The Language Access Network of San Francisco (LANSF)

The Language Access Network (LAN) is a coalition of seven community-based organizations, funded by the San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) since 2012, to provide community education on language access, address violations of the Language Access Ordinance, and provide community centered feedback to City departments on best practices in serving other-than-English proficient communities. In our work with directly impacted community members, LAN ensures that people know their language access rights, and feel comfortable asserting those rights as they seek City services in-language. In our work with City Departments, LAN bridges the gap between departmental policies and procedures, and community need, by sharing best practices and community learning toward culturally and linguistically appropriate services. LAN also advocates for administrative, budgetary, and legislative changes that continue to advance improvements to language access Citywide.

LANSF Mission & Vision

LANSF advances language justice by educating, strengthening, and advocating with immigrant communities to overcome and dismantle language barriers.  Our vision is a world with full equity and justice for our immigrant communities, where immigrants can feel a sense of ownership and belongingness when accessing services and opportunities.  We strive for cultural change that values language diversity and builds power for immigrants regardless of language.

LANSF Partners

LAN is comprised of community-based organizations with deep roots and broad reach in immigrant communities throughout San Francisco. These organizations have been working in their respective communities, advocating for immigrant access to services and opportunities, for the past ten to over 50 years. Partners include to following organizations:

LAN Resources

LAN Brochures

LAN One-Pager

LAN Community Assessment

In 2021, LANSF completed a community-driven study that evaluated how the existing Language Access Ordinance responds to the needs of limited-English proficient communities in San Francisco. 

Using data from annual department compliance plans, spot checks conducted by community organizations, and qualitative interviews with community members, the study centers the experiences of community members  accessing and interacting with language services at different city departments. 

The LANSF Community Assessment finds that, although San Francisco has made consistent progress over the years, the Language Access Ordinance and its implementation require improvements in order to properly address and respond to growing language access needs.