The theme of our annual event was “Raising Our Voices.” To us it means turning up the volume, amplifying the ambition of our advocacy. Our emphasis is always on “our,” on the collective power of courageous clients and community groups. 

Public Advocates also devoutly believes in our mission to raise new voices, in the sense of bringing up and forward a new generation of powerful leaders.

Raising our voices also captures the notion of harmony, singing from the proverbial same page with ever wider circles of allies. Right now that includes standing up together for Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation.

And sometimes we mean it in the sense of “Don’t raise your voice at me!” Well, we DO raise our voices -- in outrage and protest -- when nothing else will do.

As you can read in our snazzy new annual report, we don’t JUST raise our voices. We are skilled and nimble in using every advocacy tool possible to make real change with and for very real people.

Jamienne S. Studley, President

Read prepared text for event
Read my Baccalaureate Address at Bloomfield College

Court Strikes Down Raid of $1 Billion in Transit Funding

June 30, 2009— Today the California Court of Appeal, Third District, held that $1 billion in "spillover" gas tax revenues dedicated to public transportation by Proposition 116 may not be diverted by the California Legislature to the General Fund. This ruling is a significant victory for all Californians, and especially for low-income communities where transit services have been scaled back as a result, in part, of the misappropriation of funds that has now been found illegal.

opinion   amicus brief   more about this case

Parents & Students Call on Feds to Make CA Increase Education Spending
to Qualify for Stimulus Dollars
“Accounting Fiction” Overstates State’s True Effort On Schools by $2.9 Billion

June 24, 2009— In a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a coalition representing more than a half million low-and moderate-income California families, today urged the US Department of Education to require California to increase its proposed education spending by approximately $2 billion in order to qualify for $2.56 billion from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Program. The group, Parents and Students for Great Schools (PSGS), asserts that the State has not met the “maintenance of effort” requirements set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

press release   letter to Secretary Duncan

New Williams Resource Now Available

June 22, 2009— Part “how to” guide, part inspiration, Your Schools, Your Rights, Your Power: A Grassroots Guide to Effective Williams Campaigns tells the story of how savvy, effective grassroots groups across California have successfully used the complaint process resulting from the Williams v. California settlement to enforce their hard-won new legal rights. To supplement the guide, we’ve created a Williams resource web page.

District Court to Revisit SFPD Consent Decree

May 28, 2009— The U.S. District Court in San Francisco will hear arguments Friday from officers of color and women seeking to enforce a longstanding consent decree against the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). The enforcement action accuses Chief Heather Fong and the Department of violating the terms of the consent decree that settled an employment discrimination case in 1979 and which requires that promotions be based on objective, job-related examinations. The officers charge that Chief Fong is instituting a systematic plan to place un-tested sergeants into investigative positions for detectives in lieu of eligible female and minority inspector candidates who have demonstrated their job-readiness by passing the inspector’s exam.

media advisory   more about this case

Students of Color Talk Back: Thousands Rally Against Sacramento Budget Cuts
Campaign for Quality Education Gathers to Support “100 Percent Prepared for College and Career” Campaign and Assembly Bill 8

May 13, 2009— In the midst of massive cuts to the state education budget, more than a thousand students and allies from across California converged on Sacramento to give a long overdue voice from students of color on education and to tell the Governor and Legislature, “Don’t Pink Slip Our Education!” In addition to a morning rally and march around the capitol, the student leaders delivered over 5,000 signed postcards of support to the Governor, testified before the Assembly Education Committee, and met with more than forty legislators to build support for Assembly Bill 8 and Assembly Concurrent Resolution 54.

press release

Decision in LA BRU Appeal

May 5, 2009— A divided panel of the 9th Circuit ruled against extending federal jurisdiction over the consent decree that required the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority to expand bus service. The decision drew a powerful dissent from Judge Marsha Berzon.

Opinion   more about this case

Appeal Filed in MTC Discrimination Case

April 23, 2009— The plaintiffs in Darensburg v. MTC appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today from a lower court's ruling that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) adequately justified its unequal treatment of minority bus riders.

press release   more about this case

SFPD Violating Consent Decree, Officers Charge

April 16, 2009— Officers of color and women today asked the U.S. District Court in San Francisco to enforce a longstanding consent decree against the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). The enforcement action accuses Chief Heather Fong and the Department of violating the terms of the consent decree that settled an employment discrimination case in 1979 and which requires that promotions be based on objective, job-related examinations. The officers charge that Chief Fong is instituting a systematic plan to place un-tested sergeants into investigative positions in lieu of eligible female and minority inspector candidates who have demonstrated their job-readiness.

press release   more about this case

Most Schools Meet New Accountability Report Card Deadline
Ten districts receive letters warning of deficiencies

April 15, 2009— A just-released report finds that the majority of California schools met a new February 1 deadline for publishing their School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) and continue to make gains in accountability reporting in the wake of four years of private investigation and enforcement by Public Advocates Inc., a nonprofit law firm and advocacy group.

Since the organization’s efforts began, compliance rates have jumped from 50% the first year to nearly 9 in 10 schools now publishing their SARCs on time. In particular, this year’s report points to a significant jump in compliance with the requirement to translate SARCs into multiple languages.

press release   SARC report (temporarily unavailable)   more about our SARC work

National Transit Justice Campaign Launched
Local Advocacy Groups Play Leadership Role

April 8, 2009— Civil rights and environmental justice groups across the country are today launching a national campaign to ensure the upcoming Congressional re-authorization of the $500 billion Federal Surface Transportation Act (FSTA) prioritizes the needs of transit dependent riders in low-income communities of color who form the backbone of urban transit ridership. San Francisco-based Public Advocates Inc. and Oakland-based Urban Habitat are among the founding members of the campaign, Transit Riders for Public Transportation (TRPT).

media alert   campaign information   more about our transportation justice work

Court Finds Racial Bias in Bay Area Transit Funding But Grants Reprieve to MTC

March 27, 2009— The U.S. District Court for Northern California found Friday that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) multibillion dollar transit expansion program causes minority bus riders to suffer a harmful “disparate impact.” The decision in Darensburg v. MTC comes after years of community efforts to persuade MTC to reverse its longstanding policy of prioritizing rail expansion projects over the preservation and expansion of existing bus service.

press release    court decision   more about this case

Public Advocates' Sacramento Office Has Moved

The Public Advocates Sacramento office has moved to a new suite within the same building. Please send all mail to: 1225 Eighth Street, Suite 210, Sacramento, CA 95814. The phone and fax numbers remain the same: 916/442-3385(o), 916/442-3601(f).

Public Advocates welcomes applications from firm attorneys who have been deferred or granted fellowship or sabbatical arrangements with public interest organizations. We believe we could provide an excellent experience and supervision for lawyers interested in our practice areas and our multipronged approach to advocacy. Attorneys who join us under these arrangements will have a chance to do challenging cutting edge work on education, housing, community development and/or transit equity, on behalf of low income communities, taking on a mix of litigation, policy and legislative, coalition, and strategic communications work.

Read the position description.

Staff Update

Angelica Jongco has completed her two-year Public Advocates Fellowship, focusing on education and transportation justice issues, and has joined Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson P.C., Oakland, CA, our co-counsel in Darensburg v. MTC, as a staff attorney.

Mónica Henestroza has joined the San Diego Unified School District as Legislative Affairs Manager. A search is underway for a Policy Advocate. Read the job description.

We congratulate them both, thank them for their many contributions to Public Advocates and wish them all the best.

In Memoriam: Steven M. Klein

Public Advocates mourns the death of Steven M. Klein, who made an immense contribution to the organization as interim administrator and CFO in 2002-04. He helped stabilize the firm during a time of transitions, bringing to the challenge a strong commitment to our mission and staff; leadership, common sense and practical skills; and great sensitivity and thoughtfulness. He continued to follow Public Advocates' progress and in October wrote:

“I am so proud of all of you, the work you do, and the difference you make. My time spent at Public Advocates was definitely one of the highlights of my career.”

We send our sincere condolences to Steve’s wife, Joy, son, David, and the rest of his family and friends. We will miss our Pillar and great cheerleader, and honor his devoted service to Public Advocates and to our clients.

obituary

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