Public Counsel

The stakes are high for small businesses & small nonprofits in CA. We urge Governor Gavin Newsom to sign #SB1103 into law! Protect the backbone of our economy. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gpJanVhi #SupportSmallBusiness #SmallNonprofits

Munger Tolles & Olson was honored to host MTO alumna and Public Counsel's newly appointed CEO & president, Kathryn Eidmann, as part of our Alumni Lunch Series. During her presentation, Kathryn highlighted several impactful matters in which Public Counsel and MTO have partnered over the years, reaffirming our shared commitment to public service.    We look forward to continuing this strong relationship and are excited to see the positive developments that will unfold under Kathryn’s leadership.    Thank you, Kathryn, for sharing your inspiring journey with our MTO community.    #MTO #MTOalumni  

Join us in celebrating Mark Rosenbaum’s incredible 50 years of fighting for justice! From landmark civil rights cases to ensuring access to education for all, Mark's impact on public interest law is extraordinary. The Daily Journal Corporation honors his remarkable career and his ten years with Public Counsel, where he continues to champion systemic change. Read more about his legacy here: https://lnkd.in/gNQQNfbh? Thank you, Mark, for your dedication and groundbreaking contributions—and congratulations on reaching this milestone! #PublicInterestLaw #CivilRights #JusticeForAll

In a landmark ruling on Friday, a federal judge delivered a sweeping victory for disabled veterans, holding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable for failing to honor its obligations on the West Los Angeles VA campus and ordering the campus to be used for housing and healthcare for disabled veterans, as originally intended. The ruling is a major victory for veterans’ rights and promises to transform how the VA treats and cares for its veterans. Among other key findings, the Court’s order: —Voids four significant land-use leases on the West LA VA campus: UCLA Baseball Complex, Brentwood School, parking facility, and oil drilling. —Requires the construction of an additional 1,800 additional units of permanent housing for disabled veterans on or near the West LA Veterans Campus. —Requires the construction of 750 temporary supportive units within 18 months. The lush 388-acre West LA Campus was donated to the VA in 1888 to provide housing and healthcare to veterans. However, the VA only provides a fraction of the supportive housing needed to serve thousands of disabled homeless veterans in Los Angeles. Instead, the VA has entered into illegal leases on the land, and despite promising in a 2015 settlement to construct 1,200 units of new permanent supportive housing on its West LA campus, the VA had failed to build a single new unit by the time the veterans filed their lawsuit in 2022. Judge Carter's order calls for 1,800 permanent units to be built on the land within six years, in addition to the 1200 units the VA has already promised, with an additional 750 temporary supportive units built within 18 months. The class action was filed in late 2022 by courageous unhoused veterans and the National Veterans Foundation. Public Counsel is proud to stand alongside our co-counsel, Robins Kaplan LLP, Brown, Goldstein & Levy, and Inner City Law Center, in securing this victory for our clients and the unhoused veteran community. The court will appoint a monitor to ensure the VA and its co-defendants adhere to the ruling. A separate hearing on injunctive relief will be held Sept. 25. Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/guNhtnDY

All litigants, regardless of their economic status or representation, deserve to have a verbatim record of court proceedings to ensure accountability and the ability to review legal decisions. Yet, due to a severe shortage of court reporters, over half a million family law, probate, and unlimited civil proceedings in Los Angeles County have occurred without a verbatim record during a recent 18-month span. This gap means that many litigants, especially those who are self-represented and cannot afford private court reporters, are unable to obtain a verbatim record of their proceedings. We applaud the Los Angeles Superior Court for addressing this critical problem by issuing a new General Order yesterday allowing electronic recording in these proceedings when court reporters are unavailable. This action ensures that litigants’ rights are protected, providing fairness, transparency, and access to justice for all. #AccessToJustice #CourtReporterCrisis #FairnessForAll #LASuperiorCourt

SB 1103, the first state-wide commercial tenant protection law, has passed the legislature! As the daughter of small business owners who struggled for years to keep their little restaurant afloat, this moment feels so emotional. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard on this critical bill and encouraged their elected officials to support it! Its incumbent on each of us to protect our small business and nonprofit infrastructure. With Senator Menjivar and her staff leading the way, our legislators have showed us that the state can and must play a role in supporting this important ecosystem and expanding the rights of commercial tenants. On to the Governor! Public Counsel Inclusive Action for the City @bettzedek @smallbusinessmajority @cameo @lccrsf Diego Nelson Caroline Menjivar Doug Smith Rudy Espinoza Nicole Anand Carol Gonzalez Christopher Sanchez Nadia Segura Jassmin Antolin Poyaoan Bianca Blomquist Heidi Pickman Carie Martin Raymond Fang Adé T.W. Jackson Amy Chong Erica Liepmann Luz Castro

Public Counsel, alongside our co-counsel, is leading a historic trial to hold the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) accountable for failing to address veteran homelessness and provide essential housing and healthcare for disabled veterans. The class action lawsuit was filed in December 2022 by fourteen courageous veterans experiencing homelessness and the National Veterans Foundation. The suit seeks to ensure the VA honors its obligations under an 1888 deed that transferred 388 acres of prime real estate, where the West LA VA Medical Center is located, to serve as a Soldier’s Home for disabled veterans. Last week, Judge David Carter, who is presiding over the case, personally visited the VA’s West LA Campus to evaluate how the land is being managed and whether it fulfills its intended purpose. The Los Angeles Times featured the story on its front page this week! Closing arguments took place today. The outcome will shape the future of veteran care and determine how our nation honors its commitment to those who have served. We are proud to partner with our co-counsel, Robins Kaplan LLP, Inner City Law Center, and Brown, Goldstein & Levy, in this critical litigation. Read the LA Times story here: https://lnkd.in/gEJjAa_3

We appreciate the work of Emily Alpert Reyes to spotlight our efforts to combat racial and language disparities in services for children with disabilities! For years, Public Counsel’s Children’s Rights Project has highlighted the urgent need to address racial and language disparities in service delivery for children with developmental disabilities. Our 2022 report exposed California’s systemic failures in reducing these disparities, which continue to persist. A recent Los Angeles Times article highlights our efforts and the alarming issue of unspent funds at California’s regional centers—a network of state-funded but independently run agencies charged with providing services to Californians with developmental disabilities—which could have provided essential services to these children. This story underscores the critical importance of our advocacy and the need for continued action to ensure all children receive the support they deserve. https://lnkd.in/gr_CA_RW

So grateful for our collaboration with the Office for the Advancement of Early Care & Education, LA County Regional Planning, and various other County agencies to ensure we have Child Care for All! Check out our toolkits: https://lnkd.in/gthFz6cS

Sharon Balmer Cartagena, from Public Counsel, helped shape the law that led excluding poverty alone as a reason to report child welfare cases under “general neglect.” As Brandon Nichols, director of LA County DCFS notes in the article below, “There's better ways to handle situations where families are struggling, [where] families don't have access to economic supports.” The hard follow-up question is, how do you handle those situations? Great to see the effort to train people in ways to support the families. Sharon has also been hard at work since before the law's passage trying to put in place solutions to that question. For example, she is helping build the infrastructure needed to connect families with services like legal aid lawyers to address matters related to employment law, evictions, and family law. Its been incredible to witness first hand her tireless commitment to serving children and families impacted by the foster care system. Bet Tzedek Legal Services attorneys have been embedded in schools for over two years now in an effort to make it easier for families in need to connect with legal services. We are proud to play our role in ensuring the wellbeing of children, and we look forward to working with leaders like Sharon to support families and children in need. [And yes of course, I'm biased 😉 ]