Contact us at financial.justice@sfgov.org for all general inquiries.
Michelle Lau, Acting Director
Michelle Lau is the Acting Director of The Financial Justice Project in the Office of the Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco. San Francisco is the first city in the nation to launch a Financial Justice Project to assess and reform how fines, fees, and financial penalties impact the city's low-income communities of color. In this role, she conducts research on fine and fee pain points to assess and advance potential reforms locally and statewide in California, designs and implements discounts and alternatives to fine and fees, and amplifies The Financial Justice Project's communications strategy. Prior to her work with the City, Michelle worked as a civic sector consultant where she partnered with government agencies, foundations, and not-for-profit organizations. Michelle holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate degree from Princeton University.
Cecilia Perez, Manager
Cecilia Perez is a project manager for the Financial Justice Project (FJP) and manages communication, outreach, and performance measurements. The Financial Justice Project works with community-based organizations and government partners to lift and reform government-issued fines and fees. These fines and fees can have severe consequences for both the person receiving the fine/fee and for government accounting. Unaffordable fines and fees not only trap residents in cycles of debt and financial instability, but they are often uncollectible debts and inflate government-expected revenue collections/collections. Addressing regressive and punitive fines and fees can improve financial stability for residents and can improve government revenue projections.
Max Wolf-Johnson (he/him) is a graduate student intern supporting the Financial Justice Project and the Office of Financial Empowerment. Originally from San Francisco, he is a current Master of Public Policy student at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, Max served as a legislative staffer for a member of the U.S. Congress, where he worked on issues related to education and socioeconomic mobility, including higher education access, the cost of college, equitable student outcomes, and student loan debt and repayment. Max holds a bachelor’s degree, also from UC Berkeley.