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Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing and transit equity. See below for Public Advocates Actions and News. Read Public Advocates' Fall 2008 e-newsletter. |
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Public Advocates celebrates the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden and the triumph of hope over fear that it represents. Inherent in the voters' decision is a commitment to community and interdependence, opportunity and justice, inclusion and diversity that we share and honor. We hope that the historic levels of voting and activism, especially among people of color and new voters, signal an enduring boost to community engagement and energy for change. We are saddened, however, by the passage of California's Proposition 8 in this historic moment for civil rights. As I said at our May annual dinner, echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
This defeat for the full rights and humanity for all of our sisters and brothers reminds us that our work is not done. In the words
Jamie Studley |
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| PUBLIC ADVOCATES TAKES ACTION | |
Darensburg v. MTC Trial November 12, 2008— The court has scheduled closing arguments for December 9 at 1:00 p.m. in a federal class action lawsuit against the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission on behalf of AC Transit bus riders of color. The suit alleges that MTC violates federal and state civil rights laws by channeling funds in favor of BART and Caltrain commuters while denying equitable funding to AC Transit bus riders of color. The litigation seeks equity in the funding and services available for low-income transit-dependent riders of AC Transit. |
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Equal Access Advocates Sue City of Oakland for Failing Non-English Speaking Residents September 15, 2008— Four community groups—Family Bridges, Inc., Organization of Chinese Americans-East Bay Chapter, The Spanish Speaking Unity Council, and California ACORN—today filed a lawsuit against the City of Oakland for failing to fulfill its obligations under the “Equal Access to Services Ordinance,” a groundbreaking language access ordinance passed in 2001. Public Advocates Inc. and civil rights attorney Luz Buitrago represent the groups. press release (English) press release (Español) press release (Chinese) Petition and brief Equal Access Ordinance |
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National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Invites Public Advocates' Testimony on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity on Suburban Housing Discrimination September 9, 2008— Public Advocates, The Impact Fund, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, and American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California submitted written testimony to the National Commission on Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in Los Angeles, California. New York Times article on Antioch |
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Statewide Report Shows Progress on School Report Cards August 28, 2008— California school districts have made significant strides in publishing state-mandated data, including per-pupil spending figures for each school, through the School Accountability Report Card (SARC). That’s the lead finding of the 4th annual investigative report by the nonprofit law firm and advocacy group Public Advocates Inc. |
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State Report Reveals Dramatic Increase in Identification of Teachers Improperly Assigned August 7, 2008— There has been a dramatic increase in identifying and correcting teacher misassignments in California, particularly in classes serving English Language learners (ELL), according to a new report to be released Friday by the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). The improvements in monitoring and correction flow directly from legislation passed to settle a landmark statewide education reform case in 2004, according to the report. |
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Federal Class Action Against City of Antioch Documents
Police Targeting press release complaint Richard Marcantonio's statement investigative report |
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California Department of Education Confirms High School Drop Out Rate July 16, 2008— Today, for the first time in its history, California has concrete numbers on how many students drop out of high school between the 11th and 12th grade. |
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New Exit Exam Data Shows Significant Drop in Percentage of Students Passing July 10, 2008— The California State Board of Education (SBE), for the first time, received data from the Department of Education that calculates an exit exam pass rate which includes special education students. |
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Public Advocates Comments on PE Credit Issue & SFUSD June 26, 2008— We issued a statement today related to deliberations by the San Francisco Unified School District on awarding Physical Education (PE) credit for JROTC courses. |
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Appeals Court Rules Affordable Housing Suit May Proceed Against Pleasanton June 23, 2008— The California Court of Appeal has reinstated our lawsuit against the City of Pleasanton, ruling that it was improperly dismissed. |
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Court to Decide Whether U.S. Department of Education Violated NCLB by Lowering "Highly" Qualified" Teacher Standard June 17, 2008— In a closely watched case of national significance, a federal court in
San Francisco upheld U.S. Department of Education regulations today that label
thousands of teachers still training for their full credential as “highly qualified” under the
federal No Child Left Behind Act. |
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| PUBLIC ADVOCATES NEWS | |
The Campaign for Quality Education Joins Thousands of Students from Across the State for a Day of Action Against the Governor's Attacks on Eduation |
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Richard A. Marcantonio and Angelica K. Jongco Publish Transit Equity Article in |
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