Advocacy Program & Initiatives-California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.[hmong]

In accordance with federal regulations, the CRLA Board of Directors, Community Committee and staff have set the CRLA program priorities for client representation in the following legal areas: Education: CRLA provides protection of student's education including: special education protection, unlawful suspensions and expulsions, protection from bullying, LGBT education rights, and right to bi-lingual education.- Employment & Labor: CRLA provides a wide range of employment and labor protection including: minimum wage and overtime claims, working conditions, retaliation, discrimination, sexual harassment, and general employee rights.- Housing: CRLA provides a wide range housing protection including: Foreclosure and eviction defense, housing discrimination, sub-standard housing, farmworker housing, lockout and utility shut-offs by landlords, and rent deposit refunds.- Leadership Development: CRLA provides training and leadership promotion in indigenous and low-income communities.- Rural Health: CRLA provides services to ensure access to medical services and ensures that laws related to heat protection, safe water, and increased language access are enforced.- LGBT: CRLA regularly represents LGBTQ clients in a variety of types of legal cases, including immigration, employment discrimination and education matters, as well as legal name and gender change petitions. – Indigenous: CRLA provides legal advocacy and educational outreach and supports leadership development in California’s rural indigenous Mexican and Central American communities.