News & Commentary

Los Angelenos may be the most auto-obsessed people on the planet (see Carmaggedon), but most of the time we turn a blind eye toward the people who actually clean our cars—and their routinely terrible working conditions.

“I wish sometimes that I had died in Iraq. So that my life would have meant something.” Robert Rissman is a 22-year old Iraq combat veteran who returned from Iraq with undiagnosed PTSD. As Robert struggled to cope with his disability, he became one of 8,000 homeless veterans living on the streets of Los Angeles.

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Yesterday the Los Angeles School Police Department unveiled protocols intended to reduce the number of daytime curfew tickets written to students. The revised procedures are a result of collaboration and discussions between Public Counsel, the Community Rights Campaign, the ACLU of Southern California, Children’s Defense Fund, CADRE, and Youth Justice Coalition — groups that work to keep students in school — and Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) leaders.

In 1994, Lisa Simpson -- daughter of Homer, sister of Bart -- posed the question that continues to plague law enforcement: "If you're the police, who will police the police?" Homer answered, "I dunno; Coast Guard?" Amidst allegations of deputy-on-inmate abuse at LA County jails, LA County Sheriff Lee Baca's answer was inexplicably worse than Homer's: "We police ourselves."

Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, Wendy Walsh and sponsoring organizations held a press conference to celebrate Governor Jerry Brown’s signing of AB 9, Seth’s Law, into law. The bill passed the Assembly 52-26 on June 1st  and the Senate 24-14 on September 1st, with Governor Brown signing the bill on October 9th.

Seth Walsh was a typical 13-year-old. He loved dogs and riding his bike, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. But he was also terrified of going to school. The gentle, free-spirited boy from rural Kern County, who listened to Mozart in the shower and aspired to be a doctor, endured relentless harassment from classmates because he was gay.

The ACLU of Southern California celebrates LGBT History Month by participating in several events that highlight the LGBT community's rich history and ongoing struggle for equality.