vol. 62, no. 3
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Lye ia i
Academics, Contractors Sue Governor for Barring
State Information on Discrimination
harging that Governor Wilson's
Cis 10 Executive Order barring
collection of statistics on the partici-
pation of women and minorities in
California's public contracting system is an
illegal suppression of crucial information,
civil rights groups on April 2 filed a lawsuit,
Barlow v. Wilson, in Alameda County
Superior Court.
The plaintiffs - who include members
NEWSPAPER OF THE AMERICAN euro:iviL LIBERTIES UNION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
aclu news
May/June 1992
of the academic and business communities
- charge that Governor Wilson's sweeping
Executive Order represents an unlawful
attempt to repeal a California law requiring
the state to monitor the participation of
minority- and women-owned businesses in
state contracts. The Order, among other
actions, struck provisions instructing agen-
cies to gather data used to monitor the fair
and equitable awarding of over a billion dol-
Affirmative Action
Wins Out in State
Legislature
ed the defeat of two bills which would
have dismantled or greatly weakened
over thirty of California's affirmative action
programs in public sector employment,
education, and state contracting.
The bills originating in the State
Assembly and State Senate threatened
statutes ranging from the American Indian
Early Childhood Education Program, cred-
ited with greatly reducing the dropout rate
of Native American high school students, to
the programs that provide opportunities for
women and minority-owned business at the
state and local level.
"We're very pleased that the Legislature
voted down these harmful bills," said ACLU
of California Legislative Director Francisco
Lobaco. "The preserved affirmative action
|: April, civil rights advocates celebrat-
| programs are, despite the passage of
Proposition 209, legally and constitutional-
ly sound and help alleviate discrimination
against women and minorities in this state."
Assemblyman Richter and Senator
Kopp drafted the measures, AB 1700 and
SB 2041 respectively, to implement
Governor Wilson's March Executive Order,
which listed 31 state affirmative action
statutes slated to be repealed or altered to
allegedly comply with the requirements of
Proposition 209.
The ACLU and others lobbying against
the bills charged that Proposition 209 does
not require the dismantling of all public
affirmative action programs and that the
programs listed in the bills do not grant
"preferences," but rather provide outreach
Continued on page 4
tf
~Join the ACLU Contingent at the
San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender ae Celebration
SHAKIN IT UP!
Sunday, June 28
Starting 10:30 a.m.
For more information, please call Lisa Maldonado at (415) 621-2493, ext. 46.
Mona Lacszo
lars in state contracts.
"In order to understand and combat dis-
crimination, policy-makers, community
groups and the public must be informed
about the state's use of taxpayer funds," said
attorney Oren Sellstrom of the Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights. "If in fact the
state does not discriminate, collecting and
releasing these numbers will prove that. On
the other hand, if discrimination does exist,
what better way to hide it than to stop col-
lecting evidence?"
Dr. Andrew Barlow, who has been a
Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at
U.C. Berkeley for the last decade and is cur-
rently working on a book about the impact of
civil rights law on race relations, noted, "This
data is crucial for monitoring the impact of
- ACLU members: may y participate in
e nominating process | in ive _ .
ACLU "Te ey
Take This to the Polls!
Proposition 227 - VOTE NO
Don't END BILINGUAL EDUCATION
The ACLU-NC opposes this measure which proposes to eliminate bilingual
education and replace it with a single year of English immersion in a class-
room with children of all ages. The ACLU believes that 227 would have a dis-
proportionate negative impact on racial minorities by denying them the
opportunity to an equal education.
Proposition 226 - VOTE NO
LIMITING UNION POLITICAL SPEECH
The ACLU-NC opposes this initiative which would require union members to
affirmatively agree every year to have any portion of their union dues used
for political activity, severely limiting a union's ability to organize and speak
out on behalf of its rank-and-file members. Currently, union members can
choose not to pay dues spent on political issues with which they disagree.
STUDENT ACTIVISM, STUDENT RIGHTS
SCHOO SHOOCHOHHOHHOHSHOHHSOHSHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEHHSE
Non-Profit
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 4424
San Francisco, CA
government programs on minorities and
women. Our ability as researchers to
assess the efficacy of government pro-
grams and policies depends on the quali-
ty of the data that we can work with.
"Until a generation ago, the govern-
ment erected barriers that prevented
minorities and women from achieving
equal opportunity and we must remain
vigilant against the possibility of that
happening again. In addition, even gov-
ernment programs that appear to be
race- or gender-neutral can, in reality,
present many obstacles to minorities and
women especially in awarding public con-
tracts.
"The more light shed on these pro-
Continued on page 4
"members are those who have
. covinaes on page 2
Students Sue Morgan Hill
School District for Harassment
n April, 21, five present and former
QO high school students from Live Oak
High School in the Morgan Hill
Unified School District in Santa Clara
County filed a suit in U.S. District Court in
San Jose against the
and "fucking dyke" in hallways and class-
rooms to threats and incidents of sexual
and physical violence. The complaint
alleges that school officials fostered an
atmosphere of bullying and abuse by refus-
| bus driver, who took no action. Although
the student's mother called the police as
well as administrators at the school, no dis-
ciplinary action against the perpetrators
| was ever taken.
In a subsequent inci-
school district. The
suit charges that
school officials
refused to take any
action to protect the
students from ongo-
ing harassment on the
basis of gender and
perceived sexual ori-
"All students have a right to be
treated equally and to attend
school without fear of violence or
hostility..."
dent at Live Oak High
School, the student was
forced to drop out of a
drafting course after the
teacher refused to inter-
vene when another student
repeatedly referred to him
as "homo" in class and
eventually threatened him
entation, violating of
the school's own sexual harassment and
hate violence policies, as well as federal and
state law mandating school safety and equal
protection for all public school students.
The plaintiffs, four female students
and one male student, describe repeated
incidents of severe verbal, physical, and
sexual abuse against students who are per-
ceived to be lesbian or gay at Live Oak High
School, from students yelling "faggot,"
"dyke," "homo," "queer," "fucking faggot,"
ing to investigate incidents of harassment
or to discipline students who engaged in
harassing behavior against students who
were perceived to be lesbian or gay.
In one incident, a 7th grade student at
Murphy Middle School was hospitalized for
injuries to his ribs after a group of male
students shouted "faggot" and other homo-
phobic epithets while repeatedly hitting
and kicking him at a school bus stop. The
beating took place in full view of the school
with physical violence, stat-
ing that "I want to beat you up after class
but I need a baseball bat to hit you because
I don't want to get AIDS."
A female student at Live Oak High
repeatedly found pornographic literature
and obscene notes with graphic and violent-
ly anti-lesbian threats placed in her locker,
including pictures of women who had been
bound and gagged. On one occasion, the stu-
dent discovered a pornographic picture and
Continued on page 4
SHOSHOHOHSHSHSHHSSHSHSHHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHSHHHHSHHHHHSHSHHHSHSHSHHHHSHSHHHSHSHHHHHHHSHHSHHHHSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEHHEE
Judge Upholds San Francisco's
Domestic Partners Equal
Benefits Ordinance
BY MARIA ARCHULETA
reaking new ground in the struggle
B for lesbian and gay rights, on April
10, US. District Court Judge
Claudia Wilken largely upheld San
Francisco's Equal Benefits Partners
Ordinance. Her ruling in-the case, Air
Transport Association of America v. City
and County of San Francisco, was the first
of its kind in the country.
"Judge Wilken's decision represents a
major step forward for the effort to get fair
treatment for lesbian and gay employees,"
said ACLU-NC staff attorney Kelli Evans.
"Other cities interested in passing similar
ordinances have been closely watching
this lawsuit. We are hopeful that many will
adopt laws that follow the guidelines set
out in this decision."
The controversial ordinance which
went into effect July 1, requires compa-
nies that the City does business with to
provide the same benefits to unmarried
domestic partners that they provide to
married couples.
Challenging their obligation to follow |
the ordinance, in May 1997, the American
Transport Association filed suit against
the City of San Francisco on behalf of
major airlines.
Wilken's ruling firmly upheld the
right of the City to pass and enforce the
law. In her opinion she wrote,"...the ordi-
nance effectuates a legitimate local pub-
lic interest to combat discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation."
However, Wilken also held that the ordi-
nance cannot be applied to out-of-state con-
duct that is unrelated to the purpose of a
city contract. Thus, the City could not force
the federally regulated airlines to abide by
the Domestic Partners Ordinance.
National ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights
Project Director Matt Coles explained,
"Cities across America have been waiting
for this decision so that they could know if it
is legal for them to demand that the people
they do business with will treat lesbian and
gay couples fairly. The clear meaning of
Judge Wilken's decision is that in most cir-
cumstances, they can. It is only when the
city does something that typical consumers
do not do, like run an airport, that they may
not pick and choose who they will do busi-
ness with. When they buy things or contract
for ordinary services, they can."
Evans added, "While it is true that the
ACLU News @ May/June 1998 = Pace 2
City of San Francisco will not be able to
demand that airlines operating out of its
airport treat lesbian and gay employees
like heterosexual employees, Judge
Wilken makes it clear that the airlines are
an exception. In general, when the City
buys goods or services it can refuse to do
business with companies that discrimi-
nate against gay and lesbian employees,
just as ordinary consumers can refuse to
do business with companies with which
they don't approve.
While the airlines may have won this
particular battle, the City - and advocates
for equality - have won the war for fair
treatment." @
WILLIAM WALKER
At the podium, Say What??!! conference participants share views on the Juvenile Crime
Bill. Howard A Friedman Project members (at left) Sabrina Ciaravella and Suemyra
Shah moderate the open microphone session.
Students Celebrating
Freedom of Expression
By Nancy OTTO
- n March 81, 700 high school stu- -
dents from 30 high schools through- _
out northern California converged
on Sacramento to attend the seventh
annual ACLU Say What??!! Students
Celebrate Freedom of Expression
Conference to speak their minds and orga-
nize against several juvenile justice bills -
in the Legislature.
During the free conference, organized
by the ACLU-NC Howard A. Friedman First
Amendment Education Project
and |
planned by ACLU student activists, partic- |
ipants held a rally on the Capitol steps and |
then presented Assemblymember Bob -
Hertzberg huge postcards signed by all the |
students protesting the Gang Violence and -
Juvenile Crime Control Act of 1998. This (c)
Act would try more juveniles as adults, -
remove the confidentiality surrounding (c)
juvenile records, provide stricter sen- -
tences for gang-related crimes, and -
increase the number of specific crimes
that would count as "strikes" under the
"three strikes you're out" sentencing law.
The day-long event also featured live
music, street theater, photo exhibits, and
the opportunity to lobby elected officials.
Conference workshops covered topics such
as bilingual education, same sex public
schools, the rights of teen parents, special
education, sex education, juvenile justice,
homelessness, religious clubs on campus,
and empowering gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered youth. One of the most mov-
ing workshops was on the death penalty
and featured two family members of mur-
der victims who spoke about their differing
views on whether the death penalty helps
them to heal.
The ACLU student activists decided to
move the Say What??!! conference to
Sacramento this year to take advantage of
the lobbying and activist opportunities at
the Capitol. and
Legislative Counsel
Finds Oakland Vehicle
Seizure Illegal
BY MARIA ARCHULETA
recent advisory opinion issued by
At Legislative Counsel of
California concluded that the City
of Oakland's vehicle seizure and forfeiture
ordinance "is void as contradictory to state
law."
ACLU-NC Police Practices Director John
Crew notified the Mayor of Oakland and the
Oakland City Counsel of the critical state
opinion in a letter sent Monday, March 30.
According to the Oakland Tribune, on
April 8 the Oakland City Attorney's Office
stated that the City will continue enforcing
the law.
The ACLU-NC has repeatedly expressed
civil rights concerns about the ordinance
which the Oakland Police Department has
utilized to seize and sell automobiles allegedly
used to solicit acts of prostitution or acquire
illegal drugs - even in instances with no crimi-
nal conviction. The ACLU is asking the City
council to repeal the ordinance.
The Legislative Counsel found that
Oakland's local practices are in conflict
with state law which prohibits the seizure
of vehicles for prostitution and drug offens-
es except in the case of a conviction and
proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
"The City of Oakland is not free to sim-
ply ignore the important procedural pro-
tections in this area provided to the people
of California by laws enacted by the State -
Legislature," wrote Crew. "Whether or not
you personally agree that people should be
convicted of an offense before their proper-
ty is taken and sold by the government is
not the issue. What matters, according to
the Legislative Counsel, is that the ordi-
nance you enacted "... is in conflict with and
preempted by state law."
In addition, the Legislative Counsel
found that "Operation Beat Feet" violates
state law because it allows the seizure of
vehicles involved in the sale of any con-
trolled substance. The state forfeiture law
is much narrower in that it only applies to
certain types and quantities of controlled
substances.
The Legislative Counsel' opinion con-
cluded: "Thus, the [Oakland] ordinance
contradicts the state forfeiture laws in two
important aspects: the burden of proof and
the operative controlled substance offense
that apply. This being the case, we con-
clude that the ordinance is void as contra-
dictory to state law."
Crew will continue to investigate the
use and misue of the seizure and forfeiture
ordinance. @
ACLU News = May/June 1998 Pe ee
Advocates Challenge
Contra Costa's
Exclusion of Southeast
Asians from Benefits
n April 24, a coalition of civil rights
() ives filed a complaint chal-
lenging recent policy changes by
the Contra Costa County Department of
Social Services (CCCDSS) that have
resulted in effectively cutting off public
benefits and services to limited English
proficient and monolingual Southeast
Asians in the county.
The Administrative Civil Rights
Complaint filed with the Department of
Justice Civil Rights Division, Health and
Human Services, and the Department of
Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service,
asks the federal offices to require CCCDSS
to take immediate steps to eliminate the
discriminatory language barriers to-
accessing public benefits and services for
Southeast Asian immigrants in Contra
Costa County.
CCCDSS made changes to its "Refugee
Unit" without first conducting the civil
rights impact analysis mandated by federal
Continued on page 4
ee
Legacy of Activism
BY STAN YOGI
CLU supporter Ron Wilmot once
Asi "Charity, especially giving back
to the community, gives me a sense
of purpose and a feeling that is invaluable
to my survival." Ron's dedication to the San
Francisco Bay Area community was mani-
fest not only during
his life but also
through his estate.
The ACLU
Foundation of
Northern Californ-
ia is honored to be
a beneficiary of
Ron's trust. Ron,
who died last year
at 46, was a tireless
advocate and fund-
raiser for lesbian
and gay and AIDS
organizations, and
his bequest to the
ACLU Foundation
will benefit our ongoing efforts to protect
the rights of lesbians and gay men in north-
ern California and nationally.
Born in Albany, New York, Ron graduat-
ed from Ohio's Miami University in 1972.
After college, he accepted a commission in
the Navy and during the Vietnam War served
as the chief communications officer aboard
the USS Enterprise. Ending his tour of duty
Ron Wilmot
_ on Treasure Island after three years of ser-
vice, Ron received an honorable discharge.
Ron acquired HartfordProperties in
1978 with his late business partner Rick
Cohen, and the two built the business into
one of the most successful real estate firms
in San Francisco. Community service was
an integral part of the Hartford business
philosophy, which included donations and
services to thank the community that sup-
ported them.
Ron's community service extended
beyond his business. For 20 years, he spent
his Wednesday mornings reading to the
blind at the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for
the Blind in San Francisco, and he was
integral, as a donor and a real estate bro-
ker, in securing a new building for his syna-
gogue, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav.
Ron was HIV-positive for 18 years and
devoted much of his energy raising money
for AIDS organizations and educating him-
self and others about AIDS and AIDS treat-
ments. He served on the advisory board of
the Jewish Family and Children's Services
AIDS Project and was the first speaker in
their "Putting a Face to AIDS" speakers
bureau.
An avid cyclist who credited bicycling
with keeping him asymptomatic for most of
the years he was HIV-positive, Ron created
a bike-a-thon to benefit Project Inform, an
organization that provided him and others
with accurate and
up-to-date informa-.
tion on AIDS treat-
ments. This lasting
legacy that bears his
name is held each
May.
The afternoon be-
fore his first bike-a-
thon in 1995, Ron was
taken to the emer-
gency room after suf-
fering a severe re-
action to an experi-
mental drug. Al-
though he was
hospitalized over-
night, he nonetheless insisted on being at
the bike-a-thon when it began at 10 a.m.
Television crews had gathered awaiting the
fundraiser's creator. Ron's friends got him
out of the hospital 20 minutes before the
event was to begin, and he appeared at the
starting line,-dressed in a biking outfit,
perched on his bicycle to talk with
reporters.
Ron's generous bequest to the ACLU is
an ongoing legacy of his vision and commit-
ment to securing equality and freedom for
lesbians and gay men. In naming the ACLU
a beneficiary of his trust, Ron recognized the
important work of the ACLU in fighting for
the rights of gay people with the same deter-
mination that he brought to his own life.
Ron's' partner, Jim O'Donnell,
explained that Ron believed "Each life is
meant to have a purpose, and it's our
responsibility to determine what our pur-
CourTesy oF JIM O'DONNELL
pose is. For Ron, that meant giving back to
the community he was part of and making
it a better place."
The ACLU Foundation of Northern
California is deeply grateful to Ron Wilmot
for his commitment and dedication to our
community and for helping to make it a bet-
ter place by ensuring equal rights and equal
protection for gay men and lesbians.
If you would like to make a bequest to
the ACLU, please contact Stan Yogi,
Director of Planned Giving, at 415/621-
2498 ext. 80.
Academics...
Continued from page |
grams the better," said Dr. Barlow, who also
teaches at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant
Hill.
Plaintiff Fred Jordan, President of FE.
Jordan Associates, an engineering firm with
along history of public contracts, said,
"The Governor has a responsibility to
prevent discrimination in this state. But his
order removes an invaluable tool that could
reveal that discrimination."
ACLU-NC staff attorney Ed Chen said, "As
more and more of the data-gathering struc-
ture is dismantled, more and more of this vital
information is irretrievably lost. That is why
we are asking the court to intervene."
Governor Wilson justified his executive
order by the recent Ninth Circuit decision
in Monterey Mechanical v. Wilson. In that
case, the Court struck down a requirement
in Public Contract Code 10115.5 that con-
tractors make good faith efforts to reach
Affirmative Action...
Continued from page |
and recruitment necessary to combat dis-
crimination.
In addition, soon after Wilson issued the
March order, a consortium of civil rights
organizations - including the ACLU affiliates
of Northern and Southern California, Equal
Rights Advocates, Lawyers' Committee for
Civil Rights, and others - created and widely
distributed the booklet, Reaching for the
Dream: Profiles in Affirmative Action,
which examines the programs under attack
and introduces individuals who benefited
from those programs. Every member of the
Chapter Meetings
(Chapter meetings are open to all interested members.
Contact the Chapter activist listed for your area.)
B-A-R-K (Berkeley-Albany-Richmond-Ken-
sington) Chapter Meeting: (Usually fourth
Thursday) For more information, time and address of
meetings, contact Jim Chanin at 510/848-4752 or
Rachel Richman at 510/540-5507.
Fresno Chapter Meeting: (Usually fourth Tuesday).
Please join our newly-teorganized Chapter! Meetings are
held at 7:00 PM at the Fresno Center for Non-Violence. For
more information, call Bob Hirth 209/225-6223 (days).
Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter Meeting:
(Usually first Thursday) For schedule of meetings or more
information, contact Steve Zollman at 510/845-7108.
Marin County Chapter Meeting: (Usually third
Monday) Meet at 7:30 p.m. at the Corte Madera Town
Center, Community Meeting Room. For more information,
contact Kerry Peirson at 415/383-3989.
Mid-Peninsula Chapter Meeting: (Usually fourth
Thursday) Meet at 7:30 PM, at 460 South California
Avenue, Suite 11, Palo Alto. . For more information, con-
tact Ken Russell at 650/325-8750.
enter, Monterey
ation, please contact Lisa Maldonado
2493, extension 46. -
Sunday, De
Bill of Rights Day cent
honoring Representa
with the Earl Warren Ci
Sheraton Pala
participation goals for women- and minori-
ty-owned firms. ;
"The case did not declare the state's
data-gathering law unconstitutional," said
Beth Parker of Equal Rights Advocates. "In
fact, it did not refer to the data collection
process at all. This suit is aimed at prevent-
ing the state from stopping the data collec-
tion that is required by law. This data is
needed to ensure that state contracts are
awarded fairly and equitably."
Although Judge Henry Needham denied
the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary
injunction on Mayl, the case continues in
Alameda County Superior Court.
The plaintiffs are represented by Oren
Sellstrom of the Lawyers' Committee for
Civil Rights; Ed Chen of the ACLU of
Northern California; Beth Parker of Equal
Rights Advocates; Julian Gross and William
McNeill of the Employment Law Center;
Mark Rosenbaum and Dan Tokaji of the
ACLU of Southern California; and Professor
Karl Manheim of Loyola Law School.
State Legislature received a copy of the pub-
lication.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee cit-
ed Reaching for Dream in its analysis of
Richter's bill and concluded that the named
programs "in no way impose quotas or
exclude anyone based on race, ethnicity or
gender," and that Richter "has not submitted
any evidence these programs violate
Proposition 209 in any way." i
To order Reaching for the Dream:
Profiles in Affirmative Action please call or
write Publications Department, ACLU-NC,
1663 Mission Street, Suite 460, San
Francisco, CA 94103. Single copies are
available at $3.; Bulk orders are $25 for
each order of ten.
Monterey County Chapter Meeting: (Usually
third Tuesday) Meet at 7:15 PM, Monterey Library. We
are co-sponsoring numerous events with the Coalition of
Minoritiy Organizations (COMO) to defeat Propositions
226 and 227. For more information, contact Richard
riley at 408/624-7562.
North Peninsula (San Mateo area) Chapter
Meeting: (Usually third Monday) Meet at 7:30 PM, at
700 Laurel Street, Park Tower Apartments, top floor.
Check-out our web page at: http: //members.aol.com/
mpenaclu. For more information, contact Marc Fagel at
650/579-1789.
Redwood (Humboldt County) Chapter
Meeting: (Usually third Thursday) Meet at Chan's at
359 G Street in Arcata at 7:00 PM. For information on
upcoming meeting dates and times, contact Christina
Huskey at 707/444-6595.
Sacramento Valley Chapter Meeting: (Usually
first Wednesday) Meet at 7:00 PM at the Java City in
Sutter Galleria (between 29 and 30, J and K Streets) in -
Sacramento. For more information, contact Ruth Ordas
at 916/488-9955.
San Francisco Chapter Meeting: (Third Tuesday)
ACLU NEws a May/June 1998 = Pace 4
Morgan Hill...
Continued from page 2
a handwritten note taped on the front of her
locker. The note read "Die, Die...Dyke bitch,
Fuck off. We'll kill you." When the student
sought help from the school, school officials
refused take any action to protect her and
even denied her request to change lockers,
despite the school's practice of allowing oth-
er students to change lockers merely to be
closer to friends. -
Other incidents described in the com-
plaint include:
- a Live Oak High School math teacher
refused to discipline a male student for
making sexually explicit and harassing
comments to a female student in math
class, including "you fucking dumb dyke"
and "you know you like it up the butt."
- Live Oak High School staff refused to
intervene when students harassed a male
student by repeatedly yelling "faggot" dur-
ing school dance recitals in which the stu-
dent was a participant.
- no disciplinary action was taken after a
group of male students sexually harassed
and physically assaulted a female student
and her girlfriend in the teacher's parking
lot at Live Oak High School.
The suit charges that Morgan Unified
School District personnel repeatedly
Ce ee tO
Contra Costa...
Continued from page 3
laws and regulations. Prior to the changes,
the Refugee Unit served Southeast Asian
clients through a concentration of multilin-
gual interpreters and workers who handled
cases from beginning to end, and covered all
the different benefits programs. The county
originally established the unit after civil
rights investigators found that the agency
failed to provide sufficient bilingual language
services to the vast number of Indo-Chinese
immigrants in need of public assistance.
Beginning in October of 1997, CCCDSS
effectively dismantled the Refugee Unit by
reassigning and relocating bilingual work-
ers and interpreters and transferring many
of the cases of monolingual and limited
English proficient Southeast Asians out of
the Refugee Unit. These changes have left
many Southeast Asian applicants and
recipients with workers who do not speak
their native language.
Jodie Berger, an attorney at the
Employment Law Center of the Legal Aid
Society of San Francisco, said, "Cutting off -
people's benefits just because they cannot
Meet at 6:45 PM-at the ACLU-NC Office, 1663 Mission
Street, Suite #460, San Francisco. Join us for our Annual
Meeting with Mike Farrell, President of Death Penalty
Focus, on Thursday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the First
Unitarian Church (1187 Franklin Street, at Geary).
Reception begins at 6:30 p.m. for those who wish to con
tribute $25 or more. The program follows at 7:30 p.m.;
donations are encouraged for the program itself, but no
one will be turned away for lack of funds. Call the Chapter
Hotline at (979-6699) for further details.
Santa Clara Valley Chapter Meeting: (Usually
first Tuesday) Meet at 7:00 PM at the Community Bank
Towers, Ist Floor Conference Room, 111 West St. John
Street, San Jose. Join us for our Annual Meeting on
Tuesday, June2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Friends Meeting
House, 1041 Morse Street, San Jose. For further infor-
mation contact Jon Cox at 408/293-2584 or Elizabeth
Zimmerman at 408/246-2129.
Santa Cruz County Chapter Meeting: (Usually
third Monday) Meet at 7:15 PM. For more informa-
tion, contact Dianne Vaillancourt at 408/454-0112.
Sonoma County Chapter Meeting: (Usually third
Tuesday) Meet at 7:30 PM at the Peace and Justice Center,
540 Pacific Avenue, Santa Rosa. Call Judith Volkart at
ignored or minimized the seriousness of
reports of harassment and abuse by stu-
dents and parents solely because the stu-
dents were perceived to be lesbian or gay.
"Tam shocked that a school would allow
this kind of behavior, and I am afraid for
the students who are still there," stated
Diane Ritchie, a San Jose attorney who is
representing the students along with the
ACLU-NC and the National Center for
Lesbian Rights.
"All students have a right to be treated
equally and to attend school without fear of
violence or hostility," stated Kelli Evans,
ACLU-NC staff attorney. "When school offi-
cials disregard the law by refusing to protect
students who are perceived to be lesbian or
gay, it sends a message that violence against
lesbian and gay students is acceptable."
Kate Kendell, executive director of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights said,
"These students and parents repeatedly
turned to the school for protection, and the
school simply stood by while the violence
and the threats of violence escalated."
The plaintiffs, who are seeking declara-
tory and injunctive relief, as well as mone-
tary damages, are represented by Diane
Ritchie of San Jose; Kelli Evans of the
American Civil Liberties Union of Northern
California; and Shannon Minter of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights.
communicate with their worker is wrong -
and puts huge portions of the Southeast
Asian refugee population at risk of hunger
and homelessness."
The claimant, whose primary language
is Laotian, is one of a large number of peo-
ple harmed by the policy changes. She was ~
denied food stamps because she could not
communicate the correct and necessary
information to her intake worker who
spoke only English. The claimant was
misidentified as an "English-speaking"
client because she could answer basic
questions such as her name and address.
After an initial translated interview, the
county gave the client forms to fill out in
English, and failed to respond to her
repeated requests for an interpreter or
bilingual worker.
The claimant is represented by Contra
Costa Legal Services Foundation, the
Center on Poverty Law and Economic
Opportunity, the Employment Law Center
of the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco,
the American Civil Liberties Union of
Northern California, Lawyers Committee
for Civil Rights for the San Francisco Bay
Area and the Asian Law Caucus.
707/526-2893 for more information.
Yolo County Chapter Meeting: (Usually third
Tuesday) Meet at 7:30 PM, 2505 5th Street 154, Davis.
The chapter is active in efforts to defeat Proposition 226
and 227, and is gathering signatures for the Student
Education Opportunity Initiative. For more information,
call Natalie Wormeli at 916/756-1900 or tDick
Livingston at 916/753-7255.
Chapters Reorganizing
If you are interested in reviving the Mt. Diablo or
North Valley Chapter, please contact Field
Representative Lisa Maldonado at 415/621-2493.
Field Action
Meetings
(All meetings except those noted will be held at the ACLU-
NC Office, 1663 Mission Street, 460, San Francisco.)
Student Outreach Committee: Meet to plan out:
reach activities. For more information, contact Nancy Otto
at 415/621-2006 ext. 37.
Student Advisory Committee: For more informa-
tion, contact Nancy Otto at 415/621-2006 ext. 37.