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As the courts have become increasingly political, we cannot always rely on them to advance or protect our civil liberties. Therefore, the role of our legislative program has become even more vital. A strong presence in Sacramento through our ACLU of California Center for Advocacy and Policy (CAP) enables us to stop or amend laws and policies hostile to civil liberties before it becomes necessary to convince a court to rule a statute unconstitutional.
Our CAP team lobbies the legislature, analyzes proposed legislation, drafts and presents testimony, contacts legislative offices, and stimulates grassroots contact with legislators.
Too often, LGBTQ people and others deemed vulnerable to assault in prison or jail are placed in segregated housing where they do not have access to the programming and work opportunities enjoyed by people in “general population.” Denial of education, drug rehabilitation, vocational training, job
Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) youth are significantly overrepresented in California’s foster care system.
Police departments in California are some of the deadliest in the country. Police in Kern County, for example, have killed more people per capita than in any other county in the U.S.
All students have the right to a quality education regardless of who they are or what they look like. But a 2017 study by UCLA found that California students lost over 250,000 days of instruction because of disruption/defiance suspensions during just one school year.
Every year, billions of dollars' worth of funding and military equipment flows from the federal government to state and local police departments.
Although California is often thought of as a beacon of progressive values, the Golden State is actually one of the most secretive states when it comes to information about police use of force and serious and confirmed misconduct by police. This must change.
