The State Water Board’s September 2023 decision has statewide policy and downstream impacts and represents the state government’s unwillingness to confront decades of pollution by the agricultural industry—despite rising nitrate contamination and resulting lack of clean, safe, affordable drinking water for many communities.

Name and gender marker corrections open the door to a life of safety, stability, and authenticity for CRLA clients. Yet many people may feel intimidated by the process or unsure of their rights or where to start. Legal services can make the difference for them.

VENTURA, CA (April 17, 2023) — Seventeen farmworkers filed a lawsuit today in the Ventura County Superior Court of California, alleging that they were not fully paid for picking Driscoll’s strawberries during the 2022 harvesting season. A press conference will be held outside the Ventura County Superior Court, 800 S Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA 93009 on April 19, 2023 at 4:00pm.

Modesto-based attorney Jessica M. Jewell, first woman to lead California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., sees power of rural residents to shape civil rights in post-COVID climate change era

All people deserve to live free of violence. We will continue to fight alongside vulnerable communities to ensure they have access to justice and resources that build community safety and wellbeing.

"The Board voted unanimously to place our unconditional trust in Jessica Jewell’s leadership and expect only great things from her stewardship.”