News
Our lawyers and advocates are among the nation's leading experts on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. Read the latest on the ACLU of Northern California’s work. To schedule a press interview, call (415) 621-2493 or contact press@aclunc.org.
California Assembly Passes College Student Right to Access Act, Bill One Step Closer to Governor’s Desk
Sep 16, 2019
SACRAMENTO — Groundbreaking legislation that would require all on-campus student health centers at public universities in California to offer medication abortion services passed in the California Assembly today with an initial vote of 44 to 15. Now, Senate Bill 24, also known as the College Student Right to Access Act, goes back to the Senate for concurrence before it heads to Governor Gavin Newso...
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ACLU Applauds CA Legislature for Sending Bill to Block Facial Recognition on Body Cams to Governor
Sep 12, 2019
SACRAMENTO–The California Legislature today sent State Assemblymember Phil Ting’s Body Camera Accountability Act (AB 1215) to Governor Newsom, positioning California to become the largest state in the country to block law enforcement agencies from adding facial recognition software to officer-worn body cameras.
In response to the bill’s passage, Matt Cagle, Technology and Civil Liberties Attorn...
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California Legislature Votes to Make Election Day Registration Available at Every Polling Site
Sep 12, 2019
SACRAMENTO–Today, the California Legislature approved SB 72, legislation by State Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana) that will allow all eligible Californians to register to vote and cast a ballot at polling sites on Election Day. SB 72 now heads to Governor Newsom for his signature. If signed by the governor, Election Day registration would be available at all polling sites in California in 2...
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California Senate Votes to Block Face Recognition on Police Body Cameras
Sep 11, 2019
SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate passed AB 1215: The Body Camera Accountability Act, legislation to block law enforcement agencies from using facial recognition surveillance against Californians on officer-worn body cameras. Introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), AB 1215 passed the Senate just weeks after the ACLU released test results showing that facial recognition so...
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California Lawmakers Pass Historic Bill Abolishing Copays in Jails and Prisons
Sep 10, 2019
SACRAMENTO — Today, the California Senate voted to pass AB 45, state legislation introduced by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay) to eliminate copays for medical and dental services provided in California county jails. The bipartisan vote follows the decision by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to voluntarily eliminate copays in state prisons earlier this ...
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Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 6 Passes CA Assembly
Sep 05, 2019
SACRAMENTO – Today the California State Assembly passed Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 6, which would restore voting rights to nearly 50,000 Californians on parole. ACA 6, authored by Asm. Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), passed with a 54-16 vote. ACA 6 will next go through the California State Senate, where it will need a 2/3 majority to pass. If it passes through the Senate, the constituti...
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ACLU Calls on BART Board to Reject Unconstitutional Anti-Panhandling Prohibitions
Aug 21, 2019
OAKLAND — Today, the ACLU of Northern California will give public comment at the BART Board of Directors meeting calling on the Board to forgo any potential ordinance that would prohibit panhandling on BART.
In its public comment letter, the ACLU warns that panhandling, busking, and other forms of solicitation are free speech protected under the First Amendment as well as state law. The letter ...
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Tulare Coalition Will Not Attend TRUTH Act Forum Due to Safety Concerns
Aug 20, 2019
TULARE — The ICE Out of Tulare Coalition has decided, as a strong collective action, to not physically attend the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (“TRUTH”) Act Forum of Tulare County’s scheduled for August 20th, 2019.
We stand as a coalition united in solidarity to not exert efforts to organize behind the unsuitably planned TRUTH Act Forum this year. The Sheriff and Board of S...
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California Families Celebrate as Governor Signs One of the Strongest Police Use of Force Laws in the Country
Aug 19, 2019
SACRAMENTO — Propelled by the leadership of hundreds of family members whose loved ones were killed by California police officers, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed historic legislation to strengthen the state’s law on police use of force. Introduced by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), Assembly Bill 392: The California Act to Save Lives will establish a “necessary” use of force standar...
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Facial Recognition Technology Falsely Identifies 26 California Legislators with Mugshots
Aug 13, 2019
SACRAMENTO — After putting facial recognition technology to the test using photos of all 120 members of the State Legislature, the American Civil Liberties Union of California released results that further support the need for AB 1215 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), which bans facial recognition in police body cameras.
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NFL Players, Justice Advocates Pay Bail to Free Immigration Activist Jose Bello
Aug 13, 2019
BAKERSFIELD — Farm worker and immigration activist Jose Bello, who was arrested and imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shortly after reciting an anti-ICE and Trump administration poem at a public meeting, has been freed. His ICE-imposed bail of $50,000 was paid by:
National Football League players Josh Norman and Demario Davis, who are members of the of the Players C...
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Summer 2019 ACLU News
Aug 01, 2019
Download the Summer 2019 ACLU of Northern California Newsletter and read about our latest events and initiatives.
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