Program areas at LCCR
Immigrant JusticeAs challenges to asylum mount, LCCRSFs asylum program continues to use a trauma-informed approach to assess client needs and matches asylum seekers with representation, in addition to providing training to volunteer attorneys.During the fiscal year, LCCRSF secured asylum and related relief for nearly sixty individuals. We trained over 500 attorneys on asylum law, and matched asylum seekers with in-house or pro bono counsel to represent them in their affirmative asylum applications or in removal proceedings before the San Francisco Immigration Court. Each year, LCCRSFs staff and pro bono attorneys provide high quality legal representation, support, and counseling for nearly 400 individual clients with on-going cases.Our immigrant justice team also continues to score victories for immigrant justice, both for individual clients and the following impact cases:LCCRSF led nationwide litigation effort to hold the U.S. government accountable for the harm caused by its 2018 family separation policy, which ripped immigrant families apart at the border in an effort to deter asylum seekers from accessing their right to seek protection in the U.S. Over the last two years, the effort has resulted in 31 federal lawsuits on behalf of 52 families and hundreds of administrative claims for damages. To date, every lawsuit filed in connection with our strategic effort has survived a motion to dismiss. LCCRSF also has paved a path for litigation success for separated families who settled in our community in Northern California. This year, a California federal judge denied the governments motion to dismiss P.G. v. United States, LCCRSFs first lawsuit seeking accountability and damages for harm caused by the U.S. governments separation of families at the border. LCCRSF also filed I.T. v. United States on behalf of three indigenous Guatemalan families subjected to the separation policy, and has secured pro bono counsel for every formerly-separated family in the Bay Area that wanted to pursue federal litigation but lacked representation.LCCRSF is litigating the first lawsuit for damages under the Accountability in Detention Act on behalf of Carlos Murillo Vega. Mr. Murillo asked to live in protective custody after the private prison company that held him in immigration detention told him that being housed in the general population would be dangerous. For 14 months and despite many requests to be moved to the general population Mr. Murillo was locked in a tiny cell for 22 hours a day. In addition to seeking damages to compensate Mr. Murillo, the suit seeks to lay the groundwork for many more Accountability in Detention Act cases with the ultimate goal of undercutting the profit motive behind private detention.
Economic JusticeLCCRSF continues to provide representation for low-income entrepreneurs facing challenges in San Francisco due to gentrification and increasing rents. Our services were all the more urgent amid COVID-19, when the number of small business clients seeking help with commercial leases increased tenfold. In addition, we:Advanced San Franciscos municipal bank plan for consideration as early as 2023 potentially the first in the nation. LCCRSF is an active member of the Reinvest SF Working Group and, along with the SF Public Bank Coalition, has been advocating for a bank that invests in true affordable housing, locally and minority-owned businesses, green infrastructure, and local credit unions. Cities across the nation are currently exploring the creation of their own banks. LCCRSF helped pass the historic Public Banking Act (AB857) allowing for the creation of municipal chartered banks and informed the development of the Reinvest in San Francisco Act. We are also working to garner the legislature and governors support for expanded banking access, including a statewide public bank that will loan to small businesses owned by Californians of color, and reinvest returns on tax dollars into our communities.Hosted workshops and legal clinics and produced educational materials for 700+ small business participants over the past year. Topics covered by our multilingual workshops and clinics included: ADA compliance, business law basics, Oaklands and San Franciscos eviction moratoria and commercial leasing, employment law basics, bankruptcy, know your contracts, and know your rights.
Racial JusticeLCCRSF celebrated the first anniversary of the Peoples Clinic, launched in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives in the wake of national uprisings against police violence and abuse. Through this Clinic, LCCRSF hosted more than 30 virtual clinics, filed several major lawsuits and numerous administrative claims against harmful police and sheriff departments, trained more than 20 volunteers, and won two cases for clients whose property was damaged by police. The clinic assists clients who have been falsely arrested, hurt, and had their property damaged by law enforcement. The California Supreme Court let stand the preliminary injunction in LCCRSF's historic class action lawsuit on behalf of bail bond cosigners, against Bad Boys Bail Bonds. Challenging Bad Boys violation of consumer protection laws, LCCRSFs suit halted $38 million in debt collection. Our success has paved the way for lawsuits against all the other biggest bail companies in California.LCCRSF led a campaign against Californias unconstitutional scheme to fund the courts through massive traffic late fees known as civil assessments, disproportionately given to low-income Californians. LCCRSF filed a lawsuit against the Judicial Council of California and San Mateo Superior Court challenging the fee, and worked with a coalition to lead legislative advocacy. In June, the Legislature agreed via the state budget to eliminate all existing civil assessment debts and to cap the late fee going forward at $100. As a result, $1 billion was forgiven, removing heavy debt burdens from California families.LCCRSF co-sponsored and got signed into law a bill to decriminalize jaywalking (AB 2147). This crucial legislation will protect vulnerable pedestrians against arbitrary, racially-biased, pretextual policing, as well as burdensome fees and fines, and unnecessary, and potentially lethal, interactions with law enforcement.The racial justice/education staff persuaded River Delta Unified to take Bates Elementary off its closure list, restored bus services for migrant students to get to school in multiple districts, and filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights against the Paso Robles School District for excluding the Latinx and Limited English Proficient community from a District advisory committee. LCCRSF also successfully advocated on behalf of Migrant students enrolled in Lodi Unified so that they could retain their right to return to their school of origin if they re-enrolled later in the school year.