Tracking violence at home.

The rate of domestic violence involving same-sex couples jumped 29% in 2000, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. The organization reported a total of 4,048 cases that were tracked in nine regions. More than half of the cases--2,146--were reported in Los Angeles.

Advocates said Los Angeles's high numbers reflect the extensive outreach and education there. The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center runs a domestic violence prevention support and treatment program, known as STOP.

"The bad news is that domestic violence is very real," said Gwenn A. Baldwin, the center's executive director. "The good news is that Los Angeles has access to a great domestic violence program designed specifically to help clients."

The number of incidents reported in San Francisco dropped from 741 to 691, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. "I wish I could say [San Francisco's decline] represents a diminishment of the actual problem," said Shawna Virago, director of the domestic violence survivor program at the San Francisco-based Community United Against Violence. "There's still too much work to be done."