Celebrating Victories and Moving Forward

ACLU of Northern California Action Alert
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Dear Friend,

I'm honored to begin my tenure as the new Executive Director of the ACLU of Northern California
during these exciting and
challenging times. I am also humbled by the prospect of following
the extraordinary example set by my friend, mentor, and predecessor,
Dorothy M. Ehrlich.

Dorothy's leadership has left a legacy of excellence spanning
three decades of dedicated service to our organization. A
trailblazer for civil liberties, Dorothy is bringing her skill and
passion to the national ACLU where she has been appointed its first
Deputy Executive Director.

I hope you will join me in paying tribute to Dorothy's selfless
commitment to the ACLU-NC at our Bill of Rights Day celebration on
December 10, 2006. It will be a great opportunity to celebrate
Dorothy, as well as all that we have achieved this year.

And we have plenty to celebrate!

ELECTION DAY VICTORY

Thanks to your steadfast commitment to our organization's core
values, we were able to defeat another attempt to curtail a
woman's right to choose. Working with our coalition
partners, the ACLU-NC persuaded Californians to resoundingly reject
Proposition 85, an initiative that would have required doctors to
notify a minor's parents 48 hours before allowing her to
terminate her pregnancy.

The measure was a bad sequel to last year's Proposition 73,
which Californians also rejected. Both measures were part of a
larger effort to ban all abortions.

We could not have succeeded in beating back this measure--not
once, but twice--without the loyal support of activists and
members like you. We thank you.

But even in the face of this tremendous victory, we are reminded that
our work is far from over.

MOVING FORWARD

With ACLU-sponsored bills on privacy, criminal justice, sex education,
and employment discrimination vetoed by the governor during the last
legislative session, we will be back in Sacramento in 2007 to fight
for these and other crucial reforms. We will also continue our
advocacy on issues such as government surveillance, racial justice,
reproductive rights, marriage equality, freedom of speech and
religion, and youth rights.

On the national front, we also have important work ahead. People across the country cast their
votes on Election Day for
restoring a system of checks and balances. Now, we must demand
that our newly-elected leaders--Democrats and Republicans
alike--begin restoring our lost liberties. If the price of
freedom is eternal vigilance, then we cannot relax now in the face of
new opportunities to redress some of the civil liberties erosions of
the past several years.

Making the most of these opportunities will depend on activists and
members like you working across the political spectrum to ensure
accountability and uphold the Constitution. With your support,
we can continue to be a leader in the fight for an America that
respects the rule of law and preserves the freedoms that are the
foundation of our democracy.

If you have not done so already, I invite you to become a proud
card-carrying member of the ACLU, and to encourage your friends and
family to visit our new Web site and sign up for our online
communications.

Thank you for standing together with us at this critical time.

Sincerely,

Maya Harris
Executive Director, ACLU of Northern California



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Our Mission:
The mission of the ACLU is to preserve your First Amendment rights,
your right to equal protection under the law, your right to due
process, and your right to privacy.


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