Historic tenant protections passed in Sacramento

The Sacramento City Council passed the Tenant Protection and Relief Act on August 13th which caps annual rent increases at 6% plus the change in the Consumer Price Index, gives strong eviction protections to renters, creates an enforcement system that is accessible and responsive to tenants, and creates a rental registry to track housing costs and quality across the city. The significance of this win cannot be overstated. Sacramento is now the first non-coastal city in California with this type of tenant protections.

For the city’s renters, more than half of whom are already paying unaffordable housing costs, it couldn’t have come soon enough. This victory is the result of two years of power-building by the Housing 4 Sacramento coalition in which our Policy Advocate Michelle Pariset has been deeply engaged. 
LAUSD fails to account for $2 billion intended for high-need students

We filed an administrative complaint against LAUSD and the L.A. County Office of Education (LACOE) in July charging the district with improperly accounting for more than $2 billion intended for high-need students and the County for failed oversight in the past. Based on our complaint, LACOE has now identified many of our same concerns and has said that they will not approve the school district's current spending plan without significant changes. We're hopeful that LAUSD will engage the community in a transparent process that ensures English learners, low-income students, and foster youth receive all the new and improved services they are due under the Local Control Funding Formula. Stay tuned for further developments in the coming month.
Governor Newsom, help us pass the Tenant Protection Act

We're hoping that the Governor's support will help move this bill out of the Senate. AB 1482, which stops rent gouging and unfair evictions, is facing fierce opposition from the California Apartment Association and the real estate lobby. Click here to send a message to your Senator letting them know that you support the bill!
Stop Trump from dismantling the Fair Housing Act

The White House and HUD are pushing through a rule that would strip the Fair Housing Act of its biggest tool for enforcement. The Alliance for Housing Justice, of which we are a co-founder, is helping lead the nationwide response to this attack. Make your voice heard by submitting a comment to the federal register today. You can also check out our awesome animated video which explains what's at stake in this fight.
Big wins in the state budget

The state budget signed by Governor Newsom this year included some notable wins. A new data system will be established and allow our state to track student performance from preschool, through high school, college to career. It also included funding for scholarships for those studying to teach in-demand subject areas like special education, STEM, and bilingual education. Charter schools will also now be required to make their budgets and spending plans available to parents and students, much like traditional public schools.
New blog! Housing in the Bay Area: An Untold Story

"The mainstream story of the Bay Area calls the region the most liberal place in the United States. I definitely had this impression before I moved here from North Carolina. However, the Bay Area’s housing policy does not square up with that impression." Check out the rest of this story by Law Fellow Shajuti Hossain!
Marty Glick's 'The Soledad Children' and the fight to end discriminatory IQ tests

Written by longtime Public Advocates board member Marty Glick and his colleague Maurice Jourdane, this book recounts two historic class-action lawsuits: Diana v. the State Board of Education and Larry P. v Riles, which was filed by Public Advocates. As one reader commented, "The story demonstrates the power of our legal system when attorneys are relentless. It was a fight to the finish." Click here for a Q&A with co-author Marty Glick .
The Voices of Conscience Fund: our civil rights war chest

Support for the Voices of Conscience Fund, now in its second year, continues to grow. We're grateful to all our sponsors highlighted above for leading the way! In lieu of hosting a costly annual dinner, Public Advocates has created the Fund to direct 100% of your financial contribution to building the legal firepower necessary to fight for education, housing and transportation equity. You can click here to explore sponsorship levels.
Public Advocates in the News

Our complaint against LAUSD was covered by the Los Angeles Times , ABC 7 , the LA School Report , La Opinión and EdSource .....Managing Attorney Richard Marcantonio is mentioned in The Marin Independent Journal in a story about the reorganization of regional transit authorities.....Public Advocates is mentioned in a Long Beach Post story about the LBUSD Superintendent. 
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