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Gov. Jerry Brown today vetoed a bill that would have modestly reformed California’s drug sentencing laws for simple possession, significantly reduced incarceration costs for counties and helped the state end its ongoing incarceration crisis. Read More

Today is a frustrating day in California. Despite huge overwhelming support from California voters from across the state and political spectrum, Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed an historic sentencing reform bill that was sent to his desk with bipartisan support in the state Legislature. Read More

Gov. Jerry Brown today vetoed SB 744, authored by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach) and which would have limited the circumstances in which students can be transferred to alternative schools, ensured appropriate educational placements and created ways for students sent to these schools to transfer back to mainstream schools. Read More

Shocking revelations about creepy government surveillance came in waves over the summer, from the Snowden leaks to the Hemisphere Project, through which the government has paid AT&T for access to a mind-bogglingly vast database of our telephone calls. In many cases of new surveillance technologies like Hemisphere, there are serious constitutional concerns that courts have not yet reviewed. Tha... Read More

The ACLU of California announced Thursday that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will chair a blue ribbon panel that will study the complex legal and policy issues that must be resolved as California considers legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana for adults. Read More

Today, ACLU attorneys sent a letter demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stop its deeply troubling practice of arresting people at Kern County Courthouses. Over the past year, ICE agents have taken advantage of unsuspecting individuals who were attempting to pay fines, appear for court appearances, get married or obtain restraining orders. Read More

The ACLU of California took a position on over 118 bills before the legislature. This year stands as one of the most robust in advancing our civil liberties: the governor signed into law 12 of our priority bills. Read More

This summer Californians celebrated a historic victory when Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law AB 1266 – the School Success and Opportunity Act. The law makes sure that all students, including transgender students, have the opportunity to graduate from California’s public schools, by ensuring they can be themselves and fully participate in school facilities and activities such as sports and physical... Read More

The ACLU of Northern California, along with other public interest and legal services organizations, won an important victory last week for families who live in public housing. Read More

The ACLU of Northern California urges Santa Clara County to keep its current immigration detainer policy and to reject the District Attorney's recommendation to adopt a policy that would allow enforcement of immigration detainers under certain circumstances. Read More