News

During a hearing on the federal preliminary injunction prohibiting San Francisco from citing and arresting unhoused people who have no access to shelter, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appeared to reject the city's argument that the injunction prevents San Francisco from maintaining a safe and healthy environment on the streets. The lawsuit, Coalition on Homelessness v. ... Read More

The ACLU of Northern California and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area sent a letter to San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu asking him to discuss settlement terms that would prioritize developing affordable housing, expanding access to temporary shelter, and providing services to help unhoused San Franciscans get off the streets and back on their feet. Read More

In Santa Clara County, people who want to voluntarily appear in court to address an outstanding arrest warrant must first go to jail if they are too poor to post bail. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and Criminal Defense Clinic at Stanford Law School have sued Santa Clara County Superior Court over this unconstitutional policy that results in an unequal system of justice. Read More

The ACLU of Northern California, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and Latham & Watkins LLP filed a brief in federal court asking a judge to appoint a special master to oversee the city of San Francisco's compliance with a December 2022 injunction barring the city from forcibly displacing unhoused people and destroying their belongings. Read More

Over eight years, more than 50,000 Kern defendants have pled guilty without lawyers at their first court appearance Read More

The lawsuit filed in 2022 challenged the legality of civil assessments imposed on low-income Californians. The courts used the unlawful late fees to raise revenue to fund operations. Read More

An ACLU lawsuit challenges a Sebastopol ordinance designed to drive unhoused people out of town by banning vehicles "used for human habitation" from parking anywhere within city limits during the day. Read More

For years, San Francisco has claimed that it is taking steps to address the City’s homelessness crisis. But in fact, the City is forcing unhoused people out of sight—destroying their survival belongings and citing and arresting them for sleeping in public when they have no shelter. Read More

A federal judge has blocked the City of Fresno from enforcing an ordinance that puts unconstitutional restrictions on reporters, advocates, and other members of the public documenting how city workers treat unhoused people during encampment sweeps. Read More

Today, the ACLU of Northern California filed a complaint with the California Department of Justice urging Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate the Oakland Unified School District’s racially discriminatory school closure plan, which disproportionately impacts Black students and families. Read More

An ACLU lawsuit urges a federal court to void a Fresno law that creates an unlawful buffer zone around homeless encampments during city sweeps Read More

Two new ACLU reports call on District Attorneys in Merced and Sacramento Counties to change policies that fuel mass incarceration, and racial disparities in sentencing Read More