Blog

I joined the ACLU of Northern California staff as Executive Director in April 2009 during the period of arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC. Read More

Documents recently obtained by the ACLU of Northern California from the Department of Justice confirm concerns about the federal government’s use of StingRays – a highly intrusive cell phone surveillance device – and underscore the need for transparency. Read More

Monterey County’s Sheriff Steve Bernal just gave Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) unlimited access to all jail records and detainees… and he did it without even letting the public know. Read More

For years, students in Fresno have been fighting to get comprehensive sex ed curriculum in their schools. And now that dream is a reality, thanks to Fresno Unified's school board. Read More

With all we now know about unrelenting bias and systemic racism in our criminal justice system, do we really want to let gang cops and prosecutors decide whose rights will be permanently restricted? Read More

Read why more people are using adblockers - not just to avoid annoying commercials, but to guard against tracking and profiling. Read More

Last Thursday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which requires a warrant before California law enforcement can seize the contents or metadata of your communications, demand location records from your cell phone provider, or use a StingRay to gather information about your smartphone. Read More

Last fall, the three ACLU affiliates in California launched our newly expanded Sacramento office: the ACLU of California Center for Advocacy & Policy. One year ago, we had a staff of four. Today, we have nine full-time and two part time advocates. This tremendous increase in capacity translated into significant victories in the Legislature this year. Read More

What’s in a name? If you ask Facebook, it’s the text on a driver’s license or a formal document like a utility bill or library card. Read More

If Gov. Brown fails to veto SB 249, the DMV will issue driver’s licenses enhanced with unencrypted computer chips that would make Californians' personal data vulnerable. Read More

UPDATE: The vote has been rescheduled to Tuesday, Oct. 13. TAKE ACTION - Ask your Alameda County Supervisor to vote NO!The Alameda County Sherriff has requested authorization from the Board of Supervisors to upgrade the county’s StingRay surveillance equipment.StingRays are a highly intrusive cell phone surveillance technology used by law enforcement to intercept information from a target cel... Read More

Now that AB 953 has been voted out of the California legislature, I wonder: what will Gov. Brown’s legacy on racial justice and fair policing be during this critical time in history? Read More