Chapters are groups of volunteers that work together to advance civil liberties in their communities. The Sonoma County Chapter is a volunteer program that operates under the by-laws of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
The purpose of the chapter is to create a diverse, multi-racial, intergenerational, functional, well trained group of ACLU volunteers and leaders who come together in the community and partner with the affiliate board and staff (ACLUNC) to carry out effective advocacy and outreach that advances civil rights and civil liberties.
The Chapter has three main functions: 1) Local monitoring and advocacy 2) Community education and visibility 3) Participation in state and federal campaigns.
We have 5 volunteer Board members:
Michael Furlong, Glen Ellen
Karen Fraire, Healdsburg
Patty Morandi, Healdsburg
Jim Duffy, Rohnert Park
Shana Alexander, Santa Rosa
We welcome participation from all the 5,200 ACLU members in Sonoma County and invite those that have the time to become chapter board members or to work actively with us. We invite any interested ACLU member to attend the monthly meetings; our intent is to represent “Sonoma County interests”.
Activities:
Tabled at local sites to distribute ACLU materials (Know Your Rights pamphlets and other literature)
Conducted a survey in English and Spanish to gather citizen concerns about civil liberty issues
Hosted three ACLU Annual Community Meetings:
January 2020 ACLU Community Meeting entitled “Let People Vote” with a presentation by ACLU Criminal Justice Organizer Eric Parades and North Bay Organizing Project Political Consultant Annie Dobbs-Kramer.
January 2019 ACLU Community Meeting, with a presentation, “Are our civil rights at risk with a conservative U.S. Supreme Court?” with the Legal and Policy Director for ACLU of Northern California, Attorney Christine P. Sun as speaker.
January 2018 ACLU Community Meeting entitled ‘Improvement of Law Enforcement Policies” presented by Jerry Threet, Director of IOLERO (Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach).
Presented a February 2020 Forum: Light on the Guardians – Towards Improved Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement in Sonoma County with speakers Joanne Brown, former Alameda County Superior Court Commissioner and Citizen Advisory Council Member of IOLERO and John Alden, Executive Director of the Community Police Review Agency in Oakland, CA.
Co-sponsored the April, 2018 Healdsburg Sonoma County Sheriffs’ Candidates Forum in collaboration with Healdsburg Indivisible, AAUW, Bridge Lab, Healdsburg Progressive Alliance, and Corazon
Represented the ACLU in a presentation to the Community Advisory Council of IOLERO about Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations in Sonoma County (Sheriff Office Draft Policy 606)
Attended the monthly Community Advisory Council Meetings of the Independent Office of Review and Outreach since 2016
Participated in the Sonoma County Library’s “Together at the Table” public discussion panel on women’s rights
Trained to participate in the North Bay Rapid Response Network Legal Observation Team
Supported and endorsed (ACLUNC) the Evelyn Cheatham Ordinance for an Improved IOLERO
Monitored and lobbied for six bills in the Assembly and in the Senate: SB10: Money Bail Reform; SB215: Diversion: Mental Disorders; AB392: Police Use of Force; SB1186: Stop Secret Surveillance; SB1421: Police Transparency; AB3131: Curb Police Militarization
Monitoring and lobbying in support of pending 2020 bills: AB 860 Vote by Mail, AB 3216 Paid Sick Leave, AB 2054 CRISIS Act, ACA 6 Restore the Right to Vote for People on Parole. Opposing AB 2261 Facial Recognition.
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The Sonoma County Chapter meets on the second Monday of each month, 6:00-8:00pm, in Santa Rosa. All in-person meetings and activities have been cancelled due to the pandemic.
Page last updated: May 30, 2020