BayLegal’s Advocacy

Bay Area Legal Aid works both on our own and in partnership with a broad array of other advocacy organizations and public systems to address the systemic inequities facing our clients and their communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic this work has grown along with the need to help mitigate the pandemic’s disproportionate impacts on low-income families and communities in areas of housing, economic security, healthcare and public benefits access, and other issues. Public health should mean all of us!

The list on this page is dynamically updated, so check back frequently.

BayLegal Attorneys on Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Programs in the Daily Journal

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Attorneys, Homepage, News, Publication
We are proud to announce publication in the Daily Journal of an informative overview of the recent surge of Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) programs in California. BayLegal attorneys Jessica Mark (Supervising Attorney – Economic Justice) and Raegan Joern (Managing Attorney – San Francisco office) review the positive indications of GBI’s effectiveness as an anti-poverty strategy, …

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BayLegal Weighs in on Critical Protections for Children

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, eNewsletter Story
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BAY AREA LEGAL AID MEDIA CONTACT Please use the form at the bottom of this page to contact our media team. BayLegal Weighs in on Critical Protections for Children On July 23, 2024,Bay Area Legal Aid  filed an amicus brief in C.C. v. D.V., a case before the California Court of Appeal …

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Celebrating a Victory for Survivors of Domestic Violence

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, Litigation, News
BayLegal today joins Texas Advocacy Project and a nationwide coalition of legal aid firms and survivors’ advocacy organizations in applauding today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in US v. Rahimi. The court’s ruling upholds the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which prohibits individuals subject to domestic-violence protective orders from possessing firearms. We are proud to have …

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New Youth Justice resource: Know Your Rights – AB 181

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Resources
Thanks to BayLegal YouthJustice law clerk Sophie Tohl and intern Armaan Sharma for this one-page guide to a new diploma pathway for young people with disabilities, established under California’s AB 181. Please circulate widely to any students you serve who entered ninth grade during the 2022-23 school year or later, and who might qualify for …

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Information and Resources for Consumers Harmed by the Practices of Achievable Solutions, et al

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, Attorneys, Resources

Injunction The court-ordered injunction in Bay Area Legal Aid v. Achievable Solutions, et al. (Alameda County Superior Court Case No. 22CV008464) is described in detail below and a copy of the injunction is available at the bottom of the page. Please note that this court order does not in any way limit the ability of …

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Get a refund for bills from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center—ACT NOW!

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, Homepage, News, Resources
Our colleagues at the Western Center on Law and Poverty (WCLP) recently settled a lawsuit against the County of Santa Clara related to notices and implementation of their charity care policy. The settlement requires the County to review bills that were sent to collections between October 28, 2018 and December 31, 2021.  The attached PDF flyer from WCLP …

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Bay Area Legal Aid, Texas Advocacy Project and Allies File Amicus Brief to Safeguard Domestic Violence Survivors from Lethal Firearms Access

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Other
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BAY AREA LEGAL AID CONTACT Taylor Brady tbrady@baylegal.org (510) 250-5234 Bay Area Legal Aid, Texas Advocacy Project and Allies File Amicus Brief to Safeguard Domestic Violence Survivors from Lethal Firearms Access Section 922(g)(8) focuses on preventing individuals who have committed or threatened family violence from accessing firearms during the period they are …

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California Court of Appeal Declares San Francisco’s Poverty Tows Unconstitutional As Legislature Confronts Towing Policies Statewide

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, Litigation, News
Car being towed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2023 PRESS CONTACT: Raya Steier, 530-723-2426, rsteier@lccrsf.org ***PRESS RELEASE*** San Francisco, CA– Last Friday, the California Court of Appeal held that San Francisco’s policy of towing lawfully and safely parked vehicles without a warrant, solely due to unpaid parking tickets, violates the California Constitution. San Francisco’s towing policies permanently deprive thousands …

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BayLegal Files Amicus Brief in CA Supreme Court Case: Cal. Capital Insurance Co. v. Hoehn

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
[We are pleased to share the press release from OneJustice on our amicus brief in this critically important case for California consumers]. CONTACT: Leigh Ferrin – OneJustice – (415) 834-0100 ext 422, lferrin@one-justice.org San Francisco – Today, OneJustice, along with Bay Area Legal Aid, and the Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice at UC Berkeley Law School, filed an …

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BayLegal Launches Our 2022 Annual Report

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, Attorneys, Client Story, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Publication
Dear BayLegal friends, Working Together for Justice is much more than a tag line—it is about the expertise, resources and partnerships that are needed to address the deep socioeconomic and civil legal inequities in our country. Legal Services Corporation (LSC) issued an updated Justice Gap Report in 2022, which like the California State Bar Justice …

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PRESS RELEASE: Rent Thefts Target Low-Income Communities in Napa

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 12, 2023 MEDIA CONTACT: Consuelo Amezcua, 707-603-1374, camezcua@baylegal.org ***PRESS RELEASE*** Rent Thefts Target Low-Income Communities in Napa Download a PDF copy of this release. Napa, CA- Local community organizations, including Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal), Fair Housing Napa Valley (FHNV), On the Move (OTM), and Puertas Abiertas (PA) along with Napa …

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Reporta Univision 14 sobre robo de rentas en Napa | Univision 14 reports on rent thefts in Napa

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Attorneys, Homepage, News
Esta historia transmitida por Univision 14 el viernes pasado informa sobre una serie reciente de robos organizados en la ciudad de Napa, en los que los ladrones apuntaron a los buzones de alquiler en 25 propiedades de alquiler. La mayoría de los cientos de inquilinos afectados son familias latinas de bajos ingresos, muchas de las …

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