Statement: CCF on L.A. City and County Funding of the L.A. Justice Fund

LOS ANGELES – June 23, 2017 – Thanks to the leadership of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council, the L.A. Justice Fund will move forward to provide critical legal assistance to immigrants facing the threat of deportation.

Today, we celebrate a trailblazing, multi-sector and cross-governmental approach to address the pressing demands of our diverse immigrant communities. The creation of the L.A. Justice Fund is a shining example of responsive government working together with philanthropy to meet the needs of the region.

The L.A. Justice Fund is a partnership between the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, the California Community Foundation (CCF) and Weingart Foundation. Each is contributing funds that will support efforts to provide legal representation to Angelenos in immigration removal proceedings.

The Fund has already raised more than $7 million, including $2 million from the City of L.A., $3 million from the County and $2.2 million from CCF and the Weingart Foundation. These funders are actively engaging others to with the hopes of raising at least $10 million.

CCF plans to release a request for proposals in July 2017. Proposals will be reviewed and selected in August so that nonprofit legal services providers can begin to enhance and expand legal representation by September 2017.

As we celebrate the L.A. Justice Fund, we recognize that our immigration system has been broken for decades, leaving families, workers, businesses and communities to live with the consequences of federal inaction.

While only Congress can make meaningful and comprehensive reforms to our immigration laws, Los Angeles and many other communities are not standing still. Until we have comprehensive immigration reform, Angelenos will continue working together to address the consequences of our broken immigration system and protect immigrants through efforts like the L.A. Justice Fund.

In L.A. County alone, there are close to 1 million undocumented immigrants. More than 80 percent have been in the United States for a decade or more. They contribute to their communities, pay taxes and want to get right with the law.

The L.A. Justice Fund partners stand side by side ready to make a difference in the lives of L.A. immigrants. As we move forward, we will strengthen our partnership so that we continue to stay responsive to community needs and support efforts that have the most impact, promote efficiency and serve as many people as possible.

For more information about the L.A. Justice Fund, visit calfund.org/lajusticefund.

The California Community Foundation has served as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their own personal passions and to collaborate with us in addressing the root causes of challenges in Los Angeles County. CCF stewards more than $1.6 billion in assets and manages over 1,600 charitable foundations, funds and legacies. For more information, please visit calfund.org.

CONTACT
Roshin Mathew
rmathew [@] calfund [.] org
(213) 377 – 5630