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Public Advocates

Nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that partners with grassroots community groups to fight poverty and racial discrimination.

09/03/2026

Public transit isn’t just about getting from A to B —it’s about who gets to fully participate in society. 🚌

That’s why transit has been at the center of so many US civil rights struggles, and why it matters now more than ever.

Join us for a FREE Transit Month talk: Protecting Transit’s Role in Multi-Racial Inclusive Democracy
🗓️ Thursday, September 10 | 5:45–6:45 PM
📍 McKinleyville Family Resource Center, 1615 Heartwood Drive

Public Advocates’ Senior Policy Advocate Laurel Paget-Seekins breaks down how attacks on multi-racial inclusive democracy are hitting public transit and what we can do in California to fight back.

Hosted by CRTP. Add to your calendar. See you there! 🚍✊

McKinleyville TransportationEquity

09/01/2026

WE’RE HIRING 📣
Managing Attorney, Metropolitan Equity Team

Housing justice. Transit equity. Power-building for racial and economic justice across California.

We’re looking for an experienced attorney ready to lead litigation, co-lead team strategy, mentor sharp advocates, and go all-in alongside the community partners doing this work on the ground.

💰 $171,600–$200,000
📍 SF preferred / Sacramento considered, hybrid

Link in bio to apply.

08/27/2026

Equity and justice aren’t built by individuals, they’re built by teams. The fight is long, and yesterday, we took a collective breath.

PA staff took time to rest, restore, and recharge. It’s been a hard year, and there’s a lot of work ahead this fall as we head into elections. But moments like this remind us why we show up: real change is made by communities and teams prepared for the marathon, together, in partnership, with an equitable vision for what’s possible.

Onward, together. ✊💛

08/22/2026

California is in a housing crisis. Building new homes, which is important, can take years but families are being priced out right now.

In the last 5 years, California lost 268,000 homes that were affordable to working families. Not torn down but bought up, “renovated,” and flipped at double the rent. When that happens, families don’t just lose an apartment. They lose their school, their communities, access to transit, sometimes their job.

CAPP is how we stop it. This November’s Prop 1 housing bond includes $200M for CAPP, letting nonprofits and community land trusts buy at-risk buildings before speculators do, and keep them affordable for good.

Six years of advocacy by PA and our partners CA CLT Network Housing California Enterprise Community Partners) got us here. Prop 1 builds for tomorrow. CAPP protects today.

(Graphic 👏🏽 CA CLT Network)

08/19/2026

Our climate goals. Our communities. Our budget.

Public Advocates is proud to stand with a broad coalition fighting to protect the programs that keep our climate commitments and our investments in communities real—not the first line item cut when budgets get tight.

📞 Take 2 minutes tomorrow. Call Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and one of the key decision-makers shaping the final budget deal.

The ask: Act before August 31st to protect climate goals and community investment programs in the final budget.

🗓️ Deadline: August 31
📱 Call Assemblymember Gabriel’s office
🗣️ “My name is ___ and I’m calling to urge Assemblymember Gabriel to protect climate goals and community investment programs in the final budget deal, before the August 31st deadline.”

Every call counts. Make yours tomorrow. 👇

08/18/2026

Math matters. Especially when it decides who gets their bus service cut or pays more. 🚌

At a recent board meeting, our Senior Policy Advocate, Laurel Paget-Seekins, pushed AC Transit’s Board on a question she’s been asking for years: when you measure “disparate impact,” are you subtracting percentages or dividing them? Sounds technical BUT it’s not. It’s the difference between catching discrimination and hiding it.

Case in point: in 2020, AC Transit ended a discount that for impacted riders increased fares for 26% of the people of color vs. 12% of the white riders. Using subtraction (26-12=14), staff said that’s under their 15-point threshold so there is no disparate impact, and it was case closed. But 26 is close to double 12, clearly greater than 15% more. Double the impact is a disparity, plain and simple.

At a recent board meeting AC Transit finally admitted that they use different methods for different analyses, percentage points for one type and percent for another. And they are using the same threshold of 15 for both.

The win: the Board voted to send staff back to explain their methodology clearly and look at lowering the threshold. Accountability works, but only if we keep showing up. 💪

TransitJustice EquityInAction

08/10/2026

Hundreds of Californians rallied at the State Capitol today to demand the Legislature protect billions in funding for transit, housing, and clean air—before it’s too late. 🌎🚌🏠

In May, CARB gutted California’s Cap-and-Invest program cutting nearly $2 billion a year from affordable housing, public transit, and clean air and water programs, while handing up to $4 billion in new subsidies to oil refineries and polluters.
Public Advocates was there💪 Laurel Paget-Seekins (Senior Policy Advocate), Michelle Pariset (Director of Legislative Affairs), and Andrés Ramos (Legislative Counsel) joined dozens of advocates at the rally and in meetings with legislators and staff.

Laurel explained the urgency:
“The governor’s changes to Cap and Invest breaks last year’s agreement to renew the program by redirecting funding from affordable housing, public transit, and clean air and water to big oil. These are basic necessities Californians rely on, and the legislature must restore the funding now.”

The Legislature has until August 31 to act. We’re not backing down. ✊

(Organized by Transbay Coalition, Streets For All, Housing California, Move California, Seamless Bay Area, SPUR, Communities for a Better Environment, and Climate Plan and joined by dozens of partner organizations across the state, including Public Advocates.)

08/03/2026

Our summer team wrapped up this week, and we’re already missing them. 🥹

This summer, an incredible crew of law students and young advocates joined us to fight for housing justice, education equity, and the resources that power this work. They brought real talent, real heart, and real hustle—and they leave having made a genuine mark on our cases and campaigns.

To our summer crew: thank you for choosing to spend these ten weeks with us. We hope this is a “see you soon” and not goodbye—and we can’t wait to see what you do next. The movement is lucky to have you. 💪

07/28/2026

AC Transit’s board is considering a set of “governance improvements” that would limit public comment, keep customer service reports out of public view, and funnel community feedback through staff instead of elected board members. Public Advocates’ Laurel Paget-Seekins pushed back this week, warning that burying performance data from the public looks a lot like avoiding accountability — not improving it.
Transit riders fought for years to get real oversight of agencies like AC Transit. That fight doesn’t stop now. 🚌✊
Link in bio

07/25/2026

Discrimination doesn’t always announce itself.
Today, DOE eliminated a key civil rights tool for students—one that didn’t require proving intent, just proving harm.
We’re calling on California to step up. Read our statement at the link in bio.

Address

131 Steuart St, Ste 300
San Francisco, CA
94105

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.publicadvocates.org/

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