As the economy starts to recover from the last few years of the pandemic, families and small businesses in California are struggling. And many of these challenges – with debt, housing or work – have legal dimensions. The problem is that only the wealthy and large businesses can afford legal help, and legal aid can only help some of the poorest Californians – typically families making less than $44,000 annually. This leaves the urgent needs of the large middle mostly unmet. Consider the essential workers we continue to honor through this pandemic – teachers, nurses, grocery store workers.