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the Hacienda Business Park. Ms. Bietsch-Bahmani indicated she was unfamiliar with this. She provided <br /> information about CBDG funding CityServe had received for their new office space in Livermore and <br /> advised they were hoping to move into the offices within the next week that will enable them to better <br /> serve the Tri-Valley area. <br /> Centro Legal de la Raza — Fair and Secure Housing Project— Samantha Beckett <br /> Ms. Beckett advised that Centro Legal was founded in 1969 and is committed to protecting and <br /> advancing the rights of low-income immigrant Black and Latino communities by providing legal <br /> representation, education, and advocacy to ensure they have access to safe, healthy, stable, and <br /> affordable housing. <br /> Commissioners were informed by Ms. Beckett that the program leverages funds from each of the Tri- <br /> Valley cities and county-wide projects to provide legal services to low-income tenants, and funds <br /> requested will provide help to Pleasanton residents by providing one-on-one eviction defense legal <br /> assistance consultations and tenant workshops that educate people to know their rights. She noted that <br /> the current program meets the current situation and needs including tenant eviction moratorium issues, <br /> which is something they anticipate will be a big wave once the moratorium ends during this grant cycle. <br /> Ms. Beckett advised that Centro Legal is focused on a number of things they expect needing to take <br /> place once the moratorium is lifted, the first being building relationships and informing Pleasanton <br /> tenants about their services through robust community outreach and then providing presentations about <br /> "rights" and one-on-one consultations. <br /> Commissioners were advised by Ms. Becket that while answering questions she would pull information <br /> from her computer that had been requested regarding the time spent with clientele. Commissioner <br /> Fischer indicated it would be helpful to have this information as well as details on how many people had <br /> been assisted. <br /> After retrieving the information Ms. Beckett advised that Centro Legal spends an average of one and a <br /> half hours advising people about their rights which does not include the time spent conducting outreach <br /> and research before connecting with them. Additionally, everyone who receives a consultation also <br /> receives a 30-minutes"Know Your Rights" presentation that provides them with helpful information. <br /> She noted that a non-complicated eviction defense case can take 20-25 hours and more complicated <br /> cases up to 100-hours. <br /> Ms. Beckett provided details on being able to watch Centro Legal in person when working on cases by <br /> visiting one of their Zoom workshops and indicated she would be happy to send invitations to members <br /> of the commission wishing to attend. She advised that as part of a pilot program through the Schreiber <br /> Right to Counsel Centro Legal receives funding to be in court to provide tenants with representation in <br /> court. <br /> Commissioner Fischer questioned if the services provided by Centro Legal and ECHO Housing <br /> sometimes overlapped and when cases escalated to a higher level was when Centro Legal was <br /> needed to take over because they have the expertise. Ms. Beckett agreed and indicated that Centro <br /> Legal has had a long-standing valued partnership with ECHO Housing who do an excellent job <br /> providing mediation. <br /> Commissioner Fischer noted that the last time Centro Legal had presented to the commission Ms. <br /> Beckett had indicated assistance had been provided to nine Pleasanton people with one case going to <br /> court and the others received counseling. Ms. Beckett advised the court case is still proceeding and <br /> another one with a threat of eviction could lead to court proceedings. She indicated that with the <br /> moratorium likely to lift soon Centro Legal is anticipating they will need to provide a lot of counseling <br /> pertaining to evictions. <br /> Housing Commission <br /> March 17,2022 <br /> Page 5 of 10 <br />