In the News

Written by Tanasia Kenney, Atlanta Black Star California’s traffic fines are some of the steepest in the country, and a new report shows that the state’s current policies for those unable to pay are disproportionately affecting Blacks and Latinos. The report, published by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights last week, covers the most recent … Continue reading Traffic Ticket-to-Prison Pipeline: New Report Reveals Racial Bias In California’s Traffic Court System →

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Written by Malcolm Maclachlan, Daily Journal Staff Writer Preliminary numbers from the Judicial Council show participation in a program that allows drivers to regain their licenses by paying reduced fines has dropped off significantly since April. The agency battled this year with Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, and advocates for indigent drivers over SB 881, … Continue reading Driver’s License Amnesty Program Revenue Dropping, Courts Say →

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Original article can be found in Los Angeles Daily News. Written by the los angeles times Editorial board Is everyone who fails to pay a traffic ticket a scofflaw deserving of extra punishment? That’s the good question being raised on several fronts, including a bill by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg and a lawsuit contending that … Continue reading A turn toward fair traffic-ticket fines →

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Original article can be found in East Bay Express. Written by Darwin BondGraham ‘People who have lost almost everything, why take their last things and throw them away?’ Bridgette Parker is suing Caltrans for illegally throwing her property in the trash, including treasured valuables given to her by her mother and grandmother. Bridgette Parker sat … Continue reading East Bay Homeless Campers Accuse Caltrans of Illegally Confiscating and Destroying Valuable Property – and Even Family Heirlooms →

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Original article can be found in Alternet. Written by Adam Hudson Not everyone who goes through traffic court is there for drunk driving or other dangerous behavior. Many are there for simply being too poor. Before a Minnesota police officer fatally shot him, 32-year-old Black man Philando Castile was pulled over 31 times and slapped … Continue reading California Targets, Indebts Poor People of Color for Big Profit →

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Original article can be found at RecordNet.com Written by Almendra Carpizo. STOCKTON — Charles Cotton soon will drive legally again. It’s an action many people don’t think about, but one that seemed almost unattainable for the 63-year-old Navy veteran. Cotton, like thousands of people in the county and state, lost his license as he was … Continue reading ACLU: San Joaquin among counties preying on low-income drivers →

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Original article appeared in the TucsonSentinel.com Written by Paul Ingram A federal judge in Tucson unsealed hundreds of pages of documents and photos this week as part of a class-action lawsuit over the treatment of detainees held by Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector. In a 11-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge David C. … Continue reading Judge unseals photos, docs of immigration detention centers →

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Original article appeared in Beyond Homelessness Written by Mission Local Despite a large number of well-publicized sweeps and routine cleanups of homeless encampments throughout the city, records on file with the Department of Public Works show that city cleaning crews only picked up and preserved the personal belongings of 23 homeless people over a six-month … Continue reading Property of San Francisco Homeless Routinely Disappeared by City →

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Original article can be found in the SF Examiner Written by Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez Super Bowl 50 was supposed be Mayor Ed Lee’s touchdown. The crass, corporate pièce de résistance in downtown San Francisco known as Super Bowl City would delight family members of all ages. Yet the streets already hosted encampments of hundreds. Those … Continue reading What happens when SF takes homeless people’s ‘stuff’ →

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Original article appeared in the Emerson Collective Emerson Collective fellow Travis Silva works for students. As an Equal Justice Works fellow working in San Mateo County with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, he fights for restorative justice policies in schools, represents students at expulsion proceedings, and offers legal … Continue reading Five Questions with Travis Silva, a Champion of School Discipline Reform →

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Original article appeared in The Arizona Republic Written by Michael Kiefer (Photo: Court records) A U.S. District Court judge in Tucson on Monday unsealed some photos of and documents regarding U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facilities in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of immigrants who were held in those facilities. A coalition of immigrant-advocacy groups, … Continue reading Judge unseals some documents and photos in immigration lawsuit on detention facilities →

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Original article can be found in the Daily Republic By Staff and wire reports FAIRFIELD — A coalition of civil rights groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Solano County Superior Court over its practice of suspending the driving licenses of people too poor to pay what they call exorbitant fees for minor offenses. The complaint … Continue reading ACLU sues Solano court over license suspensions →

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Original article appeared in SF Gate Written by Michael Cabanatuan A repayment program established by the state last year to protect low-income Californians from losing their driver’s licenses over unpaid traffic fines is not working in many California counties, according to a coalition of civil rights advocates, who say local courts are failing to take … Continue reading Yanking licenses over unpaid fines harms the poor, suit charges →

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Original article appeared in SF Gate Written by Michael Cabanatuan A repayment program established by the state last year to protect low-income Californians from losing their driver’s licenses over unpaid traffic fines is not working in many California counties, according to a coalition of civil rights advocates, who say local courts are failing to take … Continue reading SF Gate: Yanking licenses over unpaid fines harms the poor, suit charges →

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Original article can be found in the Sacramento Bee Written by Janie Har, Associated Press A coalition of civil rights groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday against a Northern California superior court over its practice of suspending the driving licenses of people too poor to pay what they call exorbitant fees for minor offenses. The complaint … Continue reading Sacramento Bee: ACLU sues Northern California court over license suspensions →

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Original story can be found at AP The Big Story Written by amy taxin LOS ANGELES (AP) — For unaccompanied immigrant children seeking asylum in the U.S., where they apply seems to make a world of difference. Youngsters whose applications are handled by the U.S. government’s regional offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles are … Continue reading AP Exclusive: Children’s asylum approvals vary by US region →

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Original article appeared in Black Enterprise. Written By ellis cose[ Good intentions alone will not endow educators with the ability to see potential where they don’t expect to find it. During a recent visit to California, an old friend made an assertion so astonishing that it took a while to fully digest. Emmett Carson, a … Continue reading How Our Education System is Short-changing Talented Minorities →

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Original article can be found in LA Independent Racial profiling has been a major talking point throughout the nation in the past year, and new research shows that this disturbing trend trickles all the way down to parking tickets. According to the Los Angeles Times, African Americans and Latinos in California are more likely to suffer … Continue reading New study reveals minorities are more likely to lose their licenses due to unpaid traffic tickets →

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Original article can be found in LA Weekly. Written by Dennis Romero File photo by Eddie Maloney/Flickr   Motorists in South Los Angeles appear to bear the brunt of the Los Angeles Police Department’s crackdowns on drunk driving, according to an L.A. Weekly analysis of LAPD checkpoint information for 2015. Fine, many will say: Those … Continue reading When it Comes to DUI Crackdowns, Westside Residents Get a Pass →

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Original article can be found in State Smart Transportation Initiative. By Bill Holloway Driver’s license suspension, at least in California, is highly correlated with race and income. Ninety two percent of zip codes with higher than average license suspension rates due to failure to pay (FTP) or failure to appear (FTA) for previous infractions have … Continue reading Race and class disparities in driver’s license suspension and consequences in California →

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Original article appeared in TheNewspaper.com. Low-income and minority motorists are being targeted by California’s traffic ticket industry, a coalition of civil rights groups contended in a report earlier this month. The Back on the Road California coalition is pushing for reform of a system of escalating traffic fines, fees and license suspensions that perpetuates a … Continue reading California: Report Finds Racial Bias In Traffic Tickets →

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Original post can be found at Los Angeles DUI Attorney.com Posted by Dawn Lacombe In order to help prevent DUI incidents, police often establish checkpoints over weekends and days when they know there will be people drinking. Sometimes, it can seem as though the officers are targeting certain areas. This may not always be the … Continue reading DUI Checkpoints Target Minority Areas →

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Original article can be found in the Atlanta Black Star. Posted by Kiersten Willis In California, a Black driver has more costs for infractions like driving with a suspended license than white motorists. Commonly referred to as driving while black, drivers in California have unfair disadvantages compared to white drivers. Back On the Road California reports Black … Continue reading Report: African-American Drivers Hit with Nearly 3X More Traffic Violations, Incur More Fines Than Whites in California →

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Original article can be found in Hoodline. Written by Shane Downing A 2015 map of San Francisco showing commercial properties identified as part of the city’s soft-story seismic retrofit program. We’ve used the words “seismic” and “retrofit” with increasingly more frequency in recent months. This is due to a mandatory soft-story seismic retrofit law that … Continue reading Staying In Business: What To Do To Survive Soft-Story Seismic Retrofits →

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Original broadcast can be seen on KTVU. Reported on The Four on KTVU

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Original article can be found in LA Weekly. Written by Dennis Romero P.V.O.G./Flickr This is a state where a $25 fix-it ticket — not even a moving violation — can snowball into $1,000 worth of fines and a suspended drivers license within a matter of a few months. Police, judges and political leaders can’t begin … Continue reading Lawmaker Aims to Stop B.S. Drivers License Suspensions →

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Original article appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News. By the Editorial Board For most people, flashing police lights in the rearview mirror mean an unwanted traffic ticket and fine. But if you can barely pay the rent, or the baby sitter or even the light bill, that ticket has another meaning. It could cost … Continue reading You shouldn’t lose your job over a traffic ticket →

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Original article can be found in CityLab from The Atlantic. Written by Tanvi Misra A new report and interactive map show that poor and minority offenders bear the brunt of fines and sentences for minor offenses in the state. A checkpoint in Riverside, California. (Flickr/Greg Matthews) Last year, a scathing Department of Justice report revealed … Continue reading Mapping California’s Racial Bias in Sentencing Traffic Violations →

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Original broadcast can be found on KPBS Midday Edition. Reported by By Megan Burke & Maureen Cavanaugh Wednesday, April 13, 2016 By Megan Burke, Maureen Cavanaugh Aired 4/13/16 on KPBS Midday Edition. Report Connects Race To Higher Rates Of Suspended Licenses In California GUESTS: Theresa Zhen, co-author, “Stopped, Fined, Arrested: Racial Bias in Policing and Traffic Courts in California” Coleen Cusack, … Continue reading KPBS – Report Connects Race To Higher Rates Of Suspended Licenses In California →

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Original article can be found in takepart. Written by Rebecca McCray A disproportionate share of fees, fines, and license suspensions fall on African-Americans and Latinos in California. For Prentiss Mayo, negative interactions with the criminal justice system are just a part of life. The 34-year-old Oakland native, who is black and homeless, has grown accustomed … Continue reading Driving While Black Is About More Than Just Traffic Stops →

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Original article can be found in the Latin Post. Written by Glenn Minnis A new report by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights finds that Latinos in the heavily Hispanic populated state of California are more likely than others to lose their driver’s licenses and ultimately be jailed for unpaid traffic tickets. Researchers for the … Continue reading Latin Post: Immigrants in California More Likely to be Jailed for Unpaid Traffic Tickets Than Whites: Study →

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Original report aired on Leo Terrell Show Kabc Radio AM790

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Original article appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. Written by By Nashelly Chavez San Francisco residents who are either poor, minorities or both have their driver’s licenses suspended at higher rates for failing to appear in court and pay ticket citations than do others, according to a new study released Monday. The study, conducted by … Continue reading Poor minorities most impacted by fail-to-pay license suspensions, study shows →

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Original article can be found in Reuters. Written by Curtis Skinner Black drivers in California are far more likely than their white counterparts to face arrest for unpaid traffic tickets or driving with a suspended license, according to a study by a civil rights coalition released on Monday. The findings come amid a national conversation … Continue reading Reuters – Black drivers in California arrested more often for unpaid tickets: study →

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Original broadcast aired on ATVN (6:32 – 7:59) Reported by Claudia Buccio

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Original article can be found in the Fresno Bee. Written by Jeremy B. White Police Officer Jeromy Henson performs a traffic stop during his shift in Lincoln on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. Randall Benton Black and Latino Californians are disproportionately likely to have their driver’s licenses suspended and face arrest as a result of traffic … Continue reading Fresno Bee – Report: California traffic stops, arrests hit minorities harder →

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Original broadcast can be seen below and here. Reported by Vic Lee.

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Original article can be found in laist. Written by Julia Wick (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) A disproportionate share of Black and Latino Californians are losing their driver’s licenses because of unpaid tickets, according to a new study. Escalating fees related to traffic tickets have led to driver’s license suspensions for 4.2 million Californians (or … Continue reading California Driver’s License Suspensions Disproportionately Affect Blacks and Latinos →

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Original article can be found in CNNMoney. Written by Tanzina Vega Driving while black in California can be expensive, especially if you are poor. According to a report by Back On the Road California, a consortium of social justice and legal groups, black drivers in the state are more likely to have their licenses suspended … Continue reading CNN Money – The steep cost of driving while black in California →

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Original article can be found in BuzzFeed News. Written by Claudia Koerner An unpaid traffic ticket can snowball into thousands of dollars in fines, a suspended driver’s license, and even jail time — a system that a group of attorneys says unfairly targets low-income, minority communities. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San … Continue reading California Disproportionately Punishes Poor, Minority Drivers, Report Finds →

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  Driving is a part of life if you live in Southern California But if you’re black or Latino, you’re more likely to lose your license due to unpaid tickets than white drivers That’s according to a study conducted by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights based in San Francisco The Committe crunched data from the … Continue reading KPCC Take Two – Black and Latino drivers disproportionately arrested for suspended licenses, per new study. →

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Original article can be found in KQED News Fix. By Sukey Lewis A study released today finds that black and Latino drivers in California have their licenses suspended at about five times the rate of their white counterparts. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights compiled DMV and census data, which show how license suspensions keep … Continue reading Traffic Amnesty Program Helps Some, Leaves Others Behind →

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Original article can be found in SF Gate. Written by Joaquin Palomino While African Americans make up less than 6 percent of San Francisco’s population, they account for nearly half of all people arrested for not paying traffic-related fines or fees, according to a new report written by a consortium of legal groups including the … Continue reading SF Gate – More black arrests over unpaid fines, fees found in SF →

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Original post can be found in Mariscope Newspapers. The Golden State Warriors basketball team will go for the record for wins in a single season on Wednesday, April 13, against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs last Sunday to record their 72 win of the season. That ties the record set … Continue reading Marin Valley Herald – The week in review →

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Original article can be found in the LA Times. Written by Maura Dolan African Americans and Latinos in California are more likely than others to lose their driver’s licenses because of unpaid tickets and then to be arrested for driving with suspended licenses, according to a report released Monday. The report, by the Lawyers Committee … Continue reading LA Times – A disproportionate share of blacks and Latinos lose their driver’s licenses because of unpaid tickets, study finds →

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Original article can be found in the Sacramento Bee. Written by Jeremy B. White Police Officer Jeromy Henson performs a traffic stop during his shift in Lincoln on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. Randall Benton. Black and Latino Californians are disproportionately likely to have their driver’s licenses suspended and face arrest as a result of traffic … Continue reading Sacramento Bee – Report: California traffic stops, arrests hit minorities harder →

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Original story aired on NPR. Reported by Richard Gonzales

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Original article can be found in the Daily Journal – 3/28/2016 Written by Christine P. Sun Last year, in a meeting that Chief Justice Tani Cantil Sakauye called “historic,” the Judicial Council unanimously adopted a rule to stop the unconstitutional practice of barring people from contesting their traffic citations until they had paid for the … Continue reading Traffic Courts Don’t have a license to discriminate →

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Original article can be found in the East Bay Express. Written by Sydney Johnson The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLC) announced this week that a coalition of legal organizations submitted a notice to a Bay Area court, demanding changes in the driver’s license suspension policy for people who cannot afford to pay exorbitant traffic fines. … Continue reading Legal Coalition Demands Traffic Court Policy Changes →

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Original article can be found in the East Bay Express. Written by Sydney Johnson The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLC) announced this week that a coalition of legal organizations submitted a notice to a Bay Area court, demanding changes in the driver’s license suspension policy for people who cannot afford to pay exorbitant traffic fines. … Continue reading Legal Coalition Demands Traffic Court Policy Changes →

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Original article can be found in the IndyBay. Written by Stephanie Funt, Brittany Stonesifer and Stephen Bingham Debt arising from traffic or criminal court matters touches the lives of many San Francisco residents and, by diverting limited funds or triggering unemployment, keeps them trapped in a cycle of poverty. A group of attorneys and community … Continue reading Broad-Based Coalition Tackles Outrageous Fines and Fees in San Francisco Traffic Court →

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Original article can be found at CalWatchdog.com. By Matt Fleming A band of civil liberties groups are demanding that California courts stop suspending drivers licenses for failure to pay traffic fines, a practice they argue overwhelmingly affects low-income drivers. A 2013 provision in the state budget offered major relief of fines due before Jan. 2013 but not for those after. So … Continue reading Civil liberty groups fighting license suspensions for those guilty of “being poor” →

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Original article can be found in the San Francisco Chronicle. Written by Bob Egelko When U.S. Justice Department officials warned state courts this week that soaring financial penalties for low-level wrongdoing might be damaging people’s lives, they could have had Mariah Robinson in mind.    Robinson, 28, of San Francisco, lost her driver’s license for … Continue reading Officials moving to take sting out of court costs →

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Original article can be found in The Lebanon Daily Record. Written By JANIE HAR SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In stories March 15 and Sept. 30 about a traffic amnesty program in California, The Associated Press reported erroneously the amount drivers would pay. The program allows for a discount of 50 percent or 80 percent on … Continue reading Correction: Traffic Amnesty Program story →

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Original article can be found in the Hastings Tribune Written by JANIE HAR SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — State authorities reported Tuesday that tens of thousands of California drivers have had traffic fines and court fees reduced under an amnesty program pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown to help the poor. More than 58,000 drivers benefited from … Continue reading Courts: California traffic amnesty program helped thousands →

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Written by the Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – State authorities reported Tuesday that tens of thousands of California drivers have had traffic fines and court fees reduced under an amnesty program pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown to help the poor. More than 58,000 drivers benefited from cost reductions in the first three months of … Continue reading CBS Sacramento: Courts: California Traffic Amnesty Program Helps 58,000 Drivers In 3 Months →

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Original recording from KQED’s FORUM Last week the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency agreed to drop fees for towed vehicles to $380. If the MTA and the Board give final approval to this decision, it would represent the first cut in tow rates since 2011. Over the past five years, … Continue reading KQED-FM: SF Towing Fees May Be Lowered After Criticism from Board of Supervisors (audio) →

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Original article appeared in SFGate Written by Emily Green The cost of retrieving a towed vehicle in San Francisco will drop by $111.25 — to $380 — under an agreement reached Thursday between the Board of Supervisors and the Metropolitan Transportation Agency. But drivers won’t want to get towed twice, because the fee shoots right … Continue reading SF supervisors, MTA cut deal to reduce city’s towing charges →

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Original article can be found in the San Francisco Chronicle Written By Emily Green and Lizzie Johnson It’s every driver’s nightmare: returning to an empty parking spot to find the car has been towed.    In San Francisco, the lucky ones will pay around $600 to get their car back — a charge two to … Continue reading S.F. rethinking soaring cost of getting towed →

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Original broadcast can be found here. by Andres Brender A group of Bay Area attorneys sued the Department of Justice over the issue of expedited hearings for undocumented minors.

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Original broadcast can be seen here. By Damian Trujillo San Francisco lawyers are taking the U.S. government to court over the issue of unaccompanied minors and demanding a level playing field before the government decides who can stay in this country and who will be deported. Some attorneys argue the government is violating the due … Continue reading NBC Bay Area: San Francisco Lawyers File Lawsuit on Behalf of Undocumented Children Seeking Asylum →

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Original article can be found on UC Berkeley Law by andrew cohen While studying Fisher v. University of Texas in her Constitutional Law course, Lindsey Quock ’17 learned how the same affirmative action issues had impacted the University of California. Twenty years ago, Proposition 209 banned state institutions from considering race, sex or ethnicity in … Continue reading UC Berkeley Law: Student Groups File Joint Brief in Support of Affirmative Action →

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Original article can be found in the San Francisco Chronicle 2 Sides attempt to make moral case to sway vote by Emily Green Robert Greve has seven years in and out of custody and nothing good to say about San Francisco’s County Jail at the Hall of Justice on Bryant Street. It’s freezing. It smells. … Continue reading SF Chronicle: Expense, welfare keys to jail issue →

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Original article appeared in Legal by the Bay. by the Bar Association of San Francisco The Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship program demonstrates a commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. The program awards diverse first-year Bay Area law students with a $30,000 scholarship, over three years, based on … Continue reading David Abella, Former Scholarship Recipient Pays it Forward with Second Chances →

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Original article can be found here. Reporter – Paul Chambers SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU/BCN) – A rally demanding justice for a man fatally shot by San Francisco police last week in the city’s Bayview District is taking place Wednesday evening prior to a planned San Francisco Police Commission Meeting, where the police chief is expected to discuss the department’s … Continue reading KTVU: Rally for man killed by SFPD held prior to police commission meeting →

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Original article can be found in the Los Angeles Times. by Lee Romney Heavy equipment mechanic Fredrick Jefferson said it was when a supervisor fired him that he learned his driver’s license had been revoked because of unpaid traffic fines. Over the next year and a half, the “snowball effect” caused his relationship to crumble … Continue reading LA Times: A frenzied start for state’s traffic ticket amnesty program →

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Original article can be found in the East Bay Express. By Sam Levin The state’s initiative to help low-income drivers overcome excessive traffic court debts is failing the most vulnerable residents — and advocates say the East Bay courts’ policies are particularly unjust. After losing his job as a fitness instructor, Clive Salmon spent most … Continue reading California Traffic Tickets Amnesty Program Leaves Many Behind →

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Click Play to hear Rose Cahn, Senior Soros Fellow and lead attorney for Immigrant Post-Conviction Release Project. Last summer, the United States Sentencing Commission, an independent, bipartisan agency, unanimously voted to reduce prison sentences for non-violent drug offenders. On October 31, 2015 and throughout the following weekend, six thousand inmates were released from federal custody. … Continue reading KPFA News: Two Thousand Newly Released Inmates Face Deportation →

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  Until We Are All Free Movement – Interview with Rose Cahn, Senior Soros Fellow – IPCRP Program This interview aired on KPFA Radio on October 16, 2015, and begins about 33 minutes into the broadcast.

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Original article can be found in the Ukiah Daily Journal. By Adam Randall Mendocino County has waived over $64,000 in fines, but has collected amounts of at least $3,700, during the one-time statewide traffic amnesty program that began Oct. 1, according to the Mendocino County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office. The program, which will run until March … Continue reading Mendocino County seeing interest in statewide traffic amnesty program →

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Original article can be found in the Mountain View Voice. by Kevin Forestieri Complaint to Office for Civil Rights withdrawn after district adopted new math placement policy Two groups claiming that the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District had a discriminatory math placement policy have withdrawn their complaint to the Office for Civil Rights, following … Continue reading Civil rights group drops complaint against MVLA →

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Original article can be found in The Modesto Bee. By Nan Austin With the expected passage of Measure F, Modesto City Schools will gain the option of having by-area elections. Such splits are meant to increase community involvement, but none of this works if nobody steps up to run. Across Stanislaus County, school boards have … Continue reading Legal case for community activism on school boards stands as a paper win →

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Original article can be found in Inside Philanthropy. by Paul M.J. Suchecki The Levi Strauss Foundation is still inspired by parent corporation’s founder, Bavarian-born Levi Strauss. After his father died of tuberculosis, Strauss immigrated to New York at age 17 with his sisters and mother. There, he joined his two older half-brothers in the family … Continue reading Small Funder, Big Ambitions: Inside the Levi Strauss Foundation →

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Original article can be found in SFGate. By Kurtis Alexander Millions of California motorists with suspended licenses have a chance to win back their driving privileges at a discount, starting Thursday, under a state amnesty program for unpaid traffic tickets. The state is cutting fines by at least half and waiving late fees for payments … Continue reading California unveils amnesty program for unpaid traffic tickets →

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Original article appeared in the Huffington Post Black Voices. By Meredith Desautels and Dorsey Nunn On the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” a group of formerly incarcerated people took a 2,400-mile van ride from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. They joined thousands of others to commemorate the historic … Continue reading Ending the Racial Caste System Through Reentry Reform →

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Original broadcast can be heard on Which Way, L.A.? Hosted by Warren Olney It’s easy to get a ticket for jay-walking, running a stop sign or other minor traffic violations — but, for many people, it’s hard to pay the fine after they’ve been convicted. When they can’t pay, the fines go up — and … Continue reading Amnesty for Jay-walkers and Traffic Scofflaws →

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Original article can be found in The Sacramento Bee. By Tony Bizjak California courts will give drivers with unpaid traffic tickets a financial break under a limited state amnesty program launched this week. Motorists with outstanding tickets originally due on or before Jan. 1, 2013 will be allowed to pay them off at a reduced … Continue reading State offers partial payment for overdue traffic fines →

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Original article can be found here. By Astrid Galvan  TUCSON, Ariz. — A federal judge in Arizona has issued sanctions against the U.S. Border Patrol over destruction of evidence the agency was required to keep during an ongoing civil lawsuit. Judge David C. Bury issued the sanctions Monday in a months-long lawsuit filed by a … Continue reading Judge sanctions Border Patrol over destruction of evidence →

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Original article can be found in EdSource. By John Fensterwald Two former Republican governors joined an impressive array of law professors, education scholars, teachers of the year, civil rights advocates and state and civic leaders submitting briefs on both sides of the appeal of the Vergara lawsuit. Last week was the deadline for experts supporting or opposing … Continue reading Friends, foes of Vergara ruling file briefs to appeals court →

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Original article can be found in the Daily Journal. By Bob Hertzberg Andrew, a 22-year-old single father, was working as a mechanic and making regular installment payments to the court on a couple of traffic tickets. A few months into the payments, his 2-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. As his son’s sole caretaker, Andrew … Continue reading Relief for Californians with traffic fines →

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Original article can be found in LA School Report. by Craig Clough A group of education experts and organizations supporting the state’s two largest teacher unions’ appeal of the Vergara lawsuit have filed amici curiae, or “friend of the court” briefs with the California Court of Appeals while former California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold … Continue reading Union supporters weigh in with briefs in Vergara appeal →

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Original article published in The Sacramento Bee. By Alice Huffman and Andrea Deveau Members of the Congressional Black Caucus met recently with tech company leaders in the Silicon Valley to discuss workforce diversity. The caucus is seeking solutions to increase African American representation and employment in the tech sector by 2020. With the stroke of … Continue reading Bill would deal with ‘math misplacement’ →

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Original article appeared in the Mountain View Voice. by Kevin Forestieri Guidelines expected to boost Latino, African American student enrollment in advanced math classes Amid growing pressure from state lawmakers, the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District is poised to adopt a new policy that makes test scores and student performance a key requirement to … Continue reading New rules to level mathematical playing field →

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Original article appeared in San Jose Inside. By Jennifer Wadsworth Under an amnesty program that starts Oct. 1, California drivers struggling to pay off mounting traffic fines will have a chance to settle for a fraction of what they owe. Gov. Jerry Brown called for the grace period amid growing concerns that traffic courts—which he called “a … Continue reading Courts Launch Amnesty Program for Overdue Traffic Tickets →

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Original article can be found in the San Francisco Chronicle. By Heather Knight Good news, folks: Mayor Ed Lee knows how to solve the city’s homeless problem. Mimosas for everybody! Well, he knows how to solve it for a small part of the city. For 10 days. To coincide with a festival before a football … Continue reading Nothing like a Super Bowl to fix S.F.’s homeless problem →

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Original article appeared in Stateline. by sophie quinton © AP Members of the Missouri National Guard stand outside the Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court last year. Missouri isn’t alone in having a local court system that serves as a revenue-raising arm of government. (AP) This story has been updated to clarify a statement by … Continue reading After Ferguson, States Struggle To Crack Down On Court Debt →

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Original article appeared in the Fresno Bee. By Robert J. Thompson The recent decision by the California Judicial Council to stop charging fees and fines to drivers contesting traffic tickets was the right thing to do. And the proposed law granting one-time amnesty for some unpaid traffic tickets is a good start, but not enough. … Continue reading Unreasonable traffic fines violate constitutional rights →

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Original broadcast can be seen here. by Dan Noyes PACIFICA, Calif. The ABC7 News I-Team investigates how a long-time driver for the U.S. Postal Service can’t work, because a police officer got one number wrong on the ticket he gave her. There’s some good information in this story for all drivers. That mistake by the … Continue reading KGO-Channel 7 I-Team: Pacifica woman can’t work after police error on ticket →

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Original article appeared in East County Magazine. by east county news service August 17, 2015 (Sacramento)–California’s Department of Education is being sued for denying access to records on the number of students who are English language learners.  The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and Public Counsel has filed a … Continue reading STATE SUED OVER FAILURE TO DISCLOSE RECORDS ON ENGLISH LEARNER STUDENTS →

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Original article appeared in AllGov. by Ken Broder California wants its K-12 students to be proficient enough in English to handle core curricula but isn’t real good at it. More than 20,000 of them receive no English language training, and services to help 1.3 million English learners are skimpy in one out of every four … Continue reading State Sued for Not Releasing School Records on English Learners →

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Original article appeared in the Courthouse News Service. By NICK CAHILL SACRAMENTO (CN) – A civil rights group sued the California Department of Education on Monday for information on the number of public school students struggling to learn English. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area says the Department of … Continue reading Lawyers Sue California for School Records →

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Original article appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune. By San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board Yet another civil rights lawsuit has been filed against the state of California over its treatment of minority students. Public Counsel and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area are suing the state Department of Education … Continue reading Opinion: State stonewalls on English learners’ progress →

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Click here to hear the original broadcast on The California Report. By Zaidee Stavely The State of California is required to track the number of students in each school still struggling with English after more than six years. A lawsuit filed yesterday claims education officials should make that information to anyone who wants it.  

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Original article appeared in SF GATE. By Bob Egelko State education officials are illegally refusing to disclose the number of students in individual public schools who have been struggling for at least six years to learn English, information that is important to parents seeking the best English programs for their children, civil rights groups charged … Continue reading SF Gate – State sued for data on students struggling to learn English →

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Original article appeared in The Sacramento Bee By Christopher Cadelago A civil rights group filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Education on Monday, claiming the state refused to divulge records detailing its number of long-term English-language learners. The plaintiffs contend that state education officials are required to collect data on the number of … Continue reading California education officials sued for records on English learners →

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Original article appeared in EdSource. By Sarah Tully Two civil rights groups are suing the California Department of Education for refusing to release the number – by individual school district – of English learner students who have not tested proficient in English after six years. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Public Counsel today filed a lawsuit … Continue reading Lawsuit claims state refuses to release data on English learners →

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Click link to hear the original broadcast from The California Report. By Farida Jhabvala Romero Rene Macedo Nolasco, a night shift worker, was driving home late at night on May 2 from his job at the Tesla Motors plant in Fremont when he noticed flashing lights in his rearview mirror. Twenty minutes later, a Menlo … Continue reading KQED-FM – In Menlo Park, Many Lose Cars After Driving with Suspended License →

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Click link to listen to full broadcast on The California Report. By Marisa Lagos California has one of the nation’s most liberal policies when it comes to restoring the voting rights of former criminal offenders: Once people have served their time in prison and on parole, they are automatically eligible to vote. But as many as … Continue reading KQED-FM – Voting Rights Restored for 60,000 Former Offenders in California →

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Original article appeared in The Huffington Post by Mollie Reilly A settlement restoring voting rights to ex-offenders comes just two days before the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. SAN FRANCISCO — Tens of thousands of California residents will soon have their voting rights restored as the state drops its appeal of a ruling that … Continue reading Tens Of Thousands Of Californians Are About To Get Their Voting Rights Restored →

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Original article appeared in Patch By Susan C. Schena California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in Oakland today that he will end a policy implemented by his predecessor, Debra Bowen, that he said disenfranchised low-level offenders who should be allowed to vote. Padilla, who took office in January, said he agrees with Alameda County … Continue reading Voting Rights To Be Restored For Low-Level Offenders in CA →

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Original article appeared in The Sacramento Bee By Andrew Holzman The American Civil Liberties Union and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla will make an announcement today about a lawsuit between their two offices, Scott v. Bowen, which deals with the voting rights of former prisoners. The ACLU, along with other civil rights groups and … Continue reading Voting rights advocates, Secretary of State will make announcement on Scott v. Bowen →

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Original article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. by Tracey Kaplan Immigrant-rights advocates predicted 2015 would be a banner year for their cause, with new breakthroughs that would make the Golden State more welcoming. For the first time in more than two decades, illegal immigrants can apply for driver’s licenses. Prospects were good for … Continue reading Advocates for immigrant rights brace for backlash →

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Original article appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. By Brendan P. Bartholomew The parents of kindergarten student Jalyn Broussard say he faced discrimination in December from school officials who claimed his African-American hairstyle was “distracting.” But a spokesman for the school strongly denied the accusation, and said extensive media coverage of the issue is giving … Continue reading School cries foul on reaction to haircut decision →

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Original article appeared in the Michigan Chronicle. By Desire Thompson A kindergartner from California was made to switch schools and leave his friends after administrators told his parents his “modern fade” was distracting to other children, San Jose Mercury News reports. Mariana Broussard says her son Jalyn Broussard, 5 attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic … Continue reading California Catholic School Forces 5-Year-Old To Shave “Distracting Modern Fade” Haircut →

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Original article appeared in the Huffington Post Black Voices. By Taryn Finley Jalyn Broussard was excited to show off his haircut at school last December. It was the first time the 5-year-old sported a different haircut than his 8-year-old older brother. Thirty minutes into the day, his kindergarten teacher called his mother in front of … Continue reading Parents Say 5-Year-Old Son Was Unfairly Punished For His Hair, File Discrimination Complaint Against School →

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Original article appeared in the Daily Mail. by erica tempesta Parents of a five-year-old kindergarten student have accused their son’s Catholic school of racial discrimination after his mother was asked to take him home because of his ‘distracting’ haircut. In December, Jalyn Broussard, who was one of five African-American students at Immaculate Heart of Mary … Continue reading Do you find this haircut ‘distracting’? Black parents blast school as racist after they were forced to shave their son’s head because of objections to his hairstyle →

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Original article appeared in The Root. by nigel roberts Mariana Broussard says Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Belmont, Calif., is discriminatory and culturally unaware. Jalyn Broussard went to kindergarten one day proudly sporting a new hairstyle. But his modern fade quickly raised eyebrows among administrators at his Belmont, Calif., Catholic school. Officials called the 5-year-old’s mother to pick … Continue reading Mom Takes Action After Catholic School Dismisses Kindergarten Son for Haircut →

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Originally aired on NBC Bay Area. by lisa fernandez A kindergartner’s fade haircut – a little bit longer on top, buzzed on the sides – has created a federal flap involving claims of racial discrimination and prompted that little boy to shave his head just so he could participate in the school’s Christmas concert. Last … Continue reading Bay Area Kindergartner’s Haircut Leads to Civil Rights Complaint →

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Original article appeared in the Daily Post. by angela ruggerio A Belmont family has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging discrimination after their 5-year-old son was told his haircut was not acceptable at a Catholic school. Read here: Page 1 here; continued here.  

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Original article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. by scott herhold Until I was nearly 13, my father cut my hair with an electric clipper that I saw as an implement of torture. He chose a style he called a “heinie,” which left me bald except for a quarter-inch fringe in front. Irked by … Continue reading Herhold: A silly call on a 5-year-old’s haircut →

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Original article appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal. By Samantha Weigel A Belmont Catholic school has been accused of racial discrimination after a 5-year-old black student was asked to leave class for sporting a new haircut, prompting his family to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Jalyn … Continue reading Parents claim private school discriminates: Boy, 5, asked to leave Belmont class because of haircut →

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Originally aired on KRON4. by justine waldman A little boy’s haircut has caused a Catholic school controversy. A kindergartner was kicked out of class because of his hair style. Now, his family said they are taking legal action. Kindergartner Jalyn Broussard loves his toys and his haircut because he said they are “really cool.” But his former … Continue reading Kindergartner kicked out of Belmont Catholic school class because of haircut; family taking legal action →

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Original article appeared in The Daily Beast.  by kate briquelet Bay Area teachers sent little Jalyn Broussard home for having a ‘distracting’ haircut at school—but his mother says it was a matter of racial discrimination. Jalyn Broussard couldn’t wait to show off his new ‘do. The kindergartener got a haircut he saw on a basketball … Continue reading Is This 5-Year-Old’s Haircut Too Extreme? →

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Original article appeared in SF Gate. by jenna lyons A Belmont mother filed a federal discrimination complaint against her 5-year-old son’s former school, saying he was singled out and not allowed to sport a popular hairstyle because he is black. Mariana Broussard said that in December — a day before a class Christmas party and … Continue reading Haircut dispute with son’s school raises Belmont mom’s hackles →

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Original article appeared in theGrio. A California kindergartner was kicked out of class because of his hair style. Six-year-old Jalyn Broussard was so excited about the haircut he got last December, and he couldn’t wait to go to school and show it off. His hair is longer on the top than on the sides and when … Continue reading Kindergartner kicked out of class because haircut ‘violated school policy’ →

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Original article appeared in the KLIV 1590 Silicon Valley News. A legal advocacy group has filed a federal civil rights complaint on behalf of a five-year-old boy who was allegedly kicked out of a Belmont parochial school because of his hair style. The complaint filed by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights alleges racial discrimination … Continue reading Civil rights complaint filed against Peninsula parochial school over boy’s haircut →

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Original article appeared in the Washington Times. By Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A legal advocacy group has brought a federal civil rights complaint on behalf of a San Francisco Bay area boy who was allegedly kicked out of his parochial school kindergarten class because of his hair style. The San Jose Mercury News … Continue reading Kindergartner’s haircut leads to civil rights complaint →

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Original article appeared in Yahoo Parenting. By Rachel Bertsche The parents of a 5-year-old boy have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against a California Catholic school after the administration deemed their son’s haircut distracting and said it would “unduly influence the student body,” according to the boy’s … Continue reading Parents of Kindergartener Claim Discrimination Over Haircut →

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Original article appeared in San Mateo Patch. by Bea Karnes The family of a former kindergarten student at a Roman Catholic school in Belmont who was told his haircut was unacceptable has filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s regional Office for Civil Rights in San Francisco. The complaint submitted on June … Continue reading Family Files Complaint Against Belmont School Over Haircut – The family claims the boy was targeted because of his race. →

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Original article appeared in Raw Story. By Joan Shipps A Catholic elementary school in California kicked a black child out of kindergarten for his haircut — even though its length and style were not different than those of many of his white classmates, the San Mercury News reports. On December 17 of last year, a teacher … Continue reading Catholic school principal boots 5-year-old black child from school because ‘his haircut was too distracting’ →

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Original broadcast appeared on ABC7 News. by vic lee BELMONT, Calif. (KGO) — The parents of an African American kindergarten student who was kicked out of a Belmont classroom because of his haircut have filed a federal civil rights complaint. The archdiocese responded on Monday night, telling us that it has not seen the complaint, … Continue reading ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: Belmont kindergartener kicked out of class over haircut →

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Original article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. By sharon noguchi BELMONT — Five-year-old Jalyn Broussard was so excited to show his kindergarten classmates his new haircut, a style that would surely set him apart from his second-grade brother’s shaved head. But his “modern fade,” a popular hairstyle among African-American men, apparently set off … Continue reading Belmont: Kindergartner’s haircut distracting, Catholic school says →

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Original article appeared in The Modesto Bee. by nan austin MODESTO Modesto City Schools trustees moved forward with seeking by-area elections, voting unanimously to seek a change in the Modesto city charter to allow the board to divide its large high school district into seven trustee areas. “The legal threat is real. Courts have favored … Continue reading Modesto City Schools moving toward by-area elections for trustees →

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Original article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. By DEBRA J. SAUNDERS Everyone has a story: The time an unlicensed driver rear-ended me. The time an unlicensed driver ran a red light and killed a co-worker’s dog as her husband was walking the dog in a crosswalk. It seems as if there are so many … Continue reading Public safety was last thing on their minds →

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Original article appeared in SF Gate. By Bob Egelko The new state budget that the Legislature approved Friday offers a break to some of the millions of Californians whose driver’s licenses have been suspended for failing to pay traffic tickets — a chance to get their licenses back by signing up for a cut-rate repayment … Continue reading Drivers with unpaid-ticket license suspensions may get a break →

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Original article appeared in the Peninsula Press. By Farida Jhabvala Romero Rene Macedo Nolasco, a night shift worker, was driving home late at night on May 2 from his job at the Tesla Motors plant in Fremont when he noticed flashing lights in his rearview mirror. Twenty minutes later, a Menlo Park Police officer had … Continue reading Driving with suspended license top crime in Menlo Park, many lose cars →

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Original article appeared in The Ceres Courier. By Jeff Benziger It’s official: Ceres voters will be going to the polls on Nov. 3 to say yay or nay on whether to form City Council districts and elect councilmembers by those districts. Currently candidates run at large, meaning they can live anywhere in the city limits … Continue reading Election ordered for council districts →

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Original article appeared in The Bakersfield Californian. By Milt Younger Those of us who live in California would like to believe unfair traffic enforcement systems that prey on poor and minority communities are found only in places like Ferguson, Mo. Guess again. California’s system for levying fines for often minor traffic violations is a cash … Continue reading California’s traffic fine system is cruel, insane →

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Original article appeared in: Fierce Homeland Security. By Dibya Sarkar Several legal groups filed a class-action lawsuit last week against the Customs and Border Protection agency for allegedly keeping undocumented men, women, and children in freezing, overcrowded and filthy detention facilities in Arizona. The American Immigration Council, National Immigration Law Center, the American Civil Liberties … Continue reading Class-action lawsuit alleges overcrowding, filthy conditions for detained migrants in Tucson →

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Original article appeared in the Latin Post. By Rodrigo Ugarte A group of immigrant activist and civil rights groups have filed a class-action suit on behalf of three people against the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, claiming CBP’s Tucson area officers violated CBP policy concerning the detainment and treatment of immigrants. The American Immigration Council … Continue reading Immigration Activists File Class Action Suit Against Border Patrol Over Treatment of Detained Immigrants →

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Original postings at the: Peninsula Press; SFGate; and, KQED’s News Fix. Christina is one of the estimated four million California drivers struggling to manage the mounting financial burden of a suspended driver’s license, the result of costly driving fines. The mini-documentary — “Out of Reach” — chronicles Christina’s attempts to have her license reinstated after … Continue reading Millions of Californians Struggle With Financial Burden of Suspended Driver’s Licenses →

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Original article appeared in The Alpenhorn News By S. E. Williams San Bernardino Presiding Judge Marsha G. Slough, a member of the California Judicial Council, identified the new rule as one step that could be taken quickly for the good and affirmed that other steps will follow. On Monday, June 8 California Judicial Council voted … Continue reading California judiciary makes historic traffic ticket ruling →

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Original article appeared in the LA Times. By Brian Bennett Immigrants held in Border Patrol stations in southern Arizona are regularly denied basic sanitation, food, water, and adequate medical care, according to a class-action lawsuit that immigrant-rights organizations filed Monday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Tucson. The lawsuit was … Continue reading LA Times: Border Patrol sued over conditions in short-term detention cells →

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Original article appeared in LAVOZ. La demanda interpuesta por la ACLU de Arizona es en contra del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) y la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza (CBP) (Foto: John Moore, Getty Images) Story Highlights Aseguran que durante el arresto hombres, mujeres y niños deben soportar las bajas temperaturas en celdas hélidas … Continue reading Demandan a Patrulla Fronteriza por trato de indocumentados arrestados →

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Original article appeared in Courthouse News Service. By TIM HULL TUCSON (CN) – Border Patrol jails in its busy Tucson sector are overcrowded, dirty and cold, lacking food, water, medical care and basic sanitation and hygiene, a federal class action alleges. Norlan Flores, a Nicaraguan twice detained in the Tucson sector, and two Jane Doe … Continue reading Immigration Jails Called ‘Inhumane and Punitive’ →

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Original article appeared in AZ Central. By bob ortega Human-rights groups are asking the federal courts to order Customs and Border Protection to improve what they describe as the “unconstitutional and unconscionable conditions” under which undocumented immigrants are held for processing at Border Patrol stations and facilities in the Tucson Sector. A lawsuit, filed Monday … Continue reading Border Patrol sued over migrant-detention conditions →

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Original article appeared in Tucson Weekly. By María Inés Taracena Several immigration rights advocacy organizations—including the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and the National Immigration Law Center—are suing the Tucson Sector Border Patrol over the poor condition of detention centers and mistreatment of migrants. The lawsuit filled today was based on the testimonies of … Continue reading Tucson Sector Border Patrol Gets Sued Over Mistreatment of Migrants & Poor Condition of Detention Centers →

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Original article appeared in Naples Daily News (Florida) By Laura Layden The Hertz Corp. faces a lawsuit alleging it has violated federal rules in handling background checks for its job applicants. The suit was filed Tuesday in San Francisco federal court against Hertz, its subsidiary Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. and Sterling Infosystems Inc., a … Continue reading Hertz accused of violating background check rules →

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Original article appeared in San Jose Inside. By Jennifer Wadsworth In response to mounting criticism that traffic courts unfairly punish poor people, the California Judicial Council adopted an emergency rule Monday that grants people access to trials without first paying a fine. Reform advocates applauded the policy change but said it doesn’t go far enough, … Continue reading Courts Ban Pay-First Policy for Traffic Tickets →

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Original article appeared in SF Gate. by bob egelko Civil rights lawyers sued Hertz Corp. and its background-checks contractor on Tuesday, accusing them of blindsiding job applicants by looking up their criminal records and withholding or withdrawing job offers without giving them a chance to challenge the reports. A federal law, the Fair Credit Reporting … Continue reading Hertz accused of unauthorized background checks on job applicants →

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Original article appeared in the East Bay Express. by sam levin Civil rights activists are pushing East Bay companies to hire formerly incarcerated people and applicants with criminal records — and merchants say it’s a winning strategy. When Michael Rachal began a job search four years ago, he quickly became familiar with the judgmental expressions … Continue reading East Bay Businesses that Give Applicants a Fair Chance →

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Original article appeared in the LA Times By Maura Dolan . Amid rising public clamor over drivers losing their licenses because of unpaid traffic tickets, the leaders of California’s court system voted unanimously Monday to end requirements that people pay the fines before being allowed to challenge them. The emergency action by judicial policymakers comes … Continue reading LA Times: People can fight traffic tickets without paying fine first, Judicial Council says →

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Original article appeared in Courthouse News Service. By MARIA DINZEO  SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – At an emergency meeting Monday called by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the Judicial Council voted unanimously to allow Californians to fight their traffic tickets in court without having to pay bail first. “I wanted to make certain that … Continue reading CA Judges Drop Pay-First Rule for Fighting Traffic Tickets →

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Original article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. By Josh Richman California drivers can now appear in court to challenge their traffic tickets without paying a fine first, under a new rule adopted unanimously by the state’s Judicial Council on Monday. “The system is broken,” said Christine Sun, associate director of the American Civil … Continue reading California changes rules on traffic ticket fines →

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Original article appeared in the Fresno Bee. By Barbara Anderson California courts no longer can require drivers to pay bail before they can go to trial to fight traffic tickets, the state Judicial Council ruled Monday. Fresno County and other San Joaquin Valley courts faced a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union for … Continue reading Fresno Bee: Fresno County, other courts ordered to drop pay-first policy for traffic tickets →

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Original article appeared in the Sacramento Bee. By Christopher Cadelago California court officials plan to let those with traffic tickets across the state appear in court without paying up front. The new rule, expected to win approval from the state Judicial Council at a special telephone meeting Monday, is viewed by policymakers as a preliminary … Continue reading Sacramento Bee: Contesting a traffic ticket? California poised to ban pay-first policy →

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Original article appeared in the Mountain View Voice by Oren Sellstrom and Dana Isaac Silicon Valley tech companies have come under fire in recent months for the dearth of minority employees in their workforce. There are many reasons for this under-representation, but a key one is sitting right in the companies’ own backyards: school districts … Continue reading Fixing a critical leak in the STEM pipeline →

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Original article appeared in Mountain View Voice. By Kevin Forestieri MVLA administrators deny minority students are placed in lower-level math classes A Bay Area civil rights advocacy group released a report late last month claiming the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District is among several school districts in the area that disproportionately place minority … Continue reading Civil rights group claims racial bias in MV high schools →

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Original appeared in the Daily Post – page 1 and page 2 by ANGELA RUGGIERO An advocacy group claims the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District disproportionally enrolls Hispanic and black students in lower-level math classes during their freshman year. But the school district superintendent says that’s just not the case. The Lawyers Committee for … Continue reading Group claims race bias in Math →

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Original article appeared in the East Bay Express. by sam levin Traffic courts throughout California trap people in poverty with exorbitant fines and harsh policies that can make it very challenging for low-income people to resolve minor infractions — a problem I explored in-depth in a recent feature story, “The High Cost of Driving While Poor.” … Continue reading East Bay Express: Chief Justice Seeks Emergency Traffic Court Reform, Jerry Brown Pushes Amnesty Program →

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Original article appeared in Breitbart. by Daniel Nussbaum Gov. Jerry Brown is calling for an amnesty program for poor California residents who cannot afford to pay debts accrued through traffic violations after a blistering report from a nonprofit law firm concluded that the state is profiting off of minorities and low-income residents. According to the … Continue reading Jerry Brown Pushes Traffic Debt ‘Amnesty’ for Poor: ‘It’s a Hellhole of Desperation’ →

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Original report from ABC 7 News Los Angeles By Miriam Hernandez Lawmakers are concerned about the huge fines for traffic tickets, and now, California’s top justice is weighing in. Sofia Lewis says she was wrongly ticketed. But like so many California drivers have learned, you must still pay the fine even before you go to … Continue reading ABC 7 Los Angeles: California chief justice requests rule to stop huge fines for traffic tickets →

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Original article appeared in the Los Angeles Times. by Maura Dolan and Lee Romney Weighing in on a troubled system, California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has called for an emergency rule to prevent courts from requiring drivers to pay traffic tickets before they can go to court to contest them. Cantil-Sakauye this week asked the … Continue reading LA Times: State chief justice says unpaid traffic fines should get day in court →

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Original article appeared in LAist. By Danny Jensen No balloons for you (Photo by Chris Yarzab via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr) If you’ve ever been hit with those obscenely massive fines and fees that come with getting a traffic ticket, a California chief justice has great news for your wallet. A proposed … Continue reading Drivers Could Get A Break On Unpaid Traffic Tickets In California →

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Original article appeared in Race & Justice News. Fines and Fees States suspend driver’s licenses over court-related debt This year, California Senator Bob Hertzberg (D) introduced a bill that would make it easier to reinstate driver’s licenses after the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area reported that more than 17% … Continue reading The Sentencing Project – States suspend driver’s licenses over court-related debt →

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Original recording from KQED’s “FORUM”. About 7 million Californians have a criminal record that will show up in a background check. California’s “ban the box” law prevents employers in the public sector from asking about an applicant’s criminal background in the early stages of the hiring process. But former prisoners say finding work is an … Continue reading KQED “FORUM” – Former Prisoners Struggle to Find Jobs (Audio) →

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Original article appeared in Sanction Law. by Sam Cutler Several weeks ago, OFAC published its 2014 Terrorist Asset Report (“TAR”), which lists all funds blocked pursuant to Specially Designated Global Terrorist (“SDGT”), Specially Designated Terrorist (“SDT”), and Foreign Terrorist Organization (“FTO”) sanctions programs, as well as funds from State Sponsors of Terrorism. According to the … Continue reading Sanction Law: Oops – OFAC Unblocks Over $3 Million in “Al-Qaeda” & “Sudan” Funds →

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Original audio from KWMR – Regarding unaccompanied minors Cuerpo Corazón Comunidad ofrece Sugerencias y Soluciones Sobre Salud, Seguridad, Satisfacción y Serenidad a través de la radio, la Internet, la prensa y la vecindad. La conductora del programa de radio es la “Doctora Marisol.” Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne, Ph.D. ha ejercido como Sicóloga Clínica licenciada por más de … Continue reading KWMR: Cuerpo Corazón Comunidad →

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Original article in the Palo Alto Weekly. by sue dremann The young man working at a Mountain View Safeway slammed his head on a commercial refrigerator door, unable to verbally express the ordeal he had been through for nearly a year. The violent gesture, which alarmed his co-workers, was his least painful experience since moving … Continue reading Hidden in plain sight: Human trafficking reaches into Palo Alto, Silicon Valley →

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Original article from takepart By Jamilah King Traffic court is one of the cruelest legal systems in the country. There’s a high cost to driving while poor, according to a new report from East Bay Express, a Northern California alternative newspaper. The paper notes that traffic citation fines of $100 have risen to $500 as municipalities … Continue reading Driving While Poor Is Deepening Inequality in America →

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Original article in East Bay Express. by sam levin Alameda County traps people in poverty with steep fines for minor traffic infractions — in a cruel system that depends on punishing Black and low-income residents and is plagued by hypocrisy and conflicts of interest. When two men approached Carlos Smith outside his home on September … Continue reading East Bay Express: The High Cost of Driving While Poor →

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Original article in AFSCME Information Highway. by afscme Source: Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (LCCR), the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC), the Western Center on Law and Poverty (WCLP), A New Way of Life Reentry Project, and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), 2015 From the abstract: … Continue reading AFSCME: Not Just a Ferguson Problem – How Traffic Courts Drive Inequality in California →

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Original article in the LA Times By The Times Editorial Board One reason you pay so much when you are ticketed for, say, driving with a broken taillight is that there’s a surcharge added to your ticket to help victims of violent crimes. There’s also an add-on that pays for training police officers, another to … Continue reading LA Times Editorial: Time to rein in California’s traffic ticket surcharges →

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Original article from The Fresno Bee. By Pablo Lopez. A court policy of making Valley traffic offenders pay fees upfront in order to challenge a ticket in court is unconstitutional and unfairly impacts low-income residents, the associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California said Friday. In a move to give the … Continue reading The Fresno Bee: ACLU: Traffic-ticket policy by Valley courts unconstitutional →

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Original article in Care2. by Crystal Shepeard. Cities have long used traffic fines and court fees as a revenue boost for municipal coffers. Unfortunately, this practice disproportionately impacts the poorest of residents, who often can’t afford the initial fine, leading to penalties and interests that make it impossible to catch up. For those that are severely delinquent, … Continue reading California Lawmakers Aim to Reduce Burden of Traffic Fines and Penalties →

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Original article from PRWEB. By Mr. ticket In response to a new report that suggests California’s driver’s license suspension rules widen the divisions of economic disparity, Mr. Ticket, a traffic ticket and DUI attorney, offers expert insight and explanation Encino, CA (PRWEB) April 30, 2015 On Monday, April 6, the California DMV adopted new court … Continue reading PRWEB: Mr. Ticket Responds to California Driver’s License Suspension Rules →

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Original article in the Ukiah Daily Journal By Adam Randall Mendocino County is one of at least eight Superior Courts in California that requires traffic citation fees to be paid-in-full before people can stand in front of a judge and dispute the allegations of a violation, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern … Continue reading Ukiah Daily Journal: ACLU: Mendocino County charging for traffic court dates is unconstitutional →

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Original article from Injury In The City By dyrah seo Dangerous driving behaviors don’t just result in accidents. Getting caught red-handed by California traffic authorities usually result in the issuance of tickets and having to pay certain fines and penalties. Indeed, whenever a driver commits a violation, points are added to his or her driving … Continue reading Report: California’s Driver’s License Suspensions for Unpaid Tickets Impacting People with Lower Income →

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Original article from The Sacramento Bee by the editorial board One of the hidden impacts of years of tight local government budgets in California was the creation of new fees tacked onto routine traffic citations to help finance parts of the criminal justice system. These surcharges can turn a minor ticket that carries a modest … Continue reading Sacramento Bee: Time to put the brakes on add-on fees for minor traffic citations →

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Original article from Benito Link By Luis Burguillo How traffic courts drive inequality in California Photo courtesy of illinoislicensereinstatement.com The Lawyers Committee of San Francisco recently issued a report on “How Traffic Courts Drive Inequality in California” and addresses more than a concern recently raised about the city of Ferguson-style of revenue generation right here in … Continue reading COMMENTARY: Not Just a Ferguson Problem, But a California Reality →

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 Original article from Bedrosian Center – USC Price School of Public Policy By Jeremy Loudenback Aside from robust voter turnout in last week’s city election, the most positive result of protests in Ferguson over policing practices may be attention to inequities in other parts of its criminal-justice system. Shawn Semmler “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” Accounts … Continue reading Courting Justice in California →

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Original article from CNBC By Mark Fahey Wealthy drivers may be speeding and running stop signs, but they’re not paying extra for their tickets. Twenty-nine percent of Americans with incomes of $75,000 or higher report receiving a moving violation ticket in the last five years, but only 21 percent of those drivers saw an increase … Continue reading CNBC: Wealthier drivers get more tickets, but don’t pay →

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Original article from The Christian Science Monitor By Daniel Wood Nearly 75 percent of California voters described race relations in their neighborhood as good or excellent, according to a new survey. LOS ANGELES — Fifty years after the Watts riots – and 25 after the Rodney King riots – most California voters now say they think race … Continue reading Christian Science Monitor: Are race relations in California better than rest of US? →

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Original article from La Opinión By: Araceli Martínez Ortega Esteban Trejo manejaba a la altura de Oceanside por la carretera 5 cuando un agente del Sheriff le hizo el alto. Lo acusó de traer un auto con vidrios polarizados y conducir sin seguro. El castigo fue el decomiso de su vehículo y la suspensión de la … Continue reading La Opinión: Millones de californianos sin licencia por no pagar multas (Millions of Californians without a license for failure to pay fines) →

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Original article from the Sacramento Bee BY Christopher Cadelago. Christina Charles acknowledges she broke the law. Between 2011 and 2012, Charles improperly stopped at a stop sign. She drove with a missing license plate and a taillight out. Her license was suspended when she couldn’t pay for the tickets and failed to appear in court. … Continue reading Sacramento Bee: Small traffic fines can lead to big problems for some Californians →

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Uno de cada seis conductores en California tiene la licencia suspendida, según reporte. (One in six drivers in California have a suspended license, according to report.) Click here to view on Noticiero Telemundo

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Original reporting from KCRW By Warren Olney After investigating the notorious police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, the federal Department of Justice reported that local courts were systematically taking money from poor people to provide revenue for the city. Now a coalition of legal aid groups has found something similar going on in California — where … Continue reading KCRW (Which Way, L.A.?): Traffic Court and the Poverty Trap →

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Original article can be found here. by holly j. mitchell All kids deserve an equal chance to succeed. Unfortunately, many achieving African-American and Latino students in California schools are being unfairly denied advancement to the mathematics courses critical to their educational and career success. Despite earning the grades and assessment test scores that show promise … Continue reading Time to fix ‘math misplacement’ →

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Original reporting from KCRW. By MadelEine Brand A troubling trend is happening in California: traffic tickets are funding the court system. A new study by a coalition of legal aid and civil rights groups finds that low income Californians are the most affected. They get caught in a vicious cycle of violations and fines, often … Continue reading KCRW (Press Play with Madeleine Brand): Traffic Debt →

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Original reporting from Gil Gross on Talk 910 in San Francisco, California. Gross interviews Lawyers’ Committee Racial Justice Attorney, Meredith Desautels, about unfair fines being passed out in CA, as illuminated in the comprehensive study: Not Just a Ferguson Problem – How Traffic Courts Drive Inequality in California.

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Original reporting from AirTalk – KPCC – Los Angeles by AirTalk April 09, 10:26 AM An officer tickets a driver on N. Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood on Aug. 24, 2012. Chris Yarzab/Flickr   Listen to this story 13 min 34 sec A new report released by a coalition of civil rights organizations finds that unpaid … Continue reading Report calls for end of drivers’ license suspensions as punishment for unpaid traffic tickets →

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Original article appeared in the Atlanta Black Star. By Curtis Bunn The unconscionable practice of creating a cash cow by fining and jailing Black and poor people for minor driving infractions, revealed in an engrossing Justice Department report on the Ferguson, Mo., legal system last month, is not limited to the St. Louis suburban town … Continue reading Atlanta Black Star: Study: Targeting the Poor For Traffic Violations and Jailing Extends Beyond Ferguson →

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Original article appeared on NPR (The Two Way) by BILL CHAPPELL Changing a process that was blamed for fueling anger and frustration with the legal system in Ferguson, Mo., 80 municipal courts in St. Louis County have agreed to set uniform fees and fines that are meant to be more fair to people charged with … Continue reading NPR: 80 Municipal Courts In St. Louis County Change Fees After Criticism →

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Original article appeared on NPR (The Two Way) by Sam Sanders A new report says an issue highlighted recently in Ferguson, Mo., — that tickets and fines disproportionately burden people of color and the poor, and lead to their incarceration — is not limited to Missouri. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco … Continue reading NPR: Study Finds The Poor Subject To Unfair Fines, Driver’s License Suspensions →

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Original article appeared in the Christian Science Monitor. By Daniel B. Wood LOS ANGELES — One month after the US Department of Justice documented deep patterns of discrimination by law enforcement in Ferguson, Mo., a report released Wednesday in California reveals statewide traffic court policies that “disproportionately impact people of color.” More than 4 million Californians do not have … Continue reading Christian Science Monitor: Echoes of Ferguson: Calif. traffic fines hit minorities hard, report finds →

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Original reporting from KGO-TV (ABC7) By Janet O Several civil rights groups in the state, including ones in San Francisco, released a new report Wednesday blaming the state’s traffic court system for driving inequality and trapping people in a life of poverty. The cost of traffic fines is steadily increasing and becoming tougher to manage … Continue reading KGO-TV (ABC7): REPORT BLAMES CA TRAFFIC COURT FOR TRAPPING PEOPLE IN POVERTY →

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Original article appeared in the LA Weekly. By Dennis Romero Here’s a proposed law that’s been a long time coming. State Sen. Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys this week announced that he has introduced a bill, SB 405, that would allow some drivers grounded by tickets to get their suspended licenses activated again. More specifically, the … Continue reading LA Weekly: UNFAIR TRAFFIC TICKETS PUT THE POOR IN A HOLE; A PROPOSED LAW COULD FIX THAT →

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Original reporting from KGO-810 Radio. By Mark Richards California is having trouble collecting traffic fines, and the additional legislature fees are making the fines even tougher for traffic law violators to pay. Tickets for minor infractions like missing licence plates or cracked windshields often have minor fines, but the legislature fees associated with these infractions … Continue reading KGO Radio: Traffic Violation Fees May Be Taking Advantage of Low-Income Californians →

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Original reporting from the California Budget & Policy Center. By Selena Teji Governor Brown’s 2015-16 proposed budget would establish an 18-month outstanding debt amnesty program to facilitate the recovery of overdue fines and penalties levied by courts for various traffic violations. However, this proposed amnesty approach doesn’t address a significant systemic barrier that stands in the … Continue reading California Budget & Policy Center: Governor’s Debt Amnesty Proposal Ignores Disproportionate Impact on Low-Income Families →

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Original article from The New York Times By Timothy Williams Drivers in California who are unable to pay traffic fines for minor infractions are frequently having their licenses suspended by traffic courts — a policy that has had a disproportionate impact on poor and working-class people, according to a study released Wednesday. In an Alameda … Continue reading New York Times: Disparity Is Seen in California Driver’s License Suspensions →

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Original article from The New York Times. By Shaila Dewan LEBANON, Tenn. — The last time Kenneth Seay lost his job, at an industrial bakery that offered health insurance and Christmas bonuses, it was because he had been thrown in jail for legal issues stemming from a revoked driver’s license. Same with the three jobs before … Continue reading New York Times: With Driver’s License Suspensions, a Cycle of Debt →

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Original article from the LA Times. By Lee Romney Traffic-court fines layered with escalating fees and penalties have led to driver’s license suspensions for 4.2 million Californians — or one in six drivers — pushing many low-income people deeper into poverty, a report released Wednesday by a coalition of legal aid groups found. The report calls … Continue reading Los Angeles Times: Driver’s license suspensions push poor deeper into poverty, report says →

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Original article appeared in KQED Forum The inability to pay court fees and fines for traffic violations has resulted in approximately 4 million license suspensions in the State of California. These suspensions often make getting to work more difficult for the state’s poorest residents, which in turn, makes repaying fines even harder. We’ll discuss a … Continue reading KQED Forum: Traffic Fines Disproportionately Hurt California’s Poor (Audio) →

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Original recording from KQED’s Forum The inability to pay court fees and fines for traffic violations has resulted in approximately 4 million license suspensions in the State of California. These suspensions often make getting to work more difficult for the state’s poorest residents, which in turn, makes repaying fines even harder. We’ll discuss a new … Continue reading KQED Forum: Traffic Fines Disproportionately Hurt California’s Poor →

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Original article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. By Bob Egelko Unpaid traffic fines and mushrooming fees have left 4.2 million Californians with suspended driver’s licenses — more than one-sixth of the licenses issued statewide — with poor people the hardest-hit, according to a newly published study that criticizes policies that take drivers off the … Continue reading San Francisco Chronicle: 4.2 million have lost driver’s licenses because of unpaid fees →

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Original article appeared in ThinkProgress By Carimah Townes In California, a driver who commits offenses as minor as driving without a seatbelt or littering faces a $490 fine, according to a new report by a coalition of civil rights groups, entitled “Not Just a Ferguson Problem: How Traffic Courts Drive Inequality in California.” Worse, if … Continue reading ThinkProgress: How Driving While Poor Became A Crime In California →

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Original article appeared in East Bay Express. By Sam Levin Last month, the US Department of Justice released a damning report on Ferguson, Missouriand the way in which law enforcement agencies and the local court system raise revenues through municipal fines and fees that disproportionately impact Black residents. The DOJ investigation — which detailed patterns … Continue reading East Bay Express: California Traffic Courts Suspend Millions of Licenses for Minor Violations, Issue Huge Fines, and Keep People in Poverty →

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Original article appeared in KQED News (The California Report) By Marisa Lagos Maybe California isn’t so far from Ferguson, Missouri after all. A scathing report released by a civil rights group today says the Golden State’s structure of spiraling court fees and fines — which tend to disproportionately affect poor Californians —  are “chillingly similar” topractices in Ferguson … Continue reading KQED News: As in Ferguson, California’s Poor Subject to Unfair Fines, Fees →

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Reporting from KCBS’s Holly Quan:  

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Original article from CBS MoneyWatch By Aimee Picchi A catch-22 is tripping up millions of Americans who happen to be too poor to pay increasingly expensive traffic fines and other minor tickets. In California, 4.2 million residents have had their licenses suspended during the past eight years because they haven’t been able to pay their … Continue reading CBS Moneywatch: How a minor ticket can cost you your driver’s license →

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Original article from KQED News Fix By Rebecca Bowe A staggering bit of information contained in the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into the Ferguson Police Department has generated quite a stir in recent weeks. The report found that in Ferguson, Missouri, a small city with a population of just 21,000, more than 16,000 people had outstanding arrest … Continue reading KQED News Fix: Renewed Push to Reform Law on Driver’s License Suspensions →

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Original article from The San Francisco Examiner By Joshua Sabbatini San Francisco is exploring ways to prevent the criminal justice system from suspending the driver’s licenses of residents who fail to appear in court or pay fines. Working with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Supervisor John Avalos requested … Continue reading SF Examiner: Avalos to examine impact of driver’s license suspensions for unpaid fines →

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Original article from The Modesto Bee By Erin Tracy “Driving while poor.” Some critics have used the phrase to describe the injustices of the legal system as it applies to traffic penalties. Generally, it’s used in reference to license suspension as a result of unpaid traffic fines. State law dictates that, but there is a … Continue reading Modesto Bee: Traffic tickets can ‘wreak havoc’ on the poor →

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Original article from CounterPunch By Franklin Lamb Without much doubt, the US Congressional Zionist caucus was energized this week by PM Netanyahu’s appeal to scuttle the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran. Even as it spent roughly 27% of his 40 minute speech wildly applauding. According to Capitol Hill sources, the caucus is salivating over its … Continue reading CounterPunch: It’s Time to Sanction OFAC →

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Original article from Courthouse News By Katherine Proctor SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – Tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs, their healthcare and their homes to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s opaque worksite “silent raids,” four legal groups claim in Federal Court. The legal nonprofits and a community group sued the Department of Homeland Security … Continue reading Courthouse News: Information Demanded on ICE Work Raids →

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Original article from Law360 By Kelly Knaub Law360, New York (February 23, 2015, 3:41 PM ET) — National Immigration Law Center and other legal aid and public interest groups filed a Freedom of Information Act suit Friday seeking access to records relating to worksite raids led by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement to uncover undocumented workers. … Continue reading Law360: Legal Centers Ask To Review ICE’s Worksite Enforcement Docs →

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Original article from California Lawyer We have named 62 lawyers statewide to receive the 19th annual awards for California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year. Their achievements had significant impact in 2014. This year, the awards recognize 27 achievements between November 2013 and November 2014 in 17 areas of practice. Those honored include prosecutors, intellectual property practitioners, … Continue reading 2015 California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year:
Paul R. Chavez and Robin Goldfaden →

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Original article from MissionLocal By Andra Cernavskis Inspired by the quick success of a GoFundMe Campaign for the residents of the 22nd and Mission Streets fire last month, the Mission Economic and Development Agency, known as MEDA, has decided to attempt a similar fundraising campaign for the 36 businesses and 71 employees who worked in the … Continue reading MissionLocal: MEDA Launches Fund for Businesses Displaced by Fire →

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Original article from The San Francisco Chronicle By Carla Marinucci Determined Bay Area immigrant rights activists insisted Tuesday that a Texas judge’s ruling blocking President Obama’s executive action on immigration won’t deter them from assisting thousands in completing applications for extended visas. They also called the judge’s order a political act, and were optimistic that … Continue reading San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. activists resistant to ruling on immigrants →

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Original article from The Recorder. Ross Todd, The Recorder SAN FRANCISCO — U.S. District Judge Edward Chen hasn’t been a big fan of the arbitration clause Uber Technologies Inc. added in 2013 to its driver licensing agreements. The transportation networking company made the change while proposed employment class actions were pending in Illinois and Massachusetts and … Continue reading The Recorder: Uber ADR Bid May Face Tough Audience →

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Original article from the San Leandro Times By Amy Sylvestri Getting a job is hard enough, but getting a job with a record for a conviction or an arrest is even more difficult. That’s why a group of lawyers, advocates, and business owners in Alameda County have banded together to create “A Good Hire.” A … Continue reading San Leandro Times: Campaign Started to Help Employ People with Records →

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Original article from the San Jose Mercury News. Legal issues A free seminar, entitled “Legal issues for entrepreneurs,” will take place at Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd. in the Fukaya Room on Monday, Jan. 26 from 6-9 p.m. This seminar will provide an overview of business law concepts for the small business owners, addressing the … Continue reading San Jose Mercury News: Fremont calendar for Jan. 16 →

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Original article from Lieff Cabraser By Lieff Cabraser of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP Lieff Cabraser attorneys and staff participated today in the Bay Area Lawyer Die-In For Racial Justice on the front steps of the California Supreme Court building in San Francisco. The participants called for an end to the use of excessive force, … Continue reading Bay Area Lawyer Die-In For Racial Justice →

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Original story from RadioAlice / KCBS By Liz Saint John A Good Hire: Resources for Finding Undiscovered Talent is the public education campaign developed for the Cultivating Fair Chance Employment project administered by the Lawyers’ Committee to reach out to hiring managers in Alameda County. A Good Hire builds on the idea that workers with an arrest … Continue reading RadioAlice / KCBS: A Good Hire – Resources For Finding Undiscovered Talent →

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Original article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle By Carolyn Jones Fierce debates over race, class, police and inequality may be raging across the U.S., but for Lateefah Simon, the discussion is all rather simple. “Everyone’s talking about social justice. What is it? What does it look like? Well, it looks like less crime, less … Continue reading San Francisco Chronicle: Lateefah Simon – Youth advocate nominated as Visionary of the Year →

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Original article appeared in the New Yorker By Vauhini Vara On Thursday evening, at the San Francisco headquarters of the Service Employees International Union Local 87, some fifty immigrant workers and activists gathered at a hastily organized party to watch Barack Obama’s televised speech about his plans to implement executive actions protecting millions of undocumented … Continue reading New Yorker: The Immigrants Excluded By Obama’s New Plan →

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Original article from the Stanford Report. By Terry Nagel For detained immigrants, having a lawyer means everything. A new research report shows that a detainee with legal representation is three times more likely to avoid deportation than someone thrown into the legal system on his or her own. Yet two-thirds of detained immigrants have no … Continue reading Stanford Report: Immigrants represented by attorneys far more likely to win deportation cases, Stanford law clinic study finds →

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Original article from the Wall Street Journal By Miriam Jordan Attorneys Volunteer for Pro Bono Work Helping Central American Minors Lawyers are trained at Cooley LLP in San Francisco on representing minors who entered the U.S. illegally. Preston Gannaway for The Wall Street Journals In a departure from their usual clientele, attorneys at major U.S. law … Continue reading New Mission for Lawyers: Free Aid to Young Immigrants →

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Original broadcast can be seen here. by cheryl hurd Minority students in some San Mateo and Santa Clara County school districts were asked to repeat Algebra 1 when they entered high school even though the students passed the class in 8th grade, according to a report. A report funded by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation … Continue reading Minority Students Held Back in Math: Report →

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By David E. Early You can read the original article on San Jose Mercury News. SANTA CLARA — A little more than a year ago, a coalition of civil rights groups vilified the San Francisco 49ers with a caustic “open letter” that accused the team of leaving out minority-owned firms when it issued lucrative contracts … Continue reading Embarrassed 49ers say they now intend to lead in contractor diversity →

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By John Coté You can read the original article on SF Gate. The Board of Supervisors’ three-member budget committee voted unanimously Wednesday to support a proposal to provide more than $2 million to fund immigration lawyers for youth facing fast-tracked deportation. The supplemental budget appropriation, which would provide $2.1 million total to be drawn from … Continue reading SF supes’ budget committee votes for legal aid to immigrant kids →

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By John Coté You can read the original article on SF Gate. They described other children being gunned down in the street because they wouldn’t join a gang, a freezing room in a detention center where kids huddled under aluminum foil for warmth, or riding the train known as “The Beast” for a month as … Continue reading S.F. Moves to Provide $2 Million for Lawyers for Immigrant Kids →

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Rebecca Bowe You can read the original article on San Francisco Bay Guardian. San Francisco’s efforts to provide legal services for unaccompanied youth who crossed the U.S. border from Central America is heating up as a point of contention between Sup. David Campos and Board President David Chiu, opponents in the race for California Assembly … Continue reading Kids pushed through immigration court at lightning speed while supes debate legal aid funding →

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