Western Center On Law & Poverty

Western Center is honored that one of the families we represented, Shirley and Daniel Freeman, has been inducted into the?Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame. Read about their inspiring advocacy that led to reimbursements of court fines and fees for more than 1,000 families. https://bit.ly/4kuC9WT

We celebrate our successful challenge to the obstruction of the Venice Dell affordable housing project by the City of Los Angeles. The judge denied the City’s meritless Anti-SLAPP motion, allowing the case to move forward and bringing us one step closer to holding the City accountable for its discriminatory & unjustified delays. This case raises important fair housing issues that deserve to be heard in court. Even before last month’s devastating wildfires, Los Angeles struggled with an acute housing crisis. The fires have made it worse. We need affordable housing built across the city as quickly as possible, not just in select areas. Instead of removing barriers, the City is creating them. The Venice Dell project is fully approved. But instead of breaking ground, we’re in court fighting to stop city officials from overriding the approval process to block affordable housing. If the City succeeds in its obstruction, it will set a dangerous precedent—allowing individual Council members or the City Attorney to derail desperately needed affordable housing outside of democratic processes. Los Angeles cannot afford to let political interference and delay tactics stand in the way of real solutions. We believe in a future where all Angelenos, regardless of identity, race, or income level, are welcome and have a place to call home, and we will keep fighting to ensure the City follows its own commitments to equity and fair housing. Public Counsel Western Center On Law & Poverty LA Forward Strumwasser & Woocher LLP

“Instead of spending more federal $ on tax cuts for billionaires, Congress should focus on keeping its promises to voters: lower costs, invest in the middle class, and put more money back in the pockets of the teachers, bus drivers, and caregivers who power our economy.” We need to continue protecting and investing in working families. Read the op-ed by Katie Porter - https://lnkd.in/gsJF_7Yd

More than four years since the start of the pandemic, the economic repercussions continue to reveal the many systems that keep people in poverty even as they also reveal the system changes required to reverse these conditions. Western Center will continue to build on our proven model of litigation, legislative and budget advocacy, and training and technical assistance for legal aid partners and community members, to attain broad victories that benefit millions of Californians living in poverty. Donate today to join our fight for a California where every individual and family can live dignified, healthy, and thriving lives. https://wclp.org/donate Here’s how your contribution powers change: Housing Equity: We work to ensure that all California residents have access to healthy, sustainable, and affordable housing and we advocate for strong, clear, and enforceable anti-displacement protections. Health Equity: We strive for a California in which everyone has access to equitable systems that support health, including food access and security, a healthy environment, and timely and affordable health care. Financial Security: We fight so that every Californian has a living income, access to public services, and opportunities to build wealth to exceed their subsistence needs and to thrive. Access to Justice: We advocate so that Californians with low incomes are treated fairly, have legal representation, and are heard when engaged with courts, in administrative hearings, and in the Capitol. We know the challenges that lie ahead cannot be overcome without a collective approach. By donating today, you are not just giving; you are building a future where opportunity, fairness, and dignity are within reach for all. https://wclp.org/donate

Western Center on Law & Poverty is excited to announce the selection of nonprofit leader and attorney Cori Racela as its next Executive Director. Currently VP of Programs at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), she will join Western Center on 1/13.

This legislative session, Western Center monitored over 90 bills, offering analysis, supporting bills that would help Californians with low incomes thrive, and opposing bills that would potentially harm our communities. With your support we can continue to advocate for a more just California and challenge the systems driving inequality. https://wclp.org/donate Nine of our co-sponsored and sponsored bills were signed into law, thus establishing further safeguards for Californians with low incomes by: protecting renters against price gouging, increasing housing voucher utilization, prohibiting the placing of liens on the homes of patients with unpaid hospital bills who could qualify for financial assistance, and reducing Black maternal mortality by requiring that hospital personnel receive implicit bias training. It is the tireless work of our advocates, attorneys, partners, community members, and supporters that makes these massive strides in the fight for justice possible and moves California forward in the effort to ensure that everyone thrives. While we focus on healthcare, housing, financial security, and racial and economic justice, these issues often overlap. Many Californians are facing the intersections of injustice every day – a win in one area paves the way for more groundbreaking legislative victories and a more equitable future. We must remain resilient in our commitment to dismantling the systems that drive poverty and inequality. We hope you will join us in the fight for justice. https://wclp.org/donate

For over 57 years, Western Center attorneys have litigated across California to ensure the laws to protect and support Californians — laws we often sponsor in Sacramento — are fully implemented by government and private entities. Good laws mean nothing without enforcement. Join us in the fight to ensure our laws to protect Californians living on the margins achieve their intended purpose. https://wclp.org/donate In 2024, Western Center won three landmark cases to advance racial and economic justice by: - Standing up to counties to alleviate unfair housing shortages and by mitigating further environmental pollution in Latine neighborhoods, - Protecting street vendors' rights to work without fear of arbitrary restrictions and unjust fines, or harassment, and - Securing equitable treatment of more than 20,000 children and young adults with disabilities, who receive care at Regional Centers in California. As we look ahead to an uncertain year, we also look back at some valuable lessons learned and best practice tools we have sharpened so we can collectively continue the fight for transformative change, dignity and promise for all Californians. Act today to join Western Center in protecting the full promise of laws designed to safeguard the health and livelihoods of all Californians. https://wclp.org/donate

BIRTHING JUSTICE: Improving access to maternal care As co-sponsor of this bill we applaud Assemblymember Mia Bonta for her steadfast work supporting access to safe, alternative labor and delivery services. At least 19 birth centers in California have closed since 2020, and more than 50 hospital maternity wards, affecting rural and families of color the most.

Facing challenging times ahead, Western Center on Law & Poverty remains steadfast in our mission to continue the fight to secure housing, healthcare, and a strong safety net for Californians with low incomes. In every facet of our work, we intentionally address and act to dismantle institutionalized racism and unjust and unequal economic structures that keep our communities in poverty. Support our work with a donation today. https://wclp.org/donate This year, California faced a budget deficit that threatened harmful cuts to healthcare, housing, and public benefits programs. The devastation of these proposed cuts was compounded by California experiencing the highest jump in poverty in recent years due to the sunsetting of pandemic era protections - protections that lifted many Californians out of poverty. Our team of committed and knowledgeable attorneys and advocates worked tirelessly to not only protect our previous wins, but to shore up additional protections for Californians living on the margins. Western Center did so in our firm belief that it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every individual and every family has their basic needs met and that we all have opportunities to live and thrive with dignity. This year, with your generous support, Western Center: - Ensured that 14.8 million people kept their healthcare coverage through Medi-Cal's automatic renewal system now available in 18 threshold languages, - Closely monitored and supported legislation to create a new state agency in California to administer reparations to the descendants of slavery, - Provided more than 90 trainings to over 5,000 participants and responded to over 1,000 requests for technical assistance from legal service providers across the state and nation, - Sponsored and co-sponsored 9 bills that were signed into law this legislative session. These bills will provide important protections for Californians with low incomes. We recognize that it is largely due to your partnership and generosity that we are positioned to propel this work forward now and in the coming year. We hope you are inspired to join us in our efforts to build a more just California.? https://wclp.org/donate

The outcome of the 2024 election will have a monumental impact on public benefits, immigrant and BIPOC protections, and the rule of law. As always, Western Center will continue its vigorous fight to eradicate poverty and end racism. And we know we cannot do this alone. As we move into 2025, we look to our partners, allies, and friends, and we look forward to working together to ensure opportunity for all Californians. https://lnkd.in/ghNCPWRM