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Dear EBCLC Friends and Supporters,
As the nation faces an oncoming recession and California faces a budget shortfall, now more than ever, the East
Bay Community Law Center needs your support to provide vital services to the most vulnerable community members.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, the country’s attention is turned to the subprime mortgage disaster and its devastating effects on all people, regardless of income level. However, those at the lowest end of the economic spectrum—those who EBCLC has worked on behalf of for twenty years—will disproportionately bear the brunt of the housing crisis. Communities of Color—African American and Latino in particular—stand to lose between $146 and $190 BILLION in homes and home equity as a result of the irresponsible and unconscionable sub-prime lending practices that primarily targeted low-income communities.1
NOW MORE THAN EVER, EBCLC’s lawyers, staff, and law students are working to stabilize the lives of our clients and the community. The Housing Practice staff—who are on the front lines of the mortgage crisis in Alameda County—are fighting to preserve the housing of low-income tenants who are being unlawfully and summarily evicted as houses fall into foreclosure, despite legal protections to prevent such evictions. In addition, EBCLC’s lawyers are working with local officials to design a regional response to the crisis, including tenant and homeowner education and coordinated efforts to provide representation to those facing the loss of their homes.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, advocacy to ensure basic income, disability benefits, health care access, reentry opportunities, and community justice must continue in the face of further financial downturns. The work of all of EBCLC’s five practice groups and community outreach projects are critical to the thousands of people who rely on EBCLC’s legal advocates to fight for them when no one else will. Working with our many community partners and supporters—including YOU—EBCLC can help weave together the safety net that has been strained to breaking by the current financial crisis.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, EBCLC is proud to have provided essential legal services and meaningful clinical opportunities for “emerging lawyers” for 20 years. Yet as we celebrate our 20th anniversary and recognize the remarkable work of hundreds of lawyers, over 1,000 EBCLC interns, countless community partners, and more than 40,000 clients, we also recognize that the work is far from over. For all that EBCLC has accomplished, there is more that we must do to work for justice in our community.
To those of you who responded so generously to our year-end Annual Giving Report mailing, I want to let you know how deeply we appreciate your support. You make this crucial work possible.
For those of you who have not donated recently, NOW MORE THAT EVER, I ask that you give what you can to support EBCLC’s work. As we all watch the financial news with heightened anxiety and hope that an economic stimulus package will help, we know that this will not be enough. Many—those who have the least—will lose the most. Please consider a donation to EBCLC to make sure that legal advocates will be available to stand up for—and with—those who need our help.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, I am grateful for the broad base of support that EBCLC has built with your assistance. Thank you for being a crucial part of our work.
1 From “Foreclosed: State of the American Dream 2008.” United for a Fair Economy
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This fall, EBCLC will mark our 20th Anniversary with a celebration of the many people and communities that make EBCLC’s work possible. Please join EBCLC for an evening of music, entertainment, and community on the eve of the Berkeley Law School All-Alumni Weekend. Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 18, 2008, and stay tuned for more information about this exciting event.
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After four years of litigation and negotiation, the Community Economic Justice Practice of EBCLC, directed by Margaretta Lin (Berkeley Law ’91), recently celebrated the settlement of the Pacific Renaissance Plaza case. In September 2007, the Oakland City Council approved a settlement agreement which preserves and expands low-to-moderate income housing in the heart of Oakland’s Chinatown. This victory was driven by a coalition of Pacific Renaissance tenants and housing advocates, including EBCLC, who will continue to work together to build on this model agreement. Community efforts on this case have helped to develop a city-wide community-driven housing plan for Oakland that is responsive to the entire community’s needs, and which will increase affordable rental housing and home ownership , while protecting the rights of existing low-income residents.
We want to express our deep appreciation to the many community members, organizations, and political leaders, including Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, that came together in this struggle and stayed together through a successful conclusion, We would also like to thank our pro bono law firm co-counsel: California Affordable Housing Law Project, Heller Ehrman, Paul Hastings, and Siegel & Yee. The City of Oakland’s counsel, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, was also instrumental in securing the settlement results.
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EBCLC is recognized as one of the premier poverty law clinics in the country, having received local, state, and national
awards for its dual mission of teaching and service, and an emphasis on innovative, multidisciplinary practices driven
by community need.
With the continued help of our constituents, stakeholders, and partners, we will remain at the forefront of innovative and
effective advocacy on behalf of clients and communities in need.
For more information on ways to support EBCLC, please visit:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=10389.
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In order to improve our ability to communicate with EBCLC alums and friends, please send address
changes, news, or updates to Jon Marley, EBCLC Director of Development & Planning, at
marley@ebclc.org.
Back issues of the EBCLC newsletters can be found at www.ebclc.org.
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