Policy Advocacy

Through our work in communities and court rooms, we identify injustices that affect the client in front of us, and so many others like them.

We advocate for policies to protect and empower immigrants and people of color in city halls, the California State Capitol, and Congress.

We draft legislation, participate in and lead coalitions, and advocate with elected officials, to ensure the voices of communities of color, immigrants, and low-paid workers are centered in local, state, and national policymaking.

Working with 50+ social justice organizations in 2017, we helped draft and pass California’s state sanctuary law, the Values Act, and vigorously fought the Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging it. A similar multi-level approach can be seen in many of our victories over the decades, from our landmark victory in Korematsu v. US coram nobis (1984), to our national advocacy to repeal the Muslim and African Bans (2021).

With partners across California, we work to pass policy in Sacramento on issues from immigration to workers' rights to housing. Recently, our community-centered policy advocacy has ensured Californians with limited English proficiency can access critical unemployment insurance, established more humane criminal legal and immigration systems in the state, and secured historic statewide investments in restorative justice and violence prevention.