Blog

Barely a generation ago, California’s schools were the greatest in the nation. Now, the state’s education is abysmal, ranking 49th in the nation on how much it spends on students.California is taking steps to change the way it invests in schools and students to turn this tide.The Local Control and Funding Formula is one of the ways that the state is supporting the students who need it the most. It... Read More

While we await much-needed federal immigration reform, dozens of counties are refusing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) requests to detain immigrants in local jails. Read More

Angelica Salceda, an 2013 Equal Justice Works Fellow with the ACLU of Northern California, is helping implement the Pregnant and Parenting Student Project for teen parents to receive the adequate resources they need to succeed in their academics. Read about her important work in the community with Equal Justice Works. Read More

If you think "Orange Is the New Black" shows it all, you're about to find out a disgusting truth. While the women in OITNB face miserable conditions and abuse, it's nothing compared to what real people experience in the jail where they film as well as other jails in Suffolk County, New York. Read More

One year ago today, whistleblower Edward Snowden confirmed that the NSA was secretly engaged in a massive program of warrantless surveillance of the American people. Since then, the ACLU has worked both in the courts and in Congress to halt the agency’s abuses of power and violations of our constitutional rights. But the NSA isn’t the only agency guilty of dragnet surveillance without oversight. S... Read More

The Oakland Unified School District last week took the latest in a series of steps aimed at reducing interaction between district students and school district police officers that too often leads to overly-harsh discipline that pushes kids out of school and into the criminal justice system. Read More

You’ve seen police uniforms on TV. Some have medals, some have stripes, some are blue and some are tan, but they always have a badge, and a little nameplate on the chest bearing the officers name. In California, officers are required by state law to wear that nameplate identifying them. Why? Accountability. Read More

As technology advances and it becomes easier to amass consumers’ personal information, these state-driven solutions will be essential to ensuring our privacy is not left behind. Read More

Every county in California has one elected district attorney and one elected sheriff. Do you know who you're voting for on June 3? Read More

When I was young, my mom was on welfare. She wasn't unlike other moms on our South Los Angeles block: single, working multiple jobs, and doing her best to keep her head above water. My mom braved the stigma that is tethered to receiving state benefits. Braving it is what poor people do... Read More

Last week’s decision by a federal appeals court allowing an expensive and multi-year lawsuit to go forward against San Francisco is a reminder of the immense cost—both to civil liberties and the public fisc—that can follow a community’s failure to have a thorough public discussion about surveillance technology and adopt legally enforceable safeguards if it is going to be used. Read More

Over 50 LGBTQ youth activists with the GSA Advocacy and Youth Leadership Academy traveled to Sacramento to advocate for safe and supportive school environments for all students. This year, the youth met with legislators to talk about three important pieces of legislation that impact their lives. Read More