Contact:
Bruce Mirken, Greenlining Institute Media Relations Coordinator, 510-926-4022; 415-846-7758 (cell)
Tunua Thrash, Greenlining Institute Director of Innovation, 310-499-8470

Greenlining Institute Continues Monitoring; Experts Available for Comment

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – The process of selecting California’s Citizens Redistricting Commission enters its final phase today. As they have at every step, policy experts at the Greenlining Institute will be watching closely as they work to ensure that the body reflects the full diversity of California’s communities. The 36 finalists left after legislative leaders exercised their rights to eliminate two dozen candidates will be entered into a lottery to pick the first eight commission members today at 10 a.m. The lottery will be streamed live at http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov.

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

Group That Warned of Crisis in 2005 Sounds New Alarm as Senate Examines Crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. -– The Greenlining Institute, whose 2005 warnings of a growing crisis in subprime lending were ignored by then-Fed Chair Alan Greenspan and other regulators, sounded a new alarm today as the Senate Banking Committee prepares to examine the ongoing foreclosure crisis. Greenlining urged aggressive action to stem a pending tide of foreclosures, including a moratorium and principal reductions.

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huffingtonpost.com
By Preeti Vissa

The punditocracy is anxiously war-gaming the expected battles between the Obama Administration and Congress. But while there will be plenty of strong rhetoric and political theatrics on Capitol Hill, much of the real action will occur elsewhere, in administrative and regulatory processes that typically occur offstage.

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mercurynews.com
By Dana Hull

Voters defeated Proposition 23 Tuesday, and by a wide enough margin that the No on 23 campaign declared victory early in the evening.

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penipress.com
By Daniel Bohm

California voters soundly rejected a ballot initiative that would have suspended a state climate-change law.  Proposition 23 would have put the Global Warming Act of 2006 on hold until the state’s unemployment rate dropped below 5.5 percent. Opponents consider the vote a win for California environmental advocates.
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Contact:
Bruce Mirken, 415-846-7758 (cell)
Abel Haptegeorgis, 510-910-2672 (cell)

Massive Effort to Reach Latino, Asian, African-American Voters May Have Turned Tide Against 23 & 26; Victory Party Tonight at The New Parish in Oakland

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – If tonight’s results spell defeat for Proposition 23, as recent polls suggest, much credit may belong to a massive grassroots effort to educate voters of color about Propositions 23 and 26 through door-knocking, phone calls, direct mail, radio ads and ethnic media outreach. The campaign was mounted by Communities United Against the Dirty Energy Proposition, a coalition of over 130 organizations representing low-income communities and people of color in California.

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huffingtonpost.com
By Preeti Vissa

Since my home state has a way of starting trends — some good, some terrible — California ballot propositions have been attracting national attention for decades. One of the terrible ones hasn’t gotten the attention it needs, either in California or nationally.

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huffingtonpost.com
By Preeti Vissa

A funny thing has happened since I wrote last week about the need for both a broad foreclosure moratorium and for longer-term reforms, including principal reduction, to help homeowners who now owe vastly more than their homes are worth. A conventional wisdom has emerged — with the White House vocally joining in — that we must let millions of foreclosures proceed for the good of the economy.

Nonsense.

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www.triplepundit.com
By C.C. Song, The Greenlining Institute

In the backyard of the Tesoro and Valero refineries in Wilmington, California lives a thriving community that has been fighting back against the oil giants for years. Because of Proposition 23, attention has finally been brought to local residents who wake up to see the refineries’ smoke day after day.

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philanthropy.com
By Caroline Preston