LOS ANGELES - The ACLU of Southern California hosted its 19th Annual Law Luncheon, today, where it honored individuals dedicated to civil liberties.  Attorney and advocate Sandra Fluke received the Courageous Advocacy Award and delivered the keynote address to over 450 guests at The L.A. Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

SACRAMENTO – Today the California Assembly passed AB 154 – the Early Access to Abortion bill – by a vote of 48-24. The bill moves on to the state Senate. Authored by Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), AB 154 would improve abortion access by authorizing nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants to perform early abortions safely within the terms of their licenses.

LOS ANGELES – Proposed regulations by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that deny American indigenous inmates access to numerous religious items need to be rejected, the ACLU of California said in a comment letter sent late yesterday.

Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department withheld data in violation of the California Public Records Act  LOS ANGELES – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California (ACLU/SC) today jointly filed suit against two Los Angeles-area law-enforcement agencies over their failure to produce records related to the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs)

PASADENA — The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a major decision in a case the ACLU of Southern California filed in 2006. It struck down an ordinance in the city of Costa Mesa that limited free speech at its City Council meetings.

Civil Rights Groups File Lawsuit after State Education Officials Failed to Act in Response to January 2013 Report Documenting the Illegal Practice LOS ANGELES — The ACLU of California (ACLU), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), and the law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP today filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of public school students, parents, and educators against the State of California and state education officials related to the denial of language instruction to tens of thousands of English Learner (EL) students across California, in violation of federal and state law. 

Statement by Hector Villagra, Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California: "The ACLU of California welcomes the federal comprehensive immigration reform bill announced late Tuesday night by the Senate Gang of 8. This historic bill has the potential to advance the civil rights and liberties of all Californians and put the estimated 2.6 million undocumented immigrants who currently live in our state on the road to citizenship.