PG&E has been shutting off power for low income customers at a near record pace. During an emergency meeting at the CPUC, Greenlining urged all California utilities to stop shutting off power during the holidays. The utilities agreed.  See our victory in the news below!

· Tuesday – Lead story on CBS 11pm News

· Wednesday – Aired at 5pm on ABC News

· Thursday – Aired all morning on KCBS Radio

· Thursday – Lead Story in SF Chronicle Business Section

The California Senate chief refuses to hold a hearing for Rachelle Chong, who had the backing of AT & T and Verizon, which benefited from her successful push to deregulate most land-line services.

By Michael Rothfeld
LA Times

The leader of the state Senate on Tuesday rejected a controversial appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who had been bidding for a second term on the commission that regulates state utilities.

Aides to Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) informed the governor’s office that he would not hold a hearing to confirm Rachelle Chong. Chong, who has been severely criticized by consumer groups, was first appointed in 2006 and had been seeking a term that would have lasted through 2014.

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(SACRAMENTO) – Statement of Assemblymember Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance) on proposed Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan changes:

“I commend the Federal Housing Administration for all of their actions to help stabilize the housing market. However, I believe the proposals being considered by FHA to require home buyers to come up with more money for down payments as well as an increase in upfront mortgage insurance payments to qualify for an FHA mortgage is a step in the wrong direction. First, these new qualifications will disproportionately penalize a state like California where housing prices are much higher than the national average. A difference of one and a half points is quite large compared to loans in other states with much lower housing prices. For example, on a $400,000 loan, the current down payment requirement of 3.5 percent would be $14,000. Increasing it to 5 percent would increase the down payment to $20,000, which is a fairly big difference for many people in California. Plus, if you add on an increase in upfront mortgage premiums, you will end up excluding even more Californians from buying homes.

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prnewswire.com

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today released the findings of its FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, breaking new ground in gaining understanding of which Americans remain outside the banking system. The survey, conducted on behalf of the FDIC by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, was a supplement to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey during January 2009. The study, which is the most comprehensive survey to date of the unbanked and underbanked, reveals that more than one quarter (25.6 percent) of all households in the United States are unbanked or underbanked and that those households are disproportionately low-income and/or minority.

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Racial-Ethnic Diversity and Foundations in New York City:
The Lessons from the California Experience
A Citywide Forum of the NYC Collaborative for Fairness & Equity in Philanthropy
By Angelo Falcón
Special for the CFEP Update (Novmber 22, 2009)

The New York City Collaborative for Fairness and Equity in Philanthropy (CFEP) held its first forum, “Racial-Ethnic Diversity and Foundations in New York City: Lessons from the California Experience,” on Monday, November 9th in Manhattan, to packed room of over one hundred. The purpose of this session was to promote a discussion of how communities of color in New York can better hold foundations accountable, part of a year-long deliberative process by CFEP.
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www.asianjournal.com

LAST YEAR, voters passed Proposition 11, the California Voters FIRST Act, which calls for the creation of a new Citizens Redistricting Commission. This commission composed of 14 members will be responsible for re-drawing the district lines for the Assembly, Senate and State Equalization Board.

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By: www.californiachronicle.com

LOS ANGELES – State Senator Gilbert Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) and the California Latino Legislative Caucus convened “El Poder Verde” Green Jobs Summit last week in downtown Los Angeles. The summit was organized to bring together public and private sector stakeholders mobilizing the “green movement” throughout the state. Organizers and participants stressed the importance of meeting climate change goals while providing high quality and lasting employment at all skill levels, and in particular, in poor and underserved communities.

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Contact:
Orson Aguilar
Executive Director
510-926-4005 office
510-552-0493 cell
orsona@greenlining.org

Yesterday the Greenlining Institute launched a state-wide initiative that seeks to ensure that the new Citizens Redistricting Commission represents California’s diverse population. The redistricting commission resulted from Proposition 11 which was passed by voters last year. This commission will redraw the lines for the state’s Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization. Previously, this duty was held by members of the legislature.

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San Diego Gas & Electric agreed to affirm their commitments to diverse hiring and minority-owned business contracting for their multi-million dollar solar project.