News & Commentary

LOS ANGELES ? United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson has granted plaintiffs' request for judgment in the Common Cause v. Jones suit, a ruling that will require California to get rid of its "hanging chad" voting machines by 2004. This is the first post-Bush v. Gore ruling to require that obsolete voting systems be retired in time for the 2004 election.

LOS ANGELES ? The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU/SC), together with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and screeners from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), announced today that they are filing a lawsuit today challenging the new citizenship requirement for airport screeners enacted as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act last November. Under the new law, thousands of trained, experienced workers will be terminated no later than November 19, 2002.

LOS ANGELES -- A California Superior Court today reversed the conviction of a Santa Barbara man who was cited for violating the city's ordinance prohibiting sleeping, human habitation or camping in a recreational vehicle on city streets (Santa Barbara Municipal Code section 15.16.080). The court ruled that the City of Santa Barbara did not provide an adequate housing alternative to the man.

LOS ANGELES - The ACLU of Southern California today stepped up its campaign to make available brochures in English, Spanish and Arabic advising people about their rights when stopped by the FBI, police or INS officials. The pamphlet ? "Know Your Rights: What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police, the FBI, the INS or the Customs Service" ? contains information for citizens and non-citizens alike. It is intended to inform those who might become innocent targets caught in the Justice Department's increasingly expanding dragnet. The FBI recently announced they are seeking to interview over 5,000 men who have entered the United States on non-immigrant visas from January 1, 2000 to the present.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California clarified to Los Angeles City Council today its stance on the collection of racial profiling data by the LAPD, which is a requirement under the federal consent decree.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced today that broad, diverse coalitions at the national and local levels are emerging to advocate for a careful, balanced, and deliberative approach to questions of security and civil liberties and civil rights.

LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced today that, as a result of reports of harassment and threats against Arab Americans throughout the nation, it has set up a dedicated hotline for discrimination complaints.

LOS ANGELES - Historic talks concluded yesterday between Presidents George Bush and Vicente Fox on the vital importance of establishing humane treatment of immigrants in the United States. The urgency of the problem was underscored last week when LAPD officers, responding to a noise complaint in a Hollywood apartment building, conducted a nightmarish raid on 36 immigrants.

LOS ANGELES - On Wednesday, May 30th, a hearing will be held to determine whether Robert Rosenkrantz is illegally being denied parole by Governor Davis. Rosenkrantz, convicted of second-degree murder in 1985, has won the support of several members of the legislature, the judge who sentenced him, a member of the victim's family, and religious groups. The hearing will be held at 10:00 am in the Courtroom of Judge Paul Gutman (Department A), L.A. Superior Court - Van Nuys East Division located at 6230 Sylmar Ave. in Van Nuys, California.