Every legislative session, we work to advance a legislative agenda that pushes our state forward.
Criminal Justice & Policing
Though both the United States and California Constitutions guarantee the right to the effective assistance of counsel, Californians are often denied this right. In counties across the state, indigent defendants charged with misdemeanors are appearing …
Criminal Justice & Policing, Racial and Economic Justice
Contrary to popular belief, slavery was not abolished by the 13th amendment. Hundreds of thousands of people are still living in involuntary servitude due to an “exception clause” that allows free labor for punishment of …
Education Equity, Racial and Economic Justice
All students have the right to a quality education regardless of who they are or what they look like. This disruption/defiance category of suspensions is subjective and overly broad, leading to suspensions of students for …
Racial and Economic Justice
We envision a world where unhoused people are treated with the dignity and respect to which they are entitled. Sadly, on any given night, California has around 173,000 unhoused individuals. As a result, unhoused people …
Privacy & Technology, Racial and Economic Justice
Police body cameras were intended for officer accountability, not public surveillance. The use of facial recognition on body cameras would break this promise, transforming these devices into a vehicle for mass surveillance. For three years, …
Criminal Justice & Policing, Democracy & Civic Engagement, Racial and Economic Justice
Our democracy is rooted in the idea that everyone’s voice matters. Right now, though, over 120,000 Californians in prison are banned from voting in local, state, or federal elections. It’s time we join Vermont, Maine, …
Criminal Justice & Policing, Racial and Economic Justice
Every year, law enforcement agencies search tens of thousands of people in California without any warrant, probable cause, nor even any reason to suspect a crime. These baseless “consent searches” occur when police stop someone …
Criminal Justice & Policing, Education Equity, Racial and Economic Justice
Decades of research show the long-term harm to young people of even minimal contact with the juvenile or criminal legal systems. Once students make contact with law enforcement, they are less likely to graduate high …
Criminal Justice & Policing, Racial and Economic Justice
The use of police canines has severe and potentially deadly consequences for the public. Nationwide, more than 3,500 people injured by police canines need emergency medical treatment each year. In California, police dogs seriously injured …
Criminal Justice & Policing, LGBTQI Rights, Privacy & Technology, Reproductive Justice & Gender Equity
Dragnet surveillance demands – so-called “reverse warrants”, “geofence warrants,” or “keyword warrants” – are a form of unconstitutional digital surveillance that put people at grave risk in a Post-Roe America. They can compel tech companies …