Press Room

Recent News & Articles

BayLegal Celebrates Pride Month 2022

Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News
This Pride month, BayLegal continues our tradition of celebrating our LGBTQIA2S+ staff, colleagues, clients, partners, kids, family and neighbors. In the midst of widespread and unprecedented political and social attacks on the basic rights of our transgender community members, we must ask ourselves how we can hold up LGBTQIA2S+ power and leadership, not just to …

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Remote name and gender marker change legal clinic / Clínica legal virtual para cambio de género y nombre

Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News
Bay Area Legal Aid remote name and gender marker change legal clinic   Would you like FREE help completing your documents to change your name and/or gender marker? June 29th, 2022 2:00 – 6:00p.m. via Zoom   Sign up to get free legal support from attorneys and advocates for completing court paperwork and other necessary …

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Mourning and Reflecting on Lives Lost to Gun Violence

Categories: Homepage, News
In the past two weeks, we have seen and heard countless reminders that guns are a direct threat to Black lives, Asian lives, and Latine/Latinx lives, both in the hands of professionals and civilians. We’ve seen these reminders in Atlanta, Oakland, Buffalo, Irvine, San Bernardino, Uvalde. We hear the echo of voices from two years …

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California Judicial Council Sued for Illegal Scheme to Fund Courts through Late Fees; San Mateo Court Stops Collecting Millions in Outstanding Debts and Waits for Governor and Legislature to Act.

Categories: Advocacy, Homepage, Litigation, News
MEDIA UPDATES “San Mateo court agrees to stop collecting debt from unpaid fees in light of lawsuit,” Maria Dinzeo for Courthouse News Service, 5/25/2022 “San Mateo Courts Pause Late Fees in Response to Suit,” Dave Simpson for Law360, 5/25/2022 (requires paid subscription) “Civil Rights, Legal Aid Groups Pause Lawsuit Over $300 Civil Assessments,” The Recorder, …

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KQED reports on civil assessments

Categories: Homepage, Litigation, News
This morning’s KQED Morning Report includes coverage of civil assessments and the advocates who are pushing the Governor to propose their abolition in his May budget revise. As we reported in January, BayLegal has joined ACLU Foundation of Northern California, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area Legal Aid, …

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New resources from BayLegal’s Youth Justice team

Categories: Homepage, News, Resources
BayLegal’s Youth Justice team has added two new resources: RFA Cheat Sheet for for Emergency Placement & Criminal Record Exemptions Know Your Rights! – Consent Be sure to check out the main Youth Justice resource page for these and other materials covering youth interactions with law enforcement, foster care, educational rights and a range of …

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Observing Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) at BayLegal

Categories: Homepage, News
BayLegal marks this April 27 – 28 as Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. We share these words from Senior Staff Attorney Jenna Statfeld Harris in the day’s spirit of remembrance, reflection, and commitment to stand with our Jewish colleagues, clients, community members and loved ones, and against genocide and the forces of national, religious, …

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Bay Area Legal Aid files suit against junk debt buyer for fraudulent collection practices

Categories: Advocacy, Announcements, Attorneys, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News
March 16, 2022 For Immediate Release Bay Area Legal Aid files suit against junk debt buyer for fraudulent collection practices. Press Contacts: Noah Zinner, Regional Managing Attorney, Bay Area Legal Aid, (510) 250-5266, nzinner@baylegal.org Kai Haswell, Senior Attorney, Bay Area Legal Aid, (510) 250-5205, khaswell@baylegal.org Oakland, CA- Today, Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) filed a …

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Ramadan Mubarak to all!

Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News
Saturday April 2, 2022 marked the beginning of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month, the sacred month for Muslims, of the Islamic calendar. Ramadan is characterized as a month of self-reflection, increased spirituality and focus on attending to one’s relationship with God through prayer and reading the Qur’an, increased attention to generosity and charity, and …

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Celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility

Categories: eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Other
March 31st marks Transgender Day of Visibility, an international day to celebrate the accomplishments of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people, and to recognize and face the work that remains to create safety, equality, inclusion and power for individuals and communities across the full spectrum of gender identities and forms of gender expression. In housing, …

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BayLegal’s Observance of Cesar Chavez Day 2022

Categories: Announcements, Homepage, News
"History will judge societies and governments—and their institutions—not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless." – César Chávez
In keeping with both our longstanding policy and our commitment to celebrate and support the self-determination struggles of Black and Brown communities, workers, poor people and those excluded from institutional power, BayLegal offices and phone lines will be closed tomorrow, March 31, in observance of Cesar Chavez Day. During the day of observance, BayLegal would …

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Apply to the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program before March 31st, 2022!

Categories: Announcements, eNewsletter Story, Homepage, News, Resources
The last day to apply to the California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program is March 31, 2022. Apply now! What tenants should know about the rent relief program: If you experienced financial hardship during the pandemic and have unpaid rent, you can apply at housingiskey.com to get up to 18 months of free rent and utilities …

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