Commissioners press staff for clearer framing, graphics and more review time on draft ‘State of Hate’ report

Deputy Director Alec Watts presented a draft of the commission’s annual report at the March 20 meeting, saying staff organized the document around three strategic goals: “providing a comprehensive accounting of hate in California,” “developing recommendations for reducing hate crimes,” and “enhancing resources and support” for affected communities. Watts described research partnerships, a planned CHIS survey module and interim recommendations that include ongoing funding and improved data sharing with community‑based organizations.

Commissioners applauded the report’s depth but pressed for changes to make it more accessible. Commissioner Sonar said the document is “incredible” and urged executive summaries, graphics and reduced technical language so community partners can use it. Vice Chair Salcedo suggested stronger aspirational language, asking the staff to consider replacing “reducing” with “eliminating” hate in chapter headings.

Several commissioners raised content questions. Commissioner Feiler asked whether the report explicitly covers incidents on University of California campuses; staff said UC‑specific data are not currently included but can be added if reliable data are available. Commissioner Damsky flagged factual and phrasing errors — including use of the term “police officers” rather than POST’s preferred term “peace officers” — and asked how editorial corrections would be handled.

On process, Deputy Director Watts proposed two options: the two‑meeting approach used last year (present a draft, gather high‑level feedback, produce a second draft and seek approval) or a hybrid that collects written, line‑level feedback from commissioners, compiles it, and publishes that compilation at a subsequent public meeting to remain compliant with Bagley‑Keene. Commissioners generally favored written submissions plus targeted subcommittee review for recommendation sections.

The commission set next steps: staff will accept written comments (Deputy Director Watts requested those in about two weeks), consider subcommittee briefings on specific sections, and schedule an additional full commission meeting in late April or early May if needed. The commission also discussed producing one‑page summaries and infographics to support outreach and make core findings more digestible for practitioners and the public.

The commission will incorporate these process directions into the next draft circulated before a future public session for additional review.