[Livingwage] Fwd: ACORN News August 29, 2002

[Belden Fields]

>Date: 30 Aug 2002 18:58:37 -0000
>To: a-fields at uiuc.edu
>Subject: ACORN News August 29, 2002
>from: David Swanson <acornnews at acorn.org>
>
>
>ACORN News
>August 29, 2002
>
>1. California Blocks Attack on Predatory Lending Laws
>2. Los Angeles Fights Predatory Lending
>3. California Passes Protections for Renters
>4. Albuquerque Wins Moratorium on Foreclosures
>5. Campaign to Reform Household International Heats Up
>6. ACORN Opposes Bankruptcy Bill
>7. Chicago Mayor Backs Living Wage Proposal
>8. Louisiana Marches for Welfare Reform
>9. Minnesota Registers Voters
>10. Los Angeles Fights to Keep Health Clinics Open
>11. Connecticut Stops Effort to Deny Fully Documented Immigrants Driver's 
>Licenses
>12. New York Fights Bloomberg Charter Revision
>13. Little Rock Marches for a Living Wage
>14. Miami Works to Stop Police Brutality
>15. Miami Wins Funding for Affordable Housing
>16. Hempstead Blocks Anti-Demonstration Resolution
>17. ACORN Pushes Candidates to Back Agenda
>
>1. CALIFORNIA BLOCKS ATTACK ON PREDATORY LENDING LAWS -- An attempt to 
>sneak legislation banning local predatory lending laws through the 
>California legislature this week was dropped after ACORN members, along 
>with AARP and Consumers Union, organized against it.  ACORN members made 
>calls to legislators from around the state asking them to oppose any 
>preemption or moratorium, and picketed the offices of legislators who had 
>agreed to support such a measure.  A proposal under consideration could 
>have retroactively banned Oakland's law restricting predatory lending as 
>well as forestalling efforts to pass predatory lending restrictions in Los 
>Angeles and elsewhere.  ACORN and allies had agreed to passage of a 
>limited state law on predatory lending last year with the explicit 
>understanding that localities would be able to go further in protecting 
>borrowers.  The lending industry then challenged Oakland's law in court, 
>losing the first round of that battle in June.  Industry has ap!
>pealed that decision as well as attempting this failed legislative 
>violation of last year's agreement.  For more information, link to
>http://www.acorn.org/campaigns/cliparchives.php?c=6&y=2002 or contact 
>Brian Kettenring at caacornsaro at acorn.org or 916-455-1795.
>
>2. LOS ANGELES FIGHTS PREDATORY LENDING ­ Los Angeles ACORN is campaigning 
>for passage of a local ordinance restricting predatory lending.  Last week 
>the City passed a resolution calling on the state not to interfere with 
>its right to protect local homeowners.  ACORN met recently with the City 
>Council's Housing Committee to urge passage of a bill that would place 
>tougher restrictions on predatory lending than those imposed by the state 
>law that ACORN and allies won last year.  For more information, contact 
>Peter Kuhns at caacornlaro at acorn.org or 213-747-4211.
>
>3. CALIFORNIA PASSES PROTECTIONS FOR RENTERS ­ ACORN and allies in the 
>Renters Together coalition have now moved two bills through the California 
>legislature which await a signature from Gov. Gray Davis, and lent their 
>support to a third which awaits a public referendum on the November 
>ballot.  SB 1403, sponsored by Senator Sheila Kuehl, will require that a 
>landlord give 60 days' notice rather than 30 days when evicting a tenant 
>without cause.  AB 2330, sponsored by Assembly Member Carol Migden, passed 
>the Senate, 21-13, on August 20 and will provide for interest payments to 
>tenants on their security deposits.  SB 1227, sponsored by Senator Burton, 
>placed a $2.1 billion housing bond on the ballot, the largest in 
>California history.  ACORN will be working to turn out voters in support 
>of this bond.  For more information, link to
>www.acorn.org/carenters or contact Brian Kettenring at 
>caacornsaro at acorn.org or 916-455-1795.
>
>4. ALBUQUERQUE WINS MORATORIUM ON FORECLOSURES ­ Albuquerque ACORN, with 
>assistance from U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, has persuaded HUD to institute 
>a moratorium on foreclosures of FHA loans in Rio Bravo Estates.  Of 60 
>families in the development with FHA loans, 45 have already lost their 
>homes.  The remaining 15 will be protected, and HUD has agreed to produce 
>credit-repair letters for the others.  This is part of a year-long ACORN 
>campaign to win reparations from the developers of Rio Bravo Estates. 
>Beginning in 1997, 120 families bought manufactured homes there on land 
>worth thousands of dollars less than the amount for which it was appraised 
>and sold. The initial lender arranged for the homeowners to refinance 
>their loans with high-cost lenders within a year or two, so that the 
>lender realized a profit and got the inflated loans off its books.  ACORN 
>has held public protests against the developer, filed complaints with the 
>OCC and the Attorney General, and filed a class !
>action.  For more information, link to 
>http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/plclips2002/espanola_bank.html 
>or contact Matthew Henderson at nmacorn at acorn.org or 505-242-7411.
>
>5. CAMPAIGN TO REFORM HOUSEHOLD INTERNATIONAL HEATS UP ­ On August 15, 
>ACORN members and other Massachusetts residents filed suit in Suffolk 
>County Superior Court against Household International and subsidiaries 
>charging them with violating Massachusetts banking regulations and 
>engaging in predatory lending.  The suit asks for rescission of the 
>covered loans and damages.  This suit joins two existing suits filed by 
>ACORN or by ACORN members, a national class action filed in Illinois, and 
>a state class action in California.  Boston ACORN also held a public forum 
>on predatory lending on August 22 to push for tougher legislative 
>protections against predatory lending.  Massachusetts enacted limited 
>protections in the form of tighter regulations in April 2001, and the 
>lawsuit charges Household with violating those regulations.  Meanwhile, in 
>Minneapolis on August 23, Household International's CFO Dave Schoenholtz 
>hosted a luncheon for investors.  ACORN members showed up with post!
>ers, chants, and a shark costume to protest.  ACORN's work is focusing 
>ever more attention on Household.  Forbes Magazine titled a September 2nd 
>article about the company "Home Wrecker."  The New York Times wrote about 
>Household's abuses on August 17.
>For more information, link to
>http://www.acorn.org/campaigns/pressclips.php?c=4 or contact Lisa Donner 
>at acorncampaign at acorn.org or 718-246-7900.
>
>6. ACORN OPPOSES BANKRUPTCY BILL ­ Congress is on the verge of passing a 
>bankruptcy bill that would reward credit card companies for their enormous 
>campaign contributions.  While 90 percent of those in bankruptcy are 
>forced to file because of the loss of a job, high medical bills, or 
>divorce, the bill that Congress is expected to vote on in September would 
>cause many more people to lose their homes or cars.  The bill would punish 
>ordinary families, while executives in bankruptcy as a result of business 
>debts would benefit from lenient standards and enormous loopholes.  The 
>bill was passed by the Senate more than a year ago, in very different 
>political circumstances.  A final vote is being held up, and ACORN and 
>others are taking advantage of this opportunity to try to stop it.  On 
>August 28, ACORN members protested at the headquarters of MBNA in 
>Wilmington, Del.  MBNA is the world’s largest independent credit card 
>issuer and a major backer of the bankruptcy bill.  ACORN is d!
>emanding that MBNA withdraw its support for the bill.  Other ACORN 
>chapters around the country have lobbied their congress members on this 
>topic.  For more information, link to
>http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/takeaction.htm or contact Chris Saffert at 
>legnatacorn at acorn.org or 202-547-2500.
>
>7. CHICAGO MAYOR BACKS LIVING WAGE PROPOSAL ­ On Aug. 27, Chicago Mayor 
>Richard Daley Jr. announced his support for tying any increase in 
>aldermanic and mayoral pay to an increase in the living wage level 
>required by Chicago's living wage ordinance.  Chicago ACORN has now 
>released two reports documenting the benefits of the existing law, which 
>was passed by the city in 1998, and specifying what is needed to improve 
>it.  ACORN and SEIU Local 880 forced Chicago Aldermen to pass the living 
>wage law in 1998 prior to voting themselves a raise. ACORN and Local 880 
>are now working to boost the living wage standard before passage of any 
>new aldermanic pay raise. For more information contact Madeline Talbott at 
>ilacorn at acorn.org or 312-939-7488.
>
>8. LOUISIANA MARCHES FOR WELFARE REFORM ­ On August 26, members of 
>Louisiana ACORN were joined by members of Little Rock ACORN, National 
>Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, National Organization of Women, Pax 
>Christi, Interfaith Council for Worker Justice, Georgia Citizens on 
>Hunger, Gulf Coast Mariners United, and Citizens for Change in a march to 
>a meeting of the Southern Governors Conference in New Orleans.  The group 
>held a candlelight vigil and asked the Governors to support the Senate's 
>welfare reform bill and money for child care and education as part of 
>welfare reauthorization.  The Governors committed to meeting with ACORN 
>and allies in their respective states upon their return home.  For more 
>information, link to
>http://www.acorn.org/campaigns/cliparchives.php?c=5&y=2002 or contact Beth 
>Butler at laacorn at acorn.org or 504-943-0044.
>
>9. MINNESOTA REGISTERS VOTERS ­ ACORN, in coordination with Project Vote, 
>is working to register 15,000 new low- and moderate-income voters in 
>Minnesota.  With elections for the state legislature, Governor, and U.S. 
>Senate fast approaching this November 5th, this registration drive aims to 
>shift the balance of political power, so that politicians feel the 
>pressure to address the issues of affordable housing, living wages, better 
>schools, responsible policing, and predatory lending.  In 2000, ACORN and 
>Project Vote registered 100,000 new voters.  For more information, contact 
>Becky Gomer at mnacorn at acorn.org or (651) 642-9639.
>
>10. LOS ANGELES FIGHTS TO KEEP HEALTH CLINICS OPEN ­ On August 20, Los 
>Angeles ACORN members took over the lobby of the County Department of 
>Health Services to protest a plan to close 15 public clinics despite 
>having the reserve funds to keep them open.  This was the latest in a 
>series of actions that have included protests, town meetings, a 
>1,000-person rally with allied groups, and a press conference at a 
>hospital.  For more information, link to
>http://www.acorn.org/campaigns/pc.php?p=1142 or contact Peter Kuhns at 
>caacornlaro at acorn.org or 213-747-4211.
>
>11. CONNECTICUT STOPS EFFORT TO DENY FULLY DOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS DRIVER'S 
>LICENSES ­ Following a good deal of pressure from ACORN and allies -- 
>including Stamford Organizing Project and SEIU 32 BJ -- the Connecticut 
>Attorney General has ruled that proposed regulations on driver's licenses 
>were illegal.  The proposal, drawn up by the DMV following September 11, 
>would have denied driver's licenses to legal immigrants.  As part of the 
>campaign to block the proposal, 71 legislators signed a letter asking that 
>it be referred to the legislature, and many organizations sent in 
>testimony.  The next step for ACORN will be a campaign to win driver's 
>licenses for undocumented immigrants.  For more information contact Jeff 
>Ordower at ctacorn at acorn.org or 203-333-2676.
>
>12. NEW YORK FIGHTS BLOOMBERG CHARTER REVISION ­ New York City Mayor 
>Michael Bloomberg has proposed revising the City's charter to create 
>non-partisan elections and to change the line of succession so that if the 
>mayor died or became incapacitated, the (unelected) deputy mayor for 
>operations would take over for three months until a special 
>election.  Under current law, the mayor would be
>succeeded by the (elected) public advocate.  ACORN and the Working 
>Families Party are protesting these proposals.  The WFP gives voice to the 
>concerns of working New Yorkers in a way that it could not under the 
>Mayor's proposal.  ACORN and WFP are protesting at a series of hearings, 
>chanting "Change the mayor, not the Charter!"  The proposal will be on the 
>public ballot in November.  For more information, contact Bertha Lewis at 
>nyacornbrkro at acorn.org or 718-246-7900.
>
>13. LITTLE ROCK MARCHES FOR A LIVING WAGE ­ Having won a living wage of $9 
>per hour plus health coverage for employees of the Central Arkansas 
>Libraries last year, Little Rock ACORN and allies (SEIU Local 100, AEA, 
>AFL-CIO) have set their sites on the cities of Little Rock and Pine Bluff 
>and the state of Arkansas.  On August 10, 175 supporters marched to the 
>state capitol and rallied in support of a living wage.  In Pine Bluff, 
>Alderman Irene Holkomb plans to introduce the legislation.  In Little 
>Rock, City Directors Johnny Pugh, Genevieve Stewart, and Willie Hinton are 
>expected to introduce a bill this Fall.  ACORN is also pushing for a bill 
>that would provide a living wage of $9 plus health coverage to the 4,000 
>state employees now earning below that level.  For more information, 
>contact Neil Sealy at aracorn at acorn.org or 501-376-7151.
>
>14. MIAMI WORKS TO STOP POLICE BRUTALITY ­ Miami ACORN and allied 
>organizations have persuaded the City of Miami to establish a Civilian 
>Review Board with subpoena power and an ACORN member on the Board to 
>investigate allegations of police brutality.  ACORN and allies held a 
>number of community meetings, town hall meetings, county and City Hall 
>meetings, and a street-blocking action at the site of a shooting in order 
>to win these changes over the past months.  For more information, contact 
>Eric Thompson at flacorn at acorn.org or 305-576-0919.
>
>15. MIAMI WINS FUNDNG FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING ­ ACORN has persuaded Dade 
>County to support a Section 8 homeownership program, using $54 million in 
>reserve CDBG funds to help families with down payments and closing 
>costs.  About 100 Miami ACORN members have turned out repeatedly to County 
>Board of Commissioner meetings.  The Board approved the program in 
>July.  ACORN is now asking the City and County to provide grants of up to 
>$40,000 to cover the difference between voucher amounts and housing 
>costs.  Families that stayed in homes for 10 years would not have to pay 
>back the grants.  For more information, contact Eric Thompson at 
>flacorn at acorn.org or 305-576-0919.
>
>16. HEMPSTEAD BLOCKS ANTI-DEMONSTRATION RESOLUTION -- The Village of 
>Hempstead tried to pass a resolution requiring that the organizers of any 
>premeditated gathering of 10 people or more that would interfere with 
>traffic (pedestrian or vehicular) acquire a permit 10 days ahead of 
>time.  ACORN turned out 100 people to the public hearing and, along with 
>strong opposition from other groups, derailed it.  For more information, 
>contact Ann Sullivan at nyacornliro at acorn.org or 516-481-6769.
>
>17. ACORN PUSHES CANDIDATES TO BACK AGENDA ­ In cities around the country 
>in recent weeks political candidates have attended forums held by ACORN 
>and agreed to support issues of concern to low- and moderate-income 
>families.  On August 22, Maryland ACORN held a rally with gubernatorial 
>candidate Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and several other 
>candidates for state and city office.  These candidates were pressed to 
>support ACORN's positions on issues ranging from lead poisoning to 
>housing, predatory lending, and living wage.  In Providence, R.I., mayoral 
>candidate David Cicilline joined ACORN at a rally last week demanding 
>action on the infestation of rats in Providence neighborhoods.  In New 
>York, at ACORN neighborhood rallies in East New York, Flatbush, Crown 
>Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant, hundreds of ACORN members and community 
>residents have turned out to ask questions of and make their concerns 
>known to Democratic candidate for Governor, H. Carl McCall.  McCall h!
>as signed a pledge for ACORN, agreeing to fight predatory lending, raise 
>the minimum wage, create more affordable housing, and increase funding to 
>New York City's schools.  In Washington, D.C., ACORN members have held 
>events with City Council candidate Keith Perry, who has committed to 
>distinguishing himself from the incumbent he is challenging by backing 
>tough legislation on predatory lending and increased funding for 
>affordable housing.
>
>ACORN HAS OPENINGS FOR ORGANIZERS - ACORN Organizers build organizations 
>in low-income communities. How? House by house, family by family, 
>organizers hear from community residents what they want changed in their 
>neighborhood, city, state, and country. Organizers work with community 
>residents to hold meetings, do research on key issues, and develop 
>campaign strategies to get these issues addressed. The ACORN organizer's 
>job is to work for the membership of ACORN, helping them build the power 
>they need to win the things their communities and families need. 
>Interested? See this map to find the nearest ACORN chapter: 
>http://acorn.org/contactus/. Then see this page for more information and 
>how to apply: http://acorn.org/getinvolved/organizer.html.
>
>LINK TO PAST POSTINGS TO THIS LIST AT 
>http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/pastpostings/index.htm.
>
>ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is the 
>nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income 
>families, with over 120,000 member families organized into 600 
>neighborhood chapters in 45 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN 
>has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. 
>Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and 
>tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our 
>communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. We 
>achieve these goals by building community organizations that have the 
>power to win changes -- through direct action, negotiation, legislation, 
>and voter participation.
>
>Please forward this message in order to build this list.
>
>Check out ACORN's website at http://www.acorn.org.
>
>To subscribe to ACORN's Email list go to http://acorn.org/getinvolved
>
>To unsubscribe go to http://acorn.org/unsubscribe
>
>David Swanson, communications coordinator
>ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
>739 8th Street SE
>Washington, DC 20003
>(202) 547-2500 p
>(202) 546-2483 f
>acornnews at acorn.org
>http://www.acorn.org