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California
Political repression plays out state by state — shaped by local institutions, prosecutors, and movements for defense. These are the documented political prisoners and cases the census holds for California.
1,526Documented
39In custody
898Released
17Awaiting trial
Eras of repression in California
Where California’s entries fall across the census’s historical eras.
1930s 354
1970s 205
1960s 198
1910s 174
2020s 131
1980s 90
Recent dashboard entries from California
The newest published events and reporting located in California, updated automatically from the live dashboard.
Other
Whistleblower alleges FBI targeted Los Angeles anti-ICE protesters
Prosecution
Charges dropped against five Stanford students over pro-Palestine protest
Prosecution
Judge dismisses all charges against the Stud Alley 18 arrested during San Francisco Pride weekend
Protest
Two injured at Teamsters protest outside Amazon warehouse; sheriff says motorcyclist intentionally struck crowd
Other
Five invited reporters held at gunpoint by Vandenberg Space Force Base security
Other
Photojournalist Steven Berumen shoved by federal officers while covering an LA immigration protest
Prosecution
Anti-ICE protester accused of pouring lighter fluid on CHP car is sentenced to prison
Prosecution
Westlake man sentenced for anti-ICE protest actions
Documented cases
1,526 entries in the census — every one stays in the record, whether the case is open or closed.
J
Juan Torres
Juan Torres was a striking strawberry worker convicted with four other strikers of assault and battery in Alha...
S
Silverio Garcia
Silverio Garcia was a striking strawberry worker convicted with four other strikers of assault and battery in...
C
Carlos Hernandez
Carlos Hernandez was a striking strawberry worker convicted with four other strikers of assault and battery in...
J
Juan Lopez
Juan Lopez was a striking strawberry worker convicted with four other strikers of assault and battery in Alham...
G
Geronimo Cervantes
Geronimo Cervantes was a striking strawberry worker convicted with four other strikers of assault and battery...
M
Marcellina Reyes
Marcellina Reyes was among forty-one striking vegetable workers arrested May 17, 1936 in the Palos Verdes bean...
P
Paul Heide
Paul Heide was a picket at the L. A. Young Steel and Wire Company strike in Oakland, California. Page 5 report...
E
Edward Green
Edward Green was a picket at the L. A. Young Steel and Wire Company strike in Oakland, California. Page 5 repo...
F
Feingold (San Francisco eviction case, 1933)
The report identifies this defendant only as Feingold and uses male pronouns. A San Francisco January 25 dispa...
M
May Lebow
May Lebow is individually named as a leader arrested during the Los Angeles cloak strike in the February 24 di...
W
Wasserman (Los Angeles cloak strike, 1929)
Wasserman is individually named as a leader arrested during the Los Angeles cloak strike in the February 24 di...
J
Julius Klein
Julius Klein is individually named as a leader arrested during the Los Angeles cloak strike in the February 24...
H
Hyman (Los Angeles cloak strike, 1929)
Hyman is individually named as a leader arrested during the Los Angeles cloak strike in the February 24 dispat...
J
Jamani (Soledad Black August organizer)
In a first-person retrospective excerpt, Jitu Sadiki names himself, Dadisi Yero, Zaharibu, Jamani and Zezu amo...
Z
Zezu (Soledad Black August organizer)
In a first-person retrospective excerpt, Jitu Sadiki names himself, Dadisi Yero, Zaharibu, Jamani and Zezu amo...
B
Barncho
Released
Barncho was a combatant in the Modoc War (1872–1873) — the only Indigenous fighters in U.S. history convicted...
S
Slolux
Released
Slolux was a combatant in the Modoc War (1872–1873) — the only Indigenous fighters in U.S. history convicted a...
S
Stacey (California labor-defense activist)
An individually captioned photograph in the June 1932 Labor Defender identifies Comrade Stacey as a California...
W
Ward (Hayward unemployed organizer, 1931)
The April 17 report names Ward and McKinney as arrested April 5 at Hayward City Plaza while organizing unemplo...
W
Wilson (San Francisco ILD secretary)
Wilson, identified only as secretary of the International Labor Defense in the San Francisco waterfront report...
O
O'Rourke (San Jose Communist candidate)
O’Rourke, identified as a Communist candidate for supervisor in San Jose, was arrested while trying to stop Na...
J
Jerome Aba
Muslim Filipino human-rights defender detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at San Francisco Internat...
O
Oscar Z. Acosta
Chicano attorney Oscar Z. Acosta was arrested on a benzedrine-possession accusation on the eve of the August 1...
B
Bill Adams (San Pedro marine organizer)
The December 2 report names these marine unionists among those actually arrested at San Pedro in the strike an...
Institutions in California
Prisons, jails, and detention centers in California that appear in the census’s case files.
San Quentin State PrisonSan Quentin, California
171 cases
Federal Bureau of Prisons
60 cases
Sharp Park Detention CampSharp Park, California
33 cases
Presidio StockadeSan Francisco, California
27 cases
Los Angeles County JailLos Angeles, California
26 cases
Folsom State PrisonFolsom, California
22 cases
San Quentin Rehabilitation CenterSan Quentin, California
16 cases
Metropolitan Detention Center, Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
14 cases