City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined Mayor Bass, Dolores Huerta, Congresswoman Maloney and other icons of civil and women’s rights movements in signing the national petition in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.

“My very first political act at 17 years old, before I could even register to vote, was making calls to Puerto Ricans and other Spanish speaking or bilingual communities in two key states – Florida and Illinois - to get involved and support ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. It is long past time for Congress to act and finally recognize women in the Constitution – all people, not just men, are created equal under the law and have inalienable fundamental rights,” said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney.

You can sign the petition supporting the ERA here. 

Earlier this week, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, Mayor Karen Bass, LAPD Chief Dominic Choi and other justice partners to discuss an ongoing and significant collaboration aimed at disrupting human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children on the Figueroa corridor in South Los Angeles. Partners included in this Figueroa Human Trafficking Initiative include Council President Pro-Tempore Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the LA County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. 

“We are so proud of this unprecedented strategic collaboration, with all of our justice partners leveraging their resources. We have made tremendous progress in our efforts to combat the human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors that has plagued the Figueroa Corridor for far too long. By disrupting the illegal activity and the businesses that have harbored it and with our U.S. Attorney taking the lead on federal felony prosecutions, we are declaring loud and clear that our children are not for sale, and our community will not be a hub for sex trafficking of minors,” said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney.

Feldstein Soto joined “Inside the Issues with Amrit Singh” on Spectrum News 1 to discuss this work, which you can watch here. She was also recently interviewed by Ms. Magazine about these efforts which have been a priority since day one. You can read the interview here. 

As part of her multi pronged effort to protect children, City Attorney Feldstein Soto announced that her office has secured significant jail sentences and mandatory sex offender registration for three men who, in separate cases, were convicted of numerous charges related to sexually abusing children. 

GOLD SEAL FOR DEI EFFORTS 

In recognition of efforts to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal profession, the Office of Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto has been awarded the prestigious Gold Seal from the California State Bar’s DEI Leadership Seal Program. 

Feldstein Soto’s office is the only city attorney’s office in California to be honored with this distinction to date, and one of just two government organizations to receive the Gold Seal in the most recent cohort. 

"I am proud of the work we have done together in this administration to implement DEI practices and policies within my office and throughout the City. It is gratifying to have that work recognized by the State Bar of California and I thank and credit the good work of my Equity and Inclusion Division and the nearly 40 volunteers who serve on my office's Equity Panel. As the only City Attorney's Office to have received the Gold Seal from the California State Bar to date, we remain committed to the best practices for legal excellence, inclusivity and fairness implemented across the office and the City and to continuing to build a leadership team for the 21st century public law firm that we have become," said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney.

Among the DEI initiatives for which the office was recognized:

Learn more about this achievement here.  

In her continuing efforts to enforce the city’s Short-Term Rental Ordinance, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s office has filed a civil enforcement action against defendants whom she alleged to be “massive scale violators,” earning more than $4 million through their fraudulent and illegal business practices. This illegal activity includes leasing properties from owners on a long-term basis, including rent stabilized units, then turning around and offering them as short-term rentals on Airbnb and other platforms - a scheme known as “short-term rental arbitrage.” 

“As renters battle a severe housing shortage and sky high rent, these defendants exacerbated our housing crisis by leasing at least 30 apartments and houses from their owners and illegally renting them out as short-term rentals, violating California’s Unfair Competition Law, the City’s Home-Sharing Ordinance, and our Rent Stabilization laws. Our housing laws were enacted for a reason and I’ll always work to enforce them and hold violators accountable - in this case, working to address the multiple illegal practices at-scale,” said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney. 

In their consumer protection case against Sunseeker Enterprises and owner James Moseley over numerous misleading claims made about their SPF3000 Clear Spray spray-on coating, which purported to protect homes from wildfires, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and Santa Barbara County DA John Savrnoch announced that a default judgment was granted. The judgment, which includes nearly $4.8 million in civil penalties and restitution to victimized homeowners, permanently enjoins the defendants from making false advertising claims about its product, SPF3000.

"Putting a stop to deceptive and unfair business practices that put consumers in harm's way is one of the key reasons we formed a Public Rights Branch in my administration. This judgment is a testament to the importance of the work we do. The result reaffirms our commitment to public safety and consumer protection and holds bad actors accountable when they engage in unfair, unlawful or deceptive business practices that lull consumers into a false sense of security when wildfires occur," said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney. 

City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined the Believe in Giving organization and many community partners, including The Beehive and SoLA Impact for the “Back to School Giveback” event, where 1,000 students received backpacks and school supplies for the new school year. 

City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto celebrated Independence Day by riding in the annual Sunland-Tujunga 4th of July Parade, managed by the Sunland-Tujunga-Shadow Hills Rotary Club.  

As part of her ongoing efforts to disrupt human trafficking, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined organizations and volunteers for a community cleanup on South Figueroa Street, helping to ensure that children and families have a safe, clean environment as they start off the new school year.  

City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined the Association of Black City Attorneys and the City Attorney Women’s Association at a special event honoring Judge Consuelo Marshall, the first woman lawyer and first woman of color to be hired by the City Attorney’s Office in 1962. From her historic appointment as the first African American woman on the US District Court for the Central District of CA, to her tenure as Chief Judge, Judge Marshall’s dedication to justice and fairness have deeply impacted society.