2019-09-18T10:47:23-05:00 2018-12-31 954557617 Harrington Group CPAs LLP 234 East Colorado Blvd Suite M150 Pasadena CA 91101 990 2018-01-01 951684067 Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles LEGA 3238017916 1550 West 8th Street Los Angeles CA 90017 Silvia Argueta Executive Director 3238017906 2019-09-18 1 Tonetta Conner CPA P01775198 6264036801 209.133.35.227 2019-09-18 08:47:04 PD P 0B4F3B71C2EC911E577D967EDC65E3E555B204AC 0B4F3B71C2EC911E577D967EDC65E3E555B204AC 2018 2019-02-21 02:37:17Z Silvia Argueta 1550 West 8th Street Los Angeles CA 90017 19332862 0 X WWW.LAFLA.ORG X 1929 CA Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) seeks to achieve equal justice for low-income people 34 34 173 1629 0 85673 15100884 16859889 576872 2061067 167701 219290 24763 74838 15870220 19215084 0 0 0 0 10486407 12250850 6000 0 433662 3662693 4515090 14155100 16765940 1715120 2449144 29314404 28828333 8774281 5890005 20540123 22938328 X LAFLA is the frontline law firm for poor and low income people. LAFLA seeks to achieve equal justice for poor and low-income people in greater Los Angeles. We change lives through direct representation, systems change and community education. 0 0 6513497 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 6,146 cases. 1520776 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 child care, 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 1,476 cases. 2718992 2061067 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 2,532 cases. 660924 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 1,077 cases. 674868 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 653 cases. 469433 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 986 cases. 756670 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. During the last reporting period alone (4/17-18-8/9/19) our MLP at the Martin Luther King Medical Center alone saw 755 new open cases, the vast majority having to do with government benefits, housing, immigration and family law. LAFLA achieved the following legal victories in 2018:People v. Pama:Rent-controlled apartments located near light rail expansion were threatened displacement by extreme measures of policing and monitoring, as well as a reduction in amenities, stemming from the City Attorney's lawsuit against the owner of the property. Many of the residents of the apartment complex are elderly and on fixed incomes. As part of its alleged efforts to use nuisance abatement to go after negligent landlords, the City Attorney filed a lawsuit against the owner that would have placed the burden of policing on long-term residents. With the assistance of LAFLA advocates, several tenants intervened and sought an injunction to prevent mass evictions. As a result, the Court denied a request for eight armed security guards to be placed on the property - an important victory for the residents who saw increased policing as having the potential of increasing harassment. The court further required that guards meet with residents regularly in order to receive community input on issues related security at the property. The injunction removed some of the more draconian house rules that would have prevented residents from using common areas of the property and impose vague prohibitions that many residents feared would have led to racial profiling and further harassment by police and management. As a result of this case, approximately 617 individuals will benefit from the reforms and the removal of measures that could have resulted in arbitrary evictions. LAFLA was able to save a vital supply of affordable housing in the form of rent-controlled units - an important outcome considering the dearth of affordable housing in the area. The total savings to tenants is based on preservation of these units is roughly $425,000 a month for three years. This is based on the 425 units estimated monthly rent difference between rent-controlled unit ($1,000) and current market rent ($2,000). General Relief for Homeless Individuals Living in Vehicles:Consistent with its funding regulations, LAFLA engaged in advocacy to assist persons living in poverty who are seeking General Assistance (GR). GR is a program that, by definition, is only available to the most impoverished individuals, who have less than $50 cash on hand at the time of application. Those impacted by this advocacy include homeless individuals in Los Angeles County who are living in their vehicles and who are otherwise eligible for GR but for the value of the care in which they are living. According to the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority's 2018 homeless count, there are approximately 7,368 individuals in Los Angeles County living in a car or van who would potentially be impacted by this policy advocacy. Upon receiving a request for comment from the LA Board of Supervisors, LAFLA provided information regarding its client population and the impact that restrictive asset policies had on persons sleeping in a car or van. After receiving written and oral comments on the policy, the Supervisor's office supported a motion to change County policy to expand access to GR benefits for homeless individuals living in their cars. Ultimately, the Department of Public Social Services also agreed to change the car value limit from $4,500 to $11,500 to better reflect the realities of those living on the streets. This change was prompted in part by a case in which LAFLA's client was homeless and living in his car in Los Angeles. Although his income was low enough to meet the eligibility criteria for GR, his car, which was valued at approximately $6,000, made him ineligible. It is anticipated that the increase number of eligible persons who qualify for GR will result in an economic benefit to approximately 7,368 individuals in Los Angeles County currently living in a car or van. The monthly GR benefit of $221 per month in Los Angeles County may result in as much as $2,652 in cash aid annually to help homeless individuals to cover necessities such as food. Protections for Individuals using Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8):As of October 26, 2018, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles estimates that there were approximately 1,168 vouchers on the street for new applicants searching for housing and an additional 2,490 vouchers for current participant families who have requested to move. In total, there are roughly 58,000 vouchers administered by HACLA in its portfolio. Assistance to low-income residents in the form of housing subsidies is a vital tool for addressing the region's current crisis in affordable housing. Section 8 tenant-based voucher holders looking for stable housing for the first time, those moving to the area from another jurisdiction, and those seeking to leave uninhabitable dwellings or other dangerous circumstances, are most likely to benefit from these added protections against discrimination. Rising housing costs have priced out many households from the rental market. At the same time, many property owners have started to refuse Section 8 vouchers as a form of payment citing administrative burdens and lack of profitability for doing so. Source of income discrimination, among other factors, contributes to the set of circumstances that result in only 53% of Section 8 Voucher holders having success in finding a unit. One tool that many cities and states have used to protect the ability of households to benefit from these vital programs is to institute source of income discrimination laws - offering greater protection to tenants from discrimination in housing by making it unlawful to exclude someone from a housing opportunity merely because of their participation in a subsidy program. Upon receiving a City Council request for comment, LAFLA provided data and analysis regarding the impact of this type of discrimination to our clients on Section 8 Vouchers. In part because of LAFLA's data and analysis, the City Council adopted an ordinance in June of 2018 that lends protections to voucher holders attempting to rent using a voucher within City limits. Congress v. City of Los Angeles:LAFLA filed a lawsuit on behalf of a homeless advocacy organization centered on securing access to much needed data concerning the citation of homeless individuals for so called "quality of life" offenses. This data would allow advocates and those impacted to better advocate for changes in the way that citations are administered by highlighting the real-life consequences it has on a person's ability to leave the cycle of homelessness. The Los Angeles Police Department had a long-standing policy of refusing to release copies of citations issued for violations of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, which is used frequently to target and harass homeless individuals living on the streets. Without these documents, advocates were unable to track and advocate effectively about the use of quality of life offenses to target homeless individuals. In many cases, these citations created further barriers to being housed. LAFLA filed a writ of mandate to compel the City of Los Angeles to produce records responsive to the California Public Records Act requests. The case ultimately resulted in a judgement in our client's favor, resulting in the production of these critical documents. 2561895 13315160 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 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 27 0 1 173 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 34 34 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 Debra L Fischer Esq President 1.00 X X 0 0 0 James M Burgess Vice President 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Michael Maddigan Secretary 1.00 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Sean Eskovitz Treasurer 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Karen J Adelseck Client Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Wesley Walker Client Vice Chair (Term End 10/18) 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Robert L Adler Board Member (Term End 02/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Chris M Amantea Board Member (Term End 11/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Terry B Bates Board Member (Term End 06/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Elliot Brown Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Colin Cabral Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Sean A Commons 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 Felix Garcia Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Silvia Hernandez Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Angelita Herrera Board Member (Term End 02/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 James E Hornstein Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Amy Lerner-Hill Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Clementina Lopez Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Jose Lopez Board Member (Term End 07/18) 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 James M McAdams 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 C Cleo Ray Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Craig Roberts 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 Martin T Tachiki Board Member (Term End 06/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Ronald B Turovsky Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Patricia Vining Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Brianne Wiese Board Member 1.00 X 0 0 0 Amber Finch Board Member (Term Start 06/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kevin Minnick Board Member (Term Start 06/18) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Silvia Argueta Executive Director 50.00 1.00 X 216242 0 28076 Linda Quintana Dir.of Fiscal Management 50.00 X 120245 0 31596 Barbara Schultz Dir. Litigation & Policy 50.00 X 167487 0 36613 Ronnette Arnold Managing Attorney 50.00 X 128474 0 29061 Fernando Gaytan Managing Attorney 50.00 X 133117 0 14372 Lynn Etkins Chief Devel. & Marketing D 50.00 X 148690 0 14718 Yolanda Arias Managing Attorney 50.00 X 134264 0 16828 1048519 0 171264 10 0 1 0 0 703480 11758653 4397756 16859889 Attorney fees 541100 1939300 1939300 Clinical support 900099 108305 108305 Litigation/Jury Duty 541100 13462 13462 2061067 219290 219290 117778 703480 117778 0 Miscellaneous income 900099 74838 74838 74838 19215084 2061067 0 294128 396159 321999 62337 11823 9182437 7448383 1441648 292406 450028 369969 71706 8353 1323804 1088302 210930 24572 898422 742178 127948 28296 75429 73851 1578 86656 76616 9479 561 330243 214946 108858 6439 485468 380676 98936 5856 83215 54107 27732 1376 1467307 1087055 355881 24371 63028 56789 5498 741 254415 156151 87618 10646 120992 120992 85180 77344 6344 1492 Equip. rental/maintenan 646783 380346 262089 4348 Service to clients 266924 266924 Other expenses 159686 98010 54994 6682 Library 151401 149715 1686 238363 150807 81856 5700 16765940 13315160 3017118 433662 3378764 3634035 624879 943318 2584937 2463578 65642 967809 13262600 13262600 259010 161434 9451920 5165989 4376921 4285931 4649665 3086010 111986 23618 29314404 28828333 1752946 1788600 294454 351028 111986 5482 6614895 3744895 8774281 5890005 X 18575888 22138215 1955578 791456 8657 8657 20540123 22938328 29314404 28828333 2449144 -50939 0 X 0 1 X 1 1 1 X 15654701 13317069 15217466 15100884 16859889 76150009 15654701 13317069 15217466 15100884 16859889 76150009 76150009 64702 64802 94680 167701 219290 611175 19647 47222 1790228 24763 74838 1956698 78717882 4583927 0.96740 0.97040 X 0 111986 1260158 1366662 5482 1 X 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 8657 1.00000 0 0 10000 1521412 1531412 4529720 1810072 2719648 8175 8175 0 3045113 3010242 34871 337500 337500 0 4285931 X 32281255 -50939 13117110 13066171 19215084 0 19215084 29883050 13117110 13117110 16765940 0 16765940 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 821258 703480 117778 72414 9300 36064 821258 703480 117778 72414 9300 36064 117778 0 X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Silvia Argueta Executive Director 205789 0 10453 0 0 0 19756 0 8320 0 244318 0 0 0 Linda Quintana Dir.of Fiscal Management 114297 0 5948 0 0 0 13741 0 17855 0 151841 0 0 0 Barbara Schultz Dir. Litigation & Policy 159360 0 8127 0 0 0 18772 0 17841 0 204100 0 0 0 Ronnette Arnold Managing Attorney 122352 0 6122 0 0 0 6563 0 22498 0 157535 0 0 0 Lynn Etkins Chief Devel. & Marketing D 141480 0 7210 0 0 0 5300 0 9418 0 163408 0 0 0 Yolanda Arias Managing Attorney 127917 0 6347 0 0 0 14783 0 2045 0 151092 0 0 0 Part I, Line 7 Silvia Argueta, Linda Quintana, Barbara Schultz, Ronnette Arnold, Lynn Etkins, and Yolanda Arias received non-fixed bonus compensation in 2018. Form 990- Mission Statement Continuation: 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. In our 90-year history, LAFLA has provided free civil legal services to poor and low-income people in Los Angeles County who had nowhere else to turn. Now with five neighborhood offices, three Domestic Violence Clinics and four Self-Help Legal Access Centers, LAFLA serves communities as diverse as Pico Union and Westlake, East Los Angeles, the Westside, South Los Angeles, Koreatown and Long Beach. LAFLA is the first place thousands of poor people turn to when they need legal assistance for a crisis that threatens their shelter, health and livelihood. 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 98% 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 2018, we provided important legal information and education to over 37,000 self-represented litigants. We also held clinics and workshops attended by over 11,000 persons, and gave referrals to another 17,000 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 a 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. 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 1 0 0 Los Angeles Legal Aid Justice Center Inc K 806781 FMV Los Angeles Legal Aid Justice Center Inc C 940959 FMV Los Angeles Legal Aid Justice Center Inc Q 20935 FMV