Tenants’ Rights Advocates Reach Landmark Settlement on Behalf of Californians Struggling With Pandemic Rent Debt
A landmark settlement has been reached in a case brought by tenants’ rights advocates alleging that the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) unconstitutionally operated the state’s Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP or Housing is Key), which has led to qualified applicants missing out on the assistance they were promised after the pandemic destroyed many Californians’ livelihoods.
Tenant Rights Groups Celebrate Court Upholding New L.A. City Permanent Tenant Protections
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Denied AAGLA’s Preliminary Injunction and Allowed Tenant Groups to Join the City in the Defense of the Protections.
First Settlements Reached in Section 8 Discrimination Case
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund and Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles have reached the first settlements in a major lawsuit against 22 properties accused of unlawful discrimination against tenants receiving Section 8 vouchers.
Attorneys for Community Groups Denounce California’s Move to Appeal Ruling in Covid-19 Rent Relief Lawsuit
In January, a Superior Court judge ordered the state to develop denial notices that satisfy constitutional due process protections for applicants. OAKLAND, CA – March 2, 2023 – Attorneys representing three community groups suing the State of California for wrongfully denying applicants without adequate process in its Covid-19 rent relief program released a statement today […]
Planned Parenthood LA Inglewood Community Center Partners with LAFLA to Provide Free Legal Aid
Los Angeles, Calif. – Planned Parenthood Los Angeles’ (PPLA) Black Health Initiative today announced its partnership with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) and the UCLA Law Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy (the Center) to provide free legal services to the Inglewood community. “Planned Parenthood Los Angeles’ (PPLA) Black Health Initiative is […]
DREDF and LAFLA Sue 22 Housing Providers for Source-of-Income Discrimination in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Calif. – Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and co-counsel Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) have filed a lawsuit against 22 providers of rental housing in the City of Los Angeles for alleged source-of-income discrimination. The providers are accused of refusing to rent to a disabled participant of the Section […]
California Says Emergency Rental Assistance Program Will Likely Run Out of Funds with Over 140,000 Applicants Still in Limbo
California Says Emergency Rental Assistance Program Will Likely Run Out of Funds with Over 140,000 Applicants Still in Limbo State lawyer says the program’s remaining $177 million could go to private contractor if the state is forced to comply with a Superior Court order, leaving no money for tenants. Oakland, California – January 23, 2023 […]
Executive Director’s Statement on Monterey Park, CA Mass Shooting
Dear Friends & Allies, This weekend’s tragic events are not only troubling, with the increased frequency of mass shootings in our world today, but they hit close to home: LAFLA’s East Los Angeles office is only miles from the incident. We are devastated as we search for responses to this incident that has reopened wounds the […]
Court Rejects Billionaire Developer’s Attack on LA’s Emergency Eviction Protections
LOS ANGELES, November 18, 2022 — A developer’s legal attack on the city’s emergency eviction protections—one that threatened to undermine other protective ordinances and push countless low-income tenants into homelessness—was dismissed Thursday. The developer, Geoffrey Palmer, whose company owns more than 15,000 units in Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit in August of 2021 seeking to overturn […]
LEIF Fellow Focus: Diamond Humphrey
LAFLA’s LEIF Fellows work as summer law clerks and participate in various events and programs where they help clients and build their legal skills. 2022 LEIF Fellow Diamond Humphrey meditated on the complexities and failings of the criminal justice system and the ways in which children affected by parental incarceration become “pressured diamonds.” Diamond’s narrative is […]