California Legislature Prepares to Fight Back, Hires Former AG Holder
In a sign of an epic showdown between California and a pending Trump Administration, Senate Leader Kevin…
Commentary: If You Build It, We Can Overcome
When the plastic industry put the plastic bag ban on the ballot, it seemed to me unlikely…
Public Schools Remain Safe Havens for California’s Students
By Tom Torlakson In this time of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear I strongly encourage you to join…
My View: Gauging the Response
This has been a fairly busy week, but I wanted to circle back to two things that…
California Legislature Takes Immediate Action to Protect Immigrant Communities
(From Press Release) – During today’s start of the 2017-2018 legislative session, the California State Assembly and…
Brown Appoints Becerra as California’s Next Attorney General
When Kamala Harris won California’s Senate race to replace Barbara Boxer, that left a vacancy at the…
ACLU Files Suit Demanding Accountability In California Execution Protocols
(From Press Release) — The ACLU of Northern California and the law firm of Covington & Burling…
Analysis: Death Penalty Column Misses Some Marks
I read Rich Rifkin’s death penalty column with interest. He started it with a note that was…
AG Expands Implicit Bias and Procedural Justice Training to the CHP
(From Press Release)– Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that her office’s first-of-its-kind “Principled Policing: Procedural…
Governor Signs Historic Bill to Rein in Asset Forfeiture Abuse
SB 443 protects vulnerable Californians from having police permanently take and keep their property without a conviction…
Bill to Reduce Asset Forfeiture Arrives on Governor’s Desk
If signed, SB 443 would establish some of the strongest property protections in the country (From Press…
State Auditor Finds Serious Problem with California Gang Database
For years, we have questioned the California Gang Datadase, known as CalGang, in terms of the lack…
My View II: Dallas Illustrates the Need to Police Bad Cops
The biggest challenge that police agencies across the country face is the need to identify those people…
A Step Backward for Justice Reform
By Jeff Adachi Setting policy is a lot like making sausage: We want to see the cleanly…
Marijuana Infractions Unevenly Enforced Against People of Color in California
(ACLU Press Release) – New data analyses conducted by the Drug Policy Alliance and ACLU of California…
California Moves to Repeal Maximum Family Grant Rule
State budget proposal includes funding to lend families living in deep poverty a helping hand (From Press…
State Assembly Votes To Uphold Institutional Racism in the Labor Code
By Sean Raycraft A few months ago, a special session of the California state legislature was called…
My View: One Senator Able To Kill Police Transparency Bill
It is ironic that a bill meant to promote police transparency was itself killed by a single…
Commentary: SB 1286 Would Provide Transparency to Police Complaints
Back in April, SB 1286, sponsored by Senator Mark Leno, passed its first legislative hurdle as the…
Commentary: Bill Would Repeal Ineffective Enhancements for Prior Drug Convictions
Advocacy groups argue that the so-called war on drugs drives mass incarceration and racial disparities in the…
