Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing, transportation equity, and climate justice.
Our Vision
Communities that were once excluded and marginalized are energized by their collective power to shape public decisions and achieve justice. As a result of that engagement, all Californians can have the building blocks to thrive and to create vibrant communities – excellent public schools, affordable housing, reliable public transportation, quality health care, good job opportunities, and economic security.
Our Organizational Diversity Vision
Public Advocates reflects the rich diversity of California and is committed to creating a work environment and society free of all forms of oppression. We respect each person in the organization as unique and empower each other to contribute and lead. Our workplace honors our individual and collective identities and fosters the ability to work effectively in cross-cultural situations and engage in courageous conversation about power, privilege and identity. Our cultural competence enables us to form long-term and honest relationships with our community allies, working as partners to achieve shared public policy and community empowerment goals.
Our Theory of change
From the beginning Public Advocates recognized the importance of collaboration with clients, communities and ally organizations. Our initial goal in 1971 was that our work would be “with, not just for, our constituents,” and that commitment deepened over time. As we evolved and matured, we developed a distinctive multi-pronged approach to civil rights advocacy incorporating:
Public Advocacy
Coalition Building
Narrative Change
Legal Strategies
We recognized that we could be most effective when we created a long term strategy for engagement with a significant policy arena, and generated a legal strategy incorporating alliances, subject area expertise, and implementation and communication plans.
We believe that by engaging in strategic partnerships, policy advocacy and litigation, we will increase the capacity of grassroots organizations to shape public policy and make their voices heard. This way we can also positively influence public opinion, the media, policymakers and courts to hold business and government accountable.
We do this to promote the expansion of civil rights and resource equity and create a mobilized community base to ensure that all Californians have the fundamental rights and equitable allocation of resources they need to build vibrant communities. We choose to address areas such as education, housing, transportation and health that are fundamental to enabling individuals and communities to fulfill their potential, and we choose to challenge systemic problems in ways that will achieve maximum impact.
How Our Work Intersects
We believe that in order for all Californians to thrive, all residents–including BIPOC, low-income, immigrant, and other communities who have long been underserved and disinvested in–must have equitable access to a public education, to housing that is stable and affordable, and transportation that can connect them to resources, services, and culture.
Public education, affordable housing, and transportation access are the building blocks that will allow a resident to create a healthy, high-quality life where they feel able to pursue their dreams. Our local and state government–who have historically disinvested in communities as a result of past racist policies–are responsible for fully funding and equitably distributing access to education, housing, and transportation to start addressing the inequities they have created. Only by addressing these inequities can we begin to create a California where every resident has an equal opportunity to thrive.
Public Advocates works to ensure, through policy advocacy, litigation, and partnering with grassroots leaders who are at the forefront of these communities, that our leaders are held accountable in addressing these inequities.