Dear Friends and Supporters,
Making equal justice a reality takes all of us. The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles stands at the forefront of change, not only because of our expert advocacy for every client who walks through our doors, but also because of our deep investment in the power of our communities. Through collaboration, capacity-building, and a shared vision, we’re growing the movement for change. Those we are privileged to serve deserve no less.
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In 2023, LAFLA expanded access to justice with new programs and partnerships designed to maximize our reach across Los Angeles County by building out our team of onsite advocates already deployed inside courthouses, healthcare facilities, and other resource hubs. We joined forces with healthcare providers to bring holistic services to Inglewood; launched legal clinics at three domestic violence shelters in the Greater L.A. area; and allied with local partners to meet the unique needs of labor trafficking victims from the Philippines. We also created the Unhoused People’s Justice Project to drive systemic change in deep partnership with our unhoused neighbors. By serving our communities from within, we bring justice into reach for people who need it most.
This year, LAFLA also mobilized a growing network of supporters to help bridge the justice gap. We tapped into the talent of L.A.’s dynamic legal community, connecting skilled volunteers to meaningful opportunities to transform lives. Our advocacy has spurred government agencies in housing and healthcare to become better partners to the millions of Californians who rely on their resources.
Like you, we’re in this fight for the long term. This year, we sustained the movement by cultivating the next generation of public interest advocates. Our growing programs for law students, including our housing justice post-graduate fellowships and our new practicum for survivor advocacy, keep us moving forward on the path to justice.
We’re pleased to share our 2023 annual report outlining the ways LAFLA continues to deepen our reach, empower our communities, and create transformative change. In 2024, as we celebrate 95 years, we’re excited to continue leading the movement for justice with all of you.
In solidarity,
Silvia R. Argueta
Executive Director
Amy Lerner-Hill
President, LAFLA Board 2022-2024
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
STAY HOUSED L.A.
LAFLA proudly leads Stay Housed L.A., a City- and County- funded initiative to prevent homelessness and expand access to justice for renters. In 2023, Stay Housed grew to 11 legal service providers and 16 community-based organizations that collectively reached out to 418,603 tenants, held 404 educational workshops and clinics, and provided 8,412 low-income households with legal services. To expand and sustain this crucial work, LAFLA also launched an ambitious initiative mobilizing private attorneys to add their voices to the movement to keep people housed.
LAFLA Pro Bono Director Phong Wong and Housing Justice Director Barbara Schultz speak to prospective pro bono volunteers at an event hosted by the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.
RENEWING HOPE FOR 100K CALIFORNIA RENTERS
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a staggering 1.5 million California households fell behind on rent. Many applied for the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or Housing is Key, hoping to stabilize their families and avoid eviction. But three years into the program, 100,000 families were still waiting for a decision—while others were wrongly denied assistance. With our partners at Public Counsel, Western Center on Law & Poverty, and Covington Burling LLP, LAFLA took action. In 2023, we reached a landmark settlement with the Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) that offered a renewed pathway for tenants left in limbo to receive the critical support they were promised.
EXPANDING ACCESS FOR
DISABLED SENIORS
Over 1.4 million Californians, primarily seniors, rely on health benefits from both Medicare and Medi- Cal. When LAFLA discovered that private insurance companies were exploiting a technicality to deny wheelchairs and other critical medical equipment to vulnerable elders, we stepped up to make things right. After successfully appealing a wheelchair denial for a severely disabled senior, LAFLA and our partners at Disability Rights California escalated the issue to the California Department of Health Care Services. Together, we secured a key policy update that unequivocally banned this unjust tactic—ensuring that millions of low-income seniors can access the tools they need to live independently.
PROMOTING COMMUNITY WELLBEING WITH THE BLACK HEALTH INITIATIVE
Basic needs like housing, food, and safety are fundamental to healthy living. This year, LAFLA and partners launched the Black Health Initiative at the Inglewood Health Center to cultivate health and wellbeing in communities impacted by racism and discrimination. The newest of our Medical-Legal Partnerships, this collaboration with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and the UCLA School of Law Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy brings together legal and medical services to empower patients with a holistic approach to a long and healthy life.
Photo: LAFLA Executive Director Silvia Argueta, former Managing Attorney Ronnette Ramos, and Supervising Attorney Tanya McGary with partners at the launch of the Black Health Initiative.
COMBATING INTERNATIONAL
LABOR TRAFFICKING
California is one of the largest hotspots for forced labor in the United States, and a significant number of victims come from the Philippines. This year, LAFLA launched Southern California’s first legal clinic dedicated to providing comprehensive services and education for the Filipino migrant community on issues such as wage theft, public benefits claims, and immigration relief. This unique program leverages our deep relationships with community groups to obtain justice for exploited migrants in the region.
Photo: LAFLA attorney Shawntel Williams conducts a community outreach event with partners from Search to Involve Pilipino Americans.
PARTNERING TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Safe families grow safe communities. This year, LAFLA pioneered new partnerships to expand the network of resources supporting survivors of domestic violence. To meet people where they are, we launched a shelter-based clinic program at three emergency shelters across Los Angeles County—allowing survivors to obtain Domestic Violence Restraining Orders from a place of safety. We also partnered with UCLA School of Law to train law students with the first ever Domestic Violence Prevention Practicum, positioning them to become strong advocates for survivor justice.
Top: LAFLA paralegal Teresa Cevallos and attorney Clara Mora with partners from the Women’s & Children’s Crisis Shelter. Bottom: UCLA Practicum students Hannah Kim and Andrew Donoghue with supervisor Professor Ann Sidwell.
SERVICES
CLIENT INTAKE WORKGROUP
SUPPORT SERVICES WORKGROUP
ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER (API) COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECT
ECONOMIC STABILITY WORKGROUP
EVICTION DEFENSE CENTER
In 2023, our pioneering Eviction Defense Center celebrated its 40th anniversary. Having laid the groundwork of L.A.’s homelessness prevention programs in 1983, we continue to lead the way with Stay Housed L.A., a regional collaboration to keep tenants housed through legal representation, know- your-rights education, and case management.
HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES WORKGROUP
We build strong, vibrant communities by preventing displacement, preserving generational wealth, and supporting self-determination. Our community- lawyering approach to litigation and policy advocacy supports tenants in enacting and enforcing housing laws, and builds capacity in community-based organizations.
IMMIGRATION ACCESS WORKGROUP
MEDICAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIPS
We cultivate healthy communities by addressing basic needs like stable housing, access to food, and safe families. Through partnerships at six major healthcare providers across L.A. County, our nationally recognized model helps patients and their families overcome the social, legal, and economic problems that can play a major role in health and wellbeing.
RESTORING COMMUNITIES WORKGROUP
SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY OFFICE
Our Santa Monica office offers the full range of LAFLA’s services to the unique Santa Monica community, including housing rights, family law, and public benefits.
SELF-HELP LEGAL ACCESS CENTERS
SURVIVOR AND FAMILY JUSTICE WORKGROUP
UNHOUSED PEOPLE’S JUSTICE PROJECT
In 2023, LAFLA formally created this new workgroup reflecting our longstanding commitment to defending unhoused people’s civil and human rights. We work alongside community organizations, unhoused residents, and tenants to end the criminalization of homelessness, secure the civil rights of unhoused people, and prevent displacement from shelters and other temporary housing.
VETERANS JUSTICE CENTER
2023 IMPACT
L.A. County residents benefited from LAFLA’s services
Clients served in 26+ languages
of clients have a disability
of clients are transgender
978 volunteers
Veterans served
WHO WE HELP
By Race/Ethnicity*
By Age*
By Gender*
By Legal Issue*
TRANSFORMING LIVES
Community Leader Clears Record to Pursue a Career Giving Back
Walter went to jail for the first time at just 13 years old, when he was drawn into his neighborhood gang. He spent his teens in and out of juvenile hall until, at 19, he was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
In prison, Walter worked hard to “recreate himself.” He completed Alcoholics Anonymous, which he said changed his life, and enrolled in college courses, studying child development in hopes of becoming a better parent to his three young daughters.
When Walter was released in 2018, he came home to a different world than the one he had left in 1999. But in his own neighborhood, many things had stayed the same. Years of systemic disinvestment continued to limit the resources and opportunities available to young people. Walter saw the cycle of trauma and incarceration repeating in the next generation—and he decided to do something about it.
First, he started volunteering with a reentry nonprofit, overseeing community education and tattoo removal programs. He quickly built a reputation as a community leader, receiving recognition from his City Councilmember and State Assemblymember. Soon, even his own former parole officers came to him seeking resources for current parolees.
Through this work, Walter discovered a passion for helping others overcome substance abuse and change their lives, as he had. But despite his achievements, his criminal record still held him back; for some jobs, even his juvenile convictions were disqualifying. Then, Walter was referred to the L.A. County D.O.O.R.S. Community Reentry Center—an innovative partnership among LAFLA, county departments, and other resources for justice-impacted people.
At D.O.O.R.S., LAFLA paralegal Madison worked with Walter to file three felony expungement petitions, and attorneys Marvel and Ian represented Walter at each of his hearings—even meeting with the same prosecutor who had sent him to prison decades before. Walter’s expungements were granted, and his past convictions will no longer overshadow his qualifications and achievements. Today, Walter is on his way to completing a certification in substance abuse counseling so he can continue making an impact on his community.
TRANSFORMING LIVES
Street Vending Household Impacted by COVID-19 Achieves Financial Stability
Felipe* and his wife Maricela* worked together as mechanics for decades after immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico.
Early in the pandemic, they caught COVID-19—and it changed their lives forever. Both suffered damage to their lungs and kidneys, but Felipe, who had diabetes, was hit especially hard. After two surgeries, he was left blind in one eye and requiring dialysis for the rest of his life. He would not be able to work.
Maricela became Felipe’s caretaker, administering his dialysis at home. When she could, she went to work as a street vendor selling fruit and nopales. The cash she made was their only income. For a time, they found ways to barely scrape by—borrowing from relatives, selling Felipe’s truck, and putting the rent on credit cards to avoid eviction. But they needed stability.
Felipe got treatment at Los Angeles County’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center in Willowbrook, and he knew that LAFLA attorneys worked onsite as part of a Medical-Legal Partnership to help patients stabilize their lives. At first, he had worked with a county program designed to help people apply for benefits. But LAFLA soon learned that major missteps by the program were preventing Felipe from getting the support he was eligible for. His application for the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) was wrongly denied; he should have been receiving greater coverage from Medi-Cal; and official notices were sent to him only in English, which he could not understand.
For months, a team of LAFLA advocates—including paralegals Rodrigo and Alejandra, law clerk Dizbeth, and attorneys Sheyda, Andrew, and Tanya— advocated on Felipe’s behalf to the Countywide Benefits Entitlement Services Team (CBEST) and Department of Public Social Services (DPSS). Thanks to their extensive intervention, Felipe’s applications for disability benefits and full-scope Medi-Cal were finally approved. Now, Felipe and Maricela have a regular source of income to keep their household afloat and put their minds at ease.
FINANCIALS
Revenue & Support
Expenses
DONATED SERVICES
THANK YOU
PRESIDENT
Amy Lerner-Hill
VICE PRESIDENT
Kahn A. Scolnick
SECRETARY
Brianne Wiese
TREASURER
Lynette M. Jones
COMMUNITY COMMITTEE CHAIR
C. Cleo Ray
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Karen J. Adelseck
Eric Bakewell
Wendy R. Cabil
Kyle Casazza
Sean A. Commons
Carissa Coze
Joseph B. Farrell
Marc Feinstein
Debra L. Fischer
Gary E. Gans
Felix Garcia
Naomi Haywood
Silvia Hernandez
James E. Hornstein
Kimberly Klinsport
Bethany Kristovich
Clementina Lopez
Michael Maddigan
John Maldonado
Matthew Marmolejo
Louise Mbella
Virginia F. Milstead
Kevin J. Minnick
Fanny Ortiz
Adam S. Paris
Chris Rivas
David Lewis Sagal
Kareen Sandoval
Marc M. Seltzer
Linus Shentu
Jeff A. Taylor
Ronald B. Turovsky
Pamela Westhoff
Amgen Pac-Match Gift Program
Andrues/Podberesky
Center for Biological Diversity
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Crowell & Moring
Elks of Los Angeles Foundation
The Los Angeles Lee Linden Foundation
Fidelity Brokerage Services
Lever Family Fund
Mass General Brigham
Matian Firm | La Liga Defensora
McMaster-Carr Supply Company
Moradian Law
Ontra
Reed Smith
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
ANGEL
Munger, Tolles & Olson
GUARDIAN ANGEL
Latham & Watkins
GUARDIAN
Cheryl & Haim Saban
City National Bank
Kirkland & Ellis
Morgan Lewis
O’Melveny
Orrick
Paul Hastings
Skadden
GUARDIAN ADVOCATE
The Audet Law Foundation
ADVOCATE
Fox
Gibson Dunn
Jenner & Block
Manatt
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
Sheppard Mullin
PATRON
AT&T
Debra Fischer & Sherwin Frey
Foley & Lardner
Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai
HKA
Hogan Lovells
Loeb & Loeb
Mayer Brown
McGuireWoods
Pasich
Proskauer
Sidley
Southern California Edison
Sullivan & Cromwell
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
PARTNER
Covington
Gallagher
Glaser Weil
Greenberg Glusker
Insurance Office of America
Jim Hornstein & Victoria Diamantidis
Jones Day
KPMG
Marc Seltzer
Martin & Karen Tachiki
The Morrison Foerster Foundation
Northrop Grumman
Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project of Los Angeles County
Polsinelli
Potomac Law Group
Reed Smith
Rita Tuzon & Rick Stone
Seyfarth
Schonbrun Seplow Harris Hoffman & Zeldes
Spertus Landes & Josephs
Telacu
Xerox
