NLSLA Honors Mike Feuer, Susan Burton and HARNESS at Annual Gala
(above from left) NLSLA Executive Director Neal Dudovitz with Janice Kamenir-Reznik, Los Angeles City Attorney and Legal Excellence Award recipient Mike Feuer, Leadership Award recipient Susan Burton, and Deputy Director Yvonne Mariajimenez
Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County hosted its 13th annual Just Neighbors gala at the Skirball Cultural Center, bringing together the organization’s friends and supporters to celebrate legal services that change lives and transform communities. Guests at the October 28 gala gathered for good food, music, and to honor this year’s award recipients, whose work has expanded access to healthcare, housing, economic opportunity and justice for people living in poverty throughout the county.
This year’s honorees included Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, who received the Legal Excellence Award for his work pursuing justice on behalf of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable communities.
“Mike Feuer has a long history of fighting for justice on behalf of people living in poverty,” said NLSLA Executive Director Neal Dudovitz. “He has always believed that government has a special responsibility to defend the rights of poor people and enforce the laws intended to protect them.”
The organization also recognized Susan Burton for her work on behalf of women whose lives have become entangled in the criminal justice system, and Harness, an organization founded by America Ferrera, Ryan Piers Williams, and Wilmer Valderrama to empower disenfranchised communities to participate in the political process.
LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia (left) presenting the Community Empowerment Award to Harness Executive Director Marya Bangee
