Western Center on Law & Poverty

08/10/2026

Thank you for standing with nearly a million Californians trying to make ends meet who are getting hit hard by Trump’s H.R. 1 cuts.

08/10/2026

TODAY! (Mon Aug 10)

Join us at the California State Capitol as civil rights icon Dolores Huerta stands alongside anti-hunger advocates, immigrant rights organizations, labor leaders, elected officials, and impacted Californians to call for urgent action to prevent a looming hunger crisis.

Federal cuts in H.R. 1 threaten to strip food assistance from humanitarian immigrants, families with children, and foster youth. California leaders have the power to act now by strengthening the state's food safety net and ensuring no child, family, or immigrant goes hungry.

📍 California State Capitol, West Steps (Sacramento)
📅 Monday, August 10, 2026
🕘 9:00–9:30 a.m. (Media setup begins at 8:00 a.m.)

Together, we'll urge Governor Gavin Newsom and state legislators to:
🥕 Expand the California Food Assistance Program for humanitarian immigrants.
🍎 Fund a one-time family food supplement for families impacted by federal cuts.
🤝 Protect foster youth, people experiencing homelessness, and others with critical nutrition needs.

Now is the time to act. Hunger is preventable, and California can lead the way.



*** LIVESTREAM starts promptly at 9am. Go to End Child Poverty CA via their instagram page!

07/21/2026

"Stonewall wasn't an event. It was an invitation for ordinary people to do extraordinary things."⁠ -KishaLynn Elliott, Executive Director of San Diego Pride

Last Friday and Saturday, Western Center was honored as one of the Community Grand Marshals at San Diego Pride for our work in protecting health care access for trans youth in our Children’s Hospital LA and Rady Children’s Hospital cases.⁠
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⁠We are especially grateful for the heart, tenacity, and perseverance of our stellar team working tirelessly on behalf of our clients, our communities, and our organization.⁠
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We shared this honor with many organizations that work to advance LGBTQIA+ rights including ACLU-SDIC, Bet Tzedek Transgender Rights Project, Impact Fund, National Center for LGBTQ Rights, and the Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association.⁠ It is also for our clients who have shown incredible courage in the fight for justice, dignity, and equity.

07/20/2026

Please join us for our final two sessions in our Summer Training Series!

Trainings are FREE and interactive.
1.0 hour of General MCLE credit will be provided for each training.
Register to attend--https://wclp.org/summer-training-series-2026/

JULY 23
Litigating in a Hostile Environment: Lessons from Recent Cases
Join us to explore litigation and policy advocacy strategies for advancing anti-poverty and racial justice goals in increasingly hostile courts and political environments, drawing lessons from recent impact cases. Participants will examine how to identify and develop impactful legal and policy interventions, assess trends ripe for litigation or administrative and legislative advocacy, evaluate potential plaintiffs or petitioners, and build coordinated strategies that support long-term structural change.
Joy Dockter, Robert Newman

JULY 30
Using the Current Moment to Rethink How We Support Everyone’s Right to Thrive
This training will explore how the current attacks on public benefits programs and other protections for low-income Californians can also be an opportunity to reimagine systems of economic support and well-being. Speakers will share examples from past and current advocacy campaigns to support their vision for what could come next.
David Kane, Rebecca Miller, Keely O’Brien

07/14/2026

Sacramento County is being asked to hand Sheriff Cooper millions more for unfilled jobs — while foster kids lose the programs that keep them safe and in school.

Not a single deputy loses their job in these "cuts." But foster youth transportation, family reunification support, and abuse prevention funding are already gone.

Today, July 14, the Board of Supervisors decides. Tell them: fund our kids, not the Sheriff's slush fund.

On July 14th, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will reopen our county budget. Most people in Sacramento have no idea this is happening. It’s not because supervisors found new…

07/08/2026

Romare Bearden’s layered collages hold memory, movement, and possibility all at once—making his work a powerful companion to Western Center’s 2025 Annual Report.⁠
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This past year demanded urgency, imagination, and resolve. As policy decisions threatened the health, privacy, and financial stability of Californians, we stood beside communities confronting the consequences.⁠
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With partners across the state, we protected medical coverage for immigrant households, challenged federal attempts to obtain confidential patient records, advanced reforms to strengthen CalWORKs, and helped secure the Freedom to Birth Act to broaden pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care.⁠
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Real progress is built collectively: by holding institutions accountable, advancing lasting protections, and shaping laws around the people whose lives they touch.⁠
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These efforts are highlighted by Bearden's important collage art. Best known as one of the most innovative and original visual artists of the 20th century, he is a foundational figure in American modernism whose creative work helped shape the landscape of socially engaged art.⁠
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Donate to help, and read all about our impact in the 2025 Annual Report at the links in our bio.⁠
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Images: (1) Young Students, (2) MLK Mountaintop⁠
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All art is © 2026 Romare Bearden Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

07/06/2026

Bill update 🗣️ AB 1886 authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary PASSED 5-1 through the Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety! Thank you to all the incredible organizations, advocates, and co-sponsors of this bill: Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, Western Center on Law & Poverty Haywood Burns Institute, California Alliance for Youth & Community Justice, National Center for Youth Law, All Youth Are Sacred, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY), Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, California Youth Defender Center.

Big shout out to C*C Members Josiah and Karina for providing witness testimony in support of AB 1886 ❤️

07/04/2026

Romare Bearden’s layered collages hold memory, movement, and possibility all at once—making his work a powerful companion to Western Center’s 2025 Annual Report.⁠
⁠
This past year demanded urgency, imagination, and resolve. As policy decisions threatened the health, privacy, and financial stability of Californians, we stood beside communities confronting the consequences.⁠
⁠
With partners across the state, we protected medical coverage for immigrant households, challenged federal attempts to obtain confidential patient records, advanced reforms to strengthen CalWORKs, and helped secure the Freedom to Birth Act to broaden pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care.⁠
⁠
Real progress is built collectively: by holding institutions accountable, advancing lasting protections, and shaping laws around the people whose lives they touch.⁠
⁠
These efforts are highlighted by Bearden's important collage art. Best known as one of the most innovative and original visual artists of the 20th century, he is a foundational figure in American modernism whose creative work helped shape the landscape of socially engaged art.⁠
⁠
Read all about our impact in the 2025 Annual Report here--
https://wclp.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2025-Annual-Report-FINAL-compressed.pdf

Please DONATE to support our ongoing work!
https://wclp.org/donate/
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Images: (1) Young Students, (2) MLK Mountaintop⁠
⁠All art is © 2026 Romare Bearden Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

06/30/2026

California is at a crossroads. Governor Newsom has the power to commute all 550+ death sentences before leaving office—by granting universal clemency.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity could change everything. It would set a national standard, and it would model bold leadership. Most people already think Governor Newsom ended the death penalty after he issued a moratorium, dismantled the death chamber, and closed death row in 2019.

Universal clemency is the last step in a process the Governor started seven years ago. It's time for Governor Newsom to grant universal clemency NOW. Swipe to learn more.

LIVESTREAM available here:
https://www.instagram.com/ellabakercenter?upcoming_event_id=17870432895686855