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ACLU of Sonoma County
The Year In Review: 2009-2010
By Marty McReynolds, Chair

One thing stands out about the past year. We’ve been active on a number of fronts, in support of – and with the support of – the ACLU of Northern California. But much more needs to be done and we need the help of our Sonoma County ACLU members to accomplish it. We’ve worked for immigrant rights, police accountability, an investigation of unexplained deaths at the County Jail and bias-free sex education in schools, among other issues. Board Member Rick Coshnear has been instrumental in supporting ACLU-NC’s lawsuit against the Sonoma County sheriff and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for racial profiling in the detention of young Latino men. Sheriff’s personnel and ICE are accused of unreasonable search and seizure, and unlawful use of immigration detainers or holds at the County Jail - often resulting in deportation of people who have committed no crime or only a minor violation, rather than the felons contemplated in federal legislation. The suit, filed in September 2008, is still working its way through the U.S. District Court of Northern California. Check our website for updates as they happen. In addition, Board members and ACLU-NC lawyers met with Santa Rosa Police Chief Tom Schwedhelm to protest police impoundment of vehicles whose drivers are caught at traffic checkpoints ostensibly set up to trap drunk drivers. Many of those penalized are lower-income working people, including immigrants unable to obtain driver’s licenses (or insurance) in California. Although not charged with DUI, their lack of documents trips them up. The result is 30-day impoundment of vehicles, which deprives whole families of transportation and results in over $2,000 in fees, a prohibitive amount for lower-income people. This can lead to loss of jobs and even homelessness for whole families. The chief expressed satisfaction with the program but ACLU efforts are continuing. A similar presentation was made informally to Windsor Police Chief Steve Freitas, the only candidate to succeed Sheriff Bill Cogbill in the June 8 election. The chapter has continued its active support of the Police Accountability Clinic and Helpline (PACH), a volunteer group based in Santa Rosa that documents reports of police abuse in the county. A recent visit to the State Legislature in Sacramento convinced me that legislation to permit the establishment of civilian review boards of police is not on the agenda for this year’s legislative session, which is obsessed with the state budget crisis. In recent years, we pushed for the passage of Senate Bill 1019 that would have opened police personnel records for public scrutiny after they were effectively closed by the California Supreme Court’s Copley Press decision. SB 1019 passed the Senate but failed in the Assembly. The ACLU took a neutral stance on a watered-down version of the bill that was introduced later. The issue is not likely to come up again this year. The Sacramento visit was part of an ACLU-NC retreat for chapter leaders from around Northern California that Board Member Steve Fabian and I attended. A weekend of meetings wound up with a day of lobbying legislators on ACLU-supported measures. It was stimulating to compare notes with members of other chapters and have a chance to drop in on legislators’ offices and talk with their staffs. Chapter Board members have attended multiple sessions of the West Sonoma County Union High School District in Sebastopol and the Santa Rosa School Board to speak on behalf of comprehensive, fact-based sex education in schools and the elimination of the abstinence-only doctrine pushed by Free to Be, a private group that has been given access to classrooms in the county. The West County school board has adopted an updated sex education policy under ACLU guidance but the implementation remains to be determined, and the issue is still being discussed by the Santa Rosa board. Steve Fabian spoke before the Santa Rosa School Board, asking for a change in its policy that barred high school seniors from taking part in graduation ceremonies or getting a certificate of completion after passing their classes but failing the state high school exit exam. Santa Rosa was the only district in the county with this requirement. The policy fell almost exclusively on English-language learning students. Aside from keeping them from receiving a diploma with fellow students, it caused a lack of eligibility for in-state tuition fees for junior college. Steve and other speakers won a substantial victory when the board agreed to let the students take part in graduation ceremonies and to give them a letter certifying that they had completed the school’s courses. While falling short of a certificate of completion, the letter will make them eligible for in-state fees. In addition, Steve spoke to Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University classes about civil liberties issues in the kind of outreach we need to do more of. Board Member Marcus Borgman and I attended a daylong tour of the County Jail, along with representatives of other community organizations. The parts of the jail we visited were spotlessly clean and well-lighted and the sheriff’s personnel who run the jail did their best to explain their procedures and convince us that inmates are treated fairly. Meanwhile, our chapter joined with the local NAACP in petitioning the state attorney general’s office to investigate a number of inmate deaths at the jail in recent years. Board Member Ann Gray Byrd and a local NAACP rep met with an assistant attorney general to discuss the issue, but the state has taken no action so far. With your help, we’ll keep working on these and other issues. Unfortunately, we'll do it without Ann’s valuable presence on the board. After years of strong contributions, she’s stepping down to take on other challenges. We’ll miss her wisdom, energy and guidance.

ACLU of Sonoma County
The Year In Review: 2008-2009
By Marty McReynolds, Chair

Our chapter had an active year, ranging from legal action to the election campaign and to meeting with high school students.

Board Member Rick Coshnear was instrumental in the filing of a lawsuit by ACLU of Northern California against the Sonoma County Sheriff and ICE (Bureau Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for racial profiling and the illegal detention of Latinos in the Sonoma County jails for deportation. The chapter held numerous forums and community meetings with the Latino community in order to lay the groundwork for the lawsuit that was filed last September in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. Julia Harumi Mass, the keynote speaker for our annual dinner, is the lead ACLU attorney in the case, which is currently winding its way through the legal process. This suit can bring great changes in both Sonoma County and the rest of the country.

The chapter has actively supported the creation of Police Accountability Clinic and Helpline (PACH), a volunteer group documenting reports of abuse by police, sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement bodies in Sonoma County. The group operates a telephone line at 542-7224, where members of the community can register their complaints.

During the 2008 election campaign, chapter members worked to defeat Propositions 4, 6, 8 and 9, and to support Proposition 5. The chapter tabled, printed up and distributed thousands of flyers at events and farmers markets throughout our county. Propositions 4, 6, 8 and 9 all lost in our county. Prop 4, mandating parental notification before minors could have an abortion, and Prop 8, banning same-sex marriage, lost in Sonoma County by almost 2:1 ratios.

After the election, three members of the Board met with Rep. Lynn Woolsey to discuss legislative goals for the new Congress. The meeting was cordial and Rep. Woolsey pledged to continue fighting for progressive measures. "It's going to take asking and pushing" on the part of Congress, she said, pointing out that she is chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is hoping to push the Obama administration in a progressive direction.

In another action, former Board Member Marvin Pederson and I participated in Diversity Day at Cloverdale High, explaining ACLU positions on civil rights to three classes of students.

Rick and Board Member Ann Gray Byrd, along with Sonoma County NAACP Chair Ben Terry, recently met in Oakland with an assistant to California Attorney General Jerry Brown to press for investigation of the deaths of inmates at the Sonoma County's jails. Since 1997 there have been 22 deaths of inmates, seven of which occurred in the period between April 2007 and June 2008. Talks are ongoing.

Thanks must be given to former board members Victor Chechanover, who has monitored our helpline, and Wayne Gibb, who answers the e-mails sent to us. Also Janet Russell, who has now left our board, did a great job getting our books up to date as treasurer. Also Steve Price, a student at Analy High School, helped get our website current.

ACLU of Sonoma County
The Year In Review: 2007-2008
By Ann Gray Bird, Chair

This was a year of change and growth for the ACLU of Sonoma County. Just over a year ago, the chapter chair unexpectedly resigned and the chapter was in disarray. Eva Chu became interim chair through last year’s annual meeting. The board began to rebuild, getting our website up to date, and the chapter resumed its place in the community. As part of this rebuilding process, the board held a chapter retreat and four board members attended the October ACLU of Northern California Leadership Symposium, where board members re-set priorities and renewed commitment.

This year the Chapter is playing an active part of the Coalition Partners For Police Accountability, working with other community groups advocating for better training of law enforcement, new and different policing responses to those having mental health crisis, and working for the passage of S.B. 1019 which would support civilian review of law enforcement agencies in our county.

As far back as 2000, the California Advisory Board of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission recommended civilian review of the Sheriff Department, and the Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park Police Departments. In this past year alone, law enforcement in our county has killed five people - two of them during mental illness crisis. Five more have died in the Sonoma County Jails. In 2006, the effectiveness of civilian review boards was given a crushing blow by the California Supreme Court that ruled in Copley Press v. Superior Court that the work of civilian review boards had to remain secret.

In response to this ruling, the Senate passed S.B. 1019, which would allow civilian review boards to function in public. The bill is now pending in the Assembly. The Chapter has been asking our members and the community to call, write or to send free faxes from our website to their representatives in the Assembly asking them to support this important law. Although many law enforcement officials have supported its passage, none in our county support S.B. 1019.

In September, Rick Coshnear helped organize a community forum where members of our Latino community spoke about the racial profiling they experience from our county’s law enforcement agencies. Attorneys from ACLU-NC attorneys attended to discuss their rights.

In October, I served as facilitator of a day long Community Forum on Police Accountability, which the chapter co-sponsored with the help of Board Members Sheri Graves, Marty McReynolds, Nancy Palandati, Rick Coshnear and Steve Fabian, with support from ACLU-NC. Over 200 people attended and created a package of recommendations for change that is being pursued in smaller groups.

As part of this work, board members Marvin Pederson and Marty McReynolds, along with other community groups, met numerous times with representatives of the City of Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Sheriff Department urging them to support S.B. 1019, civilian review boards, and establish different protocols for handling people with mental health problems and provide additional training to their officers. The meetings resulted in the agencies contracting to establish mental health training for a limited number of officers. Many other issues remain unresolved.

The Chapter printed and distributed thousands of Your Rights and Police cards in English and Spanish informing people of their rights and what to do if stopped by the police.

Additionally, the Chapter participated in the first annual Media Accountability Conference held at Sonoma State University, where Judith Volkart moderated a 2-hour discussion on Media Censorship & the Erosion of Civil Liberties. Project Censored produced a 55-minute interview with Judith discussing the Military Commissions Act that ran at the Conference and aired on Free Speech TV. The DVD is available at the Peace & Justice Center library.

Dave Henderson, Will Shonbrun, along with other ACLU chapter members in the City of Sonoma, with support of Marvin Pederson and ACLU-NC attorney Margaret Crosby, were able stop the city council from displaying a nativity scene on the city plaza.

Our Chapter helped Sonoma State University professors successfully fight the university’s attempt to stop protest of military recruiters on campus, co-sponsored a NARAL forum marking the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Last summer we co-sponsored the Sebastopol Art Center’s powerful exhibition, Immigration: Merging Cultures, which gave visual voice through art to the stories of California’s immigrants.

Be sure to check out our improved website, www.aclusonoma.org. Steve Fabian, along with Nancy Palandati, Judith Volkart and Tita White, our Webmaster, whose professional advice and kind support has been greatly appreciated, updated and redesigned the site On it you’ll find Action Alerts on upcoming events and important issues, an archive of our Chapter newsletters, nomination forms for our awards, links to other useful websites, and lots more.

The Chapter also provided numerous speakers to talk about civil liberties issues to schools, civic groups, juvenile hall, and governmental bodies; wrote Op-Ed pieces to media, and sent letters to governmental officials.

All was not work – we broke bread together during the Board Retreat and added Wine, Cheese & Chocolate to the December Board meeting agenda.

This report is “thank you” time for the Chairperson. So, for serving the cause of social justice and equality, I thank members of our board who have moved on since we last held an annual dinner: Wayne Gibb, who has served on the this board for over 30 years will be sorely missed, as well as Dr. Richard Redalia, and Eva Chu. My sincere appreciation to those who will be retiring from the board this year: Marvin Peterson for your many years of service; Sheri Graves, my best friend of 45 years, who served her term by applying her professional reporting skills to our newsletter, and other documents, and Adam Lane-Basler, our Treasurer, delightful to work with; always a smile and youthful energy that kept me moving forward.

We even have “silent partners” who support us – Former Board member Victor Chechanover, who dutifully returns calls made to our hotline; and Wayne Gibb, who although no longer on the Board, continues to monitor chapter e-mails.

Many ask, “What can I do to help?” A simple thing is to give us your e-mail address so the ACLU can communicate with you quickly. Contact your Assemblyperson and ask them to support S.B. 1019. There is much to do and there is a place for others on our Committees and on the Board as we become more diverse in community representation. Board Membership is not limited to attorneys. Other immediate needs for your chapter include someone to take over as Webmaster and someone with bookkeeping experience who can take over as Treasurer. You can help in making the Sonoma Chapter continue to be strong.