Allow me to welcome you to our web page. My name is José R. Padilla. I'm the Executive Director of California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA). CRLA was founded in 1966 as a nonprofit legal services program with a mission to strive for economic justice and human rights on behalf of the rural poor. Today, CRLA has 17 offices, many in rural communities from the Mexican border to Northern California.

Each year, we provide more than 20,000 poor rural Californians with no-cost legal services and a variety of community education and outreach programs. Half of our resources are committed to multiclient cases that grapple with the root causes of poverty. The impact of CRLA's litigation has touched the lives of literally millions of poor individuals, improving conditions for farmworkers, new immigrants, welfare mothers, school children, the elderly, the physically challenged, and entire communities.

It is with great pride that we celebrate over 33 years of advocacy on behalf of the rural poor. We hope you find the information provided on this site informative and rewarding. We welcome your comments and suggestions on how our site can be improved. Together, let us help one another to move forward toward the light of equal justice for all.

Adelante y hacia la luz!

José R. Padilla



California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
631 Howard Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, California 94105-3907
(415) 777-2752 / Fax (415) 543-2752


© 1999-2000. CRLA, Inc. All rights reserved.