News & Commentary

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court today on behalf of public high school students who qualified for a statewide special admissions to the University of California program called "Enrollment in the Local Context" (ELC), but whose schools failed to sign up for the program. The lawsuit charges that the students' rights under the United States and California Constitutions were violated by the program's failure. The program, which takes effect this year for the first time, guarantees admission to the University of California to the students who rank in the top 4% of their class but relies on schools to complete the necessary paperwork and does not provide students any recourse if their schools fail to do so. In order to ensure that qualified students participate in the program, schools were required to submit to the University the transcripts of the top 10% of their junior year class; the University used this larger pool to determine the top 4%. One hundred and thirty-four out of 852 public high schools - almost 16% - failed to send in the paperwork, so students from those schools will not have a guaranteed space at the University of California. The University estimates that, under the program, 3600 additional students would be admitted who may not otherwise have been offered a seat.

LOS ANGELES - Community leaders from the African American community, the Latino community, the disability rights community, the Jewish community, and the civil rights community gathered today at the ACLU of Southern California to debunk the underlying premise of Proposition 38 - that it will help solve the problem of inequality in California schools.

LOS ANGELES - In the aftermath of an unprecedented election contest, ultimately decided by a U.S. Supreme Court that openly questioned whether individuals have the right to vote for President, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California Ramona Ripston called for a Constitutional Amendment to guarantee U.S. citizens the right to elect their President.

LOS ANGELES - Seven months after the ACLU, other civil rights groups, and the law firm of Morrison & Foerster sued the State of California for failing to provide an equal and adequate education to thousands of children in California, the State today filed a 147 page cross-complaint against 18 school districts. The schoolchildren named in the original complaint attend schools in the 18 districts sued by the State. None of the districts was a defendant in the suit brought by the ACLU on behalf of schoolchildren. The filing of the cross-complaint comes on the heels of the state's announcement that it will be deposing all of the 46 principals of the schools that the plaintiffs attend starting on December 21, 2000 until January 15, 2001.

LOS ANGELES - Advocates and social service providers are distributing today to Los Angeles downtown's homeless population copies of the final order issued in federal court yesterday in the case Justin, et al., v. City of Los Angeles. The case deals with LAPD harassment of homeless people in the downtown area frequently referred to as "Skid Row." Twenty-three homeless individuals said that police had engaged in a widespread practice of harassment.

LOS ANGELES - A U.S. District Court judge today issued a temporary restraining order to stop the Los Angeles Police Department from continuing its pattern of harassment and intimidation of homeless people in downtown's "Skid Row" area. The campaign of harassment and intimidation included:

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed an amended complaint in Porter v. Jones today in federal court. The ACLU/SC initially sought a temporary restraining order against California Secretary of State Bill Jones for threatening criminal prosecution against a web-site similar to Porter's "votexchange2000.com," which helped like-minded voters connect on-line and discuss voting strategies. The court denied the request for a temporary restraining order, and Porter did not re-open his web-site. The ACLU now seeks a permanent injunction against Jones and damages for Porter and other plaintiffs, alleging that their Constitutional rights were violated and will likely be violated again in future elections if Jones's threats are allowed to stand.

LOS ANGELES - We are pleased that several of the recommendations made by the Police Commission's Independent Review Panel closely track the ACLU's calls for reform repeatedly made over the years, but are disappointed in some of the details -- or lack of details -- in the Report. We agree with many of the findings of serious problems, but there is a disjunction between the Panel's findings of grave problems going to heart of the functioning of the police department and the Police Commission, and the Panel's mostly tepid recommendations for change.

LOS ANGELES - The Western Law Center for Disability Rights, Protection and Advocacy Inc., and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced a major class action lawsuit challenging the Los Angeles County transit system's failure to provide comparable "paratransit" transportation services to people with disabilities.