“Since Friday, more than 10,000 people have signed a petition asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to release prisoners to stop the COVID-19 infections racing through San Quentin and other state prisons…. Other signers include the American Civil Liberties Union, the California Public Defenders Association, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, East Bay Community Law Center…”
EBCLC Consumer Justice Clinic student, Jessica Williams, breaks down Senate Bill 616 for the Daily Journal.
Today, we share in the community’s celebration upon hearing the U.S. Supreme Court’s momentous ruling that the Trump administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful. The decision, which stems from a legal challenge filed by the Regents of the University of California, the state Attorney General, and others, means that DACA will remain in effect for now…
Join us on Thursday, July 9, 2020 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM in a discussion moderated by Luan Huynh, EBCLC Board Member, as we explore the need for urgent and innovative advocacy in a time of crisis.
While I learned a number of legal skills during my clinical semester at EBCLC, the most important lesson I took away was the importance of working with and being one of the lawyers committed to critical self-reflection.
Today, we share in the community’s celebration upon hearing the U.S. Supreme Court’s momentous ruling that the Trump administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful. The decision, which stems from a legal challenge filed by the Regents of the University of California, the state Attorney General, and others, means that DACA will remain in effect for now…
On February 20, after years of work by EBCLC, community land trusts, and Berkeley government, Mayor Jesse Arreguín introduced the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), a groundbreaking affordable housing policy that prevents displacement by empowering tenants with choices when their owner decides to sell. Raise your voice for TOPA today!
Low-Income Californians Get Protection From Debt Collectors Trying to Clean Out Their Bank Account.
Three years ago, during Brandon Greene’s first week working as a lawyer in a new clinic affiliated with the East Bay Community Law Center, he was handed a stack of cases to review. Each involved a client who was struggling to pay down the fines and fees that easily accumulate in California’s criminal justice system. It was his job to help. A handful of the cases were so old that he couldn’t find current contact information for the clients. He quickly realized that “some of those folks,” even if he did reach them, “could not get back on their feet at all” because of their debt. “The folks who were being affected were mostly indigent,” he said. “Everything costs money. Every program costs money. And a lot of folks can’t afford to pay these things.”
About the East Bay Community Law Center Clean Slate Practice
The Clean Slate Practice of the East Bay Community Law Center uses strategic legal and policy tools to reduce pathways to the criminal justice system and remove barriers to employment and civic participation for people with conviction records. Clean Slate attorneys and advocates provide assistance to clients in the following areas:
Record Remedies:
Decriminalization of Poverty Project (DCOPP)
Homelessness:
EBCLC is a non-profit legal services organization and the community-based clinical program for Berkeley Law School. We are committed to increasing justice through education and advocacy, as well as building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity.
With over 70 staff, 150 law students, and an $8 Million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal advocacy in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients yearly. EBCLC supports is ground-level legal advocacy through legislative and policy advocacy at the local and state level.
The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. We are committed to providing impactful, holistic legal services, policy work, and litigation strategies across five program areas: Housing, Economic Security & Opportunity, Immigration, Health & Welfare, and Education Defense & Justice for Youth. We partner with Berkeley Law School to reject the legal status quo and to reimagine justice for our clients.
EBCLC recognizes that the impact and explicit racialized language being used by those at the highest levels of the U.S. government has a direct impact on people at the intersection of multiple oppressions. Thus, we have deepened our commitment to real security, equity, and belonging; through schools that allow children to feel safe and thrive, meaningful work opportunities, and relief from displacement, deportation, poverty, and debt. EBCLC strives to create a workplace that values dignity and equity for staff, students, and community partners.
It is an exciting time to join EBCLC. We see cities and communities across the country adopt policies launched by EBCLC.
These policies include the elimination of criminal fees and fines, the protection of constitutional rights of unhoused people and the implementation of ordinances providing tenants the first offer and right of refusal of property they live in before it goes on the market.
We recently celebrated 30 years of movement building, policy advocacy, and legal education. Our new Executive Director is excited to partner with a Director of Development invested in systems change to create the organizational vision and planning for EBCLC’s next chapter.
EBCLC seeks a Director of Development (DD) with skills and expertise to lead the development and implementation of a multi-faceted resource development plan. They oversee a comprehensive fund development program in support of a $9million annual budget, which is funded by government contracts, foundations, legal fees, individual donors, and UC Berkeley Law School.
The DD is a relationship and capacity-builder with staff and funders and provides strategic advice to the organization’s leadership.
