Community Worker

WHO WE ARE: California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is an anti-poverty law firm that dismantles unjust systems through community lawyering in California’s historically rural areas. We work with people priced out of private legal representation so they can uphold civil rights in housing, employment, health, and public education. Through our 17 Rural Justice Centers, communities can access a broad range of legal tools, including direct legal services, place-based advocacy to expand equity in civic institutions, and specialized litigation to advance civil rights.

• Position: Community Worker 

• Experience: 6+ months  

• Application Deadline: Open until filled 

• Location: Salinas Office 

• Term of Employment: Regular, Full-Time 

• Other: FLSA Non-Exempt, Union Position 

The Unincorporated Community Justice Program (UCJP) utilizes a community lawyering model that pairs an attorney and a community worker to address environmental justice issues in disadvantaged communities. The model calls for creative, innovative advocacy that uses a multi-pronged approach to address the issues and their systemic roots. Approaches such as community leadership development and advocacy around policies are as important to the work as traditional legal advocacy. The UCJP Community Worker should be creative and skilled at partnering with community residents to address the issues and their underlying causes. Many of the communities with whom CRLA works near the Salinas office are represented by organized community groups with ongoing projects and defined priorities.  

UCJP covers a wide array of environmental justice areas ranging from access to services such as water and broadband to the inequitable distribution of resources and siting of hazardous land uses.  UCJP’s client communities are disadvantaged unincorporated communities that suffer the consequences of historic underinvestment and discriminatory policies.   

The UCJP Community Worker will be partnered with the local UCJP Attorney to develop and implement creative advocacy strategies to address community-identified environmental justice issues in the unincorporated communities in Monterery County. Primary responsibilities include conducting community outreach and education, community leadership development, and developing and implementing advocacy strategies to improve infrastructure, services, and investment in disadvantaged unincorporated communities. 

Essential Responsibilities/Duties: 

Community Outreach and Education 

• Work with the local Attorney and Program Director to plan community outreach projects.  

• Conduct community outreach through door-to-door outreach, media, and collaborations with other organizations. 

• Prepare and provide community education presentations to help community residents understand their legal rights. 

• In collaboration with other staff, work with residents of incorporated communities to develop leadership skills. 

Research and Advocacy  

• Work with the local Attorney and Program Director to develop a comprehensive advocacy strategy for each target community.  

• Advocate for the provision of equitable resources and services to low-income unincorporated communities.  

• Analyze local and state policies as they relate to the needs of low-income unincorporated communities. 

• Monitor and attend local, county, and state meetings related to the development, planning, investment, and health of unincorporated communities. 

• Undertake factual research of issues affecting unincorporated communities, including surveying community members, researching historic investment trends, and partnering with academia to raise awareness of unincorporated communities and support advocacy. 

Coalition Building 

• Act as liaison between CRLA and other organizations, agencies, and coalitions. 

• Collaborate with public and private stakeholders to increase investment in and representation of disadvantaged unincorporated communities. 

• Collaborate with partners to undertake permissible policy advocacy. 

• Elevate awareness of challenges facing unincorporated communities through in-person presentations and the use of various media outlets. 

• Participate in issue- and community-based coalitions as requested by the Program Director. 

Other 

• Work collaboratively and respectfully with staff, clients, and partners. 

• Support litigation by assisting with investigation, discovery, and communication with clients. 

• Work with UCJP staff to plan regional and statewide meetings. 

• Collaborate with funding partners and local foundations as requested. 

• Report on grant deliverables in a timely manner. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

Required Education and Experience: 

• Demonstrated commitment to working with low-income clients. 

• Experience working in cross-cultural settings. 

• Experience creating and conducting trainings. 

• Good people skills and the ability to maintain positive relations with a diverse population. 

• Ability to use the internet, database, and computer office programs. 

• Bilingual (English & Spanish). 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 

• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed. 

• Availability to travel regionally and statewide.