Advocacy

BayLegal Joins Lawsuit to Stop Exorbitant Late Fees Used to Fund Court Systems in San Mateo County

Jan 27, 2022 Comments Off on BayLegal Joins Lawsuit to Stop Exorbitant Late Fees Used to Fund Court Systems in San Mateo County
February 16 @ 4:29 am

Today, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area Legal Aid, and Fenwick & West LLP filed a lawsuit challenging San Mateo County Superior Court’s unlawful practice of automatically imposing a $300 charge every time an individual misses a payment or…

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New Resources for Equal Opportunity Hiring: Impact Fund’s Advocacy Guide for School Districts After the Killian Settlement

Jan 18, 2022 Comments Off on New Resources for Equal Opportunity Hiring: Impact Fund’s Advocacy Guide for School Districts After the Killian Settlement
February 16 @ 4:29 am

In 2019, Bay Area Legal Aid, the Impact Fund, and the Safe Return Project reached a settlement in Killian v. West Contra Costa Unified School District. The settlement led to changes in the way the school district asked questions about applicants’ contacts with the criminal justice system, removing the use of…

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SFMTA Changes Debt Towing Policies in Response to Lawsuit, Promising New Protections for Vehicularly Housed San Franciscans (re-posted from LCCRSF)

Oct 7, 2021 Comments Off on SFMTA Changes Debt Towing Policies in Response to Lawsuit, Promising New Protections for Vehicularly Housed San Franciscans (re-posted from LCCRSF)
February 16 @ 4:29 am

SFMTA Changes Debt Towing Policies in Response to Lawsuit, Promising New Protections for Vehicularly Housed San Franciscans Posted: October 6, 2021 by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area Shared by BayLegal: October 7, 2021 Media updates: Bay Area CBS affiliate KPIX covered the story October 6,…

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Know Your Rights! Youth Interactions with Law Enforcement

Oct 7, 2021 Comments Off on Know Your Rights! Youth Interactions with Law Enforcement
February 16 @ 4:29 am

BayLegal’s Youth Justice practice has produced a helpful guide to youth interactions with police, ICE, and other law enforcement. It is important that young people know their rights and how to assert and protect them in encounters with law enforcement—especially for black or brown youth, who are more often mistreated…

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Joint statement from East Bay legal services providers on the Alameda County eviction moratorium

Sep 17, 2021 Comments Off on Joint statement from East Bay legal services providers on the Alameda County eviction moratorium
February 16 @ 4:29 am

With the statewide eviction moratorium due to expire at the end of this month, many tenants have been left wondering what happens next. For those who rent in Alameda County, it is important to remember that the countywide moratorium will continue to protect you from most evictions beyond September 30,…

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BayLegal’s Economic Justice advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aug 16, 2021 Comments Off on BayLegal’s Economic Justice advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic
February 16 @ 4:29 am

BayLegal and our partners engaged in significant successful advocacy during the pandemic to enhance access to county, state, and federal safety net benefits. This included advocacy with the California Department of Social Services impacting low-income people who rely on CalWORKs, CalFresh, CAPI,  and other state benefits, with the Social Security…

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Executive Director’s Blog, March 2021

Mar 11, 2021 Comments Off on Executive Director’s Blog, March 2021
February 16 @ 4:29 am

Dear friends of Bay Area Legal Aid, The lives taken from us over a full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the hugely disproportionate share of trauma and loss that has fallen to low-income families, Black families, Indigenous families, other families of color, and immigrant families—these demand that we enter…

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CalMatters Highlights BayLegal’s Work to End Unfair Traffic Court Practices

Feb 2, 2021 Comments Off on CalMatters Highlights BayLegal’s Work to End Unfair Traffic Court Practices
February 16 @ 4:29 am

CalMatters highlighted BayLegal’s work to end traffic court practices that disproportionately affect low-income individuals and Black and Latinx drivers. The latter groups are more likely to be pulled over due to racial profiling. The article describes the work BayLegal did with Western Center and other partner organizations in Hernandez v.…

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Advocacy Win for MUNI Riders in San Francisco

Nov 30, 2020 Comments Off on Advocacy Win for MUNI Riders in San Francisco
February 16 @ 4:29 am

Update: As follow up to last week’s great news on creation of the SF Access Pass, BayLegal attorney Raegan Joern gave public comment to the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) thanking it for the Access Pass and asking that it to go further by extending the moratorium on fare evasion…

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BayLegal’s Systems Advocacy During the Pandemic: An Overview and Update

Nov 20, 2020 Comments Off on BayLegal’s Systems Advocacy During the Pandemic: An Overview and Update
February 16 @ 4:29 am

Our expertise in advocating for clients’ individual legal needs while simultaneously identifying and pursuing opportunities for broader systemic change has been critical in response to the pandemic. I hope you will read more about our specific advocacy initiatives since the world changed in March 2020 and anticipated needs – it is because of your support…

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