May 23, 2013
By Hector Villagra, Executive Director, ACLU of Southern California
The consent decree secured by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and the Justice Department accomplished its purpose by and large. This is no longer your father’s Los Angeles Police Department. Continue reading
By Hector Villagra, Executive Director, ACLU of Southern California, and Stephen Rhode, Chair, ACLU Foundation of Southern California
On May 15, 1923, angered by the LAPD’s brutal treatment of striking longshoremen, journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair appeared at a rally in San Pedro. Because the police banned all public meetings by the unionized strikers, the rally was held, with the owner’s written permission, on private property prophetically named “Liberty Hill.” Sinclair began reading the First Amendment. Continue reading
By Peter Bibring, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU of Southern California and Jennifer Lynch, Staff Attorney, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using sophisticated cameras, called “automated license plate readers” or ALPR, to scan and record the license plates of millions of cars across the country. Continue reading
by Joey Hernandez, LGBTQ Student Rights Advocate
Over the years, the north steps of the State Capitol have seen some fierce advocacy by queer youth from across the state of California. The ACLU of California is keeping that legacy alive in the 2013 legislative cycle. Continue reading
LOS ANGELES – Proposed regulations by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that deny American indigenous inmates access to numerous religious items need to be rejected, the ACLU of California said in a comment letter sent late yesterday. Continue reading
Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department withheld data in violation of the California Public Records Act
LOS ANGELES – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU/SC) today jointly filed suit against two Los Angeles-area law-enforcement agencies over their failure to produce records related to the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) Continue reading
PASADENA — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a major decision in a case the ACLU of Southern California filed in 2006. It struck down an ordinance in the city of Costa Mesa that limited free speech at its City Council meetings.
Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit after State Education Officials Failed to Act in Response to January 2013 Report Documenting the Illegal Practice
LOS ANGELES — The ACLU of California (ACLU), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), and the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP today filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of public school students, parents, and educators against the State of California and state education officials related to the denial of language instruction to tens of thousands of English Learner (EL) students across California, in violation of federal and state law. Continue reading
By Ariela Migdal, ACLU Women’s Rights Project
Until today, official United States policy banned all women from being assigned to ground combat units. The policy was military-wide and covered our whole gender – no exceptions for women who were fast, strong, excellent marksmen, good at keeping calm under fire, or able to take and give directions in a high-octane situation. It was one of the last remaining relics of official government exclusion of women. Continue reading
By Will Matthews, ACLU of Northern California & Rebecca McCray, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project
A recent study from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) demonstrates that decriminalization of marijuana can actually improve our children’s futures while saving taxpayers billions of dollars. Continue reading
The Defense Department’s longstanding policy barring women from thousands of ground combat positions was challenged today in a federal lawsuit by four servicewomen and the Service Women’s Action Network. Continue reading
Voting rights are under attack in this country as state legislatures nationwide pass voter suppression laws under the pretext of preventing voter fraud and safeguarding election integrity. These voter suppression laws take many forms, and collectively lead to significant burdens for eligible voters trying to exercise their most fundamental constitutional right. Continue reading
By Hector Villagra
Whenever there is an officer-involved shooting, we are reflexively asked to withhold judgment until all the evidence comes out. So it is somewhat disconcerting for LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, in providing the first detailed account of the shooting of Margie Carranza and Emma Hernandez in Torrance, to tell the Times in an interview that they were the victims of “a tragic misinterpretation” by officers working under “incredible tension.” Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of California on Wednesday charged that about a quarter of California school districts are violating state and federal laws by failing to provide English language instruction to all students who need it and demanded state education officials take action. Continue reading
By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
More than 20,000 students whose first language isn’t English are not getting proper instruction according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which threatened California education officials with a lawsuit Wednesday. Continue reading
The California Department of Education could be sued if it doesn’t take action to ensure all school districts are offering adequate instruction to English learners, according to civil rights groups. Continue reading
ACLU of Southern California Campaigns
works to ensure that a basic standard of care is provided to prisoners, to decrease overreliance on mass incarceration by advocating for alternatives to incarceration, and to promote discharge planning to reduce recidivism.
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works to stop unlawful bullying and harassment in California schools and to create school communities that promote safety and respect for all students.
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works to ensure the rights of Southern California immigrant populations through advocacy, litigation, and public education.
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works to advance local and state policy reforms designed to reduce over-incarceration and to implement evidence-based criminal justice practices.
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There are many who seek to consolidate their power at the expense of others, and the ACLU helps balance the scales by defending justice, freedom and fairness.
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