March 29, 2018
What a wild ride this has been. Last week, Congress and the President approved a spending bill that, miraculously, included a $25 million increase in funding for legal aid. We’re thrilled that members of Congress have recognized the value of legal services for families in need across the country (especially after President Trump proposed eliminating funding for the Legal Services Corporation entirely).
But now we need your help to keep the momentum going!
In March, twenty-eight members of the California House delegation signed onto a letter to voice their support for legal aid. Now it’s important that they hear from you, their constituents, to remind them how important this issue is.
Please take two minutes to call your representative to thank them for signing onto the Dear Colleague letter both this year and last year. We’ve provided the following script for you to use:
“Hi, my name is [your name], and I live at [your address]. I wanted to thank Representative _____ for signing the Dear Colleague letter in support of funding for the Legal Services Corporation. It is vital that the government continue to fund legal services for those who need it most.”
Below you can find a list of all the California representatives who signed the letters. (Not sure who your representative is? Click here to see!)
Adam B. Schiff (D-28th): (202) 225-4176
Alan Lowenthal (D-47th): (202) 225-7924
Ami Bera (D-7th): (202) 225-5716
Anna G. Eshoo (D-18th): (202) 225-8104
Barbara Lee (D-13th): (202) 225-2661
Doris Matsui (D-6th): (202) 225-7163
Jackie Speier (D-14th): (202) 225-3531
Jerry McNerney (D-9th): (202) 225-1947
Jim Costa (D-16th): (202) 225-3341
Jimmy Gomez (D-34th): (202) 225-6235
Jimmy Panetta (D-20th): (202) 225-2861
Juan Vargas (D-51st): (202) 225-8045
Judy Chu (D-27th): (202) 225-5464
Julia Brownley (D-26th): (202) 225-5811
Karen Bass (D-37th): (202) 225-7084
Linda T. Sánchez (D-38th): (202) 225-6676
Mark DeSaulnier (D-11th): (202) 225-2095
Mark Takano (D-41st): (202) 225-2305
Maxine Waters (D-43rd): (202) 225-2201
Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-44th): (202) 225-8220
Norma J. Torres (D-35th): (202) 225-6161
Ro Khanna (D-17th): (202) 225-2631
Salud Carbajal (D-24th): (202) 225-3601
Steve Knight (R-25th): (202) 225-1956
Susan A. Davis (D-53rd): (202) 225-1956
Ted W. Lieu (D-33rd): (202) 225-3976
Tony Cardenas (D-29th): (202) 225-6131
Zoe Lofgren (D-19th): (202) 225-3072
As you know, LSC funding ensures that low-income members of our community can overcome systemic legal barriers to necessities such as housing, food, healthcare, and safety from violence. Furthermore, it helps fulfill our society’s commitment to providing justice to all.
OneJustice staff will be on the ground in Washington D.C. on April 11th and 12th to lobby members of Congress to keep up support for legal services. We need Congress to know that this is an important issue, and that next year’s budget should increase funding for LSC to $528 million – so that every low-income home in our country that needs legal help can get it.
Please call today to make sure our representatives know how important it is that they keep supporting legal aid!
Stay informed and stand up to protect civil legal aid in California. Click here to sign up for Californians for Legal Aid to receive advocacy alerts and policy updates about legal aid!