Community Update: Strategic Changes to External Impacts and Funding Cuts

Dear friends,

Since January, we have witnessed unprecedented attacks on the communities we serve. CRLA’s civil legal services are more necessary than ever as families navigate uncertainty in housing, employment, healthcare, and education in rural California.

We are committed to doing everything possible to support our communities. CRLA is not changing our community lawyering approach, the legal issues we address, or the clients we serve.  

But, like many organizations across the country, we are facing multiple funding challenges—including cuts in both state and federal funding, and some reductions in other funding sources.

We can’t maintain operations at our current budget, and we’ve had to look for ways to strategically decrease costs while still serving our clients.

Over the summer, we began an organization-wide realignment that includes changes to staff positions and how we deliver services in some locations.

At the core of this realignment is our commitment to our mission to dismantle unjust systems through community lawyering, center our clients and community-led justice, and make strategic decisions that most effectively carry out our mission and goals. 

Changes to Staff Positions

As of October 24, 2025, we will complete a realignment of staff positions that will enable us to operate effectively on a reduced budget.

We have evaluated every aspect of the organization to reduce expenses. Unfortunately, funding challenges affected 29 of our 245 staff positions. We did not take any of these decisions lightly and explored every possible option before considering staff impacts.

We care deeply about each of our team members and have taken extra steps for those impacted by these changes, including offering generous severance packages based on years of service, extension of benefits, and additional support.

Homeownership Preservation Staff Positions

While changes to staff positions have impacted every part of our organization, after thorough evaluation, we determined we could not sustain a dedicated foreclosure prevention team. 

Assisting rural Californians to preserve their homeownership has always been a priority in our legal practice. Led by our clients’ goals, we have long used a multi-pronged strategy that combined individual foreclosure prevention services with specialized advocacy for mobilehome communities and income stabilization for all homeowners. 

Mobilehome ownership remains the last bastion of affordable homeownership for rural Californians and represents one of our fastest-growing practice areas. 

We are committed to preserving rural homeownership with vital services and housing-related legal support, including: 

• mobilehome ownership advocacy
• income stabilization for all homeowners
• trusted referrals for traditional foreclosure prevention

Changes to How We Deliver Services

Starting in November 2025, our staff in Delano, Marysville, Santa Maria, Vista, and Watsonville will transition from services at individual brick-and-mortar offices to operating as satellite teams that provide mobile services at libraries, health clinics, or other community locations. 

While availability of walk-in services may vary during the transition period, all services will remain available by phone or by appointment with the satellite team or their affiliated CRLA Rural Justice Center.

Strategic Changes to Sustain 60 More Years of Justice

As part of a larger organization-wide realignment, these changes enable us to be proactive and set us up for long term strategic action, rather than limiting ourselves to reactive approaches. 

The current financial landscape presents serious challenges; it also offers CRLA the opportunity to sharpen our strategic priorities, align funding with mission-critical goals, and reinforce our vision of sustainable infrastructure and community-rooted legal services. 

We remain committed to doing the work set out in our strategic plan. That plan includes shifting our funding model to increase sustainability and strengthen our ability to remain stable through uncertain times. We want to celebrate our 60th anniversary in 2026 with confidence that we are ready for the next 60 years.

Our legal services make civil rights real and turn the dreams and demands of movements into lasting change. We will continue to show up each day to fight alongside our clients and ensure that when they reach out to CRLA they receive the highest quality legal services from a team of dedicated advocates.

Thank you for standing with us. We are deeply grateful for your support and partnership.

In solidarity,

Jessica Manriquez Jewell
President and CEO