Speaking of Militarized Police… No Secret Drones in San Jose

A coalition of advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, sent a letter this week to the San Jose City Council demanding that it have the necessary public debate of whether a drone should ever be used in San Jose well before it starts to consider how it could be used.

By Will Matthews

drone in sky

Why Paid Sick Leave Is a Reproductive Justice Issue

Even though we live in a state where Medi-Cal dollars can be used for pregnancy care, including abortion, many people cannot take time off work to seek abortion care. That’s because 39% of the US workforce, including seven million Californians, earn no paid sick leave whatsoever. AB 1522 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez addresses this problem in California.

By Ashley Morris

people protesting with a banner calling for paid sick days

Summer Vacation, Yellowstone and the Bill of Rights

Abdi Soltani writes about the enduring power of the Bill of Rights, while on vacation in the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons national parks.

By Abdi Soltani

Abdi Soltani at Old Faithful National Park

Time for a New Vote on San Jose Police Drones

It’s Time for a Public Debate and a New Vote Over San Jose Police Purchase of Drone

By Nicole A. Ozer

drone in sky - 255x205 webres w narrow text.jpg

Every Californian Deserves Access to Affordable Birth Control

If implemented, SB 1053 (Mitchell), would help protect women’s health by building on existing federal and California state law to eliminate remaining restrictions on access to contraception.

By Novella Coleman

birth control pills

Stop Sterilization Abuse in California Prisons

This year the California Legislature can take another step toward ending a shameful chapter in the state’s history—coerced sterilization of its most vulnerable residents.

By Phyllida Burlingame

jail cells

Is This How We Treat Children?

My family and I left Iran when I was 8 years old and eventually made our way to the United States. Today there are thousands of children who have fled from some of the most dangerous places in the world and are now detained throughout the country. Some have made the treacherous journey here alone.

By Abdi Soltani

unaccompanied child

San Jose Police Department's Secret Drone Purchase: Where's the Accountability?

The San Jose City Council has approved a police request to acquire a drone – without public debate and with no policy overseeing its use.

By Thomas Mann Miller

police drone flying through the sky

ACLU Urges SF Federal Court to Tackle Warrantless Cell Tracking

When the government demands that your cell phone carrier reveal information about where you’ve been, or where you’re going to go, they should get a warrant. Location information is exactly the kind of sensitive information that the Fourth Amendment is supposed to protect.

By Nicole A. Ozer

cell phone with a sticker on it that says "get a warrant!"