ACLU of Southern California

ACLU: Anaheim Needs Civilian Review Board of Police Conduct

Noting 37 Anaheim officer-involved shootings in the past decade, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California is urging the Anaheim City Council to establish a civilian review board to improve public confidence that cheating cops enjoy less of a chance that their conduct will be covered up by sympathe ... More >>

Local Muslim Woman Wins Hijab Settlement With OC Sheriff's Department

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California reached a settlement with the County of Orange yesterday allowing for Muslim women to keep their religious headscarves on while in custody. That wasn't the case back in 2006 when Lebanese Arabheimer Souhair Khatib and her husband pleaded guil ... More >>

[UPDATED with 300 Groups Demand Closure:] Theo Lacy Facility Outed as Among the Worst Immigration Detention Centers in the U.S.

See the Update No. 2 at the end of this post on 300 groups calling on the president to close troubled immigrant holding facilities, including Theo Lacy's.See Update No. 1 on the ACLU of Southern California citing the Detention Watch Network report in calling for the closure of Orange County's immigr ... More >>

Federal Judge Kinda Likes ICE, Kinda Doesn't In Ruling Over Fullerton Factory Raid

In an October 25 ruling, a federal judge decided that Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a reasonable records search in response to a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The case follows a June 2010 ICE raid on Terra Universal factory in Fullerton where 43 undo ... More >>

[UPDATED with Park Reaction, 5 Boudlal v. Disney Surprises:] Imane Boudlal, Who Clashed with Disney over Wearing Hijab on Job, Sues

See the update at the end of this post on Disney's response and five surprising allegations from Boudlal v. Disney. ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 13, 9:17 A.M.: At 10:30 this morning, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the law offices of Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick ar ... More >>

[UPDATED, with Ruling] Lawsuit Demands FBI Expunge Secret Files on OC Muslims

See the update at the end of this post on the ruling issued in Fazaga v. FBI.ORIGINAL POST, AUG. 13, 2:55 P.M.: It's no secret that the government has used informants to spy on Muslim-American communities. Orange County Muslims know it well.You may have read about them here at the Weekly. Former-con ... More >>

Terminal Island Prisoners Win Right to In-Person Parole Hearings

A lawsuit brought on behalf of prisoners at Terminal Island, a storied federal corrections facility between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor, has been settled in favor of the inmates. The agreement reached last week was preceded by a federal judge's injunction last March protecting the right ... More >>

Another Weekly Anaheim Mexi on the ACLU's Lawsuit Alleging Anaheim Mexi-Voter Disenfranchisement: It's the Economy, Pendejos

Long before the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California held a press conference announcing a lawsuit atop the steps of Anaheim City Hall on Thursday, a go-between requested my contact information on their behalf for something. I sent it along, followed up, it was communicated to me th ... More >>

[UPDATED with Documents Released] Mental Health Activists Still Waiting for Fullerton Police to Respond to their Public-Records Request

UPDATE JUNE 6, 9:23 P.M.: For the better part of 17 business days, Megan Osborn of Mind(ful) Liberation Project had heard nary a peep from the city of Fullerton. The organization sought to obtain, through public records requests, police training manuals and other documents related to mental health i ... More >>

Hector Villagra of ACLU is Hispanic Bar of OC's Attorney of the Year

​Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California, is charting a path to a stage at Disney's Grand California Hotel in Anaheim, where he will accept the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County's Attorney of the Year award Saturday. He has weighed or been involved in several ... More >>

[UPDATED with Judge's Ruling:] Justice Dept. Must Pay for Lying in Suit Against FBI by OC Muslims

​UPDATE, NOV. 18, 10:57 A.M.: "The Court must impose monetary sanctions to deter the Government from deceiving the Court again," Judge Cormac Carney of the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana writes in his Islamic Shura Council v. FBI ruling. He gave the council 14 days to come up with ... More >>

[UPDATED with Long Beach Journo's Take:] ACLU Sues Sheriff's Deputies for Hassling LA and Long Beach Photographers Under Anti-Terror Policy

ACLU/SCGreggory Moore shares with the media his brushes with sheriff's deputies.​UPDATE, OCT. 28, 9:54 P.M.: The Long Beach Post's Greggory Moore has graciously agreed to share with Weekly readers his real-time coverage of moves officers from two separate police agencies made against him and colle ... More >>

[UPDATED with Responses:] Irvine 11 Verdict: Guilty

Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklySee updates at the end of this post. ORIGINAL POST, SEPT 23, 12:04 P.M.: Cries and wails erupted in the Santa Ana courtroom as the verdict was read. All 10 defendants in the Irvine 11 case have been found guilty of ​disturbing a public meeting and engaging ... More >>

[UPDATED with First-Hand Insight From Villagara:] OC District Attorney "Incapable" of Impartial Probe into Kelly Thomas's Police-Beating Death: ACLU

Villagara​UPDATE, AUG. 5, 4:26 P.M.: Update written by Marisa Gerber.Hector Villagara is no stranger to Orange County. Before he took on his current role as executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, he worked in the ACLU's Orange County office.It was h ... More >>

[UPDATED with ICE Suspending Deportation:] Isaura Garcia, Battered Woman Facing Deportation, Embodies Problems with ICE Program

​UPDATE, MAY 13, 5:26 P.M.: The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has informed the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) that it is dropping deportation proceedings against Isaura Garcia. Meanwhile, Joseph Huprich, the woman's pro bono attorney, says Ga ... More >>

Orange County Gang Injunction Suffers Major Defeat: ACLU

​A federal judge ruled today that the Orange County District Attorney and Orange Police Department violated due process rights by denying hearings to those the agencies suspected of being gang members, dealing what the American Civil Liberties Union called "a major victory" to those legally oppo ... More >>

[UPDATED: Feds' Records Stay Secret, Judge Rules] More Mosque Mole Fallout: ACLU and CAIR Sue FBI

Craig Monteilh​[UPDATED April 28, 12:12 pm] The Associated Press is reporting today that Judge Cormac Carney has ruled that CAIR and the ACLU may not obtain FBI records pertaining to surveillance of Muslims in Southern California because of unspecified U.S. National Security concerns. Carney made ... More >>

[UPDATED] Irvine 11 Charged With Misdemeanors, Face Jail, Probation, Community Service if Convicted

Photos by Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklySeven of the Irvine 11​UPDATE, MARCH 11, 4:08 P.M.: The arraignment of the Irvine 11 was continued this morning until April 15 so the court can consider defense motions to seal grand jury documents, remove the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) from the ... More >>

[UPDATED] Irvine 11 Charged With Misdemeanors, Face Jail, Probation, Community Service if Convicted

​UPDATED, FEB. 28, 8:33 A.M.: The Islamic Institute of Orange County hosts "Stand With the Irvine 11: Community Town Hall and Action" at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the IIOC Multipurpose Room, 1220 N. State College Blvd., Irvine.The event flier follows after the jump. (Also, scroll down a couple posts i ... More >>

Samaa Kerba and Young Son Escaped Egypt, But the Mission Viejo Residents' Nightmare Had Only Begun

​A Mission Viejo woman and her 4-year-old son were hours away from being sent back to strife-torn Egypt this past weekend before the American Civil Liberties Union intervened on their behalf.Permanent U.S. resident Samaa Kerba, 26, and her son were returning home from Cairo because of the violence ... More >>

[UPDATED] 24 Civic and Faith Leaders Urge DA Tony Rackauckas to Drop Criminal Probe of Irvine 11

​UPDATE, FEB. 3, 10 A.M.: The Los Angeles Times this morning jumped on the "Free the Irvine 11" bandwagon by publishing an editorial under that headline. Criminal charges against the students "are not appropriate" and "would be overkill" and could result in "a punishment out of proportion to the ... More >>

Prop. 8 Judge Married to ACLU Leader Refuses to Disqualify Himself

​If there's one group that so-called "family values" social conservatives love to hate more than gays, it's the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU. So there's more than a little bit of karma in the fact that Stephen Reinhardt, the judge expected to rule whether Prop. 8, which would deny gay c ... More >>

ACLU Accuses Feds of Retaliatory Deportation of Whistleblower Who Sued Fullerton Company

​The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is "deeply concerned" over federal immigration agents detaining and initiating deportation proceedings against an immigrant worker who filed a federal class action lawsuit against a Fullerton-based firm in August for labor and civil rights violations. ... More >>

Orange County District Attorney on Defense as ACLU Suit Against Gang Injunction is Heard

​Tony Rackauckas is at the center of a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles this afternoon against the Orange County District Attorney's enforcement of gang injunctions. The formal name of the case is American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) v. Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Tony Rackauc ... More >>

Fees Charged Students in Tustin and Long Beach Cited in ACLU Lawsuit Against State

​Fees charged to public school students in Tustin and Long Beach are part of the evidence the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is citing in a class action lawsuit filed today against the state of California and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.The suit contends the state is violating the Californ ... More >>

Jose Antonio Franco, Freed Mentally Retarded Immigrant, Part of ACLU Lawsuit Against Feds

​As we told you here, five days after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a petition in March against the federal government for locking up Jose Antonio Franco in a Santa Ana detention facility, officials released the mentally retarded immigrant who had been living in Costa Mesa ... More >>

ACLU Seeks FBI Records on "Muslim Mapping"

​As part of a massive request for data under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California today asked the FBI to turn over records related to the agency's collection and use of race and ethnicity data in Southern California communities.Th ... More >>

Woman Barred From Flying Out of Long Beach Among Those Suing For Being on "No-Fly List"

ACLUHalime Sat​A woman who was barred from flying out of the Long Beach Airport is among 10 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the American Civil Liberties Union is representing in its constitutional challenge of the government's "no-fly list."Halime Sat joins a disabled veteran of the U ... More >>

ACLU Issues Arizona Travel Advisory

​The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, whose coverage area includes Orange County, and the ACLUs of Northern California, San Diego and Imperial Counties and 26 other affiliates, issued an Arizona travel alert today.Arizona's response?"Meh."

ACLU Honors Law Firm for Helping Quash Laguna Beach's Anti-Homeless Ordinance

​Just shy of a year after Laguna Beach agreed to settle a federal lawsuit over the city's treatment of disabled homeless people, a law firm has been honored for its "outstanding pro bono work" in the case. Irell & Manella, which has offices in Newport Beach and Los Angeles, recently received ... More >>

Jose Antonio Franco, Mentally Retarded Immigrant Held for 5 Years, is Released

​Five days after civil rights lawyers filed a lawsuit on behalf of a mentally retarded immigrant who has been locked up for years after being judged mentally incompetent to understand the proceedings against him, federal officials announced the release of man from custody in Santa Ana.

Ramona Ripston Retires as ACLU/SC Executive Director

Ramona Ripston​Ramona Ripston, who has been executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California for 38 years, announced her retirement today."This organization has not only been my work but also my life for a long time, so a decision like this one certainly comes with m ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Day Laborers Sue Costa Mesa

Photo by Beth StirnamanAn earlier protest for day laborers.​As I was snapping photos of protesters outside Costa Mesa City Hall this morning, a white guy in his 40s was suddenly in my face asking, "What's all this about?"Informed that day laborers were suing the city, he remarked, "Just round up t ... More >>

Can the Colectivo Tonantzin and the ACLU Beat Orange's Anti-Day-Laborer Ordinance?

UPDATED: ACLU Announces Settlement of Suit Tied to Corona del Mar High's Production of "Rent"

Photo by Matt Coker Karyl Ketchum and Mike Wiggins talk about the hell their 17-year-old daughter Hail endured at Corona del Mar High School last school year.​Three varsity football players at Corona del Mar High School posted a video on the school's Facebook page in January in which they describe ... More >>

OC Cities Fail to Crack 10 Meanest List, Must Try Harder

Photo by HulagwayBoxed in.No Orange County cities cracked the top 10 Meanest Cities list included in a report released today by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless. But Laguna Beach, Santa Ana (by way of Dana Point) and just-beyond-our-re ... More >>

Laguna Beach Settles Lawsuit Over Homeless Ordinance

Laguna Beach agreed today to settle a lawsuit over the city's treatment of disabled homeless people, according to the ACLU of Southern California.   "Under the agreement, the city's police officers will not cite, arrest or harass people under state law simply for sleeping in public places, ... More >>

Pat Boone Talibanizes ACLU Over LAPD Special Order 40

Pat Boone. American.The ACLU says the California Court of Appeals decision today to uphold the Los Angeles Police Department's use of Special Order 40--a decades old policy prohibiting officers from using immigration status to initiate investigations--"strikes a balance between immigrants' rights to ... More >>

ACLU: Guilty Pleas in Terror Case Pave Way for Appeals

Mission Viejo's Hossein Kalani Afshari and six other Iranian-Americans who pleaded guilty last week to raising funds for a U.S.-designated terrorist group made the plea so they can appeal their case before a higher court, claims the ACLU. Besides 52-year-old Afshari, Roya Rahmani, 48, of Vienna, Va. ... More >>

ACLU Blames Hate Mongers Coming to CdM High on Original 'Rent' Stance

Corona Del Mar High School officials' initial decision to cancel the student production of Rent and their subsequent failure to address a growing atmosphere of intolerance at the school created "a breeding ground for homophobic attitudes" that is bringing the Rev. Fred Phelps' "God Hates Fags" group ... More >>

ACLU Demanding That Feds Turn Over OC Mosque Spying Records

The case that erupted with ex-con man Craig Monteilh's confession that he's been spying on OC mosques for the FBI will hit local federal courts this afternoon, when the ACLU makes arguments asking for the release of all theJohn GilhooleyCraig Monteilh says he spied on the Islamic Center of Irvine fo ... More >>

ACLU Suing Newport-Mesa Schools Over "Rent" Debacle

MOVING UP AND UPDATING WITH DISTRICT REACTION, MORE BACKGROUND.Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials say they were attempting to resolve a complaint stemming from the staging, cancellation and re-staging of the musical Rent at Corona del Mar High School when they learned today the American ... More >>

An OC-RAP Challenge

This Saturday Golden West College is hosting an Impeachment Forum. Details follow below the e-fold, but the method of delivery for this information was quite novel indeed. Quite novel indeed? Who am I, Jeeves? Anyway, I received an e-mail from the one, the only, Thu-Trang Tran, the indefatigable ... More >>

The Tale of No Tape

A self-appointed Minuteman-watcher says he had some video of a police traffic stop—but not for long

Chapman Sammys on the offensive

As the Weekly reported a few months ago (see "Scarlet Letters," May 10), a group of students at Chapman University hoping to establish a chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu, a national Jewish fraternity, have become a major pain for the college's administration because of their unwillingness to shut up. Tod ... More >>

Show Us Your Scars!

Anaheim cops discover long-ignored law, enforce it

DWUS

Driving While a UCI Student