Blog
We can be pretty sure that each new day will bring two things: new threats to our civil liberties, and new stories of people standing up for their rights and winning. Behind every court ruling is a person. Behind every landmark law is a movement. Read the stories and hear the voices that ground our work.
ACLU Urges Alameda County to Vote No on StingRay Surveillance
Sep 29, 2015
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...
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On Policing, What Will Gov. Brown's Legacy Be?
Sep 27, 2015
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?
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Let Young Parents Breastfeed in School
Sep 25, 2015
UPDATE! Gov. Brown has signed AB 302!It was my first week as a Fresno State student. I was ecstatic about stepping on campus and being a college student. But I knew the journey would be difficult, especially as a young mother.That first week, I walked into one of the campus restrooms and heard a noise I recognized—it was a breast pump. A classmate was sitting inside one of the toilet stalls pumpin...
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Ask the Experts! Meet Our New Board Chair Beverly Tucker
Sep 24, 2015
Beverly Tucker is a longtime supporter of the ACLU, serving on the board since September 2010 and previously from 1987 until 1990. We're honored to have Beverly's leadership expertise and deep knowledge of policy change in both the organizational and governmental spheres.
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Legislation: Advancing the Rights of All Californians
Sep 22, 2015
Every year, the ACLU of California sponsors several bills in the California Legislature. What does it mean to “sponsor” a bill? In most cases, it means we have been involved in drafting the bill, providing input on the text. But we never work alone. Most of our bills are co-sponsored with other advocacy groups. The bill language is thus the result of a collaboration between the co-sponsors and the...
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Introducing... MySchoolMyRights.com: Know Your Student Rights
Sep 18, 2015
Here in California, students have a fundamental right to equal education opportunity. And yet, one in five students doesn't graduate high school in four years. So we’ve launched www.MySchoolMyRights.com, a multi-media campaign intended to educate students on their rights and empower them to have a say in their education.
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Sacramento Sheriff’s New StingRay Surveillance Policy is Flawed
Sep 16, 2015
In response to a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, the Sacramento Sheriff has now admitted that it used intrusive cellphone surveillance technology – commonly known as a “StingRay” – without obtaining court approval. Days after this stunning admission, the Sheriff publicly announced a new policy for the use of StingRay technology. While having an actual policy in place is certainly a step in the right ...
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Help Me Fight for Accurate Sex Education
Sep 15, 2015
Hi, my name is Ngan. I’m a tenth grader at Oakland Technical High School, and I’m a sex education activist.Tomorrow morning, I’ll be joining forces with other high schoolers from across California and meeting with Governor Jerry Brown’s staff in Sacramento to talk about sex ed.We’re coming to Sacramento armed with a petition signed by 5,000 people who all believe that California youth deserve accu...
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Victory for Privacy Rights in California
Sep 11, 2015
It was a really good week in California for privacy rights. The legislature passed the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA SB 178) with strong bipartisan support. The bill is now on Gov. Brown’s desk, and he needs to hear from all of us that it’s time to update privacy law for the modern digital world and sign CalECPA into law.
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California is Poised to Issue a License to Discriminate – Literally
Sep 08, 2015
SB 249 would allow the DMV to issue driver’s licenses that include a tiny RFID chip that broadcasts your personally identifying information.
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Legislating for Police Reform and Black Lives in California
Sep 01, 2015
Since Michael Brown’s death, unarmed black men have been killed by law enforcement at alarmingly disproportionate rates. Specifically, reports indicate that black men account for 40% of 60 unarmed deaths at the hands of police this year, and are seven times more likely than white men to be shot to death by police while unarmed. At the state level, California holds the ominous record for the highes...
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