Archive

SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Senate voted to approve Assembly Bill 3131, a bill to increase transparency and accountability in law enforcement’s acquisition of military equipment. The bill was introduced by Assemblymembers Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) and David Chiu (D-San Francisco). Eva Brittan, Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Southern California, had this to say in response: Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today the ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) on behalf of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness (SRCEH), in a letter sent in partnership with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, called on the County of Sacramento to repeal its unconstitutional ban on panhandling. The letter was part of an effort by ... 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

Prosecutors and judges can stop harmful "generational incarceration" by looking at public safety with a trauma-informed eye on alternatives. Read More

In 2004, the FBI conducted a “threat assessment” of long-time journalists and commentators Justin Raimondo and Eric Garris, as well as their website, Antiwar.com. In violation of the federal Privacy Act, this threat assessment compiled descriptions of the journalists’ First Amendment activities without any apparent law enforcement purpose. Attorneys at the ACLU Foundation of Northern California an... Read More

Frankie Guzman was 15 years old the first time he committed a crime. Even though it was his first offense, the prosecutor pushed for harsh punishment, ignoring an alternative path to rehabilitation. Read More

The federal government has long targeted people using information collected at the state and local level. A new California law offers new opportunities to curtail the flow of sensitive data that fuels Trump's deportation machine. Read More

Fresno County’s general plan violates California state law and ignores the needs of Fresno’s most vulnerable community members. Fresno should adopt a plan that includes the voices of all of its residents. 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

BREAKING – Today, the Federal Court allowed the ACLU’s First Amendment challenge to California's execution viewing procedure to move forward, rejecting the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s attempt to deprive journalists of the right to view and fully report on an execution. Linda Lye, Senior Staff Attorney, issued the following statement in reaction to the Court’s rulin... Read More