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- EIN 42-1688855
- (213) 736-5050
- 2500 Wilshire Blvd STE 1050 Los Angeles CA 90057 USA
- www.basta.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Education
Mission: Over the past several years, basta has focused its mission on helping tenants in the county of los angeles who are low-income, elderly, and disenfranchised, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, or anything else. Among other areas of activism, basta does the following (in no particular listed order): (a) provides legal counsel and trial representation to defend tenants (often in rent-controlled properties) suffering through eviction proceedings who could not otherwise afford such legal representation; (b) promotes, advocates, and defends the constitutional right to a jury trial under the federal and california constitutions by requesting and funding jury trials in every unlawful detainer action as well as undertaking related appellate work when courts deny tenants a jury trial (many of our cases are now published appellate decisions); (c) promotes, advocates, and defends indigent access to the court system by defending such indigent
Programs: Project: slum housing. Based on statistics from the inner city law center, an estimated 48,000 people get sick each year from living in slum conditions. Exposure to mold, rats, roaches, and bedbugs (chinches) can be devastating to an individual's health, causing illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis, rashes, etc. Basta forces slumlords to repair their buildings or sell them to responsible landlords, as well as forcing them to pay damages to their low-income tenants. Since its inception, through this project alone, basta has obtained more than $5,000,000 on behalf of over 400 families.
project: homelessness prevention and access to justice. Basta saves nearly 1,000 families from eviction and homelessness each year. Basta provides education, outreach, and financial counseling to help tenants understand the root causes of eviction and homelessness, as well as their rights as tenants under local rent control ordinances and state law. In some circumstances, basta is able to provide displaced tenants (whether eviction, fire, or other causes) with housing assistance, financial aid, rental subsidies, moving expenses, and general relocation help. Basta also provides an option for legal defense in eviction matters to persons who would not otherwise afford legal representation. In part through providing families facing eviction with legal representation, basta promotes, advocates, and defends indigent clients' (a) state law rights to a waiver of court fees and jury fees and (b) their rights to a jury trial under state and federal constitutions. Such work includes arguing these issues before state tribunals and appellate courts throughout los angeles county.
project: other program expenses
