California Rural Legal Assistance Explained
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) is an important part of the legal support system for rural communities in the state, including El Centro. According to their website, CRLA has been working to provide legal assistance to California’s underserved communities for over 50 years. "We defend basic human rights, empower communities to fight for social justice, and protect vulnerable community members. We partner with the diverse leaders and organizations that serve the low-income immigrant population to reduce poverty, oppression, and injustice." The mission and vision of CRLA are to "promote social and economic equality, individual rights, and a sustainable environment" through seeking policies to "advance justice and equity for farmworkers and impoverished communities in rural areas of California."
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, California’s statewide Provider of Civil Legal Aid, assists people in California’s low-income rural communities. This non-profit organization works directly with victims of injustice to help them access meaningful justice in their lives and fight back against groundless abuse. CRLA has been serving hundreds of residents of Imperial County for over two decades.
CRLA’s assistance is vital for persons in El Centro who face discrimination in wages or housing , or are threatened with deportation if they exercise their right to report criminal activity or cooperate with law enforcement authorities if they are victims or witnesses to a crime. Counsel may be provided directly or through the local non-profit and pro bono attorneys.
The CRLA El Centro/Riverside Office provides legal services to people in need through a wide variety of programs that offer assistance to Pro Se (People that represent themselves), insurance claims, legal representation, housing, consumer, eviction, senior, veterans, family law, disaster, citizenship, and pro bono representation. The clients served by CRLA include single parents, senior citizens, veterans, LGBTQ, children, farm workers, field workers, day laborers, 1099 employees, seasonal workers, leisure, hospitality, and retail employees.
CRLA regularly collaborates with public agencies and local non-profits to provide effective solutions to community concerns. One such collaborative effort is CRLA’s work with Border Patrol and ICE, in coordination with the ASPCA, to provide free legal services to families impacted by the most recent California wildfires.
El Centro’s Connection to CRLA
CRLA’s Presence in El Centro and the Surrounding Areas
In addition to their office in Indio, California Rural Legal Assistance operates a branch at the very southern end of Imperial County in El Centro. These attorneys and paralegals serve the community, and accept legal aid applications from surrounding areas such as Mecca and the county of San Bernardino. Most of the work CRLA does out of El Centro is focused on providing Pro Bono immigration services to the Desert Valley in California, both to permanent residents and to those who are seeking citizenship and would like assistance with their application for naturalization.
The CRLA office in El Centro was first opened in 1966, and provides free legal assistance to low-income clients in a variety of civil cases. Aside from immigration, the CRLA attorneys are also able to take Pro Bono cases in labor law, public benefits issues and family law. The work CRLA workers do in the local area creates a positive community impact for people who might otherwise not have access to legal counsel.
If you are in need of legal assistance and would like to submit an application to CRLA, you can fill out an online form or give their office a call.
Areas of Legal Assistance Provided
The scope of legal support offered by CRLA significantly benefits the residents of El Centro. Employment law issues are prevalent. It is common for individuals to be as vulnerable as the workers in El Centro. Workers often suffer wage and hour violations. They also face job termination after making complaints regarding such violations. When the incidence of wage and hour violations becomes a pattern, the situation should be investigated. The potential for attorneys fees can be a big incentive for those facing wage and hour violations to come forward with their complaints. Another area where the attorneys services help is housing rights. There have been numerous properties where every tenant faced eviction even though it was illegal to do so. The tenants simply could not afford to keep up with multiple unfair court cases. Due to their oppression, many people facing multiple court cases in same premises are never able to keep up with the pressure of facing off a variety of court cases. Education is another area where assistance is provided. Many children require assistance to get special needs programs from their school districts. Many attempts to get help from government agencies are ignored. The local office of CRLA has made numerous efforts towards solving these problems with their skills and expertise. Aiding people in immigration is another area where lawyers of CRLA have assisted people. Many people are successfully able to apply for immigration as a result of their assistance.
How to Find and Access CRLA in El Centro
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) provides a range of services to low-income residents of El Centro and surrounding communities. Eligibility for CRLA services is largely determined by income level and the specific area of law in which assistance is being sought.
As a first step, residents should visit the CRLA website and navigate to the "Find Services" tab. From there, select "California Rural Legal Assistance" and then "El Centro" to identify the types of assistance available in-person at the local office. The website provides information on available services, including housing, public benefits, immigration, employment, and more.
Once the resident has determined that they are seeking assistance in one of the listed areas, they can proceed to the next step. For most services, the individual or family will be required to fill out an online application or application form (available for download from the website) and submit it along with additional requested paperwork to establish proof of income, residency, or other eligibility factors.
After submitting the application form, the applicant should wait for a confirmation of receipt and then contact the local office via the number provided on the website for any further follow-up or clarification. Specific eligibility criteria may vary depending on the individual’s needs and on the type of legal assistance being requested.
It should also be noted that for some issues – such as notario fraud, wrongful foreclosures, and medical-legal needs – El Centro residents can also go directly to the CRLA website and submit a request for help on those specific issues.
Residents should not hesitate to apply for CRLA services; failure to do so before taking legal action in some of the example cases listed above could have a negative effect on their case.
The Transformative Power of CRLA
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) has amassed an impressive track record of successful cases and impactful community programs that speak to its mission of creating a just California. One notable success story is the case of Javier I., an immigrant from Mexico who was denied an administrative remedy after he was seriously injured in a work-related accident. With the help of CRLA’s Employment Unit, he won his case, and Justice Paul Turner of the California Court of Appeals for 4th Appellate District ruled in CRLA’s favor. The court ordered a complex, complicated, and previously unknown administrative remedy for workers injured on the job. This unique ruling has created a precedent-setting decision that will benefit not only Javier but many other farmworkers and low-wage workers . Javier also became a citizen through CRLA’s California Citizenship Project.
CRLA’s impact goes far beyond individual case wins. The Community Legal Workers Project in El Centro has provided education, outreach, pro bono opportunities for law students, and technical assistance to low-income people facing complex criminal process. Its collaboration with law schools corresponds with the American Bar Association’s goal to give students a first-hand experience with poverty law.
Community educational programs have also been a focal point, with volunteers and staff teaching more than 2,000 people about workers’ rights, farmworker health issues, citizenship, and consumer protection. From creating impactful newsletters to conducting public workshops, CRLA continues to educate and empower the El Centro community.
Collaborating Organizations
Partnerships and Collaborative Efforts
In El Centro, California Rural Legal Assistance works closely with other organizations and agencies to further their mission of providing free, civil legal services to the residents of Imperial County who cannot afford an attorney. They have developed strong partnerships with a variety of local players, including healthcare providers, social service agencies, and local government.
Imperial County’s Welfare-to-Work program provides a critical lifeline to low-income families trying to make ends meet. CRLA has collaborated with the Department of Public Social Services to ensure that eligible clients can access legal support to get back on their feet. The Family Responsibility and Employment Opportunities Program (FREOP) has been an effective tool to identify and serve low-income individuals suffering from domestic violence, parent reunification, unauthorized employment, and/or homelessness. Under the FREOP, volunteers provide legal aid clinics in outlying areas of the county, which may be difficult for clients to reach such as Imperial, Calexico, and Brawley. CRLA’s cooperative agreement with the Department of Public Social Services promotes the use of Mass Appeal Clinics as an efficient way to serving many clients at once while keeping costs low.
Through the Farmworker Women’s Health Program CRLA also partners with community-based health organizations, and public health efforts, to reach migrant farmworkers through education and health promotion surrounding pressing legal issues that have health ramifications such as housing, consumer fraud, and juvenile justice.
Local university partnerships have also been formed with Prairie View A&M University, since 2010, and New College School of Law, since 2006, to provide internships through training modules focused around migration and labor rights. Law students take part in experiential learning by working to mitigate the immigration issues of high risk workers and by supporting the work of the attorney’s in the office.
Future Aspirations for CRLA in El Centro
The future vision for CRLA in the El Centro Office is to continue to serve the underrepresented and most vulnerable members of the community. The office hopes to establish a permanent staff attorney with a permanent managing attorney who can stay longer than the average five years at the office. In addition CRLA plans to run a campaign to collect signatures for the re-authorization of Proposition 47 into Proposition 57 for California’s foster youth by leveraging materials and strategies used during the AB 1235 bill campaign. CRLA also hopes to expand the services offered, spearheading the eviction moratorium campaign to combat the affordable housing crisis and its effects on farmworkers in the region . Beyond addressing the needs of farmworkers, CRLA is also looking to expand into other areas, such as combating wage theft, and expanding outreach to elders in the South County region. CRLA wants to continue the expansion of its housing programs within trail counties and continue providing good legal representation for re-entry clients in Imperial County and surrounding areas. One current project, the HIV Legal Services Program, is considering expanding into nearby San Bernardino County to serve even more individuals from the marginalized communities of Supervising Deputy Attorney General Doug Jalan, Deputy Attorney General Maria Sanchez and Supervising Deputy Attorney General Robert Nimkoff.
