Press Room

Sunday, January 26, 2-6 p.m. at Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center 936 The Alameda, San Jose, CA, 95126 Would you like FREE help completing your documents to change your name and/or gender marker?   Sign up for our legal clinic to get legal support from caring lawyers! Support includes education and help with completing court …

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BayLegal client Johnnie B. (center) with attorney Andrea Crider and volunteer paralegal Joe Montanaz at a housewarming party in Johnnie’s new home. Johnnie B. finally has a home of his own. It isn’t just another apartment, with a new lease, and a new landlord. It’s his first home after ten years of living without a …

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A story in yesterday’s Guardian details the refusal by the United States Supreme Court to hear an appeal of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in Martin v City of Boise. The Martin decision held that laws criminalizing “camping” constituted cruel and unusual punishment on the part of cities that did not provide enough shelter …

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A story posted at Richmond Confidential yesterday by Mariam Zagub shines a light on the often severe barriers to safe, habitable housing that low-income tenants with disabilities can face. The story focuses on BayLegal client Michael Lewis and his attorney Henrissa Bassey, and details Mr. Lewis’ struggles with a lack of disabled access and other …

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MEDIA UPDATE Recent media coverage of this case is listed here, and will be updated regularly. For our press release, please see below. “Court says San Jose can’t make its own rules when it comes to housing,” Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/26/2019 “California Can Force Priority for Low-Cost Housing on Public Land,” Nicholas Iovino, …

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Anna works as a full-time medical assistant, and she is a single mother to a three-year-old daughter. She explained with a laugh that those details alone describe her life at present: “There’s no time for anything!” Anna generously took time out of her lunch break to share her experience seeking legal representation for protection against …

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Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in OneJustice’s last fundraising event, “Together for Justice,” which raised vital funding for legal aid organizations providing critically needed immigration legal services in Contra Costa County—including Bay Area Legal Aid. The event highlighted the impact of BayLegal’s immigration-related work along with that of two partner organizations—Catholic Charities …

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As of October 27, 2019, it is illegal for landlords to increase housing rent by more than 10% in California, following Governor Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency due to wildfire conditions. State officials have passed this law in order to prevent landlords from charging higher rental prices to people impacted by California wildfires—a …

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If you are a CalFresh recipient and a victim of a California wildfire, you may be eligible to receive Disaster CalFresh (D-CalFresh) benefits. D-CalFresh benefits are emergency benefits provided over a 30-day period to CalFresh recipients who are victims of natural disasters. D-CalFresh provides these benefits on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, which can …

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Domestic violence prevention has been a fundamental part of BayLegal’s service model since the organization’s inception in 2000 through the merger of several smaller legal services firms. In BayLegal’s first year, advocates operated a Domestic Violence Legal Clinic that served over 1,000 people. Today, BayLegal operates six Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) Clinics five days …

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