Archive

SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Assembly voted to approve Senate Bill 1421. Introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the historic legislation will make public information about officers who shoot, kill, or engage in serious misconduct like falsifying evidence or committing sexual assault while on the job. “Today’s vote marks a tremendous victory in the fight for police accountabilit... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Last night, a bill that would have changed the standard for when California police can use deadly force was held in the Legislature. Assembly Bill 931, introduced by Assemblymembers Weber (D-San Diego) and McCarty (D-Sacramento), would have established that police officers cannot use deadly force when they have other reasonable alternatives. In response, Alliance for Boys and Men o... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed into law Senate Bill 10, the California Bail Reform Act.  The following statement can be jointly attributed to the three Executive Directors of the California ACLU affiliates: Abdi Soltani (Northern California), Hector Villagra (Southern California), and Norma Chávez Peterson (San Diego & Imperial Counties): We are disappoint... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today, the Executive Directors of the ACLU California affiliates announced a change to the ACLU’s position on Senate Bill 10, the California Bail Reform Act.  The following statement can be jointly attributed to the three Executive Directors of the California ACLU affiliates: Abdi Soltani (Northern California), Hector Villagra (Southern California), and Norma Chávez Peterson (San D... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations advanced legislation to open law enforcement misconduct and use of force records in California. SB 1421, introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), will make public information about confirmed cases of misconduct – including sexual assault and job-related dishonesty – and serious uses of force by peace officers in California. L... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today, Senator Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) unveiled amendments to bail reform legislation, Senate Bill 10, he introduced in 2016. Natasha Minsker, Center Director for the ACLU of California Center for Advocacy and Policy, issued the following statement in response to the changes in the bill: For years, California’s money bail system has been among the most egregious examples of a two... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO – Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and John Lewis (D-Ga.) today wrote to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demanding a meeting to discuss Amazon’s face surveillance product Rekognition. The letter comes after the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California released results of a test this morning revealing that Rekognition falsely matched 28 current members of Congress with image... Read More

Today the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California released the results of a test revealing that Amazon’s facial surveillance product Rekognition falsely matched 28 current members of Congress with images in an arrest photo database. In the ACLU’s test, legislators from both parties, from states across the country, were falsely matched. Congressional members of color we... Read More

In a test the ACLU recently conducted of Amazon's facial recognition tool, called “Rekognition,” the software incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress, identifying them as other people who have been arrested for a crime. The false matches were disproportionately of people of color. Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, a federal judge blocked the City of Sacramento's anti-panhandling ordinance. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and the Legal Services of Northern California issued the following response: Today’s ruling is a resounding victory for free speech and fairness, and is the first in California to make clear that the government can’t arbitrarily enact anti-panhandling ordin... Read More