huffingtonpost.com

By Preeti Vissa

This time of year conjures up traditional images of family gatherings, cozy fireplaces, shared meals and happy exchanges of presents — images of home, security and friendship. But millions of Americans who have had their homes foreclosed or who are in imminent danger of foreclosure have no such sense of security, and in many cases no real home. Far too little is being done to help them.

It seems like Ebenezer Scrooge is running Christmas this year. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

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California Progress Report

By Orson Aguilar and C.C. Song

There has been a lot of cheering over the Dec. 16 decision by the California Air Resources Board to adopt rules setting up the nation’s first cap-and-trade system for reducing carbon emissions. While the regulations represent an important first step and contain several positive elements, their flaws are serious and shouldn’t be ignored.

As the regulations now stand, their ultimate result could be a massive giveaway to the state’s biggest polluters.  Instead of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the proposed rules could result in billions of dollars in windfall profits to polluting industries at the expense of California’s most vulnerable communities.

A successful cap-and-trade program relies on a strategic allocation of allowances. In that context, it is hard to grasp the strategic value of CARB’s decision to give away the overwhelming majority of carbon allowances for free to big polluters.

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American Banker

By Robert Gnaizda

Many minority leaders concerned about foreclosures and lack of future homeownership opportunities, have asked me, a co-founder and former general counsel of the Greenlining Institute, to respond to charges that it caused the financial crisis by promoting predatory lending practices.

My response is that the accusations against Greenlining are not without some merit, though the facts are a little more complex. For example, the institute unfortunately was far less influential than suggested by the CEO of Countrywide, Angelo Mozilo, when he blamed it for his predatory actions.

In 1992, Greenlining sent a letter to Mozilo criticizing Countrywide for finishing last among California financial institutions in making conventional, prime, fixed-rate loans to blacks, Latinos and Asian-Americans.

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Associated Press

By Judy Lin

California is not gaining any seats in the House of Representatives for the first time in eight decades, according to 2010 Census figures released Tuesday.

However, California will hold on to all of its current 53 seats under the new state population totals being used to reallocate the nation’s 435 congressional seats.

While California’s population grew by 10 percent in the past decade, it was the state’s slowest growth rate listed on a chart for California going back to 1910.

California remained the most populous state in the nation, with 37.3 million people in 2010. The state had 33.9 million residents in 2000.

California had gained seats every decade going back to 1930. In 2000, the state gained one House seat.

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L.A. Daily News
By Carla Saporta and Bruce Mirken

HERE they go again. Major health insurers are announcing another round of rate increases, and something doesn’t smell right. Ironically, this is happening just as a Virginia judge ruled that a provision of the national health insurance reform law – that should keep rates down – is unconstitutional, setting up a continuing court battle.

For many Californians, this is the second round of big rate increases this year. Higher rates will place a heavy burden on recession-weary families that are already struggling to make ends meet.

Some insurers are trying to pin blame on the Affordable Care Act, the federal health reform law that has begun to take effect, as well as a California reform that bans insurers from charging women more than men for health insurance. But the numbers don’t seem to add up.

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Contact: Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)

First “Majority Minority” State’s Evolution Will Impact Politics, Education, Business

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – In a new report issued today, The Greenlining Institute summarizes the remarkable, continuing evolution of America’s first “majority minority” state. Drawn primarily from state Department of Finance estimates and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey,  “California’s New Majority” will provide a useful reference for journalists, businesspeople, political leaders and others needing to understand and reach California’s diverse population.

The full report, assembled by Greenlining Research Director Daniel Byrd, Ph.D., is available online here. Among the highlights:

• By 2040, Latinos will make up approximately 48 percent of California’s population. The Latino population will increase by roughly 15.5 million people from 2000 to 2040 – more than the entire current populations of Los Angeles and Orange counties combined.
• During the same period, the state’s Asian population will increase by 3.4 million, making up 13 percent of California’s population.
• California’s Asian population is highly diverse, with no clear majority among a wide variety of nationalities and cultures.
• While California’s African American population will grow by nearly 300,000 people, the black percentage of the population will decline slightly.
• Alameda and Solano counties have the highest percentages of African Americans, while Imperial and San Benito counties have the highest percentages of Latinos. San Francisco and Santa Clara counties have the largest percentages of Asians.

Contact: Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)

Group Urges Fewer Free Carbon Allowances, Strong Price-Hike Protections

SACRAMENTO – As the California Air Resources Board prepares to adopt final cap-and-trade regulations today, The Greenlining Institute is urging increased protections for low-income Californians and a reduction in the amount of free carbon allowances given to polluters.

“Although the proposed rules issued in November have positive elements, we are concerned about their impact on our state’s most vulnerable communities,” said Greenlining Institute Green Assets Fellow C.C. Song, who will speak today at CARB’s public hearing. “We’d like to see fewer free carbon allowances for polluters and stronger protections for low-income Californians.”

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Contact: Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator
510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)

Greenlining Institute Gears Up to Ensure Fairness as Line-Drawing Starts Next Year

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – The Greenlining Institute applauded the selection of the final six members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission, which were announced this morning. Greenlining, which has been pushing to ensure that the commission membership adequately represents California’s diverse communities, is launching a major campaign to engage communities of color and low-income Californians in the redistricting process.

“Given the various factors they had to consider – geographic and ethnic diversity, skill sets, and the requirement to select two candidates each from the Republican, Democratic and independent pools, the commission selected an excellent slate of six members,” said Greenlining Redistricting Fellow Michelle Romero. “Still, selecting a diverse commission is just the first step toward fair representation for all of California’s communities.”

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huffingtonpost.com
By Preeti Vissa

To most of us, credit scores are an obscure subject, something to think about only when we’re applying for a loan. But they’re deeply tied to the foreclosure crisis and the cloud of gloom surrounding the housing market and the economy generally. They have contributed to the disproportionate effect of the foreclosure crisis on minorities, and have the potential to create a vicious cycle that will pound communities of color even further.

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huffingtonpost.com
By Preeti Vissa

I and other consumer advocates have been arguing for an effort to head off the coming new wave of foreclosures, primarily by writing down the principal of mortgages that were based on unrealistic, bubble-inflated home values. But we keep running into an argument against such a program that many seem to find persuasive: the idea of “moral hazard.”
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