December 19, 2011

HACLA Reserves Swift and Blind Justice Only for Section 8 Tenants

Posted by socialmedia@lafla.org under Housing

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), a public agency responsible for providing housing for the poor, is under intense scrutiny following news of a $1.2 million pay out to Rudy Montiel, its former CEO.  Monteil was handed the golden parachute after reigning over an agency that spared no expense on lavish group dinners, limousine rides and junkets as revealed in recent news stories. While the saga of HACLA’s wasteful spending over five years is now coming to light, it is more apparent that the agency has reserved its administration of swift and blind justice to only those scraping by under Section 8 or public housing.

HACLA is in charged of scrutinizing financial eligibility and ensuring compliance for thousands of low-income families who need affordable housing. Compared to the 10- year wait most families go through to obtain Section 8 vouchers, the risk of termination of their vouchers is a threat to their housing stability and survival. Violations such as missing an inspection, not providing the proper paperwork, or mistakenly reporting incorrect income are often times reasons a Section 8 subsidy can be terminated, causing severe anxiety, increased morbidity, homelessness, or even death to some tenants. (more…)

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December 6, 2011

Employment Discrimination on Rise Against Protected Groups

Posted by Malcolm Carson under Employment Law

In today’s economic and job climate, employers are boldly discriminating against low-income workers, and those of color. LAFLA’s Employment Unit is seeing a significant increase in discrimination cases related to pregnancy. According to Natalie Nardecchia, an attorney in the Unit, “Employers don’t seem to realize that pregnancy is a protected class. Why else would they tell an employee “to come back when you’re not pregnant,” I don’t deal with pregnant women,” or “I need someone without children.”

Pregnancy discrimination seems to be less concealed, less shameful, and pregnancy more readily accepted as a definite “problem” that needs “fixing”. However, the “fix” by employers is often discriminatory and illegal.  Nardecchia believes that many employers are unaware of the myriad laws protecting pregnant women (including medical leave and disability protections), and need to educate themselves and their staff, especially lower level managers. (more…)

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December 6, 2011

Law Clerks Driving Force on Multi-Lingual Hotlines

Posted by socialmedia@lafla.org under API

Every day a handful of dedicated, bilingual law students can be found working in LAFLA’s Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Outreach Unit. They answer information hotlines and interview clients in Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Japanese, Khmer and Thai. LAFLA’s language capacity helps large numbers of  immigrants exercise their legal rights when many are monolingual or limited-English proficient.

Since the Unit’s launch in the late 1990s, the students have been the heart and soul of its operation.  Located in what is possibly the state’s most ethnically diverse client base, LAFLA is fortunate to have several quality law schools in the area with a rich pool of bilingual and bi-cultural students.  Many students are eager to gain legal experience on the front lines, while offering the cultural sensitivity needed to fully capture the problems of their clients. Throughout the year, the Unit houses about 10 to 15 law clerks, who work under the supervision of LAFLA attorneys and often represent clients in court and at administrative proceedings. (more…)

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December 6, 2011

Skid Row, Challenges and Opportunities

Posted by Malcolm Carson under Community Economic Development

The Community Economic Development (CED) Unit has worked to improve the lives of people on Downtown Skid Row in three
main ways:  jobs, affordable housing, and education.

Despite the incredible poverty and despair faced by residents of the Skid Row area, the greater downtown area is experiencing an economic renaissance, with major new developments under construction, new businesses opening up, and new, more affluent, residents moving in. This growth and development represents both challenges and opportunities for Skid Row. Challenges include the threat that gentrification poses to affordable housing, and new public desires to “clean up”  Skid Row (which in practice often translates into punitive police crackdowns). The opportunities, however, derive from the existence of new economic opportunities and sources of revenue for social goals. (more…)

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December 5, 2011

Victory Achieved Before 9th Circuit for Torture Survivor

Posted by Michael Ortiz under Immigration Law

On September 26, 2011, the Ninth Circuit published its favorable decision in Jiang v. Holder, No. 06-73470.  The case had been argued on December 15, 2010 by Senior Immigration Attorney Daliah Setareh before the panel of Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges. Setareh appealed the denial by the original immigration judge of her Chinese torture survivor client Mr. Jiang’s claim of asylum and adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.

The asylum claim was denied despite compelling testimony regarding Jiang’s torture for participating in a Christian house church in China.  The Ninth Circuit’s decision did not reach his claims for asylum or protection under the Convention Against Torture, but it made a finding that Jiang is statutorily eligible for adjustment of status. Specifically, the court ruled that the immigration judge had erred by refusing to accept documents into evidence because they were not authenticated by consular certification through a U.S. Consulate in China and by prohibiting Jiang from authenticating the documents through his own testimony. (more…)

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