About CRLA

California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) has been a leading advocate for the rights of farmworkers and other low wage workers in California since 1966.  CRLA has over twenty field offices in rural areas of California. We have five priority areas:  housing, employment, education, family security (including public benefits), and civil rights. CRLA devotes a significant percentage of its resources to the employment and housing needs of California's rural poor, primarily farmworkers and their families.

We pay special attention to linguistically isolated groups, immigrant workers, indigenous populations, and other people and communities who are traditionally denied access to the legal system. We offer outreach and community education. We monitor farms, rental housing, schools and communities to identify and correct substandard, dangerous and illegal conditions.  We advocate for low-income people in administrative proceedings and in state and federal courts. CRLA has led campaigns to provide farmworkers with affordable and habitable housing; to decrease the use of toxic pesticides; to ban crippling farm equipment; to ensure access to water, bathrooms, meal breaks and rest periods; and to enforce payment of wages. CRLA's Indigenous Farmworker Project has been the leader in providing legal services to underserved indigenous populations.

CRLA's experienced staff of approximately 150 community workers, attorneys and support staff are fluent in Spanish, English, Mixteco, and/or Triqui, reside in the communities where they work, often are former farmworkers or the children of farmworkers, and are essential to the organization's capacity to interact with diverse client communities. For additional information about CRLA, please visit the CRLA website at: www.crla.org.  

About CRLAF

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF) provides community education and outreach, technical assistance, impact litigation, legislative and administrative advocacy, and public policy leadership on state, federal and local levels in the areas of worker safety, environmental justice, health, labor, housing, citizenship and education. Established in 1981, CRLAF’s mission is to assist rural poor communities in the United States to improve their economic, social, and political conditions.