A new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last week will overhaul California's statewide gang database known as CalGang.
The law will require police to inform people before adding them to the database, and allows them to challenge that decision and be removed from the database, NBC4's media partner KPCC reports.
It also requires police to produce transparency reports on additions, removals and demographics.
Police have said that CalGang is used merely to gather intelligence for investigations, but civil libertarians have found instances where a listing in the database has prevented people from obtaining public housing or jeopardized a person's chance of becoming an American citizen.
Read more at KPCC