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The new policy allows a defendant with an active arrest warrant to schedule an initial court appearance through their attorney regardless of their financial means. Someone who can’t afford bail must still appear at the jail for an informal booking. However they won’t be taken into custody. Once in court, a judge makes an individualized determination about whether that person should remain out of c... Read More

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and the First Amendment Coalition have sued the City of Fresno for holding secret budget negotiations in violation of California’s open meetings law. The lawsuit calls on the court to order Fresno to comply with the Brown Act. Read More

Since at least 2018, the Fresno City Council has had a Budget Committee that negotiated the city’s annual budget behind closed doors, violating California’s law on open public meetings and depriving the people of their fundamental right to transparency in local government. Read More

Every year on Thanksgiving Day, people across the country gather with loved ones to share a special meal. This breaking-of-bread-style holiday is a well-known ritual, but for many of us, continuing to participate in Thanksgiving with integrity means breaking with traditions that rely on fictionalized accounts of history. Read More

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The ACLU of Northern California announced its strong opposition to the recall of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, the first Black woman DA in the county’s history. Read More

A State law that took effect in 2021 gave counties the authority to establish civilian oversight boards to assist supervisors in overseeing sheriffs’ offices. However, the law does not require counties to create civilian boards. That’s why the ACLU of Northern California is helping to educate community members about the fact that this law exists. And we are supporting individual counties that wish... Read More

ACLU NorCal has gone to court to stop San Francisco from wasting millions of tax dollars arresting our unhoused neighbors instead of meaningfully addressing the City's affordable housing crisis. Tell Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to settle the lawsuit and focus on the real solutions to homelessness: expanded access to temporary shelter and more affordable housing. Read More

The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an opportunity to redouble our commitment to its principles worldwide. For those individuals and organizations whose focus is human rights within the United States, we are called to do two things. First, rather than cede the US Constitution to powerful forces who would use it to turn back the clock, we must embrace a visio... Read More

Today civil rights organizations sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, urging the agency to investigate whether X (formerly Twitter) and Meta are providing surveillance companies that work with law enforcement special access to user data, contrary to the platforms’ official policies and public promises.  Read More