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CA Ignores Clear Patterns of Discrimination in School Discipline
/in NewsFamilies and community group sue education department for allowing dozens of districts to suspend, expel and transfer students of color—and Black students in particular—at alarming rates, sanctioning an unequal system […]
NLSLA Featured in Wilmer Valderrama’s Podcast
/in PressNLSLA President & CEO Yvonne Mariajimenez and housing advocate Trini Ocampo joined actor and activist Wilmer Valderrama on his “Essential Voices” podcast to discuss the pandemic’s impact on Los Angeles’ […]
NLSLA Pushes Policy Change at EDD, Halting Discriminatory ID Practice
/in Client StoriesIn March of 2020, Ms. S lost her job as a result of the pandemic. Around that time, she also became homeless. She applied for unemployment insurance benefits, but was […]
NLSLA Sues to Help Elderly Tenants Trapped In 16-Floor Building With Broken Elevators
/in Client StoriesThere are only two elevators in the 260-unit building known as Cathay Manor in LA’s Chinatown, and neither of them works. The first elevator broke down in May, forcing the […]
Wraparound Supports Help Domestic Violence Survivors Overcome the Odds
/in Client StoriesSandra Cass* first came to NLSLA through one of the organization’s Self-Help Legal Access Centers, seeking assistance with a temporary restraining order against her abuser. She had been with the […]
NLSLA Secures Victory for Elderly Tenant After Years-Long Battle
/in Client StoriesIn 1994, Mr. and Mrs. Tello moved into an apartment in LA’s Miracle Mile neighborhood—a rental that the owner had illegally converted into two units. The Tellos never used the […]
Return to the Fold: Two former interns join NLSLA’s Board
/in NewsWhen David Willingham recruited Miguel Gradilla to join the private firm where he was working, the two bonded over their childhoods in Los Angeles’ low-income neighborhoods, and their past work […]
Preventing an emergency from becoming a catastrophe: A partnership with The Change Reaction gives NLSLA advocates a new way to help clients
/in NewsSo many of NLSLA’s clients are just one financial emergency away from losing their tenuous grip on stability. An unexpected health expense, job loss, rent increase or eviction could easily […]
Yvonne Mariajimenez, 2021 Nonprofit Leader of the Year
/in NewsOn April 28th, NLSLA President & CEO Yvonne Mariajimenez was named 2021 Nonprofit Leader of the Year by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. Once a year, the journal’s Women’s […]
NLSLA Welcomes New Board Member Zakiya Glass
/in NewsDuring a criminal procedure class at Loyola Law School, Zakiya Glass’s professor asked the students whether it was reasonable for a police officer to suspect—and to stop—someone who was running. […]
NLSLA Pushes for More Equitable Vaccine Distribution
/in NewsWhile the pandemic continues to challenge all of us, these last few months have been especially devastating for the communities NLSLA serves. Yet these communities have been left behind when […]
NLSLA and Partners Sue to Halt In-Person Trials That Expose Low-Income Angelenos to COVID-19
/in NewsFor months now, Los Angeles Superior Courts have required in-person appearances for civil cases that overwhelmingly involve low-income litigants. Despite soaring infection rates, low-income litigants and their legal aid attorneys […]
How the pandemic has altered school discipline — perhaps forever
/in PressRemote learning violations, mask-wearing offenses and an opportunity to rethink harsh discipline
Whole Person Care – Policy Brief
/in NewsThrough the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS), Whole Person Care-Los Angeles (WPC) operates the Medical-Legal Community Partnership (MLCP). MLCP embeds legal assistance in a safety net setting […]
Lawsuit seeks to limit in-person L.A. County civil trials because of COVID-19 risk
/in PressLegal Aid Organizations File Lawsuit to Challenge In-Person Hearings at Los Angeles Superior Court, Citing Spiraling COVID-19 Crisis
/in PressFor Immediate Release: February 9, 2021 Media Contact: Rekha Radhakrishnan, 832-628-2312, Hundreds of infections and three staff member deaths shed light on troubling conditions in largest trial court system […]
Churches in LA’s working-class neighborhoods urge: ‘bring the vaccine to the people’
/in PressCalifornia Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board releases fourth annual report
/in PressSahar Durali, co-chair of the board and associate director of litigation and policy at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles, noted that 2020 “has shown us that the work of […]
Blacks More Likely to Be Searched During Stops, Data Shows
/in Press“2020 has shown us that the work of the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board is more critical than ever before,” said Sahar Durali, board co-chair and associate director of […]
L.A. County’s legal self-help services are used by 150,000 a year. Yet the program may be cut
/in PressAccess to the justice system is a fundamental right in our democracy. Yet navigating civil court proceedings can be confusing and frightening for those who can’t afford an attorney.
Board Spotlight: Esteban Rodriguez
/in NewsWhen Esteban Rodriguez first arrived at Stanford Law School, he felt “like a fish out of water.” “A lot of the students came from very privileged backgrounds. They were predominantly […]
Fraud Victim Gains Financial Stability with Help from NLSLA Volunteer
/in Client StoriesRob Spawn is not your typical volunteer. An expert witness with a long career in wealth management, Spawn had never been asked to help in a legal aid case before. […]
NLSLA Advocate Fights for Homeless Family, Securing Benefits and Housing
/in Client StoriesWhen Ramona* reached out to NLSLA, she had just left an abusive marriage and was working as a home health aid to support her two children. Then the virus arrived, […]
NLSLA Protects Client from Corrupt Landlord
/in Client StoriesIn the midst of a years-long housing crisis, guest units – also known as “granny flats” – have offered low-income tenants an affordable housing option. Many tenants who rent out […]
Pandemic snafu: State mistakenly drops Medi-Cal coverage for some low-income Californians
/in NewsCAL MATTERS — An error involving the state’s automated system for Medi-Cal renewals triggered at least some of the drops in coverage, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders that recipients remain on the rolls during the coronavirus crisis.
Andrea Tozer, NLSLA Board Member & Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year
/in NewsBefore Andrea Tozer joined NLSLA’s Board of Directors, she took on several pro bono cases for the organization, representing immigrants who were the victims of violence. One of those cases […]
Helping the Newly Unemployed Weather the Storm
/in NewsSince efforts to contain the pandemic effectively shut down the California economy in late March, more than 1.3 million Los Angeles County residents have become unemployed. Among them is Henry, […]
We’re Counting On You
/in NewsThe impact of the novel coronavirus on the communities we serve is just beginning to surface, and we know that, for people living in poverty, the worst is yet to […]
El Monte nonprofit offers free unemployment assistance in Chinese
/in PressNeighborhood Legal Services is reaching out to Chinese communities in need of unemployment help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Black Lives Matter
/in NewsDear Friends: We are, at this moment, a nation in anguish. The pain and anger bringing people to the street in demonstrations across the country was sparked by police brutality, […]