The No Place for Hate Bills — SB 1161 sponsored by Senator Dave Min, D-Irving, and AB 2448, sponsored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco — will be be effective starting Jan. 1, 2023.
“No Californian should feel unsafe on public transit, yet study after study shows that a majority of women, seniors, LGBTQ+ riders, and other vulnerable populations experience street harassment or worse while commuting,” Min said in a press release.
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“This legislation puts forward a data-driven safety framework that will help us understand why these incidents keep happening. The new survey tool developed by the Mineta Institute is the first step in a strategic approach by the Legislature to address this issue.”
The Protect Customers’ Civil Rights at Businesses bill (AB 2448), authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), will direct the state’s Civil Rights Department to create a first-of-its-kind pilot program that will incentivize businesses to create safe and welcoming environments.
Both bills will combat the attacks against Asians in public transit such as busses and rail transit and in private businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores.
“Customers have the right to feel safe in businesses, and workers need training on ensuring that,” Ting said. “Right now, our state’s civil rights laws do not adequately protect people who are verbally harassed and intimidated while grocery shopping or eating at a restaurant. My bill allows businesses to lead the fight against hate and create more welcoming and safe spaces for all Californians.
“Customers have the right to feel safe in businesses, and workers need training on ensuring that,” Ting said. “Right now, our state’s civil rights laws do not adequately protect people who are verbally harassed and intimidated while grocery shopping or eating at a restaurant. My bill allows businesses to lead the fight against hate and create more welcoming and safe spaces for all Californians.
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2021, Stop AAPI Hate has collected over 11,500 reports of anti-Asian incidents. About 40% of those incidents have occurred in California, the state with the most AAPI residents.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a report in July stating that anti-Asian hate crimes have increased 177% from last year.
Although spurred by the surgee of anti-Asian incidents, the bills will also help members of other marginalized communities who are victims of hate. The two bills hope to address the majority of the hate incidents which may not rise to the legal definition of a hate crime.
“This law names hate-based harassment as a pervasive problem. It is an essential first step in creating safer environments for customers,” Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, said in a press release.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
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