California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.

Thank you to Attorney General Rob Bonta for working towards equal access to the justice system. https://lnkd.in/ddBMCCW8 Established by Congress 50 years ago, LSC provides grants to nonprofits, including California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., who provide civil legal services to individuals across the United States who are priced out of private legal representation. LSC funds help veterans secure rightful benefits, support disaster victims rebuilding their lives, assist domestic violence survivors seeking safety and stability, and protect seniors from financial exploitation.

ICYMI, here's some good news: Ceres families represented by CRLA won a major settlement this month in their lawsuit to hold their landlord accountable for inhumane and dangerous conditions at the mobile home park where they live. CRLA, with support from co-counsel Michael Bracamontes, has been litigating this case since 2022, after the residents sought legal counsel to uphold their rights to safe and habitable housing. Their ability to come together and look out for each other amid continuing substandard conditions—including the landlord's intentional, months-long shutoff of electricity and gas—was vital to success in this case. The settlement mandates that all utilities be turned on within the month or a receiver will be appointed. It also dismissed all current evictions, prohibits future evictions of our clients, dismissed the landlord's case against residents, and provides each family a settlement payment to allow them to relocate from the substandard park. Mobile homes are one of the few affordable housing options left in California. Mobile home owners and tenants fight hard for the communities they've built. We are proud to fight alongside them. Read more about the story from Julietta Bisharyan in The Modesto Bee : https://ow.ly/8bmi50VEfHj

CRLA collaborated with San Luis Obispo community partners including Restorative Partners, SLO District Attorney’s Office, SLO Probation Department, and the Public Defender in a successful expungement clinic. Our team is filing over 327 expungement petitions in San Luis Obispo to help 89 community members clear their criminal records. 🙌 Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming clinics in Ventura in May and June. #Reentry #Expungement #CleanSlate

Are you a pregnant farmworker? Due to the occupational risks involved in farmwork, pregnant farmworkers may be eligible for #SDI early in their pregnancies. Speak with your health provider today if this might be an option for you! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gTP4cjYn #KnowYourRights #StateDisabilityInsurance #ProtectPregnantWorkers

Attention California attorneys: looking for pro bono opportunities that make a positive impact? Contact us at probonosupport@crla.org and donate your time to clients of California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA)! CRLA clients have a wide range of goals, from H-2A farmworkers seeking to enforce a wage theft settlement agreement to a cancer survivor exercising their housing rights, and much more. Your time and expertise can make a positive difference for them. Get in touch today to match your pro bono goals with current opportunities: probonosupport@crla.org

Thousands of tenants and homeowners priced out of private legal representation work with us every year to defend their housing rights, preserve housing and homeownership, and prevent foreclosure. Check out the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gG52UZge #CommunityLawyering #JusticeStartsWithCommunity

Today, we join other members of the Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC) in a call for legal professionals to defend the rule of law. Our civil legal system shapes our future. CRLA clients use the legal system to prioritize human wellbeing. They aren’t seeking profit and, as a non-profit law firm, neither are we. Together we will continue to advance justice and honor dignity by fighting for fairness and meaningful systemic change. Read full the full statement from President & CEO Jessica Manríquez Jewell: https://lnkd.in/gBWxKYHu

The legal aid community cannot stand by as law firms are attacked for the clients they serve, as judges are threatened for their decisions, and as our federal public service loan forgiveness program is being dismantled, making it even harder to choose a career in public interest and public service. We stand in support of the rule of law, especially as many of us are relying on the justice system to protect our clients right now. Today we share a public statement from the California legal aid community in support of the rule of law and of our profession. https://lnkd.in/gZR53zxN

Thousands of tenants and homeowners priced out of private legal representation work with us every year to defend their housing rights, preserve housing and homeownership, and prevent foreclosure. Watch the video to learn more about Willa Ivory's story!

Do you know a pregnant farmworker? Due to the unique occupational risks involved in farmwork, pregnant farmworkers may be eligible for State Disability Insurance (SDI) early in their pregnancies. Speak with your health provider today if this might be an option for you! #KnowYourRights #StateDisabilityInsurance #CesarChavezDay