Stories

Willa is a U.S. Army veteran who has lived in Oxnard for over 50 years. Thanks to a Housing Choice Voucher (commonly known as Section 8) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Willa has been able to stay in her community despite the skyrocketing cost of living. But when she renewed her voucher last year, a calculation error by the local housing authority led to a rent increase she couldn’t afford. She worried about losing the stable home she’d created for herself and her grandson. 

Willa successfully got her rent back to an affordable level with CRLA’s support. She also did more: her input resulted in changes to the housing authority’s web portal that improve transparency and efficiency of the renewal process for all voucher recipients in the area.

Today, we join other members of the Legal Aid Association of California in a call for legal professionals to defend the rule of law. Join us.

If you’re pregnant and your job exposes you to health risks, like pesticides, you can file a claim for State Disability Insurance (SDI) as soon as a doctor or other licensed healthcare provider certifies that it is not medically safe for you to do your usual work.

Language access is still the law. What community groups and state and local officials should know about Executive Order 14224 declaring English to be the official language of the United States. 

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, San Luis Obispo County Probation Department, San Luis Obispo Defenders, Restorative Partners, People’s Justice Project, California Rural Legal Assistance, and San Luis Obispo College of Law will host a free legal Clean Slate Clinic for San Luis Obispo County residents for criminal record expungement, felony reduction, and arrest record sealing on Friday, March 21, 2025.

The core values that have enabled CRLA to dismantle unjust systems for nearly 60 years will continue to guide us in 2025.

A visualization of disproportionate nitrate groundwater contamination in the Central Coast region of California

Learn what it's like to be a Law Student Summer Intern at CRLA and how you can bring more law interns and fellows to rural California. 

Learn what it's like to be an Undergraduate Summer Intern at CRLA and how you can bring more interns and fellows to rural California. 

Due to her disabilities, Joni Gold was unable to work anymore and lived in Section 8 housing in San Luis Obispo County. To her surprise, she received a proposal of a rent increase by about 250% after submitting her annual recertification for her housing voucher. 

With CRLA’s assistance to lower her proposed rent, Joni can afford to continue living in her home of 20 years and avoided a possible eviction or other legal actions.

CRLA, Bank of America, McGuireWoods LLP, and Jubilee Legal will host a free criminal record expungement clinic on June 12, 2024 in Ventura.

CRLA is collaborating with the Paso Robles City Library to offer Drop-in Legal Clinics on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Come speak confidentially with CRLA staff on June 11 and June 25.