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Non-profit

Bet Tzedek Legal Services

Location:

Los Angeles, CA
Tax ID:

23-7304205
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2023):

Revenue: $18,203,140
Expenses: $17,048,169
Assets: $27,531,507
CEO and President:

Diego Cartagena

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Bet Tzedek Legal Services is a Los Angeles-based pro bono legal services group 1 that provides a variety of different legal services, including a Transgender Legal Rights Program and a free clinic to assist people in changing their name or gender marker. 2

Doug Emhoff, spouse of former Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the audience at Bet Tzedek’s 2025 Annual Dinner Gala. 3

Background

Bet Tzedek provides free legal representation and advice to residents of Los Angeles County. The group started in 1974 and primarily focused on protecting the Fairfax district’s “elderly Jewish residents” from predatory landlords. 4

The group claims to assist over 90,000 Los Angeles residents annually by working with over 1,000 volunteers and pro bono attorneys. 5 The group provides comprehensive legal services for seniors and dependent adults; small businesses; homeowners, tenants and the homeless; families and children, and transgender people. 5 It also offers clinics on at least nine different topics including elder abuse, employment rights, conservatorship, and tenants’ rights. 6

In 2023, Bet Tzedek partnered with Loyola Marymount University law school’s Genocide Justice Clinic to assist Holocaust survivors with seeking reparations. 7

Bet Tzedek partners with several local cities and government agencies, bar associations and Jewish organizations, as well as left-of-center groups such as National Employment Law Project, Los Angeles LGBT Center, and the Los Angeles Urban League. 8

Transgender Work

Bet Tzedek assists with obtaining identification documents that correspond with transgender individuals’ desired gender expression and supports those “who identify as transgender and gender non-conforming.” The group’s work in this area began in 2016, when it joined the LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles to ensure that transgender youth could “receive accurate gender identity recognition under the law,” as well as access medical care and attend school free without discrimination. 9

 

Bet Tzedek is “committed to pursuing justice for people of all gender identities and expressions” and supports gender on-conforming, non-binary and transgender people. The group allows members of those groups to access medical care, fight school discrimination, avoid discrimination and retaliation at work, and negotiate “denials to housing or shelter.” 2 The group also has a free clinic to assist people in changing their name or gender marker. 2

Financials

In 2023, Bet Tzedek reported a revenue of $20,110,679 and expenses of $18,727,224. 10 In 2023, it received $471,824 from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, 11 $154,750 from the California Community Foundation 12 and $121,417 from the left-of-center Acacia Center for Justice, which provides counsel and legal advice to illegal immigrants. 13 In 2022, the group received $50,000 from the left-of-center Ford Foundation. 14

Leadership

As of 2025, Diego Cartagena was serving as president and CEO of Bet Tzedek. He was named president and CEO in 2020 and is the first non-Jew to hold the position. 4 Cartagena joined Bet Tzedek in 2012. 15 He previously worked at Alliance for Children’s Rights and did a fellowship with Equal Justice Works in 2004. 16 He has also been a board member at OneJustice. 16 Cartagena earned a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, where he focused on critical race studies. 15

As of 2025, the group had a staff of over 100, with a board of directors, a president’s council, and the new leadership council. 17 Bet Tzedek’s board had 48 members and nine executive committee members at the time. 18

References

  1. Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237304205/202541959349302214/full
  2. “Justice for Transgender Individuals – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 27 May 2022, bettzedek.org/our-services/justice-for-transgender-individuals/.
  3. Tapper, Jake. “Doug Emhoff Publicly Criticizes His Law Firm for Coming to Agreement with Trump Administration.” CNN, 5 Apr. 2025, www.cnn.com/2025/04/05/politics/doug-emhoff-criticizes-his-law-firm-for-coming-to-agreement-with-trump-administraiton/index.html.
  4. Rubin, Joel. “Bet Tzedek Selects First Non-Jew to Lead Legal Aid Group.” Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2020, www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-01-17/bet-tzedek-new-leader.
  5. “Our Services – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 24 Apr. 2022, bettzedek.org/our-services/.
  6. “Legal Clinics – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 30 Apr. 2022, bettzedek.org/legal-clinics/.
  7. “LLS Genocide Justice Clinic Partners with Bet Tzedek on Holocaust Reparations.” Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Marymount University, 29 Apr. 2023, newsroom.lmu.edu/community/lls-genocide-justice-clinic-partners-with-bet-tzedek-on-holocaust-reparations/.
  8. “Community Partners – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 18 Dec. 2022, bettzedek.org/community-partners/.
  9. “Justice for Children & Families – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 27 May 2022, bettzedek.org/our-services/justice-for-families-children/.
  10. Bet Tzedek Legal Services, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/237304205/202541959349302214/full , Lines 12 and 18
  11. Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/951684067/202433119349303443/IRS990ScheduleI, Schedule I
  12. California Community Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/953510055/202531359349303988/IRS990ScheduleI, Schedule I
  13. Acacia Center for Justice, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/874099467/202423179349304472/IRS990ScheduleI, Schedule I
  14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF), https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/131684331/201913199349101266/IRS990PF
  15. “Diego Cartagena – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 6 Oct. 2025, bettzedek.org/our-team/diego-cartagena/.
  16. “Diego Cartagena – Equal Justice Works.” Equal Justice Works, 13 Feb. 2024, www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellows/diego-cartagena/.
  17. “Bet Tzedek Staff – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 2022, bettzedek.org/department/bet-tzedek-staff/.
  18. “Board – Bet Tzedek Legal Services.” Bet Tzedek Legal Services, 2022, bettzedek.org/department/board/. 
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: August - July
  • Tax Exemption Received: July 1, 1973

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2023 Aug Form 990 $18,203,140 $17,048,169 $27,531,507 $8,314,501 N $17,987,350 $3,170 $497,908 $1,150,989
    2022 Aug Form 990 $14,946,367 $13,872,707 $20,270,766 $2,810,570 N $14,559,431 $3,519 $601,912 $934,814
    2021 Aug Form 990 $14,183,587 $12,842,006 $20,991,806 $1,837,171 N $12,865,881 $797,026 $332,932 $777,210 PDF
    2020 Aug Form 990 $13,692,611 $10,677,758 $18,393,417 $1,804,411 N $13,578,113 $12,905 $330,017 $900,912 PDF
    2019 Aug Form 990 $11,263,966 $9,678,547 $14,551,228 $1,837,132 N $11,046,713 $80,201 $343,039 $876,846 PDF
    2018 Aug Form 990 $9,403,145 $8,177,147 $12,476,961 $1,303,489 Y $9,035,425 $111,146 $256,954 $857,141 PDF
    2017 Aug Form 990 $9,031,371 $7,647,552 $10,710,425 $1,092,906 N $8,491,248 $360,665 $179,171 $828,260 PDF
    2016 Aug Form 990 $8,762,460 $7,052,523 $8,085,303 $1,251,755 N $6,826,893 $1,652,253 $173,368 $316,229 PDF
    2015 Aug Form 990 $6,965,075 $7,252,808 $7,027,639 $2,072,809 N $6,310,049 $405,128 $107,027 $239,733 PDF
    2014 Aug Form 990 $7,411,682 $8,431,429 $8,372,126 $2,883,338 N $6,992,401 $172,000 $130,767 $439,148 PDF
    2013 Aug Form 990 $6,957,946 $8,713,547 $9,643,725 $3,839,938 N $6,356,922 $384,397 $137,065 $422,619 PDF
    2012 Aug Form 990 $7,466,190 $8,173,242 $8,448,266 $1,251,226 N $6,525,446 $776,475 $116,994 $412,000 PDF
    2011 Aug Form 990 $8,155,206 $7,689,664 $8,686,213 $1,077,253 N $6,968,066 $1,028,244 $107,521 $518,191 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Bet Tzedek Legal Services

    3250 WILSHIRE BLVD 13 FL
    Los Angeles, CA 90010-1577