Wall Street Journal
Give to ‘minority-led’ charities, or else.

In 2006, Publix Supermarket Charities donated almost $30 million to causes that included Habitat for Humanity, the March of Dimes and United Way. But Al Piña isn’t satisfied. Mr. Piña, the chairman of the Florida Minority Community Reinvestment Coalition, believes Publix isn’t giving enough to people of color who donate to other people of color. Welcome to the latest trend in racial extortion. (more…)

SFGate.com
David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer

California regulators handed electric utilities $82.2 million in bonuses Thursday for improving energy efficiency, even though the state isn’t sure the companies saved as much power as they claim. (more…)

Samuel Kang
Managing Attorney-Consumer Protection
510-926-4004 office
415-317-5946 cell
samuelk@greenlining.org

San Francisco, CA – Over 150 ratepayers packed the auditorium at the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday to protest billions of dollars in pending utility rate increases. Nearly two dozen community leaders and ratepayers testified at a Commission meeting to demand rate freezes until the end of the recession in California.

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Andrew S. Ross
SFgate.com
Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Might a media company based in Northern California follow the Tribune Co.’s example and be the next to seek some “breathing space” from its debts, i.e., file Chapter 11? No way, said Gary Pruitt, CEO of Sacramento’s McClatchy Co. Talking to a reporter after his presentation Tuesday at the UBS Global Media and Communications conference in New York, he said McClatchy is “not facing anything close to what they have been. I was disappointed about the bankruptcy filing, that’s all I can say.” (more…)

Seniors urged to check Part D prices and coverage during open enrollment to avoid surprises.

By Melissa Evans, Staff Writer
contracostatimes.com
Posted: 12/03/2008 11:04:27 PM PST
Updated: 12/04/2008 10:32:40 AM PST

Fifteen dollars a month doesn’t sound like a lot of money – except if you’re living on a fixed monthly income of about $1,650, and rent, food and energy costs are soaring, too. (more…)

Contact:
Christian González-Rivera
Program Manager, Research
Tel.: 510-898-0507
christiang@greenlining.org
www.greenlining.org

Today, the Greenlining Institute released its annual report card ranking the performance of top financial institutions in SBA lending to minority entrepreneurs in fiscal year 2008. The report will be sent to the top management of the nation’s largest SBA lending institutions in order to foster competition in lending to minority-owned small businesses. The findings are based on the verified data for fiscal year 2008 provided to Greenlining by the SBA through a Freedom of Information Act request.

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By Orson Aguilar
http://www.colorlines.com

A new compromise from foundations might be cause for some optimism.

The everyday challenges faced by the people in many neighborhoods seem far removed from the American Dream these days: the lack of good housing and jobs, poor health, immigration raids, the foreclosure crisis, failing schools and all-too-common homicides. (more…)

By Matthew Vadum
spectator.org

Businesses that politicians deem vital to the national interest aren’t being allowed to fail in America today, and the bigger they are, the more help they get from the government. So it’s not much of a surprise that the fine points of yet another bailout package are being worked out behind closed doors, this time for Citigroup. (more…)

beyondchron.org
by Scott Sabatini

Review it on NewsTrust
Earlier this summer, Countrywide Financial’s most famous troubled customer received an altruistic bailout that saved his home. Now months later, despite attention from the highest levels of government, hundreds of thousands of anxious homeowners are still waiting for their reprieve. (more…)

LegalNewsline.com
BY SCOTT SABATINI

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline)-Beleaguered homeowners received a powerful boost when President-elect Barack Obama said confronting the housing crisis will be one of his first orders of business upon taking office in January. (more…)