We, the undersigned California legal aid community, stand together in support of federal funding for civil legal services, including funding through the Legal Services Corporation. Since Congress established LSC in 1974, our federal government has provided financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. Through LSC, our government has remained committed to removing economic barriers to justice and giving our most vulnerable people the help and opportunities they’ve lacked. Currently, LSC provides support to 130 legal aid nonprofits across the country – including 11 here in California.
Over the years, the clear benefit communities have received through LSC’s mission has resulted in strong bipartisan support. The organizations funded by LSC ensure that underserved groups, like residents of rural communities, victims of disaster, and people with disabilities, have access to legal help when it’s needed most. When people face critical life problems, such as accessing healthcare or education, it is legal services nonprofits that form their safety net. In 2023, California’s LSC-funded organizations helped 156,940 people with their legal issues. This number represents families remaining housed, workers recovering owed wages, and veterans accessing important disability benefits.
In addition to the critical federal funding provided through LSC, our federal government also supports legal services through other key programs that aim to make families safer and protect elders from abuse. A recent national study shows a $7 return for every $1 spent on civil legal aid, which demonstrates how legal support allows Californians to hold their lives, and their communities, together.
As legal services providers, we work to ensure that legal aid is available to anyone who needs it. Without LSC, this important work would not be possible. On behalf of our clients, regardless of the funding sources we use to serve them, we stand in support of LSC and its mission: “To promote equal access to justice in our Nation and to provide high quality civil legal assistance to low-income persons.”
| Matthew Hulse, Executive Director, Contra Costa Senior Legal Services |
| Richard Konda, Executive Director, Asian Law Alliance |
| Kate Crowley Richardson, Co-Executive Director, Legal Link |
| Laura McMahon, Executive Director, Legal Aid of Marin |
| Jenny Farrell, Executive Director, Mental Health Advocacy Services |
| Maeve Elise Brown, Executive Director, Housing and Economic Rights Advocates |
| Eric Cohen, Executive Director, Immigrant Legal Resource Center |
| Deborah Son, Executive Director, Family Violence Appellate Project |
| Stephanie Barclay, Executive Director, San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation |
| Kathryn Eidmann, President & CEO, Public Counsel |
| Maura Gibney, Executive Director, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform |
| Stacy Horth-Neubert, Executive Director, Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law |
| Erin Scott, Executive Director, Family Violence Law Center |
| Hannah Brady, Executive Director, Senior Advocacy Network |
| Sunny Noh, Executive Director, Legal Aid of Sonoma County |
| Eleni Wolfe-Roubatis, Co-Executive Director, Immigrant Legal Defense |
| Jennifer Rodriguez, Executive Director, Youth Law Center |
| Rebecca Steckler, Executive Director, Senior Citizens Legal Aid |
| Tania Millan, Executive Director, The Wage Justice Center |
| Kate Jastram, Director of Policy & Advocacy, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies – California |
| Carolina Martin Ramos, Executive Director, La Raza Centro Legal |
| Randi Sunshine, Executive Director, Learning Rights Law Center |
| Jora Trang, Chief of Staff & Equity, Worksafe |
| Elizabeth Lopez, Executive Director, Southern California Immigration Project |
| Brooke Weitzman, Executive Director, Elder Law and Disability Rights Center |
| Linda Coco, Director of Legal Clinics, McGeorge School of Law |
| Diego Cartagena, President & CEO, Bet Tzedek Legal Services |
| Joan Graff, President, Legal Aid at Work |
| Diane Trunk, Deputy Executive Director, LACBA Counsel for Justice |
| Carmen McDonald, Executive Director, Survivor Justice Center |
| M. Stacey Hawver, Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County |
| Lindsay Nako, Executive Director, Impact Fund |
| Gabriela Perez, Executive Director, Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association |
| Cori Racela, Executive Director, Western Center on Law & Poverty |
| Phil Hwang, CEO, OneJustice |
| Gautam Jagannath, Executive Director, Social Justice Collaborative |
| Leah Simon-Weisberg, Executive Director, California Center for Movement Legal Services |
| Zoe Polk, Executive Director, East Bay Community Law Center |
| Marcus Tang, Executive Director, California Immigration Project |
| Teri Scarlett, Executive Director, Legal Services for Seniors |
| Andy Imparato, CEO, Disability Rights California |
| Patricia Wall, Executive Director, Homeless Action Center |
| Sarah Galvan, Managing Director, Elder Rights, Justice in Aging |
| Janet Schulman, Interim Executive Director, California Women’s Law Center |
| Matt Foreman, Executive Director, AIDS Legal Referral Panel |
| Katrina Logan, Executive Director, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto |
| Jonathan Soglin, Executive Director, First District Appellate Project |
| Sylvia Torres-Guillén, President & CEO, Disability Rights Legal Center |
| Caitlin Chan, Executive Director, Legal Assistance for Seniors |
| Suzanne McCormick, Executive Director, Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) |
| Daniel Casanova, Executive Director, Eviction Defense Collaborative |
| Erika Pinheiro, Executive Director, Al Otro Lado |
| Lindsay Toczylowski, CEO, Immigrant Defenders Law Center |
| Monique Berlanga, Executive Director, Centro Legal de la Raza |
| Connie Chung Joe, CEO, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California |
| Shashi Hanuman, Executive Director, The Public Interest Law Project |
| Yolanda Jackson, Executive Director & General Counsel, Justice & Diversity Center |
| Kristin Mateer, Executive Director, East Bay Children’s Law Offices |
| Adrian Tirtanadi, Executive Director, Open Door Legal |
| Jennifer Smith, Executive Director, Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County |
| Shamus Roller, Executive Director, National Housing Law Project |
| Stephen Knight, Executive Director, Worksafe |