LOS ANGELES - In a letter to the San Bernardino City Council, the ACLU of Southern California strongly opposed a proposed initiative in San Bernardino that is unconstitutional and if passed into law would sharply divide the city.

The city council is set to vote Monday, May 15 whether to enact the initiative or ask residents to vote in a city-wide election to decide whether or not to enact it.

'Not only is the initiative the wrong idea for San Bernardino, it is out of touch with the spirit of our country and the push for comprehensive immigration reform. The initiative seeks to hurt the City and its residents at great cost,' said Hector O. Villagra, director of the ACLU/SC's Orange County office. 'The initiative would force each and every property owner in the city - large or small - to act as immigration cops, it would hold property owners liable and subject to hefty fines for any mistakes they make, it would deny children the right to an education and it would limit the free speech rights of city officials and city employees.'

LOS ANGELES - In an effort to calm the fears of worshipers, several Southern California area organizations and their leaders filed a Freedom of Information Act request today seeking answers from the FBI about suspected monitoring of religious institutions.

The ACLU of Southern California filed the request on behalf of six groups, including the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California and area mosques, and six leaders in the Muslim community. The government has so far refused to explain repeated news reports describing FBI surveillance of mosques and numerous personal accounts from worshipers who were questioned about their faith at home and at work.

'We are people of faith and our mosques are peaceful and tolerant places of worship,' said Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council. 'But people are being scared away from worship because of reports that mosques and those who pray at them are being monitored. People are afraid that practicing their religion or even visiting a mosque will make them a suspect of the government.'

The government has 20 business days to respond to this request, which seeks information pertaining to whether area mosques and community leaders are being monitored and if so, why, said Ranjana Natarajan, staff attorney for the ACLU/SC.

"We firmly believe that mosques are peaceful places of worship and we will continue to meet with law enforcement officials and cooperate in legitimate law enforcement investigations," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR. "However, it is our right to expect transparency from our government.'

The ACLU has filed FOIA requests in 20 states on behalf of more than 150 organizations and individuals including advocates for the environment, animal rights, labor, religion, Native American rights, fair trade, grassroots politics, peace, social justice, nuclear disarmament, human rights and civil liberties. So far the government has released documents that reveal FBI monitoring and infiltration by the FBI and local law enforcement, targeting political, environmental, anti-war and faith-based groups around the country.

LOS ANGELES - After touring Men's Central Jail Wednesday evening, a federal judge today ordered representatives of the Los Angeles' Sheriff's Department and the Board of Supervisors to meet with the ACLU of Southern California over the next two weeks in order to develop a comprehensive plan to improve conditions at Men's Central Jail, the largest jail in the country.

Judge Dean D. Pregerson asked the ACLU and the county to present a jails reform plan to him at a hearing scheduled for May 25.

The following statement can be attributed to Jody Kent, coordinator of the jails project at the ACLU of Southern California.

After a comprehensive tour of Men's Central Jail yesterday, we are pleased that Judge Pregerson agreed with the ACLU of Southern California that the living conditions at Men's Central Jail must be improved.

The ACLU is encouraged that the Court shares our concerns with regard to cell overcrowding. The judge noted that inmates are crammed into cells where they remain locked down nearly twenty-four hours a day, with barely any room to stand up, much less walk around. The Court noted that inmates remain in their beds day and night as a result. The judge said that such conditions are "not consistent with basic values" and that they "should not be permitted to exist."

Overcrowded living conditions, a staffing shortage and insufficient fire safety measures have contributed to ongoing tension, violence and a general lack of safety for inmates and deputies in the jails and must be eliminated. We are encouraged that the County signaled its willingness to negotiate the issues the Court raised and we look forward to forging a long-term commitment with the County Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Department to develop a master plan to expeditiously improve conditions in the jails. To do this successfully we believe the Court's involvement in this process is imperative.