News

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate passed AB 1215: The Body Camera Accountability Act, legislation to block law enforcement agencies from using facial recognition surveillance against Californians on officer-worn body cameras. Introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), AB 1215 passed the Senate just weeks after the ACLU released test results showing that facial recognition so... Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate voted to pass AB 45, state legislation introduced by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay) to eliminate copays for medical and dental services provided in California county jails. The bipartisan vote follows the decision by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to voluntarily eliminate copays in state prisons earlier this ... Read More

SACRAMENTO – Today the California State Assembly passed Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 6, which would restore voting rights to nearly 50,000 Californians on parole. ACA 6, authored by Asm. Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), passed with a 54-16 vote. ACA 6 will next go through the California State Senate, where it will need a 2/3 majority to pass. If it passes through the Senate, the constituti... Read More

OAKLAND — Today, the ACLU of Northern California will give public comment at the BART Board of Directors meeting calling on the Board to forgo any potential ordinance that would prohibit panhandling on BART. In its public comment letter, the ACLU warns that panhandling, busking, and other forms of solicitation are free speech protected under the First Amendment as well as state law. The letter ... Read More

TULARE — The ICE Out of Tulare Coalition has decided, as a strong collective action, to not physically attend the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (“TRUTH”) Act Forum of Tulare County’s scheduled for August 20th, 2019. We stand as a coalition united in solidarity to not exert efforts to organize behind the unsuitably planned TRUTH Act Forum this year. The Sheriff and Board of S... Read More

SACRAMENTO — Propelled by the leadership of hundreds of family members whose loved ones were killed by California police officers, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed historic legislation to strengthen the state’s law on police use of force. Introduced by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), Assembly Bill 392: The California Act to Save Lives will establish a “necessary” use of force standar... Read More

SACRAMENTO — After putting facial recognition technology to the test using photos of all 120 members of the State Legislature, the American Civil Liberties Union of California released results that further support the need for AB 1215 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), which bans facial recognition in police body cameras. Read More

BAKERSFIELD — Farm worker and immigration activist Jose Bello, who was arrested and imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shortly after reciting an anti-ICE and Trump administration poem at a public meeting, has been freed. His ICE-imposed bail of $50,000 was paid by: National Football League players Josh Norman and Demario Davis, who are members of the of the Players C... Read More

Download the Summer 2019 ACLU of Northern California Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives. Read More

SAN FRANCISCO — The ACLU Foundation of Northern California went to court today to seek an injunction that would prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from blocking Pangea Legal Services and other legal service providers meaningful access to people swept up in ICE raids. We are also asking a federal judge to prohibit ICE from processing people arrested in ICE raids until they are able... Read More

SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate passed landmark legislation to strengthen the law on police use of force and reduce the number of deadly police shootings in the state. Assembly Bill 392: The California Act to Save Lives, introduced by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), will establish a “necessary” use of force standard, paving the way for other states to follow suit. Police o... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO – Axon, a maker of officer worn body cameras used by many United States police departments, today announced that it will not add facial recognition systems to those devices. This announcement comes as the California Legislature considers the ACLU-sponsored Body Camera Accountability Act (AB 1215), a bill that would prohibit the use of facial recognition and other biometric surveil... Read More