Saturday's event kicked off the "Stop the Hate, Be the Love" campaign.
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A hate crime is defined as a criminal offense against a person or property. It's often motivated by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
Bonta said hate crimes have become disturbingly common in California in recent years.
"Whether it's based on race, based on religion, based on sexual orientation, no one is immune," said Bonta. "Everyone has faced increases in hate."
A report from the California Department of Justice shows that in 2021, 1763 hate crimes were reported. In 2022, there were 2,120 hate crimes reported.
"Over 50% of actual hate crimes we identified were not being identified, investigated, or named as hate crimes," said Bonta. "So we provided some guidance on how hate crimes can be better investigated."
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Across six Central California counties in 2022. 53 hate crime-related events were reported.
In Fresno County, there were 23. Madera and Merced Counties reported seven and Tulare saw 11.
Kings County had four reported hate crimes, while Mariposa had one.
At Fresno City College on Saturday, Bonta said the City of Fresno is not in the top 10 when it comes to reported hate crimes.
But that may mean people are still suffering in silence.
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"We know that people will report when, they can tell someone they can trust and when they feel that something can be done," said Bonta, "and when they feel like there'll be no retaliation."
Bonta said community involvement can help bring awareness to report hate crimes and incidents.
The State also has a Community Awareness, Response, and Engagement or "CARE" team. The purpose of it is to work with community groups, state and local leaders, and residents to make sure that diverse perspectives are included in the state's work.
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