East Bay Community Law Center

All criminal system fees are racist & unjust. Last year, CA eliminated a small amount of these burdensome fees, we’re back to finish the fees for families in 2021 with #SB586! Send in a support letter today: https://drive.google.com//1lbGStN39KwiDSGgVJf5X7YYA-6/view

Pictured below: The digital print of our mural. Thank you to our staff for letting us know their thoughts about Know Justice, Know Peace Our Vision for Community Health. We are revealing the full mural on Tuesday March 30th at 12PM here on our social media platforms. We hope you are able to join us in celebrating and receiving this wonderful gift from EBCLC to the community. Here is what Zoë Polk, our Executive Director, says about Know Justice, Know Peace: As beauti...ful as this work is, it’s much more than an art projectit's a mural that reflects our commitment to racial justice as a women-of-color centered and led organization. The images include multiple generations of Black women, who continue to carry their families and communities on their backs. The mural also holds space for our queer community and uplifts trans liberation. Lastly, the mural is located in South Berkeley, a historic neighborhood that was once the home to a vibrant Black community. Through this mural, we honor the Black residents of South Berkeley and lift up their presence and contributions to this dynamic neighborhood. #JusticeandCourageAve #KnowJusticeKnowPeace #HellaLoveJustice Artwork by Anavictoria Avila IG: @artedeavi

Check out #5 on Berkeleyside’s Sit List for the week Stop by EBCLC’s new mural online, or if you’re local, swing by and send us a selfie using the hashtags #JusticeAndCourageAve #KnowJusticeKnowPeace ! https://www.berkeleyside.com//the-sit-list-5-ways-to-fight

Join us in welcoming Christin Hill to our Board of Directors! Christin is a partner in Morrison & Foerster’s San Francisco office and a member of the Securities Litigation, Securities Enforcement, and Investigations + White Collar Defense practice groups. Before joining Morrison & Foerster, Christin served as senior counsel at Uber Technologies, Inc., where she managed complex civil litigation including consumer class actions, intellectual property matters, and government i...nvestigations. Christin also served as an assistant district attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and as a judicial clerk for the Honorable John A. Houston in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. We look forward to Christin’s contributions to EBCLC! Learn more about Christin Hill: https://ebclc.org/team-member/christin-hill/

We are honored to have you be a part of EBCLC, Candy! Stay tuned for our reveal tomorrow, Tuesday March 30th.

EBCLC’s is delighted to welcome Amanda Karl to our Board of Directors. Amanda Karl is an attorney at Gibbs Law Group LLP, where she represents consumers, employees and others who have been harmed by corporations. Amanda is committed to fighting voter suppression and spearheads her firm’s Voting Rights Task Force. Prior to joining Gibbs Law Group, she clerked for the Honorable Richard Paez in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Claudia Wilken in the Norther...n District of California. She also spent two semesters in EBCLC’s Clean Slate Practice as a law student. We are confident that Amanda’s extensive legal expertise will be a tremendous asset to our Board as we further our mission to help people live thriving, dignified lives. Learn more about our Amanda Karl: https://ebclc.org/team-member/amanda-karl/

We are proud to have you be a part of EBCLC, Sabyl! Check out our staff thought's on The People's Mural: Know Justice, Know Peace. Final reveal on Monday March 29th! #JusticeandCourageAve #KnowJusticeKnowPeace #HellaLoveJustice

EBCLC is looking for an Institutional Giving Manager. Job description below. Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, and three writing samples (preferably grant proposals or reports) by email to [email protected] (include Institutional Giving Manager in the subject line). Please note we will review applications on a rolling basis. The position will remain open until filled.

Pictured below: The fourth and final panel making up the EBCLC’s People’s Mural. Swipe to read about how our staff relates to this beautiful part of the mural. Stay tuned for the full mural reveal on March 29th! EBCLC advocates for a world where youth of color are decriminalized and able to pursue their dreams. This image represents imagination and vision through the lens of a young woman of color, specifically, an Afro-Latina. How do you relate to this image? Tell us belo...w. #hellalovejustice #knowjusticeknowpeace #justiceandcourageave

Scams are run by skilled professionals and can be very hard to spot. Here's a resource that can help! https://ebclc.org/information-and-resources-for-consumers/

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 92nd birthday, and as we fight to keep our clients housed through 2021 and beyond, I take inspiration from his wisdom: ‘We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.’ Because of the radical imagination and improbable resilience we showed in 2020, we prevented the mass eviction of African American Oaklanders, and families of color avoided displacement that would have posed unthinkable risks to their health, stability..., and schooling. Turning temporary protections into a permanent human right to housing won’t be easy, but this year has proven how much we can achieve when we treat displacement like the emergency that it is. - Zoe Polk, Executive Director of EBCLC Read more about this advocacy in our #KeepOaklandHoused report at the link. https://indd.adobe.com//6317c6cf-a3d9-493f-be35-f0e742b017 San Francisco Foundation Bay Area Community Services (BACS) Catholic Charities East Bay Kaiser Permanente Thrive City of Oakland - Local Government #CrankstartFoundation

As our board member Jessica Buendia said, EBCLC works to uplift whole communities that are at the intersection of multiple oppressions. Our goal is to ensure housing stability, immigration relief, education equity, health and welfare, and economic empowerment for our clients. Our work is not possible without your support. Make a donation to EBCLC today: https://www.paypal.com/donate/

The idea behind the program is simple, said Zoe Polk, executive director of the East Bay Community Law Center: Stop homelessness before it happens... It may be hard to remember, but our homelessness crisis was huge then even before COVID. And, in light of COVID, it became even more imperative that people are able to stay in place, where they have a place that they’re comfortable in, a place where they have been able to keep their family together. Thanks to Erin Baldassari a...t KQED for helping us share what we've learned in our efforts to #KeepOaklandHoused. We have what it takes to keep everyone healthy, housed, and whole, and we won't stop until we get there. Bay Area Community Services (BACS) Catholic Charities East Bay Kaiser Permanente Thrive San Francisco Foundation City of Oakland - Local Government #crankstartfoundation https://www.kqed.org//how-one-california-city-is-working-t

Our 2020 Annual Report highlights, by the numbers, how the support of our partners enabled us to help Black and Brown community members heal this year. None of these wins would be possible without champions like you, and we hope we can count on you to make an investment in EBCLC today. Your generous gift will directly support thousands of clients the Bay Area’s heroes to live thriving, healthy, dignified lives. https://www.paypal.com/donate/ EBCLC’S 2020 Annual Report: https://ebclc.org/2020_annual_report/

COMMUNITY: Alameda County has begun conducting eviction jury trials over video call. This process is unfair to renters, violates due process rights, and puts their lives on the line. We need your calls today! Full script at http://bit.ly/StopUDTrials #StoptheSpreadStoptheTrials

This year EBCLC welcomed Sandra Johnson and 7 other advocates to our board. Together we will continue to center racial justice in our vision for EBCLC guiding us in the right direction, disrupting historically oppressive systems. Invest in EBCLC today: https://www.paypal.com/donate/

EBCLC wishes our clients a warm holiday season. This year we have been fortunate to serve the East Bay community and ensure that you remain housed and healthy throughout this ongoing pandemic. Thank you for turning to EBCLC during critical moments. We are so grateful to work alongside you to thrive for dignified lives.

Stay up to date with EBCLC! Sign-up to receive our newsletter: https://ebclc.org/get-ebclc-updates/

Are you passionate about racial justice? Want to promote equity and help community members realize thriving, healthy and dignified lives? We have a new Administrative Assistant position open! Please note, this position will only accept applications until Friday, January 22, 2021. Apply to EBCLC - https://ebclc.org/working-at-ebclc/ ... We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply.

Our three-pronged strategy to impact lasting, systemic change proved crucial in the face of this devastating pandemic. Check out our 2020 key victories in our annual report: https://ebclc.org/2020_annual_report/

Breaking : EBCLC helped a historic total of 1,315 homeless and formerly homeless individuals submitted claims seeking compensation for their losses following our Caltrans lawsuit. Our press release: https://tinyurl.com/yydxtdyb Special thank you to Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, ACLU of Northern California, and WilmerHale for partnering with us to advance justice and protect the rights of people living in encampments.

LAWROCKS-APALOOZA is happening TONIGHT! Join Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP in raising funds for EBCLC!

With COVID-19 cases spiking again, California now has the opportunity to make the right choice and decarcerate the juvenile delinquency system. Learn more from our very own Youth Defender Clinic Director, Tony Cheng in his California Law Review article, ‘When the Cure is Worse than the Disease’: http://www.californialawreview.org/when-cure-is-worse-than/

Prop 17 has passed! 50,000 people impacted by incarceration can now exercise their right to vote. This is a huge victory moving California toward a brighter future where we can ALL have a say in who we elect. #YesonProp17 https://www.latimes.com//2020-california-election-prop-17-

Thank you Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP for choosing EBCLC as a beneficiary to the first ever Law-Rocksapalooza! Don’t forget to pick up tickets for this Thursday’s event! lawrocks.org/lza Law Rocks

We know today is an extra-stressful day. Remember to take some time for extra self-care, and no matter what happens, please know that EBCLC will keep fighting for you. Here’s some hopeful news from our Immigration Unit today: Because Immigration Courts are still open during a global pandemic, Sara Dunsky, Immigration Unit Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor, was in court today and got our client awarded asylum! We are proud of the Immigration’s team success and of the tea...m effort that went into this case. Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor, Jessica Castellanos and her summer students first got our client out of detention back in Summer 2019. Our Immigration Social Worker, Wendy Hernandez and her student provided our client with social work support throughout the year. This semester, Sara and her students worked hard to have a successful remote case filing. We hope more good news awaits in the coming days!

East Bay Community Law Center is overjoyed to announce that after twenty years of service advocating for low-income renters and then founding, directing, and expanding our Consumer Justice Clinic, Sharon Djemal has accepted Governor Gavin Newsom’s Alameda County Superior Court judge appointment. In her two decades at EBCLC, Sharon has dramatically expanded the rights and protections of all Californian consumers through transformative policy advocacy, mentored dozens of emerging consumer advocates, and pioneered the Bay Area’s only one stop shop for direct legal services. In Sharon, Alameda County Superior Court has gained a leader who will judge with the utmost integrity, fairness, and commitment to honoring the civil rights of low-income individuals.

Today on Election Day, EBCLC would like to express love and gratitude to all people who power our country and are disenfranchised from voting. As legal service providers to undocumented persons, persons under the age of 18, persons with felony convictions, people who are mentally incapacitated and persons from US territories including American Samoa, we know that structural barriers rooted in racism and outdated ideologies prevent many of our clients from weighing in on matters that directly impact them. No matter the outcome of the election, EBCLC will continue to honor our commitment to promoting justice and building a community that is more secure, productive, healthy, and hopeful.

This Wednesday November 4th, the day after elections, EBCLC will close its doors and our staff will be provided an administrative leave day. This election may be one of those most historic of our time and will have a profound impact on our staff and the communities we serve. EBCLC will hold space for a day of reflection and wellness. We will resume services on Thursday, November 5th.

Hey Berkeley Law Students! Do you want to play a key role in the fight against the criminalization of Black youth? Are you an aspiring Movement Lawyer or Public Interest Advocate? EBCLC’s Clean Slate Clinic invites you to apply for the Fall 2021-23 Brian Lewinstein Fellowship! The Fellowship is a two-year, full-time, salaried EBCLC Staff Attorney position starting in Fall 2021. The Fellowship offers recent Berkeley Law graduates the opportunity to acquire policy advocacy tra...ining rooted in movement lawyering, the provision of direct legal services, clinical supervision of law students, and many other aspects of public interest practice. All materials must be submitted no later than Monday, January 11, 2021. Learn more: https://ebclc.org/students/post-grad-fships/

Since the beginning of shelter in place, EBCLC has welcomed new justice champions to our team. From Board members who bring extensive lived and professional expertise to support staff who are helping us all stay connected during our switch to remote services, these new additions to our team will play a key role in our community's recovery. Join us in giving a warm welcome to our new leaders that will continue to graciously help us meet this challenging moment with power and resolve. Meet EBCLC’s Team: https://ebclc.org/our-stories/meet-ebclcs-new-leadership/

"EBCLC would like to express gratitude to all people who power our country while remaining disenfranchised from voting. As legal service providers to undocumented people, people under the age of 18, people with felony convictions, people who are mentally incapacitated, and people from US territories including American Samoa and Puerto Rico, we know that structural barriers rooted in racism and outdated ideologies prevent many of our clients from weighing in on matters that directly impact them. We hope for a day in which our clients’ citizenship, liberation, education are not on the ballot." Read more about EBCLC's election week plans here:https://ebclc.org//happy-birthday-fannie-lou-hamer-nobody/

Every city has a different set of rules, these are specific to Oakland. If you have questions about your city ordinances and you are a resident of Alameda County - give us a call: (510) 548-4040 ext. 629 and leave a message with your name, phone number, city, and a brief description of your problem or question. Read Keep Oakland Housed’s full detailed guide on Oakland Tenant Protections for more information: http://ebclc.org//2020.10.06_Oakland-Tenant-Protections-Su

EBCLC is a proud host of the Name and Gender Change Workshop, a student public interest project that supports clients through the process of updating their name and/or gender on their government and identity records. Thank you SF Office of Transgender Initiatives for helping us spread this crucial information! Interested in learning more about the name and/or gender change process? Check out the video below put together by former Name and Gender Change Workshop students

Read more about the housing crisis and how TOPA can help in CalMatter’s Op-Ed authored by EBCLC’s very own Community Economic Justice Attorneys and Clinical Supervisors, Hewot Shankute and Seema Rupani: There’s no question that this pandemic will have adverse impacts on low-income renters and homeowners, but we don’t have to resign ourselves to reliving 2008, when investors and developers, detached from our communities, gobbled up properties and drove the rents up even more.... Through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, renters and low-income communities of color can achieve a new, collective vision of the American Dream: homeownership for all families and affordable housing for their neighborhoods for years to come. https://calmatters.org//the-affordable-housing-crisis-is-/

Thrilled to partner with Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker on her new #HousingJusticeInitiative. Oakland tenants deserve safe, healthy, and dignified housing. Barbara Parker’s new Housing Justice Initiative fights to make that a reality. https://bit.ly/3ofGfEU #KnowYourHousingRights #tenantsrights

THIS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY!! Alameda County is hosting a two-day online forum about reimagining juvenile justice!! Join the Free Our Kids Coalition as we push officials and systems leaders to create a new approach to youth justice that moves away from punishment and towards healing and health for young people. For more info and zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/ACJJForum2020

Hey Oakland! Between local Oakland ordinances, Alameda County ordinances, new state-wide policies and the CDC’s guidelines, Oakland renters have many new protections to prevent eviction. That’s great news, but we know that all these changes can get confusing. We will be posting frequently asked questions to provide you with clear answers about your new tenant protections. Every city has a different set of rules, these are specific to Oakland. If you have questions about you...r city ordinances and you are a resident of Alameda County - give us a call: (510) 548-4040 ext. 629 and leave a message with your name, phone number, city, and a brief description of your problem or question. Read Keep Oakland Housed’s full detailed guide on Oakland Tenant Protections for more information: http://ebclc.org//2020.10.06_Oakland-Tenant-Protections-Su Bay Area Community Services (BACS), Catholic Charities East Bay, City of Oakland - Local Government, San Francisco Foundation, Kaiser Permanente Thrive, Crankstart

This month marks the two year anniversary of Keep Oakland Housed, a partnership to help Oakland residents at risk of losing their homes by providing an emergency response approach for residents: legal representation, financial assistance, and supportive services to help them remain in their homes. In the past few years, KOH has been able to serve over 3,100 households and distributed over $4 million in financial assistance to prevent homelessness before it starts. We thank our partners Bay Area Community Services (BACS), and Catholic Charities East Bay for their commitment and dedicated work to Keep Oakland Housed! To change lives and make our community stronger, please donate to Keep Oakland Housed today: https://bit.ly/31maPmE