California Rural Legal Services Thwarts Will of California Voters; Fights “English Immersion” in Schools
Following California voters’ approval of Proposition 227, a measure that requires California students be taught primarily in English, California Rural Legal Services, Inc. and Multicultural Education, Training & Advocacy, Inc. filed a complaint in 1999 on behalf of the United Coalition for the Education of Our Children against Oceanside Unified School District for its efforts to implement the voter-sanctioned policy. California Governor Gray Davis’s Department of Education sided with CRLA, issuing a report in October 2000 that claimed Oceanside did not provide an “alternative” for students who speak Spanish. (The top leaders of the California Education Department had campaigned against Proposition 227). Oceanside’s deputy superintendent correctly points out that the law, as approved by the voters of California, requires an alternative program only if waivers are granted to 20 students or more. Not surprisingly, the state department of Education claimed Oceanside’s refusal to grant waiver requests was too “general” in most cases. Once again, Oceanside officials point to the law, citing that the district has the final authority to determine when a waiver is appropriate. CRLA has long been an advocate of multilingual education in California schools. Indications are they will continue to use taxpayer funds to press that agenda.
California Rural Legal Services Tries to Force Apartment Complex to Become Homeless Shelter
In April 2001, owners of the 157-unit Mira Loma Apartments in Oxnard,
California, notified the occupants of ten overcrowded apartment units that
they were in violation of their leases, causing health and safety concerns
for the complex. On May 23, RHC Communities, which owns the complex,
sent a second notice, giving tenants 10 days to comply with their leases
or face eviction. The chief operating officer for RHC explained:
“All we want to know is that the people on the leases are the people living
there.” California Rural Legal Services didn’t think that was reasonable.
The LSC grantee intervened, complaining that many of the unauthorized tenants
had no place to go, should they be compelled to leave. In response,
RHC extended the deadline to 60 days, but cited California housing rules
that stipulate a two-bedroom rental dwelling as appropriate for a family
of five - roughly two persons per bedroom. Not only were the overcrowded
units outside the parameters of state guidelines, they opened up enormous
liability risks for the complex owners in the event of a fire or other
emergency situation. In addition to the 60-day extension, RHC announced
plans to build 77 affordable-housing units on nearby vacant land.
Thanks to California LSC Grantee, Japanese Property Investor Learns
America Isn’t Always a “Nation of Laws”
Genshiro Kawamoto, a 70-year old Japanese businessman, decided earlier this year to sell 570 rental property homes in Northern California to finance an investment in New York City. His decision touched off a wave of controversy, when his property managers served eviction notices to those families currently occupying the homes Kawamoto intended to sell. Despite Kawamoto honoring California’s 30-day notice requirement, Legal Services of Northern California joined in the acrimony, asking a Sacramento court to delay the evictions. Kawamoto responded by extending the notice to 90 days - three times that required by California law. “I just followed the law,” declared Kawamoto in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. According to the Times, Kawamoto expressed surprise that legal action would be taken against a businessman following the law, particularly in a nation that prides itself in being a nation of laws. “I would understand if this sort of response happened in a developing country,” said Kawamoto. “But this is the U.S.”