Dear Friend,
If you’re like me, you spent the final days of 2020 reflecting on what a challenging year it was and looking forward to a fresh start in 2021.
Now that the new year is well underway, it’s obvious that any sense of calm we envisioned was not meant to be!
As you’ll read in this month’s e-newsletter, the housing crisis continues to loom large for our clients and so many people in Silicon Valley. Our team is highlighting the incredible challenges facing low-income renters of color in our community in addition to providing critical legal representation.
My colleagues in our Children & Youth Program are advocating for one important step in ending the school-to-prison pipeline by removing police from schools and allocating more funding for educational justice.
We have good news to share about the addition of Abre’ Conner to our team. With extensive experience in law and civil rights advocacy, Abre’ is already bringing to bear her leadership skills and depth of knowledge of health equity issues.
The Law Foundation’s longtime supporter Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP recently launched a Racial, Social, and Economic Justice Fellowship Program, to deploy six fellows to working full-time on civil rights, racial justice and economic empowerment issues at nonprofit organizations. We are fortunate to be an early beneficiary with the arrival of Fellow Roza Patterson.
Finally, we were awarded a generous grant from Facebook as part of its nationwide effort to support nonprofits working on racial justice issues.
I am grateful to our incredible partners who continue to invest in the Law Foundation community.
With gratitude,
Alison Brunner, Esq.
CEO
NEWS
The Luxury of Staying Home - Law Foundation Data Shows Communities of Color & Women Most At-Risk of Housing Instability
On Feb. 1, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley's Housing Program hosted a webinar "The Luxury of Staying Home,” attended by almost 200 elected officials, housing advocates, and community members.
The webinar focused on the experiences of low-income renters. Not everyone has had the luxury of staying home during the pandemic, despite guidance from local and state officials that staying home is the best way to protect yourself and your family. Low-income renters and people of color, who make up a disproportionate number of those impacted by the pandemic and its economic stress, are facing unprecedented obstacles to health, stability, and access to housing.
“This public health crisis has only exacerbated the housing crisis that we were already in”, said Nadia Aziz, directing attorney. “And we know the ongoing housing crisis exacerbated the public health crisis. When people are housing insecure they’re more at risk of getting sick.”
Aziz provided data and insight into the current state of low-income tenants amidst the pandemic. A panel featuring community leaders discussed the critical role safe housing plays in the well-being of adults and children.
Since the pandemic hit, the Law Foundation’s Housing program has served more than 4,000 people, a 20% increase from the same period last year. About one-third of those clients are families with children and two-thirds of residents calling are women, representing a 14% increase.
The data presented also highlights that Black and Latina/o/x families are disproportionately impacted, as they make up two-thirds of the people who are calling the Law Foundation seeking help. This year, we are seeing a 30% increase in the number of Latino/a/x families served from 2019. Learn more by watching the recorded webinar here.
Housing program data shows the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families and women.
Welcoming Abre' Conner as the Law Foundation's Health Directing Attorney
The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley is pleased to welcome its new Directing Attorney of Health Abre’ Conner. As Directing Attorney, Abre’ will lead the organization’s litigation and advocacy regarding health equity and the social determinants of health that impact historically excluded communities across Silicon Valley. Abre’ sits on the Law Foundation’s race equity and inclusion steering committee and leads work regarding jail conditions in Santa Clara County.
Prior to joining the Law Foundation, Abre’ was a staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, where she advocated for the civil rights and liberties of Central Valley and Northern California residents. She led their statewide data collection campaign within the ACLU’s racial and economic justice program regarding COVID-19 related public health data collection and accountability. Read more.
Orrick Racial, Social, and Economic Justice Fellowship Program
We are excited to partner with Roza Patterson of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP as part of Orrick’s Racial, Social, and Economic Justice Fellowship Program.
In 2020, Orrick launched this program to partner with organizations working on the frontlines to address both local community needs and national policy. The six Fellows will devote an entire year to working full-time on civil rights, racial justice and economic empowerment issues at nonprofit organizations.
With a master’s in human rights, Roza brings a strong commitment to pro bono service to Orrick. She has focused on helping victims of domestic violence and unfair eviction and defending clients’ rights under the Criminal Justice Act. At the Law Foundation, she will continue her work on litigation advocacy and eviction defense on behalf of underrepresented individuals and families in Santa Clara County.
Please join us in welcoming Roza as she helps us continue to fight for equity on behalf of low-income people and communities of color. Read more.
Law Foundation in the News
California Renters Face Eviction as Pandemic Protections Expire (San Jose Inside)
Mountain View Voters Passed Measure C. Now What Happens to RV Dwellers? (KQED)
San Jose approves rent freeze for apartments, mobile homes through June (San Jose Spotlight)
South Bay tenants, landlords anxious as evictions loom, debt piles up (San Jose Spotlight)
Facebook Live: Renters Rights Against Evictions / Derechos de Inquilinos Contra Desalojos (Univision)
ADVOCACY
Community Action for Police Free Schools
The Law Foundation works closely with community organizers, parents, and students in the struggle against systemic racism in schools and in advocating for educational justice. Currently, our attorneys are planning a three-part learning series for the Valley Medical Center pediatric community about the school-to-prison pipeline.
During the upcoming school year, we plan to meet with frontline providers to discuss the racial inequities that our clients face, including the lack of special education assessment and services for students of color, inequities for non-English-language learners, the disproportionate impact of suspension and expulsion policies on students of color, and the need to remove police from schools.
For more information about these issues, our staff recommends:
Watching "Black Lives Matter at School: California Edition" and reading the book "Black Lives Matter at School An Uprising for Educational Justice", which highlights the grassroots efforts that attorneys and advocates can take in partnership with our community to create equitable learning environments for all children. The video features a panel that includes a local San Jose teacher, Taunya Jaco.
Reading “What We Believe: A Black Lives Matter Principles Activity Book.”
Read “We Need Police Out of Our Schools—Now”, an interview with Minneapolis student leader Nathanial Genene about the uprising, removing police from public schools, and the need to rethink what school looks like.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Law Foundation Awarded Facebook Racial Justice Grant
We’re excited to share that the Law Foundation received a generous grant of more than $270,000 on behalf of Facebook employees as part of their commitment to support local and national nonprofits working on racial justice in the United States.
Housing Program Provides Education on Tenants Rights
As eviction moratoriums change, our attorneys and community housing advocates are continuing to answer renters’ questions through phone, email, and community outreach. Most recently, our team held an online webinar about SB91, California’s extension of the existing eviction moratorium. More resources.
DACA Accepting New Applications
A federal judge ordered DACA to begin accepting new applications for the program, which protected undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children from deportation. This is great news for some of our Children & Youth clients who receive help from our attorneys and social workers in applying when they’re eligible. Read more.
Protecting LGBTQIA People From Discrimination
The Law Foundation applauds President Biden’s Executive Order solidifying the government’s obligation to protect LGBTQIA people from discrimination in federally funded programs. The Law Foundation made public comments opposing several of the prior administration’s attempts to weaken these protections. Read more.
PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT
Ninth Circuit Upholds San Jose Rent Registry
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld San Jose's Rent Registry. Thank you to the Cooley LLP team for partnering with us to submit an amicus brief in support of the registry, which requires landlords in rent-controlled buildings to provide information to the city to ensure compliance with renter protections.
2021 EARLY ANNUAL PARTNERS
A special thank you to our early 2021 Annual Partners who have already committed to supporting the Law Foundation for the upcoming year.
List as of Feb. 18, 2021
Platinum Partners ($110,000+)
PALLADIUM ($50,000)
McManis Faulkner
silver ($35,000)
NetApp
Copper ($25,000)
KLA Foundation
Silicon ($15,000)
Adobe
Ankura Consulting Group
eBay, Inc.
Iron ($10,000)
Cadence Design Systems
Elevate
Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP