Vote No on 36: Setting Critical Services Ablaze Will Not Keep Us Safe

The solution to houselessness, addiction, and theft is not returning to a failed mass incarceration experiment but serving our communities with resources and support.

By Jess Farris

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23 Books Leading Us To A More Just And Equitable Future

For 100 years, the ACLU of Southern California has fought to defend and advance civil liberties in the southland. Curated in partnership with the Los Angeles Review of Books, our 2023 Reading Guide is a reflection of our region’s rich literary roots, featuring contemporary California authors whose works inform our mission and challenge us to realize a more just and equitable future.

By Paria Russo

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This is what happens when we vote!

The 2022 midterm elections brought a lot of wins for Southern Californians, including housing rights and sheriff accountability.

By Rocío Ortega

Vote Your Values

Measure A is the hope and vision I have for the future of Los Angeles

After serving two decades in prison, for a crime he did not commit, Franky Carrillo proved his innocence and is now fighting for justice.

By Franky Carrillo

A police car and ballot bubbles Yes on Measure A

LA County’s Failure to Invest in Alternatives to Incarceration Fuels Inhumane Jail Conditions

L.A. County should commit to a “care first, jails last” approach to mental health treatment.

By Melissa Camacho

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What Will It Take to Keep Riverside Safe?

Q&A with Community Organizer Natalia Serrano

By Natalia Serrano

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Keeping us safe means keeping us whole

When I was a teenager, an Orange County judge sentenced me to 24 years in prison for a robbery in which no one was physically harmed.

By Yehudah Pryce

Liberty Statue: Muslims Need Not Apply -- CARRP

Orange County’s Dramatic Reduction in Jail Population is a Model for the Nation

The court-ordered victory shows that decarceration is not only possible, it’s critically important

By Corene Kendrick, Daisy Ramirez

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Our Democracy Needs Everyone, Including People on Parole

After a parole board granted Richard Mireles his freedom earlier this year, he was shocked to learn that he still couldn't cast a vote in California, the state he had lived in since he was born. Just three months shy of his 21st birthday, a court gave Richard a life sentence on his first felony case. In the two decades of his incarceration, Richard worked hard to change his life. He got sober, worked to heal past traumas, earned his college degree and numerous commendations, and was even found suitable for release at his first parole hearing. It didn't seem right that California would continue punishing him after his release by denying him one his most fundamental rights of citizenship.

By Brittany Stonesifer

Richard Mireles testifying in Sacramento. Richard is hoping ACA 6 will give him and other Californians on parole the right to vote.