Is L.A. County the new center of the white power music industry?

That's what the Daily News is reporting in its story about the rise in hate crimes in L.A. County:

But analysts said hate crimes in the county -- up from 594 a year earlier -- are fueled by an increase in white-supremacist gangs in the region, the growing popularity of "white power" music, gang rivalries and tensions between African-Americans and Latinos.

"This is the center of the `white power' music industry, right here in Los Angeles," said Amanda Susskind, director of the Pacific Southwest region of the Anti-Defamation League.

She said her organization has identified about 300 racist skinhead gangs in the county, where most of them didn't exist a decade ago.

"There is a lot of stuff going on, and these people are not only targeting the mainstream to increase hatred, but are specifically targeting kids, so parents need to talk to their kids about hatred," Susskind said.

The San Fernando Valley had the most hate crimes in the county, while the Antelope Valley saw a slight decline. The Daily News story is here.

--Veronique de Turenne