ABOUT CRLAF
Our Mission
Our mission is to achieve social justice and equity in partnership with farmworkers, low-wage workers, and mixed-status families in rural communities through community, legislative and legal advocacy; community capacity building, and leadership development.
Our vision is for all farmworkers and their families to be treated with dignity and respect.
Who We Are
CRLAF is a statewide non-profit civil legal aid organization providing free legal services and policy advocacy for California’s rural poor. We focus on some of the most marginalized communities--the unrepresented, the unorganized and the undocumented.
We seek to bring about social justice to rural poor communities by working to address the most pressing needs of our community: Labor, Housing, Education Equity, Health Care Access, Worker Safety, Citizenship, Immigration, and Environmental Justice, through community education and outreach, impact litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, and public policy leadership at the state and local level.
From the Executive Director
In 1981 a group of justice visionaries came together to form California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. This small and powerful organization was created in response to the rigid restrictions placed on federally funded legal services programs — restrictions that limited access to justice for hardworking families.
Because of YOUR support — CRLAF is on the front lines and in the State Capitol fighting for justice and employing the most effective mechanisms to achieve social change for the rural poor.
As we move forward, our objective is to reach as many people as possible throughout the Central Valley and rural California to ensure mixed-status families know their rights and responsibilities under the law. We will continue to:
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engage in legislative policy advocacy and reform;
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inform the community, schools, and other community-based organizations through “Know Your Rights” presentations and information kits;
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provide legal clinics to screen for immigration relief and assist with naturalization applications; and
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represent individuals and families on civil rights matters.
With your partnership, we continue to be a source of information, hope and empowerment, helping California’s rural poor improve their economic, social, and political conditions and become more civically engaged in their communities.
Our commitment to provide quality legal services to farmworkers, their children, and low-wage workers throughout rural California is steadfast. We are honored to be your partner in the fight for dignity and justice for all.
In solidarity,
Amagda Pérez