Advocating for Low-Income Latinx Consumers Against Aggressive Collection Practices

| By BayLegal
Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
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Rubber stamp with the text past due over an invoice document
An August 2nd investigative story by Raheem Hosseini in The Guardian puts a spotlight on the scale and depth of debt burden facing low-income primarily Latinx consumers in California through the practices of a single company. Oportun Inc emerges in the investigation as “one of the most litigious debt collectors in California,” with its high-interest …

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Home Improvement Scam ALERT

| By BayLegal
Categories: Homepage, News
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Downloadable about scams involving solar panel installation and other home improvements
Homeowners are being targeted by solar installation and other home improvement scams. Please consult the flyer below to know the warning signs, and to get help if you have been targeted. (Right-click on the flyer if you would like to download and print it). PACE Homeowner Flyer BilingualEnglishSpanish

Align SFMTA Tow Policy with Economic and Racial Justice

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Homepage, News
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Car being towed
BayLegal, along with 26 other organizations and individuals, has submitted a letter to the Director and Board of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) advocating for the end of poverty tows in San Francisco, and for a tow and impound policy aligned with economic and racial justice. “Poverty tows” for unpaid tickets, in the …

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Updates on BayLegal’s Advocacy with the Judicial Council of California

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Homepage, News
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California Judicial Council Seal, which includes a picture of Roman goddess Minerva
The Judicial Council is the policymaking body of the California courts. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, BayLegal has worked with the Judicial Council to advocate for the needs of low-income litigants and for overall public safety within the legal system, supporting the statewide suspension of eviction proceedings along with court closures and changes to procedures to …

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Court of Appeal Ruling Could Invalidate Thousands of Driver’s License Suspensions

| By BayLegal
Categories: Homepage, News
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2020 Media Contact: Taylor Brady, Bay Area Legal Aid, Tbrady@baylegal.org, (510) 250-5234   ***PRESS RELEASE***  Court of Appeal Ruling Could Invalidate Thousands of Driver’s License Suspensions SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA —The California Court of Appeal ruled that the Department of Motor Vehicles cannot suspend the licenses of drivers who fail to …

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Updates on CARES Act Stimulus Payments: Fraud Alert and Information on Direct Payments

| By BayLegal
Categories: Homepage, News
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A purple-gloved hand lays on top of a check from the U.S. Treasury
Fraud Alert The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) informs the public that there have been reports of nursing homes and assisted living facilities requiring residents to sign over their Economic Impact Payments. According to the FTC: [T]hose economic impact payments are considered tax credits and tax credits don’t count as “resources” for federal benefits programs like …

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BayLegal Calls for a Moratorium on Consumer Debt Collection

| By BayLegal
Categories: Advocacy, Homepage, News, Other
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Rubber stamp with the text past due over an invoice document
On March 23, 2020, Bay Area Legal Aid and 15 allied legal services and consumer protection organizations submitted a letter to Governor Newsom requesting immediate steps to protect consumers as part of the state’s COVID-19 emergency response. In order to mitigate irreparable harm being done to consumers and communities throughout the state, we have requested …

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Racial Injustice and Our Work

| By BayLegal
Categories: 20th Anniversary, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
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Through our partnerships, individual legal representation, impact litigation, and policy advocacy, we work to break down the barriers that prevent members of our communities from accessing basic necessities of life—healthcare, housing, food, employment—in order to increase their opportunities to lead safe and stable lives. Looming large over our work is the knowledge that many of …

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Pro Bono Opportunity – Consumer Rights

| By BayLegal
Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News
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Pro Bono Opportunity *MCLE Credit Available* Join Bay Area Legal Aid, Community Action Marin, Legal Aid of Marin, SparkPoint Marin, and the Marin Pro Bono Network at the offices of Keegin Harrison LLP on June 12th, for a pro bono training focused on consumer rights, then help make our consumer legal clinic in San Rafael …

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Fraud Alert: DHS Phone Numbers Used in Extortion Scam to Obtain Personal Information

| By BayLegal
Categories: Homepage, News
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Our Regional Immigration Counsel provides the following news of recent scam attempts that pose a potential threat to our clients’ consumer protection: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a fraud alert to warn the public of reports that DHS telephone numbers have been used recently as part …

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Urgent Alert: New SSA Phone Scam

| By BayLegal
Categories: Homepage, News
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From our allies at Justice in Aging comes news of a phone scam targeting Social Security beneficiaries: There’s a new phone scam targeting Social Security beneficiaries that advocates for older adults should be aware of. The Federal Trade Commission is warning that scammers are engaging in a caller ID trick called “spoofing” to make it …

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