Rural Legal Access Summit focuses on needs in California's Central Valley (Part I)

I was pleased to be able to participate in the San Joaquin College of Law's (SJCL) 2nd Rural Legal Access Summit (RLAS) yesterday in Clovis, California.  Clovis is a suburb of Fresno, the state's fifth largest city, in California's vast, agri-centric Great Valley (also known as the Big Valley, the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley).  This annual event was convened by a student group at SJCL, Law Students for Community Advancement and co-sponsored by Central California Legal Services (CCLS).

The morning kicked off with a panel of the three professors who have convened what I will call the Practice 99 "experiment." These include Mary Louise Frampton from my own law school, UC Davis, as well as Bill Kell from UC Berkeley and SJCL's Andrew Kucera.  They spoke of the distinct but collaborative approaches among the three schools to engage students in what it would look like for lawyers to serve communities up and down California Highway 99, which cuts through the Central Valley, from Marysville/Yuba City north of Sacramento down to Bakersfield in Kern County.  The highway passes through many county seats, including those in Sacramento, San Joaquin County (Stockton), Stanislaus County (Modesto), Merced County (Merced), Madera County (Madera), Fresno County (Fresno), Tulare County (Visalia) and Kern County (Bakersfield).  All of these counties except Sacramento County are underserved in terms of lawyers, especially those serving low-income populations and particularly once you get out of the county seat(s).  Practice 99 is aimed at getting students to think about taking up the challenge of practice that serves low-income and modest-means residents in these areas.

After the professor panel, the legal director of Summit-sponsor Central California Legal Services (CCLS), Emilia Morris, talked about the need to do outreach in their six-county area, all in the Central Valley, including Fresno County.  Morris reported that CCLS has used California State University Fresno students as summer employees to do outreach, traveling the "valley floor" communicating to underserved areas about what CCLS does and how it can help them.  As is typical with Legal Services Funded organizations, all CCLS attorneys also regularly do outreach to the communities in the organization's service area. 

Morris reported that three quarters of CCLS cases are unlawful detainer/eviction/housing related.  She also mentioned the very limited housing stock available in the region, with many people forced to remain in housing that is essentially not habitable, but which is nevertheless seen as preferable to homelessness.  In addition to its work in the housing sector, CCLS also provides naturalization services and helps clients acquire benefits to which they are entitled.  A number of CCLS attorneys are dedicated to helping people get medical insurance coverage and defending those being sued for medical debt collection. 

Morris noted that the State of California requires jurisdictions to plan for development of affordable housing, yet certain local jurisdictions have not complied with these mandates.  Morris reported that CCLS now appears poised to see some attitude changes among jurisdictions, thanks to our "nerdy housing element lawyers/advocates."

CCLS has observed a dip in interest in naturalization among clients because of the current anti-immigrant climate.  Morris explained that this shift has prompted a change in CCLS's approach to outreach.  For example, the Catholic Diocese that runs from Stockton to Bakersfield has vetted CCLS for purposes of permitting the legal aid organization to see clients on Diocese premises.  Morris explained, "We are meeting people in a space where they may feel more comfortable."

Lastly, Morris talked about how direct client work is leading CCLS to take up impact work.  Specifically, she noted that CCLS has been able to negotiate with some hospitals a moratorium on medical debt collection. 

I'll return within a day or two with more information on what happened at the 2nd Annual Rural Legal Access Summit in Fresno County.