On Friday, December 17, 2021, we were lucky enough to host our first gala since the onset of the pandemic. We loved seeing so many familiar faces (some behind masks, but) all beyond the screen! Thank you to all of our vaccinated attendees, and for those who didn’t make it – we missed you.

A huge thank you to our gold sponsors Holland & Knight and O’Brien Homes as well as to our silver sponsor Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP for helping make this happen. We would also like to thank Line 51 Brewing Company for allowing us to host in a well-ventilated, indoor-outdoor space to maintain the safety for all of our amazing attendees. 

A Few Moments from Gala 2021
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(We got so into the gala we forgot to take more pics)

This event was especially meaningful, because we were able to send off one of our most valued team members, Victoria Fierce, surrounded by friends. Victoria will be moving to Berlin in the coming weeks, and while CaRLA will be sad to see Victoria leave, we know that there are great things on the horizon in Berlin for her and many great things on the way here at home from CaRLA.

While we said goodbye to Victoria, the event was also an opportunity to introduce CaRLA’s first class of interns. This November, we welcomed Khang Tran, Kate Goldmann, and Sophie Haugen to our team. The gala was a wonderful opportunity to show the interns the supportive community of activists, advocates, and caring professionals that make up CaRLA’s network. 

CarLA Interns Sophie Haugen, Kate Goldmann, Khang Tran

Despite the chaos of the last few years, it was reinvigorating to gather in person and remind ourselves of why we do the work with the community fighting the good fight with us. It has been a year of ups and downs CaRLA  finding CaRLA’s voice and strategically focusing our work, expanding our staff and capacity, achieving stunning legislative victories in San Mateo and Huntington Beach, and saying goodbye to Victoria – but we’re ending on a high! 

We are headed in the right direction and we have way more to come in 2022. We have four potential lawsuits in the pipeline and 482 municipalities to keep an eye on. Your contributions matter, and we appreciate every penny. Now is an excellent time to donate, especially if you have not already met your $300 tax-deductible donation for this fiscal year yet.  Thank you all for a great gala and a great end to 2021.