What We Do
Current Local Civil Liberties Actions
We are working on several project and welcome your involvement! Contact us at npenaclu@gmail.com to learn more.
Mental Health Project (1-2 year project)
The committee will focus on two topics: (1) youth and the mental health crisis in San Mateo County; and (2) non-law enforcement responses to mental health calls.
Youth Advisory Council (Ongoing)
Composed of young people (high school - early thirties) who work on issues that are particularly relevant to youth in the community.
DEA&I project (Ongoing)
We work to ensure that our meetings are accessible and inclusive and that our work furthers diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Rapid Response (Ongoing)
We respond to and keep supporters informed of urgent local civil liberties issues as they arise. Recent response actions include lobbying for bills to decertify abusive law enforcement officers and to eliminate coercive probation practices for youth; promotion of a community partner’s advocacy for a local eviction moratorium; providing education about ballot propositions; and, sharing volunteer voter engagement opportunities in English and Spanish.
Chapter Development (Ongoing)
We conduct outreach efforts including planning an upcoming Open House, maintaining the chapter’s website, recruiting, welcoming, and training new volunteers, and cultivating future chapter leaders.
Past Projects
2022
Law Enforcement Accountability (1-2 year project)
We are pursuing two opportunities to continue our advocacy efforts to hold the San Mateo County Sheriff accountable: encouraging the Board of Supervisors to enforce a law that ends cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and exploring the creation of a civilian oversight board.
2021
School Social Equity Policy (1-2 year project)
Policies in some local school districts regarding incidents of discrimination, hate speech, accessibility, and other improper conduct are inadequate. We seek to empower students and allies to correct these injustices by offering them the tools, guidance, and support they need to drive policy change in their schools.
Sheriff Accountability (1-2 year project)
We are pursuing two opportunities to continue our advocacy efforts to hold the San Mateo County Sheriff accountable: ending cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and exploring the creation of a Sheriff oversight board. Learn more about the Sheriff's ICE cooperation practice here.
2020
In 2020 our focus was two-fold: addressing civil liberties concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and advocating for reform of the criminal legal system. How we accomplished these goals:
Engaging with multiple county leaders to demand COVID-19 protections for our incarcerated neighbors.
Hosting a text bank event to bring attention to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s cooperation with ICE.
Working with community partners to organize a car rally to protest jail conditions and the sheriff’s cooperation with ICE.
Advocating for the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to reallocate funding to enhance social services and reduce the role of law enforcement agencies.
Lobbying state legislators to expand paid family leave benefits.
Lifting up community partners’ advocacy for an eviction moratorium in San Mateo County.
Other recent past action we have taken includes:
In the wake of three Taser deaths of unarmed people of color in San Mateo County, implemented a multi-faceted campaign to demand police use of force reforms.
Negotiated a major overhaul of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Use of Force Policy.
Met with state legislators to demand passage of a groundbreaking law modernizing statewide police use of force standards, AB 392 (Victory! The law is now in force across the state). Read more here: https://www.aclunc.org/our-work/legislation/california-act-save-lives-ab-392
Sought the death penalty criteria of the San Mateo County District Attorney.
Lobbied for legislation to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated citizens. (Success! Voters passed Proposition 17 in November 2020. Read more here: https://www.aclunc.org/blog/voters-decisions-propositions-17-and-20-bring-hope-criminal-justice-reform-california. ).
Initiated a multi-year, multi-dimensional effort to rid our communities of money bail, which puts poor people in jail solely for inability to pay.
Pressed law makers to enact a law prohibiting law enforcement from using facial recognition technology (which is notoriously unreliable and racially biased) on body-worn cameras. (Passed!).
Lobbied for legislation compelling law enforcement agencies to publicly release records of serious misconduct (resulting in numerous revelations of police misconduct that had been kept secret for decades).
Advocated to prohibit religious restrictions on the delivery of healthcare at Sequoia Hospital and the University of California medical system.