to keep it continuing downward."

The report did see a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, including a 22 percent rise in crimes targeting Mexican-Americans.

You can read the full report here: