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A Shared Mission to Make the Literacy Crisis Infamous Last year we filed a class action on behalf of Detroit students to confirm the right of universal access to literacy. Recently we partnered with the creative agency, Enso, to “spark a cultural fire” to support our literacy campaign.

Homeless Students Sue St. Louis County School District and State of Missouri for Denying Basic Educational Rights Under the McKinney-Vento Act, school districts are required to provide homeless children the opportunity to enroll in public schools, the transportation they need to get there, and the resources they need to succeed. For years, Riverview Gardens School District, and by extension the State Board of Education in Missouri, have failed to provide all three.

Community Group Sues City of L.A. for Using Illegal Procedure to Block Supportive and Affordable Housing Projects for Homeless The LOA is a controversial loophole that gives individual City Councilmembers unchecked power to secretly block, alter or delay supportive and affordable housing projects in their district for any reason or no reason at all. It is a requirement that applies only to supportive and affordable housing, and not to any other type of development in the City.

Judge Rules that Lawsuit Seeking Right to Literacy for All California Students Can Proceed The ruling allows the court to hear evidence that the state of California is failing hundreds of thousands of public school students – who are mostly low-income and students of color – by allowing a system that requires them to attend school yet deprives them of access to basic literacy instruction.

06/30/2016
Gov. Brown Appoints Lisa Jaskol to Los Angeles Superior Court 12-year veteran of Public Counsel created the nation’s first appellate self-help clinic

11/05/2015
Historic Class-Action Settlement Will Protect Students from Being Assigned to ''Fake Classes'' California's State Board of Education today approved a settlement in a major education lawsuit brought on behalf of students who lost valuable learning time because they were placed in fake classes that lacked any instructional value.

06/08/2016
As DHS Threatens New Raids, Coalition Urges Universal Legal Representation for Detained Immigrants in California Report highlights dramatic impact of lawyers for detained immigrants and calls for expansion of NYC’s groundbreaking model of universal representation

09/11/2015
Landmark Civil Rights Settlement on Behalf of English Learners Affirms State of California Must Ensure Schools Provide English Language Instruction State agencies agree to establish watchdog system to ensure schools no longer deny English Language instruction to learners, which make up 1/4 of California students

More Press Releases

10/16/2014

News Clips ___________________________________________________________________________________

01/14/2015
LA Times: Skid row doctor's care includes finding patients a home Los Angeles Times A new County program uses county Department of Health Services money to subsidize rents for the very sick among the county's 39,000 homeless people. Experts call it the nation's most promising initiative to end homelessness.

01/09/2015
Los Angeles Times: Activists fear that big-project zoning change would ignore L.A.'s poor Los Angeles Times Newly proposed rules meant to smooth the way for vetting big developments in Los Angeles are stirring up alarm among community groups that say the plan doesn't do enough to protect poor households or small businesses from being displaced.

01/05/2015
California Health Report: High school students push for playgrounds in small cities southeast of L.A. California Health Report A group of high school students from Southeast L.A. County is learning to lobby for green space and greater play opportunities for the area’s youngest children.

Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. Accepts Public Counsel's 2017 William O. Douglas Award
The Campaign to Legalize Street Vending In L.A.
Dignity for Wounded Warriors and Their Caretakers
The Fight for Justice at LAX and Beyond
Celebrating Reverend James Lawson - A Civil Rights Giant
Young Immigrants Like Javier Make America Great
Victory at LAX Airport -- Overcoming the Refugee Ban
Bryan Stevenson accepts Public Counsel's 2016 William O. Douglas Award
John Legend Performs "Redemption Song" & "All of Me" at Public Counsel's 2016 Dinner