April 6, 2024 – Public Advocates’ Director of Legislative Affairs, Michelle Pariset, spoke with CalMatters reporter Jeanne Kuang, on new legislation that would put in protections for LIHTC (Low Income Housing Tax Credit) buildings and correcting details on LIHTC and legislation from a former story. Currently, low-income renters who live in these affordable are not subject to renter protections for neighbors living in market rate housing. On April 3, 2024, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee passed a rule that new landlords of LIHTC buildings could not raise rents by more than 1 ..read more

California’s Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) provides basic protections for renters against extreme rent increases and unfair evictions. A new law (SB 567) makes important changes that take effect April 1, 2024. Read more about renters’ rights in California under this new law.   The post Renters’ Rights under the Tenant Protection Act (2024) appeared first on Public Advocates ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 21, 2024 Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952 PRESS RELEASE 35,000 AFFORDABLE HOMES LEFT ON TABLE DURING STATE HOUSING CRISIS Fifteen Months Past Due, Wealthiest Cities, Counties Fail to Adopt Legally Required Affordable Housing Action Plans San Francisco—Today Public Advocates and Public Interest Law Project, non-profit civil rights law firms, sent inquiry letters to 39 jurisdictions that are over one year behind in adopting a legally compliant Housing Element—an essential affordable housing action plan. Ove ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2024 Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, Public Advocates, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952 PRESS RELEASE TRANSFORMATIVE TRANSIT BILL INTRODUCED WITH RIDER, WORKER AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES Advocates call for increased transit service, climate and equity investments San Francisco–Today Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Senator Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward) introduced the “Connect Bay Area Act,” SB 1031, to provide sustainable operating funding for Bay Area public transit through a regional ballot measure slated for the 2026 election. T ..read more

FINANCE MANAGER / SENIOR FINANCE MANAGER – PUBLIC ADVOCATES INC.Location: CA-Based Location Flexible (Remote/Hybrid with Limited Travel) Status: Exempt, Full-Time Salary: Finance Manager $80,000-$90,000; Senior Finance Manager $90,000-$110,000 ABOUT PUBLIC ADVOCATESFor more than 50 years, Public Advocates Inc. has been on the frontlines of social justice movements in California, making rights real. As a bold and highly regarded nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination, we pride ourselves on our ability to skillfully d ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday March 11, 2024 Press Contact: Jeff Perlstein, Urban Habitat (415) 225-6673 Sumeet Bal, Public Advocates (917) 647-1952 Priced-Out Renters in Affordable Housing Organize for Change, State Regulators Meet Tuesday for a Public Hearing New report sheds light on why renters in for-profit affordable housing are advocating for stronger protections and better living conditions Sacramento, Calif.— A new report, The Failure of For-Profit Affordable Housing and How Tenants Are Organizing for Change, exposes how for-profit developers are exploiting a loophole in state law to i ..read more

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 21, 2024 Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal[at]publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952 SCHOOL FACILITIES MATTER Civil Rights Law Firm, Community Organizations Demand State End Unconstitutional School Bond Funding Before 2024 Statewide Ballot Measure; Threaten Legal Action San Francisco–Today Public Advocates, a non-profit civil rights law firm, pro bono counsel Goodwin Procter LLP, and impacted students, families, residents, and grassroots community organizations from across the state demanded the state end its highly discriminat ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2024 Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952 Read the demand letter here PRESS ADVISORY Civil Rights Law Firm, Community Organizations Demand State End Unconstitutional, Unfair School Bond Funding Before Statewide Ballot Measure This Year; Legal Action Threatened San Francisco–Public Advocates, a non-profit civil rights law firm, pro bono counsel Goodwin Proctor LLP, and impacted students, families, residents, and grassroots community organizations will speak at a virtual press conference tomorrow, Wednesd ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2024 Media Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communication, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952 Madison D’Ornellas, Communications Specialist, mdornellas@rise-economy.org, 562.825.6034 No Place to Hide Champion for Working Families Introduces Legislation Supporting Greater Transparency and Justice for Californians Sacramento, Calif.—Today, Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) introduced SB 1201, the Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) Owner Transparency Act, to require the owners of businesses held in LLCs and similar corporate entities to disclose th ..read more

January 31, 2024 Contact: Sumeet Bal, Director of Communications, sbal@publicadvocates.org, 917.647.1952 Civil Rights Law Firm Files Complaints to Address Educator Staffing Concerns in WCCUSD Educators raise alarm on district inaction to address staff vacancies properly, failing low-income, African American students, and multilingual learners SAN FRANCISCO–Today Public Advocates, a non-profit civil rights law firm, filed three Williams complaints with the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Three schools, Stege Elementary School, Helms Middle School, and John F. Kennedy High School, hav ..read more