Visit ACLUNC.ORG to learn more and get involved. http://www.aclunc.org The Assembly Public Safety Committee is considering the police-lobby sponsored AB 2377 (Hayashi, D-Hayward). Rather than opening up records, AB 2377 would make it even more difficult for victims of police misconduct who sue police departments for abuse and for criminal defendants who allege police wrongdoing to learn about prior citizen complaints against the officers involved. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/support_police_transparency.shtml?s_src=RSS April 22, 2008 PST "The RESTORE Act" (H.R. 3773), was introduced in early October in an attempt to fix the disastrous Protect America Act that was rushed through Congress in August, rubber-stamping the administration's warrantless wiretapping program. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/call_for_the_constitution.shtml?s_src=RSS October 22, 2007 PST When the innocent go to prison, the guilty go free. Each time a person is wrongfully convicted in California, the true perpetrator remains on the streets to commit more crimes and victims are denied justice. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/take_action_against_wrongful_convictions.shtml?s_src=RSS September 18, 2007 PST When we give government dollars to organizations claiming to educate the public on issues of reproductive health, we expect them to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But, unfortunately, that isn't always the case. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/tell_the_governor_to_promote_quality_sex_education.shtml?s_src=RSS September 13, 2007 PST The ACLU has always maintained that discrimination has no place in the housing market. However, some cities in California and across the nation have attempted to require landlords to inquire into the immigration and citizenship status of all tenants and prospective tenants. Some cities have created policy to turn private landlords into federal immigration agents and to force them to discriminate against individuals seeking housing based on their presumed immigration status. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/stop_discrimination_in_housing.shtml?s_src=RSS September 12, 2007 PST In 2005, the California State Legislature passed a bill (AB 849) that would have ended discrimination against same-sex couples in the issuance of marriage licenses and would have ensured equal treatment under the law by allowing same-sex couples to marry in California. Unfortunately, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/tell_governor_schwarzenegger_to_support_marriage_equality.shtml?s_src=RSS August 27, 2007 PST Call Mayor Newsom today and tell him that you are a San Franciscan who believes that looking at the facts about camera effectiveness and thoroughly considering the privacy and free speech implications before installing new surveillance cameras on our public streets is how he needs to run San Francisco. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/tell_mayor_newsom_that_ignoring_the_facts_about_video_surveillance_is_no_way_to_run_the_city.shtml?s_src=RSS August 24, 2007 PST When the innocent go to prison, the guilty go free. Herman Atkins spent 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit—hear his story, then help fix California’s criminal justice system. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/help_end_wrongful_convictions.shtml?s_src=RSS August 14, 2007 PST As you may know, during the first week of August, Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to hold President Bush accountable for his ongoing spying on Americans. Instead of putting a stop to the Bush Administration’s out-of-control abuse of power, Congress gave the President more power to invade our privacy and trample on our Constitutional rights. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/help_prevent_warrantless_spying.shtml?s_src=RSS August 14, 2007 PST As you may know, on April 18, 2007, the Supreme Court ignored its own precedents and upheld the first ever federal criminal abortion law in Gonzales v. Carhart. As Justice Ginsburg stated in her dissent, the “Court’s defense of [the legislation] cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this Court.” The law upheld in Carhart not only prohibits a safe abortion procedure taught in leading medical schools but also fails to make any exception to protect the woman’s health. Further, it ignores the expertise of medical organizations and imposes criminal punishments on doctors who use this technique to protect their patients’ health. Tell Congress to Take a Stand for Women's Health! Clearly, this criminal statute and the Supreme Court decision upholding it are, for anti-choice activists, steps toward completely outlawing abortion. But if abortion were to become illegal, what should happen to the women who still choose to have the procedure? http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/tell_congress_to_take_action_for_women's_health.shtml?s_src=RSS August 14, 2007 PST A recent California Supreme Court decision, Copley Press v. Superior Court, has shut out the public’s access to police records and hearings, effectively drawing a cloak of secrecy over police conduct. SB 1019, introduced by Senator Gloria Romero, would overturn the Copley Press decision, which has forced civilian oversight agencies to stop holding public hearings on complaints about police misconduct. The decision has impacted agencies throughout the state including those in Los Angeles, San Diego, Berkeley, San Francisco and Oakland. SB 1019 is endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, California Newspaper Publishers Association, Los Angeles Times, and many civil rights and community groups throughout the state. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/urge_your_assemblymember_to_restore_civilian_oversight_of_police_agencies_and_support_sb_1019.shtml?s_src=RSS May 14, 2007 PST "The Identity Information Protection Act," SB 30, will help Californians keep our private information safe by restricting the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips. SB 30 requires proper privacy and security protections for the use of RFID technology in government-issued ID's, like driver's licenses and medical and benefit cards, and ensures that our most sensitive state-issued identification documents will have adequate levels of security. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/don't_chip_our_rights_away_-_support_sb_30.shtml?s_src=RSS February 14, 2007 PST The Real ID Act was adopted last year as part of a must-pass military appropriations bill. The act rolls back civil liberties protections, attacks privacy rights, and sets the stage for a national ID. Many diverse groups, including the ACLU, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the National Council of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators opposed the Real ID Act. Conservative estimates place the minimum cost of the program at $12 billion. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/urge_congress_to_repeal_the_real_id_act.shtml?s_src=RSS February 14, 2007 PST On the evening of Wednesday, January 17, 2007, the San Francisco Police Commission will vote on whether to install video surveillance cameras at 8 new locations throughout San Francisco, including at 16th and Mission and 24th and Mission. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/tell_san_francisco_no_more_surveillance_cameras.shtml?s_src=RSS January 11, 2007 PST Take Action now and tell the government you are not a piece of cargo. Tell DHS to abandon this program and ensure that no programs are deployed without adequate Congressional oversight, accuracy safeguards, and privacy protections. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/urge_the_department_of_homeland_security_to_abandon_the_automated_targeting_system.shtml?s_src=RSS December 7, 2006 PST Law enforcement agencies depend on public trust to do their jobs effectively. Without community support, a police department can’t carry out its mission of maintaining public safety. Unfortunately, the San Jose Police Department is undermining this trust because it isn’t open with the public. SJPD continues to refuse public requests for copies of police records such as use-of-force and incident reports. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/support_open_records_at_sjpd.shtml?s_src=RSS November 13, 2006 PST We are delighted that California voters rejected Prop 85 and protected the health and safety of our teenagers. Fighting this initiative for a second year in a row (Prop 73, 2005) has only made California's Pro-Choice movement stronger. It's been a tough fight - and we are very grateful for the help we received from our coalition partners, including new partnerships with labor unions and LGBT organizations. We will take the strength and energy built during this election to not only continue our important public policy work in California, but also to redouble our efforts to protect the health and reproductive rights of women, men, and teens throughout the country. http://www.aclunc.org/action/take_action/pro_choice_victory_voters_defeat_prop_85.shtml?s_src=RSS September 19, 2006 PST