vol. 76, no. 2
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AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
ACLUnews
nay ey ti ISSUE?
Thao STEPPING UP TO PASS PROP 34:
SENTECURS ERAT Wet noses DOING OUR PART TO REPLACE
2 Ihe ACLU-NC Celebrates Pride THE DEATH PENALTY
as a Community Grand Marshal By Abdi Soltani
A hin Ourccige tne sow 4 ts campaign season for Prop 34. Many dedicated ACLU
a members are opening their homes to their friends and
Criminal Justice Online Ap p neighbors and asking them to support this historic initiative
f to replace California's dysfunctional and costly death penalty.
5B Rememberin g Ne iaviisn Replacing the death penalty will save California taxpayers
Fran Strauss $1 billion over the next five years and eliminate the risk of
executing an innocent person. Prop 34 will also help to make
all communities safer by ensuring that some of the budget Oo NM
8 The Estamos savings go toward the "SAFE California Fund" to investi-
Aces Tow gate and solve open murder and rape cases. Inmates are also
required to work and pay restitution into the state victims'
compensation fund.
_ One of the first house parties of the season was hosted by
ACLU members Judy Kerr and Barbara Ridley in Albany.
Judy is a longtime supporter of the ACLU and has con-
tributed countless hours over the years speaking about the
high costs of the death penalty, both human and financial. In
2003, Judy's brother Bob was brutally murdered. During this
traumatic time in Judy's life, she and her family needed grief
counseling and, just as important, she needed to know that the
man who killed her brother would be caught and punished.
But almost 10 years later, justice has not been served. Bob's
murderer walks free.
Today, Judy is working to pass Prop 34. She believes Cali-
fornia should redirect some of the millions of dollars we spend
on the death penalty toward solving open rape and murder
cases-56 percent of reported rapes and 46 percent of murders
go unsolved each year.
At her house party, Judy shared her deeply personal story
with her guests and explained the larger realities behind
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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BOARD ELECTION NOTICE
The ACLU-NC Board of Directors, in accordance with changes adopted in the bylaws in 2003 (Article VI, Section 3
and Article VI, Section 4), have an election schedule as follows:
Nominations for the Board of Directors will now be submitted by the September Board meeting; candidates and bal-
lots will appear in the Fall issue of the ACLU News; elected board members will begin their three-year term in January.
As provided by the revised ACLU-NC bylaws, the ACLU-NC membership is entitled to elect its Board of Directors
directly. The nominating committee is now seeking suggestions from the membership to fill at-large positions on the
Board.
ACLU members may participate in the nominating process in two ways:
1. They may send suggestions for the nominating committee's consideration prior to the September Board meeting
(September 13, 2012). Address suggestions to: Nominating Committee, ACLU-NC, 39 Drumm Street, San Fran-
cisco, CA 94111. Include your nominee's qualifications and how the nominee may be reached.
2. They may submit a petition of nomination with the signatures of 15 current ACLU-NC members. Petitions of
nomination, which should also include the nominee's qualifications, must be submitted to the Board of Directors
by October 3, 2012 (twenty days after the September board meeting). Current ACLU members are those who have
renewed their membership during the last 12 months. Only current members are eligible to submit nominations,
sign petitions of nomination, and vote. No member may sign more than one such petition.
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
39 Drumm St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
ACLU members will select Board members from the slate of candidates nominated by petition and by the nominating
committee. The ballot will appear in the Fall issue of the ACLU News.
Aare WS hale ea rd
of 1 CALIFORNIA
on me open ue: and
he = Ways People
Membership ($20 and up) includes a subscription to the
ACLU News. For membership information call
(415) 621-2493 or visit www.aclunc.org
Michelle Welsh
Abdi Soltani
Rebecca Farmer
Gigi Pandian
CHAIR
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR and
BESIGNER
39 Drumm Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 621-2493 | EDITOR@ACLUNC.ORG
Susana Millman
2012 BENEFACTORS DINNER
enerous ACLU supporters gathered together to occupy the City Club of San Francisco for the ACLU of Northern
California (ACLU-NC) 2012 Benefactors Dinner. The evening's program focused on the ACLU-NC's free speech
work and featured ACLU-NC Executive Director Abdi Soltani, ACLU-NC Legal Director Alan Schlosser, ACLU-NC
Staff Attorneys Linda Lye and Michael Risher, and ACLU-NC client and UC Davis student Fatima Sbeih.
Photos, left to right: Melanie MacKerel [right] with UC Davis plaintiffs William Roberts and Enosh
Baker. Former Board Member Dick Grosboll with ACLU-NC Staff Attorney Linda Lye. Ardent civil liberties
advocates Herb and Lee Kanner.
Amanda Munoz
Amanda Munoz
CELEBRATING PRIDE
he ACLU of Northern California was named the Community Organization Grand Marshal for San Francisco Pride
2012. Over 250 people marched with the ACLU-NC at the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 24.
Adrian Mendoza
"TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO READ,"
SAY DINUBA PARENTS and TEACHERS
By Isobel White
Re elementary school teacher Nona Rhea, the worst part
about her school district's fundamentally flawed method of
teaching English is the time lost in young learners' lives.
"Reading provides the building blocks for all other skills in
a young child's life," says Rhea, teacher of the year at Roos-
evelt Elementary in the Central Valley town of Dinuba. "But
instead of being taught to read, students in my district whose
first language isn't English are stuck doing mini-grammar les-
sons completely out of context. At the same time, their peers
are being introduced to a whole rich reading curriculum. It's
heartbreaking, and it's wrong."
Rhea is a plaintiff in an ACLU-NC lawsuit filed on behalf
of teachers and parents against the Dinuba Unified School
District and the State of California, charging that the school
district and state are violating students' fundamental right to
equal educational opportunity. The lawsuit seeks to stop the
school district from denying basic instruction in reading to 1st
and 2nd grade English learners and to stop using a flawed and
unproven method of teaching English to them.
In 2009, the Dinuba Unified School District adopted a
program of English language instruction known as Second
Language Acquisition Development Instruction (SLADI).
No research supports the use of SLADI for students as young
as Ist and 2nd grade, yet it is in use throughout the district.
By Danielle Riendeau
Making Every Vote Count
Under the California Constitution, stripping the right to
vote from people who have been convicted of felonies-
called felony disenfranchisement-is limited to people who
are serving sentences in state prison and who are on parole.
A 2006 court ruling, an ACLU of Northern California case,
clearly establishes that individuals sentenced to felony pro-
bation retain the right to vote, even if they are confined in
county jail. Under realignment, 85,000 Californians newly
sentenced for low-level, non-violent felonies will now go to
county jail instead of state prison.
A memorandum from Secretary of State Bowen inter-
preted realignment in way that would deny these Californians
the right to vote. In response, the ACLU-NC and other civil
rights organizations filed suit asking the California Supreme
Court to clarify and protect the voting rights of these citizens.
`The suit charges that excluding Californians with felony con-
victions who are neither in prison nor on parole from voting
violates the California Constitution and undermines a central
purpose of realignment, which is to stop the state's expensive
revolving door of incarceration by successfully reintegrating
individuals back into their communities.
The ACLU-NC petitioned the court to hear and decide
the case on an expedited basis so the issue could be resolved
before the October 22, 2012 voter registration deadline.
On July 25, the California Supreme Court denied the peti-
tion for review. The voting rights of individuals sentenced
under Realignment therefore remain unclear.
The ACLU-NC and its partners in the lawsuit will con-
tinue to fight for the voting rights of these individuals.
Teachers are required to provide instruction in complex gram-
matical rules, without offering any meaningful exposure to the
way English is spoken and written in real-life contexts.
Moreover, teachers are not allowed to provide any reading
instruction to their 1st and 2nd grade English learners during
the first half of each school year. During the second semester
of the school year, English learner students are abruptly moved
into the regular reading curriculum, even though they have
not been taught any of the previous reading lessons. Through-
out the year, many English learner students are completely
segregated from their English-speaking peers, except during
recess and lunch.
"It's a crying shame that we've been wasting time in these
kids' lives," says Rhea. "Young kids learn to read and to un-
derstand English because they want to communicate and they
want to engage-because they want to know what happens to
the pig in Charlotte's Web."
The lawsuit, the first of its kind in California, asks that the
program be stopped and that the State honor its responsibility
to ensure that all school districts provide equal opportunity to
a meaningful education for the state's schoolchildren.
"Dinuba Unified School District is depriving English learn-
er children of their constitutional right to equal educational
opportunity," said Jory Steele, ACLU-NC Managing Attorney.
Victory: Safe San Francisco Civil
Rights Ordinance
The ACLU-NC, a founding partner of the Coalition for a
Safe San Francisco, celebrated an important victory in May
when Mayor Lee signed the Safe San Francisco Civil Rights
Ordinance into law. The law puts in place steps to strengthen
transparency and accountability over the activities of the San
Francisco Police Department (SFPD) when the department
gathers intelligence in collaboration with the FBI's Joint Ter-
rorism Task Force (JT TF).
All agreements between the two agencies will now be sub-
ject to public review and comment before the Police Com-
mission, and the commission will be informed of the JT TF's
work with the SFPD through yearly reports.
For decades, San Francisco has been a civil rights leader
in prohibiting policing based on race, ethnicity, national
origin or religion. The new law reinstates measures like
those that were were in place prior to 2007, when a secret
MOU began to govern the relationship between the FBI
and the SFPD.
The ordinance should help to prevent local involvement
in FBI intelligence abuses of the kind that have garnered
widespread attention in Los Angeles and New York.
While the original proposed legislation was broader in
scope, the law provides much-improved oversight of both
agencies. The SFPD will no longer operate under an agree-
ment whose terms were dictated unilaterally by FBI Head-
quarters. The ACLU-NC, together with Asian Law Caucus
and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, will be
closely following its implementation.
"By signing off on this
fundamentally flawed
and unequal program,
the state of California
is not honoring its
constitutional obliga-
tion and is risking the
future of these chil-
dren."
The lawsuit was
filed by the ACLU of
Northern California,
the ACLU of South-
ern California, the
NEU or San Dicco
and Imperial Coun-
Rural
the
Asian Pacific American Legal Center, with pro bono as-
Elementary school teacher
Nona Rhea.
ties, California
Assistance,
Legal
sistance from the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and
Rosati. @
Isobel White is a contributing writer.
Protecting Journalists' Rights
The ACLU-NC filed an amicus brief asking the Santa
Cruz County Superior Court to dismiss felony conspiracy
charges against two photojournalists who followed a group
of Occupy activists into a vacant bank building.
The journalists were arrested and charged with con-
spiracy, as well as aiding and abetting trespass and vandal-
ism, after they took and published photographs of the
occupation. Journalists have particular protections under
the First Amendment when it comes to holding them
responsible for the conduct of other people-so that they
can cover the news. The journalists were charged for the
occupiers' conduct that occurred while they were gather-
ing and disseminating information about a newsworthy
event. Therefore, the ACLU-NC brief argued, the court
must take a close look at the evidence against them to
make sure that they are not prosecuted for constitution-
ally protected activities.
Forcing reporters to defend themselves at trial against
unjustified felony charges can have a serious chilling effect
on their willingness to cover controversial events and to ex-
press opinions about those events that the government may
disagree with. Ultimately, the court dismissed the charges,
citing the ACLU-NC's amicus brief. @
Danielle Riendeau is the Communications
Coordinator at the ACLU of Northern California.
NEW WEB APP LETS
USERS TRIM PRISON
SPENDING, REINVEST
IN CALIFORNIA'S FUTURE
By Caitlin O'Neill
hink Outside the Box is a new web app cre-
ated by the ACLU of Northern California
that allows Californians to get a real-time sense of
how the state's bottom line would fare if prisons
and jails were placed at the center of the budget-
ary chopping block.
Users are in the appropriations driver's seat, making decisions with a click of the
" mouse. Is it best to hold tight to the "lock `em up" status quo, or to achieve significant
savings by, for example, canceling all 2012 jail construction projects (savings = $727
million)? Should we enact modest reforms to allow people who are accused of low level
offenses to be released from jail while they await trial ($225 million savings)? Or replace
the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole ($184 million savings)?
Users who trim criminal justice dollars can trade the savings for investments in child
welfare, K-12 education, and CalGrants for college students without going into the red.
The exercise may be virtual, but the tradeoffs are real and realistic. Every dollar we
spend on incarceration is a dollar that is not spent on more effective public safety solu-
tions, education, or social services.
Using the web app is easy. Visit www.thinkoutsidetheboxca.org.
ACLU staff will be hosting interactive workshops for community members and stu-
dents, leading groups through the decision points while facilitating dialog on the pros
and cons.
To request a presentation, contact Caitlin O'Neill of the Criminal Justice and Drug Policy
Project at coneill@aclunc.org or (415) 621-2493. @(R)
Caitlin O'Neill is a Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Associate at the
ACLU of Northern California.
Riese ata er tits |
A screen shot of www.thinkoutsidetheboxca.org.
INSTRUMENTS OF CHANGE: CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST DAVID MOSS HITS THE
ROAD TO CREATE CHANGE THROUGH PERFORMANCE ART
By Kiran Savage-Sangwan
Pees and advocate David A. Moss
pioneered a one-man show about his
experience of addiction rooted in childhood
trauma and the courage to overcome it. This
year, he took his performance a step further,
joining the ACLU of Northern California
as a forceful advocate for alternatives
to) (Mearceration and feforms. Lo drug
sentencing, as a Criminal Justice and Drug
Policy Educator. In coming to the ACLU-
NC, David created a new performance piece
that combines his personal experience in the
criminal justice system with ACLU research
Jan Penney
and policy advocacy.
David's piece is aptly titled "Instruments
of Change." No one knows how broken the
California criminal justice system is better
David Moss {second from right) with members of the Monterey County Chapter.
than David, a man who went to jail fourteen times for an ad-
diction to cocaine.
"I want people who see Instruments of Change to go away
and make activism a verb," Moss says. "It's one thing to sit
in a room and talk about it, but if that's all we do, it's just
entertainment."
Since April, David has performed "Instruments of Change"
in over a dozen venues across Northern California. College
campuses have been a particularly compelling audience, from
Chico to Berkeley to Fresno. Additionally, the tour had a great
run through the Central Valley, including a lively event in
Applegate Park in Merced. David performed in Sacramento
at the ACLU of California Conference and Lobby
Day to an audience of 100, after which he lobbied
the state legislature for reforms to drug sentenc-
ing laws. Community feedback was phenomenal,
with audience members getting involved in local
efforts to promote alternatives to incarceration and
ACLU chapters growing their memberships.
Moss says one tour highlight was "sitting in the
offices of state senators." He adds, "It's pretty cool
for someone who once woke up in a doorway to
speak on the steps of the Capitol. It's about get-
ting up and doing it. We are not powerless. After
I performed in Monterey, the Sheriff came up and
spoke to me. It put a face on law enforcement;
these guys are human too."
As David continues on the Instruments of
Change tour, he says "it brings to mind the old
country western song `if my song changes just one life, then
I've done my job, my time here is well spent'." @
Kiran Savage-Sangwan is an organizer at the ACLU
of Northern California.
-IN MEMORIAM: FRAN STRAUSS, BOARD MEMBER
EMERITUS, ACTIVIST EXTRAORDINAIRE
By Elaine Elinson
he ACLU of Northern California lost one of its brightest
lights when Frances C. Strauss, board member emeritus,
died at her home in San Francisco on June 15 at the age of 94.
"Fran was really the heart and soul of this affiliate," said
former ACLU-NC Executive Director Dorothy Ehrlich, who
collaborated with Strauss for more than three decades. "Fran
figured out how to make a difference in an organization as a
volunteer-in extraordinary and creative ways that resulted in
an enduring contribution."
Strauss, a Bronx native and former Hunter College student,
began her long association with the ACLU in Chicago in
1953. She worked as the administrative assistant to the execu-
tive director of the Illinois affiliate and served on the board
from 1956-60.
When Strauss and her husband, the renowned medical so-
ciologist Anselm Strauss, moved to San Francisco in 1960, she
brought her ACLU commitment with her. Her first project
was the establishment of the Complaint Desk, a hotline for
people seeking help from the ACLU. Although the Complaint
Desk is now a permanent institution at the ACLU-NC, when
Strauss created it with then-Executive Director Jay Miller and
staff attorneys Joe Remcho and Charles Marson, it was a major
innovation. Then, as now, it is completely staffed by volunteers.
Strauss helped to reorganize the San Francisco chapter and
soon became the chapter representative on the ACLU-NC
board. Her sharp mind, wit and joie de vivre made her a val-
ued ambassador for the organization. When she launched the
very first Bill of Rights Day Celebration in 1975, she filled the
Geary Theater and created an instant tradition. Retired Chief
Justice Earl Warren himself attended the event, and the first
Earl Warren Civil Liberties Award was given to legal pioneer
fe
With a Single Sentence,
You Can Defend Freedom
Now and Forever.
Right now, by adding the ACLU to your will,
you can leave a legacy of liberty for genera-
tions to come and defend our freedom today.
Name the ACLU in your estate plans and
the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust will
make a cash matching contribution of up to
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For simple bequest language to include in
your will and for information on other gifts
that qualify for the Legacy Challenge, visit
www.aclu.org/legacy or call toll-free
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AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
E74E GA CY
CHALLENGE
X a
Anthony Amsterdam. The Celebration netted an unprec-
edented $23,000 and raised the profile of ACLU-NC outside
of the courtroom. Strauss continued to organize the annual
Celebration and parallel fundraising campaign; at the 1989
Bill of Rights Day Celebration, Strauss was honored with the
Lola Hanzel Advocacy Award as an "individual who has made
an extraordinary contribution as a volunteer."
Strauss, who was elected an at-large member of the board
in 1975, served on almost every board committee-Execu-
tive, Development, Equality, Field, Budget Management and
Student Outreach - and as chair of the Development Com-
mittee. In 1980, by then a seasoned fundraiser, Strauss helped
design and implement the major gifts campaign. Her strategic
view of fundraising not only helped secure a sound financial
base for the ACLU-NC, but, as Ehrlich notes, created a real
community dedicated to strengthening the organization. In
1997, in recognition of Strauss's all-sided leadership role, she
was named the first board member emerita. On the occasion
of her 90th birthday, a Board resolution honored Strauss as a
"role model in the work for justice, equality and liberty."
"Fran Strauss made her mark on the ACLU not in a matter
of days, weeks or years, but in her service over decades," said
ACLU-NC Executive Director Abdi Soltani. "Two qualities
made her accomplishments for civil liberties possible: a lot of
heart and a lot of hard work."
In 2010, the Development Department wing in the new
ACLU-NC building on Drumm Street was named in honor of
Strauss. The plaque on the wall will remind future generations
of ACLU activists of the inspiring legacy of Fran Strauss and
the torch that she carried so that civil liberties would continue
to burn bright. @
Elaine Elinson is the former Public Information
Director of the ACLU of Northern California.
Gifts in memory can. Ve Wade 10 tie ACDU-NE
Foundation. Please contact Denise Mock at (415)
621-2493 x 334 or email giving@aclunc. org.
ACLU-NC MAILING PREFERENCES
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STEPPING UP TO PASS PROP 34 continucp cRom Pace 1
California's death penalty: it is broken beyond repair, exor-
bitantly costly, and carries the risk of executing an innocent
person.
Special guest State Senator Loni Hancock explained how
she was "heartbroken" when forced to make cuts to social
service programs, particularly in marginalized communities,
while hundreds of millions of death penalty dollars remained
untouched. She urged guests to donate to the Yes on 34
campaign because the death penalty "punishes taxpayers, not
killers" and voters should carefully consider how we spend our
tax dollars.
Supporting the Yes on 34 campaign is a family activity
in the Kerr-Ridley household. Their daughter Abigail is a
fulltime volunteer for the campaign this summer. Abigail
is helping with voter registration drives, reaching voters
through community events and fairs, and helping other
people plan their Yes on 34 house parties.
Judy, Barbara and Abigail are just a few of the many vol-
unteers who have dedicated themselves to reaching out to as
many California voters as possible and to helping the Yes on
34 campaign succeed this November. @
Abdi Soltani is the Executive Director at the ACLU
of Northern California.
By The ACLU California Legislative Office
Mobile Location Privacy
SB 1434, the California Location Privacy Act, authored
by State Senator Leno (D-San Francisco) would update
California privacy law to reflect the modern mobile world
by providing needed protection against warrantless goy-
ernment access to a person's location information. Most
Californians now carry tracking devices every day-with
their mobile phones, tablets and more. The bill will next be
heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Expanding Access to Safe, Early
Abortion Services
SB 1338 authored by State Senator Kehoe (D-San Diego),
would allow women to receive safe, early abortions from
trained Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, and
Physician Assistants in their communities.
`The bill failed in Senate Business and Professions and Eco-
nomic Development Committee. However, a new, related
bill (SB 623) would extend a UCSF-sponsored project,
authorizing clinicians currently trained under the project
to continue providing abortions through 2013. SB 623
passed out of Assembly Health and will next be heard in
the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Effective School Discipline
AB 1729, authored by Assemblymember Ammiano
(D-San Francisco), encourages school leaders to use ef-
fective-and proven-policies that get at the core issues
behind a student's behavior, create a safer environment
for all students, and keep kids in school. The bill gives
superintendents and principals discretion to use other
means of correction prior to suspension or expulsion
and enumerates those alternatives. The bill passed out
of the Assembly 53-25 and heads to the Senate Floor
in August.
yen Donate to the campaign yourself
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Y Throw a house party to raise awareness and financial support
yen Get endorsements from churches, local elected officials, and political parties in your area
For more information on how to get involved, please
visit www.yeson34.org or email ashley@safecalifornia.org.
YES*.34
Justice that works
YESON34.ORG
Protecting Immigrants' Rights
AB 1081, the TRUST Act, authored by Assemblymem-
ber Ammiano (D-San Francisco) would restore trust and
transparency between our communities and local police by
limiting local jails from holding people on immigration-
based detention requests when they pose no risk to public
safety. It would create safeguards against racial profiling.
It would allow local police to do their jobs and focus on
public safety-for everyone in the community.
A federal immigration program, "Secure Communi-
ties," scans fingerprints of everyone arrested to check
their immigration status. Unfortunately, this program has
unfairly swept up community members for deportation,
including law-abiding citizens and even some victims of
domestic violence who call the police for help.
The bill passed the full Senate and awaits a final Assem-
bly floor vote before going to the Governor.
Stopping the Shackling of Pregnant
Women
AB 2530, authored by Assemblymember Atkins (D-San
Diego) would prohibit the most dangerous forms of
shackling of pregnant prisoners. Pregnant women repre-
sent between four and seven percent of the female popu-
lation in correctional facilities, and this number is steadily
growing across the nation.
While current law prohibits the use of shackles during
labor, delivery, and recovery, there are no standards for
when and how to safely restrain pregnant inmates through-
out their pregnancies.
AB 2530 has garnered support from Republicans and
Democrats. It will be heard in Senate Appropriations on
August 6. @
The Sacramento Legislative Office works with
the three California ACLU affiliates: Northern
California, Southern California, and San Diego.
STANDING WITH
SERVICEWOMEN
By Rebecca Farmer
We serving in the military who are
raped cannot get insurance coverage for
an abortion. This is particularly pressing when
women in the military face extremely high rates
of rape-when a woman enlists, her risk of sex-
ual assault doubles. The ACLU has led efforts to
ensure that women serving in the military have
the same access to reproductive health care as
civilian women.
In just a short time we have seen tremendous
progress on this issue. We cannot allow service-
women who are raped to seek unsafe alternatives
because their health care plans don't cover abor-
tion. Recent efforts have focused on the Shaheen
Amendment to the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act, which would end the ban on insurance
coverage of abortion for military women who
become pregnant as a result of rape.
The Senate Armed Services Committee adopted
this amendment by a vote of 16-10 and with key
support from the Committee Chairman, Sen. Carl
Levin, and the Ranking Member, Sen. John Mc-
Cain. For more information and for ways to get
involved, visit www.StandWithServicewomen.org,
a coalition effort to end this unfair policy. @
Rebecca Farmer is Communications Director at
the ACLU of Northern California.
ACLU CONFERENCE and LOBBY DAY:
A STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
he 2012 ACLU of California Conference and Lobby Day was held in
Sacramento from April 14-16. Recent UC Merced graduate Erica
Beckles shares her experience with the conference:
Photos by Diana Arreola
The ACLU Conference and Lobby Day was amazing. This
was my first time attending an ACLU conference and I
made so many connections. J met a lot of similarly passion-
ate students like me, as well as some awesome community
leaders.
The 3-day conference was jam-packed with informative
workshops, general meetings, great networking opportu-
nities, and even some free time to go out and enjoy the
city. The most inspiring part of the conference was Lobby
Day.
Seeing the work that the ACLU put into getting its mem-
bers connected with state officials to lobby for bills and spread
awareness regarding legislation made political involvement
seem very feasible and impactful. @
ACLU Conference and Lobby Day participant Erica Beckles.
ARE YOU A MEMBER OF THE BERKELEY/NORTH EAST BAY CHAPTER?
The Berkeley/North East Bay Chapter invites those interested in filling one of the open board seats
to send their name, contact information, and a brief statement [forty words] about their civil liberties
concerns to Jim Hausken, 91 Norwood Avenue, Kensington, CA, 94707, by September 14.
STUDENTS COME TOGETHER FOR THE DREAM ACT
he West Coast DREAM Graduation brought together 300 undocumented youth leaders and their allies for a
mock graduation at San Francisco's City Hall. The ACLU-NC was a sponsor of their event.
Just days before, some of the activists from the National Immigrant Youth Alliance had also organized sit-ins in Obama
campaign offices, which prompted the President's announcement of a new policy to provide deferred action and work permits.
The mock graduation was a chance for young people to stand with pride with each other in support of access to education and
fair immigration policies. Although California now provides in-state college tuition and financial aid to its high school gradu-
ates who are undocumented, students in other states are banned from
attending public colleges altogether.
Students from Arizona also spoke about the impact of SB1070
and the Supreme Court's ruling on their communities. Other
youth told the crowd about the devastation that the Secure Com-
munities program has caused. Civil rights icon Angela Davis
marched with the students and gave the keynote address, calling
the ceremony "the most important graduation happening across
the country." @
iS)
Marty McReyno
he Sonoma County Chapter's Annual Dinner
and Awards Celebration was held April 27 at the
Friedman Event Center in Santa Rosa. Sonoma ACLU
members came to hear keynote speaker Jeanne Wood-
ford, former warden of San Quentin Prison, to honor
Santa Rosa civil rights attorney David Grabill and
to support the Sonoma Chapter. Above, the Occupy
Band entertains the crowd.
GET INVOLVED!
CHAPTERS AND CLUBS
IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Northern Calfornia Chapters
Berkeley/North East Bay
Chico
Greater Fresno
Mt. Diablo
Marin County
Mid-Peninsula
Monterey County
North Peninsula (Daly City to San Carlos]
Paul Robeson (Oakland}
Redwood (Humboldt County]
Sacramento County
San Joaquin
Santa Clara Valley
Santa Cruz County
Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Counties
Sonoma County
Stanislaus County
Yolo County
Campus Clubs
Golden Gate University
Santa Clara University Law
Stanford University
UC Berkeley
UC Davis King Hall Law
Get contact information at
WWW.ACLUNC.ORG/ACTION/CHAPTERS
or by calling (415) 621-2493 x369
Why are immigrant rights such a huge
issue right now?
As a country, our immigration policy goes back and
forth between periods of inclusion and exclusion.
Right now, with the country in recession and signifi-
cant demographic change underway, immigrants are
an easy target for politicians. My own family's expe-
rience as immigrants to the United States from Iran,
when I was in 4th grade and my brother in 8th grade,
was the America of inclusion.
What inspired you to organize the Estamos
Unidos campaign?
Anti-immigrant laws, like Arizonas SB 1070 and
Alabama's HB 56, involve local police in immigration
enforcement, leading to racial profiling and unlawful
detentions of citizens and non-citizens alike. I watched a
video in January of an 8th grader from Alabama named
Brandon, whose story of standing up for the rights of
people in his community really moved me. I felt we re-
ally needed to do something to let people like Brandon
know that across the United States, we are united in this
fight. Estamos Unidos.
What was a highlight of the tour for you?
The event in Brandon's home town of Clanton, Ala-
bama. Listening to testimonies of racial profiling from
simple traffic stops that led to arrests, detention, and
even deportation, was truly haunting. Meeting Brandon
and his community, which has been so principled in
standing up for their rights, was truly inspiring.
ASK THE EXPERTS!
Estamos Unidos
Abdi Soltani joined the ACLU of Northern California as Executive Director in April 2009. As the Supreme Court heard
arguments on Arizona's SB 1070, Soltani organized the Estamos Unidos tour in collaboration with other staff at the
ACLU of Northern California, the national ACLU and ACLU affiliates around the country.
You had a run-in with the Border Patrol.
What happened?
One of the things you learn is that the border now
extends far into the mainland of the United States. At
a Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas, the agent said his
dog had smelled either "narcotics or a concealed human"
giving him probable cause to do a search. SB 1070 ex-
tends that idea further, turning every police officer into
a border agent, and every street corner into a border
checkpoint. I get shivers thinking about it.
How does the landscape of immigrant rights
in California fit with the rest of the country?
Prop 187 was to California in the mid-90's what SB 1070
is to Arizona today. Unlike students we met on the tour
in Missouri, Georgia and Colorado with little to no access
to college, California now provides in-state tuition and
financial aid to DREAMers, youth who have grown up
here but are undocumented. Despite California's better
laws, though, the greatest fear we encountered on the
tour was probably in our very own Merced County. So
we have a lot of work to do even in California. That is
why we are working to pass the TRUST Act (AB 1081),
sponsored by Assemblymember Ammiano, to limit police
and sheriff involvement in immigration enforcement.
The Supreme Court decision on SB 1070
and President Obama's announcement on
the DREAM students are on a lot of people's
minds. What happens next?
The Court allowed to stand-for now and with a
warning to Arizona-the "show me your papers"
provision of SB 1070. So we will step up our litigation
in Arizona, Alabama and states with similar laws to
strike down this provision on the grounds that it leads
to racial profiling and unlawful detentions of citizens
and non-citizens alike.
Meanwhile, President Obama made a big announce-
ment to defer deportations and grant work permits for
the DREAM students, young people who are undocu-
mented but grew up in the U.S. It's going to take a lot
of work to make sure that this new policy is the real
thing and is properly implemented.
Through a project like this, you got to
work with many ACLU state affiliates and
national ACLU staff. What did you learn
about the ACLU?
One of my goals with this project was to uncover
the bilingual capacity among ACLU staff nation-
wide, as we set out to strengthen the ACLU's work
with Spanish speaking communities. We launched
a number of new bilingual resources through this
campaign, including the Spanish language website
MiACLU.org.
Latinos are the targets of these discriminatory laws
and at the same time are an increasingly powerful force
in our country. This really is the decade for the ACLU
to build a strong constituency in the Latino commu-
nity for the whole mission of protecting Constitutional
rights. We can do it. Si se puede. @
LEGACIES AND NEW BEGINNINGS
In addition to the the breadth of work we do across Northern California, this year marked a
new beginning: the heightened collaboration of the ACLU California affiliates as the "ACLU of
California."
The ACLU of Southern California was founded in 1923 with the forceful advocacy of Upton
Sinclair on Liberty Hill. A decade later, the ACLU of Northern California was founded during
the 1934 general strike in San Francisco. Initially a chapter of the ACLU of Southern California
that was started in 1933, the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties became a free-standing
affiliate in 1988.
) BY GIG| PANDIAN
a OnInG
For several decades, the three ACLU affiliates in California have jointly funded and supported
our Legislative Office in Sacramento. The Sacramento Bee and California Watch recently ranked
our legislative program as the #4 most effective lobbying operation in Sacramento, alongside
groups with vastly larger budgets. Throughout these years we have collaborated in a number
of other ways.
Building on this success, the ACLU of California is a new strategic partnership of the three California ACLU affiliates. Each affiliate retains its autonomy and its
unique focus on its own region's needs. But increasingly, we will pool our resources, strategic thinking, and program strategies to generate the maximum civil
liberties impact for the state and our communities. With over 100,000 members and 100 staff statewide, we see this collaboration in our work across the state:
m Engaging our boards, staffs, and supporters statewide to become better informed of the civil liberties issues facing our state, from our border
with Mexico to the border with Oregon.
a Working with college students as the next generation of civil liberties leaders through outreach to CSU, UC, community colleges and student
associations statewide.
m Filing ambitious cases that require plaintiffs statewide and challenge state institutions.
m Advocating for county and state policy reforms, for example on criminal justice realignment, immigrants' rights, safe schools for LGBT youth,
and access to reproductive services.
mw Supporting ballot measures, such as our vigorous advocacy for the SAFE California Act to replace the death penalty with life without the
possibility of parole.
m Providing resources to ACLU state offices nationwide, for example the new MiACLU bilingual website, www.miaclu.org, to better inform and
engage the Latino community.
We are proud of our legacy and accomplishments as the ACLU of Northern California. And we are truly energized by the vision and possibilities of a coordinated,
statewide strategy for the ACLU across California.
Yours,
Abdi So . ee a
Abdi Soltani, Executive Director Michelle Welsh, Board Chair