Report: 7 hate crimes in Newport

Newport Beach recorded the third-highest number of hate crimes in Orange County in 2008, according to a report released by the state attorney general’s office.

Last year, seven hate crimes were reported in the city, slightly fewer than in Huntington Beach and Irvine, which each reported nine. Costa Mesa recorded two hate crimes in 2008.

The report, “Hate Crime in California,” collects data from county district attorney offices, city prosecutors and police.

Statewide, hate crimes decreased by about 5%, according to the report.

The report does not provide details on trends by city, but two incidents in Newport Beach fell under the category of the two most common motives in the report: race and religion.

Hate crimes are not distinct crimes. Rather, they are traditional offenses motivated by the offender’s bias, according to the report.

In May 2008, an unknown person entered a home undergoing renovations and spray painted racist symbols and words on the floor, including “KKK” and “beaner.” The homeowner was a 47-year-old white woman, police said. Police have not identified any suspects.

In an August 2008 incident, a 21-year-old Muslim moved out of his friend’s parents’ house and wrote “F--- the Jews and PLO” on the wall before leaving. The homeowner was a Jewish woman. She opted not to press charges, police said.

Until 2008, religion had consistently been just the third-most-common motive for a hate crime, according to the report. But last year, religion-based hate crimes totaled 294, mostly against Jews, outnumbering hate crimes based on sexual orientation statewide: 283.

Orange County authorities gave the district attorney’s office 29 cases to review for hate crime charges. Prosecutors filed hate crime charges in 19 of those incidents and non-hate crime related charges in two others.

Last year, 31 of 32 Orange County hate crime cases led to convictions.