Publications

Federal and state law enforcement entities across the country are using a powerful cell phone surveillance tool commonly referred to as a “StingRay.”  These devices are capable of locating a cell phone with extraordinary precision, but to do so they operate in dragnet fashion, scooping up information from a target device, as well as otherwireless devices in the vicinity.  In addition, th... Read More

Question: Who are the most powerful elected officials most voters have never voted for? Answer: Your district attorney & sheriff. They speak for you, but what are they saying on these issues? Download this voter toolkit and vote on June 3. Read More

Our new policy paper, Metadata: Piecing Together a Privacy Solution, examines how outdated laws and new technologies combine to put personal privacy at risk and proposes a way forward to ensure that sensitive data of any type gets the protection it deserves. Read More

Our new policy paper, Losing the Spotlight: A Study of California’s Shine the Light Law, takes a close look at California’s landmark transparency law, why its important and whether current law is doing enough to protect our personal information. Read More

In the name of public safety, Black children in Oakland are being arrested at vastly disproportionate rates. This derails their opportunities for educational success while failing to ensure our children’s safety. From Report Card to Criminal Record: The Impact of Policing Oakland Youth describes the various and overlapping law enforcement agencies which police Oakland’s children. Read More

La "Ley de Seth" es una nueva ley que fortalece leyes estatales existentes contra el hostigamiento para ayudar a proteger a todos los estudiantes de las escuelas públicas de California. La Ley de Seth requiere que las escuelas públicas de California actualicen sus politicas y programas contra el hostigamiento, y se enfoquen en proteger a los estudiantes que son hostigados por su orientación sexual... Read More

This report reviews both legal and policy considerations for police practices in immigrant communities – from traffic stops and unnecessary arrests to immigration-based detention in local jails, including vechicle checkpoints and impoundments. Details are included on the financial and human costs of these practices, including several personal stories.The report is accompanied by a summary of cost-... Read More

"The Hidden Death Tax" is a comprehensive report on the costs of California’s death penalty, analyzing for the first time records of actual costs in California death penalty trials.  The report demonstrates that while California tax payers spend well over $100 million every year on the death penalty, it is unclear just how much money is being spent. At the post-conviction level, California taxp... Read More

"Death by Geography" reviews the death-sentencing practices, public safety records, and spending practices of the 24 most populous California counties. The report reveals that while the vast majority of California counties have largely abandoned execution in favor of simply sentencing people to die in prison, just 10 counties continue to aggressively pursue executions, accounting for nearly 85 pe... Read More

This report is a distillation of a roundtable discussion, which focused on the nature of the problem of school bias and pushout, how vulnerable youth populations intersect with one another, and the need to address these very complex and overlapping issues in a manner that is respectful of all students served by our education system. The report concludes with a discussion of various approaches that... Read More

Twenty-three high school-aged young people from northern California spent eight days in the summer of 2007 investigating a civil liberties topic of their choice: the myths and truths of military recruitment and military service. The result is an empathic, impassioned, evocative series of essays, poems, photographs and drawings titled “The Truth Behind the Camouflage.” The young people, who were... Read More

This report explains in detail the joint assessment the ACLU of California on government-funded video surveillance cameras and the current state of video surveillance in California. Read More