LOS ANGELES ? On International Women's Day, Friday, March 8, 2002 the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced the launch of its Latina Rights Project. The Project, a pilot initiative of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, will utilize model litigation, bilingual/bicultural public education and public policy advocacy to address priority civil rights issues facing Latina women and girls in Southern California.

Working in collaboration with community-based advocates and a multi-disciplinary Advisory Board, the Project will serve as a bridge among diverse civil rights advocacy communities, addressing barriers to access and opportunity, while promoting Latina's self-empowerment.

"Latinas represent one of the fastest growing demographic groups throughout the state," said Rocio Cordoba, Staff Attorney with the ACLU/SC and Director of the Latina Rights Project. "Unfortunately while the Latina population continues to grow and expand, their access to basic services and equal opportunities in the areas of health and education continues to dwindle. The Latina Rights Project will work to address some of the alarming disparities that exist in the Latina community."

According to U.S. Census estimates, Latina/os represent 32.4% of California's population, Latinas make up 25% of the state's female population. While representing a major constituency in the state, Latinas face some of the most daunting problems in the areas of health and education. For example, 61% of California Latinas aged 25-44 have no high school diploma, 24% graduated from high school and only 15% have gone on to post-secondary education.

"What we find is that there are a number of pressures that contribute to some of these unfortunate statistics," said Mireya Gutierrez, project Advisory Board member and Director of National Latina Alliance, a grasssroots organization that seeks to empower Latinas through education and policy analysis. "Often times, these girls have to act as surrogate mothers, taking care of younger sisters and brothers because their parents have to work long hours in order to make ends meet. This leaves little opportunity to participate in after-school programs or extra curricular activities."

In the area of health care, Latinas make up the majority of uninsured women throughout California at 33%, nationally the number climbs to 42%. The maternal mortality rate among Latinas in the United States is 1.7 times the rate for white women.

"Working with the Latino/a community, we see that often times women are not aware of the resources that are available to them," said Kristina Moreno, Policy Director for Latino Health Care of Los Angeles. "Whether it be in the area of prenatal care, reproductive health or access to basic health services there is a lack of public education and the community suffers because of that. This project will work to inform Latinas of their basic health care and reproductive rights."

"The Latina Rights Project is in the great tradition of the ACLU," said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU/SC. "We have always fought to make sure that everyone's civil rights and civil liberties are respected and this will be an extension of that unchanging goal."

LOS ANGELES ? Gary Williams, ACLU of Southern California board member and professor at Loyola Law School was elected president of the ACLU of Southern California's Board of Directors on January 22, 2002. A civil rights and civil liberties litigation professor, Williams began his involvement with the ACLU/SC in 1979 as a Staff Attorney. Williams has served as vice president of the ACLU/SC since 1997 and is also a sitting member of the ACLU's national board of directors.

"Gary has been with us since 1979," said Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the ACLU/SC, "first as a Staff Attorney, then as Assistant Legal Director, he has been a lifelong advocate for civil rights and equal justice under law and we are proud to have him as our president."

Williams lent his expertise to the ACLU's "Driving While Black" (DWB) litigation that focused on racial profiling and was appointed to the state's bipartisan panel on federal judicial appointments by Senator Barbara Boxer. Williams also contributes to ongoing ACLU/SC lawsuits against the state such as the historic class-action suit Williams v. State of California (no relation) case which seeks to improve public education for students throughout California.

"It is an honor to serve as president of the ACLU/SC board of directors," said Williams. "From our involvement in improving public school conditions throughout the state to protecting the right to free speech, the ACLU can be counted on to defend the Constitution for every new generation."

Williams, received his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and his J.D. from Stanford University. He was Staff Counsel for the Agricultural Labor Relations Board from 1976-79. He joined the ACLU/SC as a Staff Attorney in 1979 and was appointed Assistant Legal Director in 1985, a position he maintained until joining the Loyola Law School faculty in 1987. Williams is also a member of the Board of Directors, and Finance and Personal Committee of the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic.

The American Civil Liberties Union is the nation's foremost advocate of individual rights and equal justice, and the leading guardian against government interference and abuse. Since 1920, the mission of the ACLU has been to preserve the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Located in downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Law School is California's largest law school. World-renowned architect Frank Gehry designed its campus, one of the most distinctive in the country. Its program and facilities are ranked among the top 25% of American law schools in the latest Princeton Review Gourman Report. Loyola's faculty is nationally known for teaching and scholarship, its graduates for their effective practical training.

LOS ANGELES ? United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson has granted plaintiffs' request for judgment in the Common Cause v. Jones suit, a ruling that will require California to get rid of its "hanging chad" voting machines by 2004. This is the first post-Bush v. Gore ruling to require that obsolete voting systems be retired in time for the 2004 election.

The ruling is a complete victory for the position taken by the ACLU, on behalf of the AFL-CIO, Common Cause, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, and Chicano Federation of San Diego County. Those groups are represented by the law firms Munger, Tolles & Olson and Altshuler, Berzon, Nussbaum, Rubin & Demain, along with the ACLU Foundations of Southern California, Northern California, and San Diego.

quot;This landmark decision means that by 2004, 'hanging chad' machines will go the way of black-and-white TV's, 8-track tapes, and the Edsel," said ACLU staff attorney Dan Tokaji. "It does what the Secretary of State should have done years ago: Upgrade the infrastructure of our democracy, by providing a voting system fit for use in the 21st Century. Over 8.4 million California voters can go to the polls in 2004 with confidence that their votes will actually be counted."

"Tens of thousands of voters were disenfranchised in the November 2000 elections, including many people of color, casting a pall over the progress we have made in more than three decades of fighting for voting rights. This California judge's decision is an important first step to making sure that American citizens can have faith in our voting system again," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

In April 2001, the ACLU brought suit to make Secretary of State Bill Jones decertify Votomatic-style punch card machines -- the same kind used in Florida's disastrous 2000 election. These outmoded machines have an error rate more than twice as high as any other system used in California, resulting in the disenfranchisement of thousands of California citizens. For example, Los Angeles County (which still uses a Votomatic punch-card system) had an error rate over four and one-half times that of neighboring Riverside County (which uses modern touch screen machines), in the November 2000 election. People of color are particularly hard hit by the technology gap in voting equipment.

The citizen groups in Common Cause v. Jones argued that it was necessary to retire outdated punch-card machines by 2004, in order to prevent a Florida-style election fiasco from happening here. Secretary of State Jones initially attempted to deny responsibility for fixing California's voting system but, on August 24, 2001, the federal court rejected Jones' attempt to wash his hands of responsibility.

On September 18, 2001, Jones finally conceded that Votomatic-style punch card machines are "obsolete." Nevertheless, Secretary Jones refused to require their replacement in time for the 2004 elections, despite the requests of the ACLU, Common Cause, and other citizen groups. On December 17, 2001, Jones set a replacement date of July 2005 ? over three and one-half years away.

The evidence developed in Common Cause v. Jones shows that the nine affected California counties can easily upgrade their systems in time for the 2004 presidential election. The case was set for trial to begin on February 19, 2002. Judge Wilson's most recent decision, however, means that no trial will be necessary because of the clear evidence that California can replace its "hanging chad" machines by 2004.

"Judge Wilson's decision fulfills the fundamental principle in our constitution that every citizen has the right not just to go the polls on election day, but to have his or her vote actually counted," said Brad Phillips of Munger, Tolles & Olson, one of plaintiffs' attorneys and California Common Cause Board Member. "Because of this decision, voting in California will move out of the dark ages before the 2004 Presidential election, and we will not have to fear the chaos and uncertainty that 'hanging' and 'dimpled' chads caused in Florida in 2000."

"Common Cause is very pleased by this ruling, which will put an end to gross disparities in California's voting system," said Jim Knox, Executive Director of California Common Cause. "In 2004, 'one-person, one-vote' will be more than just a slogan. It will be a reality."