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Tag "civil liberties"

Civil libertarians and police embrace asset-forfeiture compromise

SACRAMENTO – The California Assembly on Monday approved one of the most significant civil-liberties reforms of the legislative session. Remarkably, the bill – to put limits on the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture by police agencies – had no

Questionable practices at CA prisons criticized

James Poulos July 17, 2015

After years spent under the glare of judicial scrutiny, California’s effort to clean up its prison system has run up against a fresh wave of challenges and controversy. Lawsuits, violence and Draconian measures have all increased costs while chipping away at support

CA drone industry rises high

James Poulos June 22, 2015

Thanks to its familiar combination of tech smarts and unorthodox lifestyle, the Golden State has become the epicenter of the drone revolution. According to CB Insights, the Los Angeles Times reported, “Northern California is the headquarters of six of the 10 American

Rialto police: Inspiration for the nation. Really.

Chris Reed November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! The city of Rialto is an odd mix of nice new subdivisions, industrial grayness and rundown neighborhoods. When I covered the city as an Inland Empire news columnist in the late 1990s, it had a distinct inferiority

Judiciary Committee kills civil liberties bills

Katy Grimes August 29, 2013

SACRAMENTO — Two Republican members of the California Assembly recently authored resolutions encouraging Congress to halt the eavesdropping on the America people by the National Security Agency. Both resolutions were smacked down Tuesday in the Assembly Judiciary Committee, whose

Assemblyman’s bill addresses NSA surveillance

CalWatchdog Staff July 2, 2013

July 2, 2013 By Katy Grimes Life in America would be far different if at the end of every day you had to report in to a federal government agency where you had been, who you met with and talked

Boston bombing: Why to expect bad fallout on two fronts

CalWatchdog Staff April 24, 2013

April 24, 2013 By Chris Reed The fallout from the April 15 terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon continues. Initially, the primary reaction was tired partisan attempts to imply the fault was either somehow a) the president’s fault because of

Drones a litmus test on trust in government

Steven Greenhut March 18, 2013

March 18, 2013 By Steven Greenhut SACRAMENTO -– Don’t you hate it when life starts to resemble one of those bleak, futuristic dystopian movies? I’m thinking of an almost unfathomable reality –- local and state governments are joining the feds

Rand Paul’s liberty loving filibuster

CalWatchdog Staff March 7, 2013

March 7, 2013 By Katy Grimes If you love liberty, you were probably among the millions of Americans watching U.S. Senator Rand Paul yesterday on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and are cheering today. Kentucky Sen. Paul dedicated 13 hours

Are the police taking over CA?

CalWatchdog Staff May 18, 2012

May 18, 2012 By Katy Grimes Legislators have just involved themselves in professional sports. A bill was passed in the Assembly Thursday requiring all owners of all professional stadiums and sports arenas to post signs displaying the text message number and