Top Stories From the ACLU of Southern California

Telecommunications Companies' Immunity for Spying on You is Questioned in Court

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) told a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sitting in Seattle, Washington today that Congress acted in an unconstitutional fashion when it passed legislation granting sweeping immunity to telecoms that collaborated in illegal spying.

Aug 31, 2011 |  permalink

Time to End Addiction to Incarceration: A 12 Step Plan for Implementing AB 109

A comprehensive report released by the ACLU of California and sent to officials in every county across the state urges local jurisdictions to fundamentally shift criminal justice policies toward “smart-on-crime” alternatives to incarceration. The new report, Community Safety, Community Solutions, offers guidelines and tools for county governments scrambling to implement the Governor’s new public safety realignment legislation, AB 109.

Aug 16, 2011 |  permalink

Terminate "Secure Communities"

The ACLU of Southern California is calling for an end to Secure Communities (S-Comm), a federal immigration enforcement program that threatens public safety, undermines civil liberties and leads to deportation of people with minor offenses and no criminal convictions at all.

Aug 15, 2011 |  permalink

Latinos Are Shut Out from the Redistricting Process

ACLU of Southern California Executive Director Hector Villagra and Chief Counsel Mark Rosenbaum warned the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors that it may be violating the 1965 Voting Rights Act by failing to create a second majority-Latino supervisorial district.

Aug 9, 2011 |  permalink

The Constitution is Not a State Secret

Attorney General Eric Holder claims the ACLU's lawsuit against the FBI's illegal spying on Muslim Americans would require the government to divulge state secrets.

Aug 5, 2011 |  permalink

OC D.A. Incapable of Fair Investigation of Fullerton Man's Brutal Death by Police

Although Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas reportedly has some two dozen investigators working on the case, interviewing up to 100 witnesses, the district attorney has an abysmal track record when it comes to investigating and prosecuting officer-involved deaths.

Aug 4, 2011 |  permalink

ACLU Demands Police Surveillance Info

Demanding to know when, why, and how police are using mobile phone location data and deploying other surveillance technologies to track the people they are responsible for protecting and serving, the ACLU of California sent requests to more than fifty law enforcement agencies across the state today.

Aug 3, 2011 |  permalink

Condemning California's Inhumane Prisons

Jul 22, 2011 |  permalink

ACLU/SC Calls on DA Cooley to Stop Parker Prosecution

In a letter sent today, the ACLU of Southern California is calling on Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley to stop the criminal prosecution of a Los Angeles County jail inmate whom two sheriff’s deputies brutally attacked in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility on January 24, 2011.

Jul 20, 2011 |  permalink

Support the Strike: Strike Out the SHU

The ACLU of California supports the striking prisoners’ demands to end cruel and inhumane conditions in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay State Prison. These conditions include prolonged, solitary confinement in small, windowless concrete boxes with little to no human interaction and other severe physical deprivations.

Jul 19, 2011 |  permalink