Welcome to the first issue of The Brief, the monthly email newsletter of the ACLU of Northern California. Here you'll find timely updates on our work and opportunities to get involved. And since it's hard to keep up with everything that's happening, we'll also highlight important news you may have missed. We're in the fight of our lives to save our democracy. We hope you'll speak out, show up, and stand with us.

Sonoma County spies on homeowners

For six years, Sonoma County's code enforcement division has spied on unsuspecting residents with low-flying drones equipped with powerful cameras. The county launched the aerial surveillance program to search for unpermitted cannabis grows in rural areas. The mission soon expanded to include recording people's homes, backyards, swimming pools, and hot tubs without a search warrant in violation of the California Constitution. Creepy, right? In June, we sued to block code enforcement from trampling residents' right to privacy in and around their homes.

Shining light on Vallejo's police badge-bending scandal

The city of Vallejo has faced decades of police brutality, with the police at times using more force per arrest than any other agency in our state. Back in 2020, we found out that some officers were even bending their badges in a perverse ritual every time they shot someone. That scandal was investigated, but the public still hasn’t seen the report despite our recent victory in court ordering it released. This was a major win for transparency, so we were disappointed when the city filed an appeal with the California Supreme Court to overturn the unanimous decision.

There are also multiple credible allegations that the city attorney's office has been allowing and enabling police violence and abuse. We're fighting to bring all the facts to light because Vallejo deserves accountability and justice.

Commute Death Row

Four decades of data confirm persistent and stark racial disparities in death sentences in California. Black people are about five times more likely to be sentenced to death than similarly situated non-Black defendants, and defendants of all races are more likely to be condemned when at least one victim is white.

The California Supreme Court is considering our landmark petition challenging the state's death penalty as racially discriminatory and unconstitutional under the equal protection guarantees in the state constitution. Meanwhile, we've called on Governor Gavin Newsom to commute the sentences of the 570 people on death row to life without parole. Capital punishment is cruel, immoral, and racist. It has no place in California and should be consigned to the past.

Weaponizing the asylum process

In yet another example of the Trump administration's total disregard for due process, ICE agents are arresting asylum seekers who show up for their hearings in immigration court in San Francisco, Sacramento, and Concord with the intention of deporting them. Please share the link to our new immigration courts Know Your Rights resource, available in Spanish and English.

Ask us (almost) anything!

At this tumultuous time in American life, what questions do you have for the ACLU? Send us your question and one of our local experts in policy, law, or advocacy may respond via video on our social media pages.

Final thoughts:

• Last month, a federal court blocked Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship, protecting the citizenship rights of all children born on U.S. soil. Hear our Executive Director Abdi Soltani discuss the history and importance of this fundamental American right on the podcast Top of Mind with Julie Rose. Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, byuradio.org.
• Join our organizing department's next monthly immigration series webinar on Tuesday, August 5 to make sense of the latest news and learn how we can fight back against the Trump administration's lawless deportation agenda.
• A Modesto ordinance banning masks at protests could discourage people from exercising their free speech rights. Learn more.
• ICYMI: Find stories of courage and unshakeable resolve in our newly released annual report.

Thanks for reading the inaugural issue of The Brief! We'll see you back here next month.