East Bay Community Law Center

In case you missed it! Our Executive Director Zoe Polk, Board member Sandra Johnson, and alumni Jocelyn G. recently appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Watch the segment here: https://lnkd.in/gFnJAaap

Join EBCLC Immigration Attorney Athena Johns for "Preparing for Change: Advance Parole and Family-Based Options for DACA Recipients" tomorrow 11/20 at 10:30am PST. The webinar will provide up-to-date information on Advance Parole and family-based immigration options for DACA recipients. We are proud to collaborate with our partners in the Bay Area DACA Initiative (BADI) to secure pathways to permanent status for more individuals. Register here: bit.ly/P4CP3FBAP

???EBCLC’s Consumer Justice Practice, Director Desirée Nguyen Orth, Awarded Legislative Advocate of the Year!??? Desiree received the?Legislative Advocate of the Year Award?this week at the California Consumer Policy Awards. They present this honor to a single individual in California whose policy work has significantly impacted lives and positively reflects on the consumer community. It recognizes outstanding leadership in strengthening consumer rights through strategic policy advocacy. This award follows two recent policy victories for Desiree and our Consumer Justice team, who helped pass?AB 3283?and?SB 1286?to protect consumers and small business owners from unfair debt collection practices. Please join us in congratulating Desiree for this well-deserved recognition!

EBCLC is excited to partner with the advocates at Young Women's Freedom Center for a training on student rights when facing expulsion on Nov. 14th at 5PM! Our EDJY practice invites youth and their communities to join us in challenging the criminalization of young people in schools. We encourage you to visit ebclc.org/helpforyouth for youth rights resources covering school discipline, special education, juvenile court and more!

???EBCLC Honored by the City of Oakland!??? We are excited to announce that the City of Oakland honored EBCLC with a proclamation for our dedicated tenant defense work! Our Executive Director, Zoe Polk, proudly accepted the proclamation on behalf of our organization. Our esteemed community partners, Anne Tamiko Omura, Executive Director of The Eviction Defense Center, and Monique Berlanga, Executive Director of Centro Legal de la Raza, also received recognition for their incredible contributions. As eviction cases continue to rise in the Bay Area, we stand united with our partners, advocating tirelessly to keep our clients and community members safe and housed. You can view the proclamation in honor of EBCLC here: https://lnkd.in/gE2T8JMS

Do you or someone you know need assistance applying for a name and gender marker change? Join EBCLC for our upcoming Name & Gender Change Workshop! Our next workshop is Nov. 19th 6-9:30 PM. Contact us at 510-548-4040 x387 or [email protected] to sign up.

??? The election is less than 2 weeks away! Do you know how your vote can support tenant protections and affordable housing in the East Bay? EBCLC helps thousands of people with eviction defense and homelessness services every year. With eviction cases continuing to rise, we hope you’ll join us in supporting three crucial ballot measures to keep our neighbors safe and housed: ? Prop 5: Makes it easier for working families to stay in our communities. Builds more affordable housing and increases assistance for renters and first-time homebuyers. ? Prop 33: Makes California more affordable. Eliminates the statewide ban on rent control and ends unfair rents from predatory corporate landlords. ? Measure BB: Increases Berkeley Tenant Protections. Provides stronger eviction protections, reduces rent increases, ensures quality housing, and empowers tenant unions. Vote YES on Prop 5, Prop 33, and Measure BB to support our community! ?? Centro Legal de la Raza , Bay Area Community Land Trust , Healthy Black Families Inc

??? The election is less than 2 weeks away! Do you know how your vote can support tenant protections and affordable housing in the East Bay? EBCLC helps thousands of people with eviction defense and homelessness services every year. With eviction cases continuing to rise, we hope you’ll join us in supporting three crucial ballot measures to keep our neighbors safe and housed: ? Prop 5: Makes it easier for working families to stay in our communities. Builds more affordable housing and increases assistance for renters and first-time homebuyers. ? Prop 33: Makes California more affordable. Eliminates the statewide ban on rent control and ends unfair rents from predatory corporate landlords. ? Measure BB: Increases Berkeley Tenant Protections. Provides stronger eviction protections, reduces rent increases, ensures quality housing, and empowers tenant unions. Vote YES on Prop 5, Prop 33, and Measure BB to support our community! ?? Centro Legal de la Raza , Bay Area Community Land Trust , Healthy Black Families Inc

We are grateful to Governor Newsom for signing AB 1186, the “REPAIR Act.” This landmark bill creates a more rehabilitative and sustainable youth restitution system by easing the economic burdens that often lead to recidivism, debt, and emotional distress. AB 1186 limits restitution charges for minors in the criminal legal system and forgives all juvenile restitution debt over 10 years old, allowing youth to move forward without the weight of past debts. We are proud to facitlitate the Debt Free Justice California coalition, whose advocacy was crucial in getting this bill signed.

I can attest to this. In 2010, I was fresh out of law school reading headlines about how big banks targeted Black seniors for subprime mortgages. I was angry but I was what we call a "baby lawyer"- didnt really know yet what I was going to do with my law degree or any chops to do it with. Then SF DA Kamala Harris hosted a training at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area for attorneys interested in joining the fight to help "at risk homeowners avoid fraud and keep their homes." It was empowering for me to get this training and use it as I helped pro bono clients, including "my forever in my heart client" a 80ish year old veteran who came into East Bay Community Law Center with his 3 adult daughters. I'll never forget the look of relief in his eyes and the joy the 4 of us shared after I identified the legal protection that would prevent foreclosure, and ensure that his home would remain in the family. Without a doubt, DA Harris' fight against big banks made an impression on me, and influenced the path I would take as a Bay Area justice lawyer. https://lnkd.in/dJeZFzHs