AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The ACLU of Northern California (ACLU NorCal) focuses primarily on government action and inaction, including stopping government action that is harmful to civil liberties and rights, and encouraging government action that is supportive of those rights.

The principles of freedom, equality, and justice enumerated in the Constitution are not equitably applied to or enjoyed by all the people of this country as a result of historic and systemic racism and other forms of oppression. Inequitable enforcement of our laws and policies, as well as the laws and policies themselves, can reinforce systems of oppression, exclusion, and disenfranchisement for many groups including people of color, immigrants, currently and formerly incarcerated people, LGBTQ people, women, people with disabilities, youth/elders, religious minorities, and low-income, poor, and homeless people.

In light of the context of historic and systemic discrimination and oppression, we envision a country where everyone can enjoy the principles of freedom, equality, and justice articulated in the Constitution, not only under the law, but in their lived experience.

*Equality*
All people are treated equally by their government. Government takes affirmative steps to ensure that all people have equal opportunity and access to meeting their fundamental human needs and dignity.

*Freedom*
All people can manifest their full potential and express their beliefs and their identities. Public and private institutions do not discriminate or engage in systemic or individual oppression that limits freedom. Government works proactively to right historic wrongs to support the current condition of freedom.

*Justice*
All people are represented by their government and have a voice in that government. Government treats all people fairly and equally with due process.

We conduct our work through a model of integrated advocacy that includes litigation, legislative advocacy, community organizing, and strategic communications. Advancing economic and racial justice and equity are core organizational values. Our impact is amplified through ongoing collaboration with our sister affiliates--the ACLU of Southern California, and the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties--and our legislative advocacy partner, ACLU California Action. Together, we catalyze change throughout the United States, showcasing what is possible for other progressive regions and providing a model for success in states facing relentless attacks on civil rights and civil liberties. By continuing to shift the political landscape in our state, we set the tone for national conversations on freedom, equity, and inclusion.

ACLU NorCal is one of the the largest ACLU affiliates, with more than 100 staff members in offices in San Francisco, Fresno, and Sacramento, more than 144,000 member/donors, and an online community of more than 300,000. Since the 2016 election, many volunteers have joined our network, and we are activating them in support of our top priority campaigns. Our legal staff is supplemented by dozens of pro-bono attorneys who extend our reach.

Since our founding in 1934, ACLU NorCal has been the leading champion of civil liberties in California. We've won landmark lawsuits with far-reaching impact, worked with coalition partners to pass transformative legislation, and mobilized activists throughout the state to take action against civil rights and civil liberties violations. For additional information on the successes we have achieved in our long history, please visit www.aclunc.org

A few recent achievements:

*2021*
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, ACLU NorCal and partners have conducted litigation and advocacy on behalf of people held in two immigration detention centers. As a result, the number of detainees in these centers declined from over 500 in spring 2020 to 23 in August 2021. The court also issued orders that strictly limit the number of detainees and require the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its contractors to adhere to enhanced procedures for testing, sanitation, reporting, and ensuring the health and safety of detainees.

ACLU NorCal mobilized a broad range of stakeholders in a two-year advocacy campaign against the University of California for its egregious practice of contracting with Catholic hospitals and requiring UC medical providers and students practicing in those hospitals to deny patients essential reproductive and LGBTQ-inclusive health care. In Catholic hospitals, care is limited based on what the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops deems morally appropriate. In June 2021, the UC Regents voted almost unanimously to tighten the rules on affiliations with hospitals that refuse to permit UC providers to offer the full range of care. The new policy requires all hospitals that UC contracts with to allow UC doctors to provide medical procedures to all people on a non-discriminatory basis.

*2020*
As a result of years of intensive advocacy and litigation by the ACLU NorCal and our partners, access to the vote expanded dramatically in California. One major victory was expanding automatic voter registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles, which has helped 10 million voters update their voter registration or register to vote. That win, along with other policies and the level of interest in the November 2020 election, helped California achieve a milestone: 21 million people voted, shattering previous records. In addition, the state reached the highest rate of voter registration since 1940.

*2019*
After 40 years of relentless advocacy with many partners, we won passage of a new law that ensures the public's right to know about egregious police misconduct and serious uses of force.