santa cruz legal

Santa Cruz Chapter Legal Committee

Submitted by erica gillingham on Sun, 03/11/2007 - 1:59pm.

The activities of the Santa Cruz chapter which relate to specific local legal matters are coordinated by a board authorized Legal Committee, formed in 2007.

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Lawmakers Submit to Police Union Threats: Recent Press

Submitted by erica gillingham on Mon, 07/02/2007 - 11:54am.
These news articles were compiled by board member Don Zimmerman concerning the recent rejection of SB 1019.
Police Unions Flex Political Muscle, Public Safety Committee Hides
By Mark Scholosberg
Special to Fog City Journal
June 29, 2007

Over a hundred police union representatives descended on the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, June 26 to urge opposition to Sen.

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Public Safety Committee Refuses to Vote on Key Police Accountability Bill

Submitted by erica gillingham on Thu, 06/28/2007 - 9:21am.
Regrettably, after successfully lobbying to get SB 1019 passed in the Senate, and then securing John Laird's active support for it, the bill was blocked in the Assembly yesterday:
SACRAMENTO - The Assembly Public Safety Committee refused to vote on SB 1019 today, dealing a serious blow to efforts to restore police accountability in California. Earlier this month, SB 1019 (D-Romero) was passed in the state Senate in a 22-11 vote, despite threats by police associations of torpedoing unrelated term limit reform if the bill was passed.
 
SB 1019 would have overturned the state Supreme Court’s 2006 decision in Copley Press v.
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SB 1019 Passed! Stay Tuned for More Opportunities to Get Involved!

Submitted by erica gillingham on Mon, 06/04/2007 - 2:33pm.

A message from Executive Director Maya Harris concerning the vote in the California Senate today on SB 1019:

I'm thrilled to report a victory today in our campaign to Restore Access to Police Records!

 

In a 21-10 vote, the California State Senate passed SB 1019, a critical bill authored by Senator Gloria Romero, which would overturn the Copley Press decision and restore public access to police misconduct records.


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Restore Civilian Oversight of Police Agencies: Support SB 1019 TODAY!

Submitted by erica gillingham on Sun, 06/03/2007 - 9:17pm.

For over 30 years, the ACLU of Northern California has championed independent public civilian oversight of police departments in Northern California. A recent California Supreme Court decision, Copley Press v. Superior Court, has shut out the public’s access to police records and hearings, effectively drawing a cloak of secrecy over police conduct.

Unlike similar records for other public employees, the public is now prevented by state law from learning about serious police misconduct and discipline issues.

Secrecy around police misconduct damages police-community relations, decreases public trust, and leads to unaccountable police departments.

We need to restore access to these police records. Join us in urging support for legislation to fix this problem.


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Same-Sex Couples Urge California Supreme Court to Strike Down Marriage Ban

Submitted by erica gillingham on Tue, 05/08/2007 - 2:22pm.

On April 2, 2007, the ACLU of Northern California filed a brief with the California Supreme Court urging them to strike down the ban on same-sex marriages. Here is the following press release:

"SAN FRANCISCO—In a brief filed today with the California Supreme Court, attorneys representing same-sex couples, Equality California, and Our Family Coalition urged the court to strike down as unconstitutional a law that bars same-sex couples from marriage. The couples and organizations are represented by lead counsel the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Heller Ehrman LLP, and the Law Office of David C. Codell.


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