News

The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit against the fifth largest health care system in the U.S., Dignity Health, because it denies transgender employees health insurance coverage for medically necessary treatments for gender dysphoria. Read More

Despite marijuana usage rates being similar across racial and ethnic lines, data provided by the Los Angeles and Fresno Police Departments show that black and Latino people in those cities were issued marijuana possession citations at higher rates than white people in the years immediately following the penalty change from misdemeanor to infraction. The data also reveal that marijuana possession e... Read More

Police transparency law, SB 1286, was held in the Senate Appropriations committee today. The law would have shined light on how police departments handle confirmed instances of officer misconduct and serious uses of force. Today is a sad day for transparency, accountability, and justice in California. Read More

Under pressure from grassroots San Franciscans former SFPD chief Greg Suhr resigned on Thursday. There is no quick fix. We must continue working for systemic change to end the deep-rooted failures of the SFPD. Read More

Today the American Civil Liberties Union of California released a policy brief, Civil Asset Forfeiture: Profiting from California’s Most Vulnerable, examining civil asset forfeiture abuse by California law enforcement agencies, a practice that greatly impacts communities of color and low-income Californians. Read More

On May 13, 2016 Gov. Jerry Brown released the May Revision to his proposed 2016-17 state budget. Read More

The ACLU and MergerWatch today released reports that reveal that one in six hospital beds in the U.S. is in a facility that prohibit a range of health care services even when a woman’s life or health is in jeopardy. Read More

The California Medical Association, representing more than 41,000 doctors, filed to join the ACLU’s suit against Dignity Health for using religious directives to deny patients basic reproductive health care. Read More

The ACLU of Northern California today asked the CA Department of Fair Employment and Housing to open a probe into a Fresno bar for civil rights violations after the bar refused service to two women who seemed to be the only Black people in the bar. Read More

A Fresno judge has ruled against the state of California in its effort to avoid responsibility for ensuring that people who can’t afford to hire their own lawyers are provided with effective counsel.The lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Northern California, the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, and Paul Hastings LLP against the state and Fresno County for violating defendants’ right to counsel, due p... Read More

With a 5-1 vote in the Senate’s Public Safety Committee today, Senator Mark Leno’s Senate Bill 1286 will advance in the California Legislature. The bill gives the public access to crucial information about how police departments handle the most serious uses of force and confirmed instances of officer misconduct. Read More

SACRAMENTO–Nearly two hundred ACLU members and allies rallied at the steps of the Capitol alongside state Senator Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) today in support of legislation to curb police abuse in California, specifically Senate Bill 443 (Mitchell) and Senate Bill 1286 (Leno).“Police abuse can take many forms,” said Norma Chavez-Peterson, Executive Director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperia... Read More