2020-11-12T13:32:27-06:00 2019-12-31 954557617 Harrington Group CPAs LLP 234 East Colorado Blvd Suite M150 Pasadena CA 91101 990 2019-01-01 951684067 Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles LEGA 3238017916 1550 West 8th Street Los Angeles CA 90017 Silvia Argueta CFO 3238017916 2020-11-12 1 Tonetta L Conner CPA P01775198 6264036801 209.133.35.227 2020-11-12 11:32:14 PS P 0B4F3B71C2EC911E577D967EDC65E3E555B204AC 0B4F3B71C2EC911E577D967EDC65E3E555B204AC 2019 2021-01-29 14:40:06Z Silvia Argueta 1550 West 8th Street Los Angeles CA 90017 17759021 0 X WWW.LAFLA.ORG X 1929 CA Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) seeks to achieve equal justice for low-income people. 42 42 183 1704 0 0 16859889 16739306 2061067 605533 219290 198059 74838 13247 19215084 17556145 0 0 0 0 12250850 13125873 0 0 458733 4515090 5527946 16765940 18653819 2449144 -1097674 28828333 28104945 5890005 6215484 22938328 21889461 X See Schedule O 0 0 2804283 Housing, Communities & Eviction Defense: Addresses systems change through litigation, policy and education aimed at creating and preserving affordable housing and homeownership opportunities; Increases economic power; Preserves civil rights; Seeks environmental justice on behalf of poor and low-income residents; Partners with community-based organizations to build healthy, economically vibrant neighborhoods. Eviction Defense Center: Provides free direct representation for indigent individuals and families facing eviction; Negotiates with landlords to ensure families can stay in their homes; Defends residents of public housing and Section 8 voucher holders against losing their housing or housing subsidy; Helps clients living in uninhabitable conditions to get reductions in rent. This program worked on 7,573 cases. 2548994 532013 Supporting Families: Helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault get restraining orders, divorces, child custody, visitation and support; Secures the return of concealed and abducted children; Supports torture victims seeking asylum in the United States with the immigration process; Represents survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assaults and other serious crimes to obtain protection and permanent residency; Offers legal help to families facing health crises and domestic violence through the Greater Long Beach Medical-Legal Partnership; Protects vulnerable unaccompanied children throughout the immigration process; Provides comprehensive case management to victims of domestic violence and survivors of torture. This program worked on 3,435 cases. 2306013 Santa Monica Community Office: Funded through grants from the City of Santa Monica; Provides legal services to residents of Santa Monica only; Offers domestic violence clinic and Self-Help Legal Access Center; Attorneys work with local agencies and city services to provide family law, housing, veterans benefit and immigration services. This program worked on 1,015 cases. 1893229 Economic Stability: Assists vulnerable populations in obtaining and maintaining critical safety net benefits that helps them get food, housing, medical care or services such as childcare, job training and other services to remove barriers to employment; Fights wage theft, wrongful terminations and discriminatory employment practices; Removes barriers to employment related to criminal records so that individuals can become or stay employed; Discharges student loans based on disability or school fraud. This Workgroup worked on 3,961 cases. 952681 73520 Veterans Justice Center: Obtains life-sustaining income, health, and housing benefits so veterans can thrive; Prevents veteran homelessness by fighting wrongful evictions; Removes barriers to employment to promote veteran self-sufficiency; Advocates to upgrade unjust less-than-honorable military discharges; Works with hundreds of pro bono legal volunteers annually to hold large-scale legal clinics for homeless veterans. This program worked on 1,001 cases. 908262 Asian & Pacific Islander Community Outreach Project: Advocates for language services in civil courts, administrative proceedings, and other government agencies for limited-English proficient clients; Provides legal help in all areas of practice including family law, immigration and government benefits in Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Khmer and Thai. This program worked on 757 cases. 931580 LAFLA recently expanded and strengthened its Medical-Legal Partnerships both independently and in collaboration with the Whole Person Care/Medical Legal Partnership of Los Angeles - a consortium of legal services agencies working together to expand the Medical - Legal Partnerships (MLP) throughout Los Angeles County. This innovative legal services delivery model seek to work with medical providers to assist with the social conditions that are key determinants of health by addressing civil legal issues, such as poor housing conditions, loss or denial of public benefits, immigration status, problems at school or work, or violence within the household. The MLP aims to change the delivery of health care by providing legal services where our clients need us the most - during challenging times. Through this system, anyone from a medical care team can refer patients to our attorneys as part of a comprehensive approach to health care. In 2019, 1,076 clients were served though our MLPs. Legal Victories:LAFLA achieved the following legal victories in 2019:Cerneka, et al. v. Russell No. 8 Santa Monica PropertiesThis lawsuit sought to vindicate significant tenant's rights under local Santa Monica ordinances and combat both flagrant and more subtle forms of harassment against low income persons (as defined in Business & Professions Code Sec. 6213(d)), including elderly and disabled persons, and veterans. Nine Plaintiffs were displaced from their rent-controlled apartments by a fire on December 12, 2015. Immediately after the fire, all 17 rental units were declared uninhabitable. The owners have since repeatedly refused to provide temporary relocation except for to offer the displaced tenants to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor of another property they own. Five days after the fire, Defendants' attorney filed paperwork to evict tenants under the Ellis Act, and informed the city his client would immediately pay "permanent relocation fees" to the displaced tenants and thereby have no further obligation to them. The owners then refused to accept rent checks from the displaced tenants. The owners have also refused to grant displaced elderly and disabled tenants the 8-month Ellis Act extension, improperly claiming that their tenancies were terminated by the fire or upon service of the Ellis Act notice.Accordingly, Plaintiffs sought 1) civil penalties/damages for violation of the relocation and tenant harassment ordinances; 2) damages for unpaid temporary relocation benefits, negligence, habitability violations, damaged belongings, fraud, emotional distress, elder abuse, and physical injuries; 3) to stop unfair business practice; and 4) punitive damages. Plaintiffs resolved this lawsuit for Defendants' insurance policy limit of $1 million dollars. Also during 2019, Plaintiffs prevailed on a Motion to Dismiss in the Court of Appeal when Defendants appealed the trial court's ex parte decision. Plaintiffs also prevailed on a Motion for Discovery Sanctions based on Spoliation of Evidence after it became clear Defendants' failed to properly maintain key pieces of evidence for inspection by Plaintiffs and their experts.Tesma v. LightbourneThe California Department of Social Services (CDSS) established a process whereby indigent recipients of Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) were being routinely terminated from disability benefits because their immigration sponsors were not responding to CDSS requests for income/asset reporting forms. Current law states that indigent CAPI recipients shall not be terminated from CAPI based on sponsor unavailability, and this case correcting CDSS's unlawful policy on this issue.Through settlement, CDSS published a revised policy reversing this prior unlawful practice. For named Plaintiff, $14,320 in CAPI benefits were preserved. The lawsuit prevented termination of benefits for similarly situated CAPI recipients statewide.Mitchell v. City of Los AngelesThe case challenges the constitutionality of the City's seizure and destruction of plaintiffs' belongings. Plaintiffs alleged that the conduct violates the Fourth and Fourteenth amendment. The case sought to seek declarative relief that the practices and customs were unconstitutional, and injunctive relief to prevent the seizure and destruction of property. The case was settled 2019 for monetary relief for three surviving plaintiffs and changes to the City's handling of individuals' belongings. As a result of the settlement, which mandates how the cleanups must be conducted, individuals are able to move their belongings before they are seized and destroyed by law enforcement. Assuming, conservatively, that each cleanup resulted in 5 individuals' belongings being seized, and an average of $200 in property, this has resulted in $820,000 per year in saved belongings. Housing Works v. County of LAThis case alleged that the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by creating onerous application barriers for the General Relief (GR) program (e.g. long waiting time, multiple appointments, unnecessary verification) that prevented individuals with mental disabilities from applying for GR because the process was too difficult. The case demanded that DPSS make its GR application process accessible, and that it provide reasonable accommodations to GR recipients so that they can keep their benefits once they receive them. As a result of this lawsuit, DPSS changed several policies and procedures to make the GR program more accessible not just for those with mental disabilities, but for all individuals experiencing a disability. DPSS made the GR application available online so that people could apply without having to go into the office. DPSS expedited the processing of GR applications for those who experienced difficulty being in the office. DPSS implemented a process whereby people could request reasonable accommodations, including before a visit to the office. DPSS implemented several safeguards to ensure that GR recipients are notified before an accommodation ends or before their GR is terminated. 4685752 73520 12345042 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 26 0 1 183 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 42 42 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 CA X X Vincent Rodriguez Chief Financial Officer 3238017916 1550 West 8th Street Los Angeles CA 90017 James M Burgess President 1.00 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Michael Maddigan Vice President 1.00 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Sean Eskovitz Secretary 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Amy Lerner-Hill Treasurer 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Karen J Adelseck Client Chair 1.00 X 0 0 0 C Cleo Ray Client Chair 1.00 X 0 0 0 Patricia Vining Client Vice-Chair 1.00 X 0 0 0 Eric J Bakewell Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Wendy R Cabil Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Colin G Cabral Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Sean A Commons Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Phyllis Coto Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Carissa Coze Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 E Martin Estrada Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Joseph B Farrell Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Marc Feinstein Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Amber S Finch Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Debra L Fischer Esq Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Felix Garcia Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Silvia Hernandez Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 James E Hornstein Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Robert B Hubbell Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Zella Knight Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Jason Linder Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Clementina Lopez Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 John Maldonado Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Louise Mbella Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kevin J Minnick Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Phillip Mobley Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Fanny Ortiz Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Adam S Paris Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Joseph Paunovich Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 R Alexander Pilmer Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Craig O Roberts Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 David Lewis Sagal Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kareen Sandoval Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kahn A Scolnick Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Marc M Seltzer Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Linus Shentu Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Jeff A Taylor Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Ronald B Turovsky Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Brianne Wiese Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Silvia Argueta Executive Director 50.00 1.00 X 216192 0 31500 Linda Quintana End 419 Dir. of Fiscal Management 50.00 X 32558 0 19364 Vincent A Rodriguez Chief Financial Officer (Start 4/19) 50.00 X 104100 0 7701 Fernando Gaytan Deputy Director 50.00 X 175161 0 19386 Barbara Schultz Dir. Litigation & Policy 50.00 X 166834 0 40260 Lynn Etkins Chief Devel. & Marketing Dir. 50.00 X 149640 0 16313 Lisa D Morris Dir. Of Human Resources 50.00 X 129372 0 31895 Yolanda Arias Managing Attorney 50.00 X 129246 0 16282 Phong Wong Pro Bono Director 50.00 X 125024 0 37519 1228127 0 220220 25 0 1 0 Law Office of Carol A Sobel 3110 Main St Suite 210 Santa Monica CA 90405 Legal Services 249901 Jackson Lewis LLP 725 S Figueroa St Suite 2500 Los Angeles CA 90017 Legal Services 175466 2 806354 647913 13777363 1507676 168009 16739306 Attorney fees 541100 402454 402454 Litigation 541100 129559 129559 Clinical support 900099 73520 73520 605533 198059 198059 202876 806354 202876 0 Miscellaneous income 900099 13247 13247 13247 17556145 605533 0 211306 X 605962 354711 244987 6264 9684695 7877761 1478568 328366 401436 344800 44608 12028 1448978 1212199 196237 40542 984802 775480 177889 31433 381799 381799 76344 76344 264388 67910 196478 19556 19556 567438 371004 190408 6026 129138 64085 63366 1687 1504046 461197 1032775 10074 79485 72601 6507 377 167171 167171 113175 113175 106557 71241 33185 2131 Settlement 520000 520000 Bad debt expenses 368707 368707 Other expenses 295356 27490 254107 13759 Equip. rental & main. 224108 162774 57048 4286 710678 462233 246685 1760 18653819 12345042 5850044 458733 3634035 3945407 943318 481802 2463578 2843841 967809 435758 13262600 13262600 161434 203195 9295610 4840201 4285931 4455409 3086010 2471451 23618 5482 28828333 28104945 1788600 2684367 351028 1055635 5482 5482 3744895 2470000 5890005 6215484 X 22138215 20726047 800113 1163414 22938328 21889461 28828333 28104945 -1097674 48807 0 X 0 1 X 1 1 1 X 13317069 15217466 15100884 16859889 16739306 77234614 13317069 15217466 15100884 16859889 16739306 77234614 77234614 64802 94680 167701 219290 198059 744532 47222 1790228 24763 74838 13247 1950298 79929444 4563627 0.96630 0.96740 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 0 1 X 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 1.00000 0 0 10000 1521412 1531412 4088797 1465455 2623342 8175 8175 0 3266722 3029071 237651 400504 337500 63004 4455409 X 30134074 48807 12529122 12577929 17556145 0 17556145 31182941 12529122 12529122 18653819 0 18653819 Part IV, Line 2b: LAFLA holds funds in trust for its clients relating to settlements awarded by the courts and deposits held for filing and other fees. Part V, Line 4: Endowment funds are appropriated by the Board for use in current operations. Part X, Line 2: LAFLA is exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) and California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 23701d. Generally accepted accounting principles provide accounting and disclosure guidance about positions taken by an organization in its tax returns that might be uncertain. Management has considered its tax positions and believes that all positions taken by LAFLA in its federal and state exempt organization tax returns are more likely than not to be sustained upon examination. LAFLA's returns are subject to examination by federal and state taxing authorities, generally for three and four years, respectively, after they filed. Access to Justice 987854 787340 200514 35459 165055 Associates Event 21376 19014 2362 2362 1009230 806354 202876 35459 167417 202876 0 X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Silvia Argueta Executive Director 216192 0 0 0 0 0 21502 0 9998 0 247692 0 0 0 Fernando Gaytan Deputy Director 175161 0 0 0 0 0 12378 0 7008 0 194547 0 0 0 Barbara Schultz Dir. Litigation & Policy 166834 0 0 0 0 0 18658 0 21602 0 207094 0 0 0 Lynn Etkins Chief Devel. & Marketing Dir. 149640 0 0 0 0 0 5264 0 11049 0 165953 0 0 0 Lisa D Morris Dir. Of Human Resources 129372 0 0 0 0 0 4640 0 27255 0 161267 0 0 0 Phong Wong Pro Bono Director 125024 0 0 0 0 0 10313 0 27206 0 162543 0 0 0 X 1 168009 FMV 0 0 0 Part I, Column (b): The number of contributions is based on the number of individual contributors that made donations during the year. Part III: Mission Statement Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) seeks to achieve equal justice for low-income people in greater Los Angeles. We change lives through direct representation, systems change and community education. LAFLA is a nonprofit law firm that protects and advances the rights of the most underserved - leveling the playing field and ensuring that everyone can have access to the justice system. For over 90 years, LAFLA has provided free civil legal services to people living in poverty across Greater Los Angeles. LAFLA serves communities as diverse as Pico Union and Westlake, East Los Angeles, the Westside, South Los Angeles, Koreatown and Long Beach. Our unique combination of neighborhood offices, self-help centers at courthouses, and domestic violence clinics puts LAFLA on the front lines in vulnerable communities, and at the forefront of change. LAFLA takes care of the most vulnerable people in our community: the working poor, homeless, unemployed, elderly, disabled, domestic abuse survivors, victims of torture and human trafficking, and veterans of Los Angeles, by providing free legal services. LAFLA also provides free legal education, outreach, and self-help assistance to litigants and community members, allowing for additional access to justice for low-income persons in need. Over 96% of the people served by LAFLA are low-income by virtue of their poverty level or of their residence in a low-income community. LAFLA assists more than 100,000 people in civil legal matters annually by providing free direct legal representation and other legal assistance for people living in poverty in Greater Los Angeles County. In 2019, we provided important legal information and education to over 40,000 self-represented litigants. We also held clinics and workshops attended by over 11,000 persons and gave referrals to another 18,000 persons. We are committed to promoting access to justice, strengthening communities, fighting discrimination, and effecting systemic change through representation, advocacy, and community education. LAFLA has a culturally diverse staff who provide critical legal services, counseling, and referrals at five offices in the neighborhoods of Pico-Union and Westlake, East Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Long Beach. They speak many languages including Spanish, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Khmer, Japanese and Vietnamese. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, line 7a Pursuant to Legal Services Corporation regulations, most directors are appointed by bar associations or community organizations. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The Form 990 is prepared by an outside accounting firm based on information provided by the Director of Fiscal Management; it is then reviewed by the Executive Director, the Director of Fiscal Management, the CFO and the Audit Committee. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c At least annually, the Board of Directors, Officers and staff of LAFLA are required to review LAFLA's Conflict of Interest Policy and complete an annual statement affirming that they have a) received a copy of the Conflict of Interest Policy, b) read and understood the policy, and c) agree to comply with such policy. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 The Executive Committee of the Board reviews the compensation of the Executive Director annually. A compensation survey is also conducted of similar organizations. Other organization officers or key employees' compensation is determined by comparability data and a compensation study as well as review by the Board of Directors. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 The organization makes the Form 990 available on Guidestar.org and also makes governing documents, conflicts of interest policies and financial statements available to the public upon request. Part IX: Functional Expenses During the year, LAFLA's ratio of management and general expense relative to total expense increased due to one-time transactions deemed peripheral to LAFLA's primary activities including a legal settlement and the write down of outstanding pledges deemed uncollectible. These transactions are not expected to occur each year. Management expects this ratio to return to lower levels going forward. Los Angeles Legal Aid Justice Center Inc 1550 West 8th Street Los Angeles CA 90017 475286319 Support the activities of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. CA 501(c)(3) Line 12c, III-FI 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0