pages: CityCouncil/2020-02-18.pdf, 7
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CityCouncil | 2020-02-18 | 7 | Legal's job is to advocate for tenants. Ms. Berlanga responded in the affirmative. Councilmember Oddie stated 62 people were served; 14% were Asian Pacific Islander (API); inquired whether the languages spoken are known, to which Ms. Berlanga responded that she does not have the specific numbers. Councilmember Oddie stated Alameda's language breakdown is Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese and he thinks Korean is next; there is not a tremendous number of languages; it bothers him that one in seven clients may not speak the language; as the Mayor pointed out, Alameda is getting less for the same amount of money and will have the pay an additional amount for translation; Centro Legal should work with the City on the matter; if coming every week is not feasible, there has to be a middle option. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the City could help make connections with the Alameda community, such as Alice Lai-Bitker, who is very tied into the API community; there are many others, too; stated there might have been more renters in need who did not know about the service if materials were not available in their languages. Councilmember Oddie stated there are a number of resources with translators that do not charge through the roof. Ms. Berlanga concurred; stated that she does not think there has been a problem with the service provision of providing services in other languages; she is concerned communities might not know about the availability of the services; she hopes the City can help with connections; Centro Legal has many partner agencies to help with translation of materials and wants to focus efforts in a culturally responsive way. Councilmember Oddie requested Ms. Berlanga address whether issues raised by the Mayor can be resolved. Ms. Berlanga stated regarding the decrease in deliverables, the initial proposal was based the maximum number of eviction cases one attorney with a paralegal could represent; 40 is the maximum responsible case load for an eviction defense attorney; the pilot has shown eviction defense is not the primary need in Alameda; the primary need is consultation services, including clarification about the law and educating people of their rights; the proposal is to increase said efforts and focus on outreach, tenant education and consultation services, as opposed to having an arbitrary number of eviction defense cases; Centro Legal wants to prevent evictions and provide the whole spectrum of services, including Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA); Centro Legal does not view the changes as offering fewer services and is viewing it as modifying existing services to meet community needs; the focus could be on eviction defense only, but Centro Legal believes a broader range of services is the best way to combat displacement. Regular Meeting Alameda City Council February 18, 2020 5 | CityCouncil/2020-02-18.pdf |