News

A report, "Breaking Down Educational Barriers for California’s Pregnant and Parenting Students," released today by the ACLU of California found that pregnant and parenting students in California are being denied the equal opportunity to succeed in school. Read More

Senator Mark Leno has joined forces with a diverse coalition of the state’s leading technology companies and organizations, including the ACLU-NC to announce new legislation that modernizes California’s privacy laws to keep up with emerging technologies. The bill protects Californians against warrantless government access to electronic data. Read More

EUREKA – Eureka City Schools has reached a settlement agreement that resolves a lawsuit filed last year by the National Center for Youth Law and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Under the agreement, the district will implement a community-wide collaborative process aimed at cultivating a positive and inclusive school climate where all students feel welcome and safe. Th... Read More

Today the ACLU of California unveiled plans to expand its advocacy work through its legislative office, the Sacramento-based Center for Advocacy and Policy. The organization also welcomed Natasha Minsker as Center Director and Kevin Baker as Legislative Director. Read More

Download the Fall 2014 ACLU of Northern California Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives. Read More

A federal court judge has certified a nationwide class, and rejected the government’s motion to dismiss, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of certain asylum seekers who are detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for months while they await screening interviews that allow them to proceed on their claims for protection in U.S. immigration courts. Read More

The ACLU of California celebrates the President's move to keep millions of families together by protecting an estimated 1.6 million undocumented Californians from deportation. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of a fight in addressing our broken immigration system. The ACLU remains committed to expanding relief to all immigrants and preventing further militarization of border. Read More

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that Proposition 35, a 2012 California ballot initiative that would have restricted the rights of registered sex offenders to communicate on the Internet, is likely unconstitutional. The opinion affirms an earlier district court ruling in Doe v. Harris, a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the Electronic Fro... Read More

Counties and cities across California have spent more than $60 million on invasive surveillance technology, the vast majority of which are being used by law enforcement agencies without any sort of public debate, consideration of costs and benefits, or adequate policies to safeguard against misuse, according to data compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union of California. Read More

Today, California's Department of Motor Vehicles issued emergency regulations that will determine how driver’s licenses are granted to undocumented immigrants under California's AB 60 (Alejo). The DMV’s emergency regulations are effective for 180 days. Responding to community suggestions raised at hearings in Oakland and Los Angeles, the new regulations expand the types of documents which immigran... Read More

On Sunday, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 873, a bill which will set aside $3 million to provide legal aid to refugee children fleeing endemic violence in their home countries. In response, the ACLU of California issued the following statement: "While the ACLU of California applauds California lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown for taking important steps to ensure that some children aren't fo... Read More

Today Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Fair Sentencing Act (SB 1010) authored by Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles). The legislation eliminates the groundless disparity in sentencing, probation, and asset forfeiture guidelines for possession of crack cocaine for sale versus the same crime involving powder cocaine that has resulted in a pattern of racial discrimination in sentencing and inca... Read More