California Story examines the story of gang documentation and surveillance in the state of California. Voters passed into law penal law 182.5, which in effect criminalizes anyone who may have any connection to a gang, including living on the same block or merely singing lyrics about their neighborhood! The law allows for the arrest and prosecution of anyone suspected of having ”gang affiliation” without much guidance or oversight on how such ties should be measured – documentation has become widespread - and abuses of the policy has increased too. This type of discrimination is occurring all across the state of California, from San Diego to Los Angeles to San Francisco. Our film examines how gang surveillance and documentation has impacted communities of color, and including gang members, passionate community advocates, district attorneys, politicians, journalists, cops, sheriffs and other prominent voices. The goal of the film is to increase understanding between the subjects and their communities, to erase these discriminatory laws from the books, and to bring all of California closer together in the process.