November
2015

Happy Thanksgiving from PLC
 
All around us, the signs of the Holiday Season are starting to appear. From pumpkin pies to latkes and from ornaments to fireworks, there will be much to be thankful for even as we continue to pursue meaningful impact on the problems faced by low-income members of our community. Here at PLC, Thanksgiving is not just a time for our dedicated staff to spend a bit more time with their families and loved ones, but also a time to give thanks to all those who make our mission to provide access to justice for low-income residents of Orange County a reality.

Take for instance the recent efforts of the OCBA Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section-led by Richard Marshack and Kelly Zinser-to raise $35,000 for our bankruptcy clinics. The members of the Section not only give their hard-earned money to help make us Orange County's Pro Bono Law Firm, but also devote considerable pro bono hours to our twice-a-week Bankruptcy Clinic and other volunteer opportunities.

No one at PLC [or in attendance that night] will soon forget the incredible success, fun and costuming skills on full display at last month's Halloween Bash. The third annual celebration of the creative side of lawyers helped raise $36,000 through the leadership of the PLC Advocates and the OC Lavender Bar Association. Many PLC Advocates first work with PLC through representing our clients in cases ranging from conservatorship to our precedent-setting victory in the Ninth Circuit, which granted protection against torture for a Mexican transgender woman.

I can go on and on about our amazing pro bono attorneys, sponsors, donors, and supporters, but I don't want to keep you from your Thanksgiving dinner. So let me conclude with a hearty thank you for all you have done to increase access to justice in our community.


Best,





Ken Babcock
Executive Director and General Counsel

P.S. I'll be back on #GivingTuesday to ask for your support, but in the meantime, please select PLC as your charity on Black Friday or Cyber Monday when you shop on AmazonSmile or just click here to give today.

Victory in Huntington Beach for Displaced Veterans
Los Angeles Superior Court prevents City of Huntington Beach from blocking affordable housing
 
Additional coverage by "The Orange County Register."

On November 12, 2015, PLC secured a victory for displaced veterans when the Los Angeles Superior Court struck down the City of Huntington Beach's efforts to block affordable housing. A May 2015 amendment to the Beach-Edinger Corridor Specific Plan would have blocked the development of affordable housing at the city's primary location for residential development, the Beach-Edinger Corridor. Two formerly homeless veterans and the Kennedy Commission (a non-profit dedicated to advocating for affordable housing in Orange County), represented by the Public Law Center, the California Affordable Housing Law Project, and Jones Day, filed a petition challenging the amendment on July 31, 2015. The Court granted petitioners' request and declared the amendment void.


PLC Served 35 Veterans at 2015 OC Stand Down
Operation Veterans Re-Entry provided free legal services to homeless or at-risk veterans and their families




Two weeks before Veterans Day, PLC joined over 100 agencies and organizations at the 2015 Orange County Stand Down to provide free civil legal aid to our nation's veterans. Held at the former Tustin Air Force Base from October 23rd to 25th, the event was set up like a military base camp and offered everything from sleeping barracks to hair cuts, and from medical care to legal advice to Orange County veterans who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.


GuideStar
Charity Navigator

  



Public Law Center
     601 Civic Center Drive West, 
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 541-1010