Publications

A report by the ACLU Foundation of Northern California and the Pacific Institute, “A Survey of Efforts to Achieve Universal Access to Water and Sanitation in California,” details the lack of access to sanitation faced by many communities in California. In 2012, California became the first state in the country to enact legislation recognizing the human right to water. But low-income people who l... Read More

A report by the ACLU Foundations of California and Fresno Building Health Communities, “Is Funding for High-Need Students Actually Reaching Those Students? A Review of Fresno Unified’s Local Control Accountability Plan” details one school district’s attempt to improperly use state funds designated for high need students. In 2014, California passed the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), a law th... Read More

This report recommends a hierarchy of reforms based on their financial feasibility. Policy updates and improvements would require no new resources and would help to improve degraded police-community relationships. Read More

“Smart city” products are often touted as cost-efficient solutions to providing government services and addressing societal challenges, but in reality, these technologies are no more intelligent than the data and algorithms behind them. Like other tools, their effectiveness depends on when, where and how they are used. These technologies can cause real harm to people—they have the power to exacerb... Read More

On any given day, over 60 percent of people in jail in California are awaiting trial or sentencing, and many remain detained simply because they cannot afford to post money bail. The results can be devastating. Individuals who spend even a few days in pretrial detention - let alone weeks or even months - can end up losing their jobs, their homes, and their children. The current bail system disprop... Read More

Like many teenage boys, Nathan and Caleb, 14- and 16-year-old brothers who were students at Clarkston High School in rural Washington, liked to play pranks. At least they did until an incident at school landed both boys with felony charges. One morning the boys were in the same class with a substitute teacher watching a movie when they remembered the small bottles of fart spray they had with th... Read More

The purpose of this report is to share the trends and patterns we have identified, to offer policy solutions to end the disgraceful practice of deporting veterans, address the needs of those who have been deported, and, ultimately, to help bring our banished veterans back home to the U.S. where they can be reunited with their families. Read More

One year ago, 60% of California voters passed Proposition 47, which changed six petty drug and theft offenses from felonies to misdemeanors and mandated that savings from reduced incarceration be invested in communities. In passing Prop 47, voters sent a strong message that it’s time for California to shift gears from the expensive, one-size-fits-all approach of incarceration toward smarter approa... Read More

Surveillance is on the rise in our communities, but basic transparency, oversight, and accountability remain the exception, not the rule. This guide provides a step-by-step framework to approach surveillance proposals, properly evaluate their true costs, and develop policies that provide transparency, oversight, and accountability. Read More

Privacy & Free Speech: It’s Good for Business is your essential guide to avoiding costly privacy and free speech missteps that can destroy user trust, lead to government investigations and expensive lawsuits, and damage the bottom line. Read More

California jails are required by law to protect the reproductive health of the people in their care. But across the state, we’re seeing that accessing reproductive health care becomes a frightening and traumatic experience for incarcerated people. A report by the ACLU of California, “Reproductive Health Behind Bars in California,” found that jails are putting people’s health at risk by denying, de... Read More

Executive summary The question of whether or not California should legalize adult use of marijuana beyond medical purposes is gaining increased attention by voters and policymakers in California. Four states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize recreational marijuana use, and each offers important lessons for California. But there are circumstances that are unique to our state th... Read More