ACORN News January 23

[colist-admin at comm-org.utoledo.edu]

[ed:  the ACORN News is forwarded with permission.]

From: "David Swanson" <acornnews at acorn.org>

ACORN News
Jan. 23, 2002

1. California Kicks Off Statewide Housing Campaign
2. New Orleans Vote Could Raise Minimum Wage
3. Anti-Sprawl Effort in Sacramento Approaches Deadline
4. ACORN Warns that HUD Proposal Aids Predators
5. Colorado Releases Report on Predatory Lending
6. Albuquerque Predatory Lending Ordinance Approved By 
Committee
7. Florida Teams Up With AARP to Fight Predatory Lending
8. DC Pushes for Predatory Lending Protections
9. ACORN Housing Corp. Helps Form Affordable Lending Alliance
10. Albuquerque Fights Police Brutality
11. Boston Parents Demand Bus Monitors
12. Portland, Ore., Works to Democratize School Board
13. San Diego Keeps Utilities On
14. ACORN Denounces Enron's Impact on Utility Rates
15. Minnesota ACORN Turns 20

1. CALIFORNIA KICKS OFF STATEWIDE HOUSING CAMPAIGN 
-- On January 12, California ACORN convened a meeting to launch 
a statewide tenants' rights movement in California.  This movement 
will build on the work of local ACORN chapters and seek to address 
the growing housing crisis in a bigger way. The long-term goals are 
a statewide law requiring just cause for evictions and statewide rent 
control.  In most of California, currently, landlords need no reason 
whatsoever to evict, and a state law prevents new cities from 
passing strong rent control laws.  The kickoff meeting included 
ACORN members and allies from labor unions, labor councils, 
tenants' rights groups, and rent-control boards.  In the coming year, 
ACORN hopes to pass state-level reforms related to security 
deposits and certain protections against eviction without cause.  
While ACORN works for these protections at the state level, its 
members in cities around the state will simultaneously be pushing 
for gains in the same areas at the local level.  For more 
information, contact Amy Schur at caacorn at acorn.org or 213-747-
4211.  

2. NEW ORLEANS VOTE COULD RAISE MINIMUM WAGE -- On 
February 2, New Orleans voters will go to the polls and vote on a 
proposal to raise the minimum wage for all workers in the city to 
one dollar above the federal minimum wage, which is currently 
$5.15 per hour.  If this passes, New Orleans will be the first living 
wage campaign to have won an increase in the minimum wage for 
all major private employers.  About 74,000 workers will get a raise.  
ACORN is the main backer of the proposal, along with SEIU Local 
100, and has worked for over five years to get it on the ballot.  
Robert Pollin of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst headed 
a team of researchers to conduct an unprecedented study on the 
potential impact of the proposal.  The study finds that, "the benefits 
of the minimum wage increase, especially to low-wage working 
families, but also to retail store owners in low-income 
neighborhoods and the federal government, significantly outweigh 
the costs of the policy."  For more information, link to: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/livingwage/neworleans.htm or contact 
Beth Butler at laacorn at acorn.org or 504-943-0044.  

3. ANTI-SPRAWL EFFORT IN SACRAMENTO APPROACHES 
DEADLINE -- ACORN and allies must persuade at least 41 0f 80 
California Assembly Members to pass AB 680 by the end of 
January if their campaign against sprawl in the Sacramento region 
s to succeed this year.  The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman 
Darrell Steinberg, would share a portion of new sales tax in the 
region in a manner that would provide incentives for better land 
use, cooperation between cities, and regional equity in the 
provision of affordable housing and social services.  For more 
information, link to 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/otheracornwork/sprawl.htm or contact 
Brian Kettenring at caacornsaro at acorn.org or 916-247-8231.  

4. ACORN WARNS THAT HUD PROPOSAL AIDS PREDATORS - 
The Bush Administration's first action on predatory lending, if a 
proposal by the Department of Housing and Urban Development is 
put in place, will legitimize a highly abusive practice that costs 
individual homeowners tens of thousands of dollars in extra 
charges.  The policy involves yield-spread premiums, or kickbacks 
that lenders make to mortgage brokers for putting a borrower in a 
higher interest rate loan than the loan they actually qualified for. 
"Unless HUD radically shifts its position, its final policy statement 
will give a free pass to brokers and lenders conspiring against 
borrowers to charge higher rates," said ACORN National President 
Maude Hurd.  "And the data show that the people who end up 
losing the most to yield-spread premiums are disproportionately 
minority, low-income, female, and elderly. HUD is on the verge of 
encouraging that discrimination and predation by permitting brokers 
and lenders to conspire against borrowers."  For more information, 
link to: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/plreleases/hud.htm 
or contact Lisa Donner at acorncampaign at acorn.org or 718-246-
7900.  

5. COLORADO RELEASES REPORT ON PREDATORY LENDING 
-- A new ACORN report on predatory lending in Colorado builds on 
a national report released in November.  Predatory lending costs 
Colorado borrowers $93 million per year. Upper-income African-
Americans and Latinos are more likely to receive a subprime (high-
cost) loan than are low-income whites.  ACORN is working with 
legislators to promote statewide legislation against predatory 
lending. Link to Colorado and national reports: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/reports.htm.  The 
release of the Colorado report was widely covered by TV and print 
media.  Link to articles: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/2002clips.htm.  For 
more information, contact Carolyn Siegel at coacorn at acorn.org or 
303-393-0773.  

6. ALBUQUERQUE PREDATORY LENDING ORDINANCE 
APPROVED BY COMMITTEE - On January 14, an Albuquerque 
City Council committee voted, 3-to-2, to recommend an ACORN-
backed anti-predatory lending ordinance to the full City Council.  
The vote came following testimony by ACORN members and 
industry opponents.  This comprehensive ordinance is modeled 
closely on the ordinance ACORN won last year in Oakland, Calif.  
The Council is expected to vote on February 4.  For more 
information on the Oakland ordinance, link to 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/plreports/oakland.ht
m.  For more on Albuquerque, contact Matthew Henderson at 
nmacorn at acorn.org or 505-244-1086.  

7. FLORIDA TEAMS UP WITH AARP TO FIGHT PREDATORY 
LENDING - Florida ACORN has teamed up with the AARP to push 
for local and state legislation against predatory lending.  ACORN 
and the AARP successfully campaigned for state legislation in 
California last year.  At an event in Hialeah, Fla., on January 18, a 
dozen victims of abusive loans spoke, and State Sen. Kendrick 
Meek, D-Miami, said he would introduce anti-predatory lending 
legislation during the legislative session that began January 22.  
For more information, link to: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/plreleases/florida.ht
m or contact Eric Thompson at flacorn at acorn.org or 305-576-
0919.   

8. DC PUSHES FOR PREDATORY LENDING PROTECTIONS - 
The Washington, DC, City Council is considering two weak bills 
against predatory lending.  ACORN and allies, are putting pressure 
on the Council to enact more serious protections for borrowers 
before March 4.  Last week, ACORN members rallied outside the 
home of a lending victim in the ward of one bill's sponsor. This 
member had received a loan that would have been illegal under a 
law the City Council passed in December and then suspended at 
the urging of lenders. On Jan. 22, ACORN members testified at 
City Council Committee hearings, explaining that the bills now 
under consideration cover too few loans and offer too few 
protections on those loans.  The bills do not prohibit loans made 
without regard to borrowers' ability to repay.  For more information, 
link to this newspaper article: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/predatorylending/plclips2002/another.
htm or contact Will Ward at dcacorn at acorn.org or 202-547-9292.  

9. ACORN HOUSING CORP. HELPS FORM AFFORDABLE 
LENDING ALLIANCE - On Jan. 17, J. P. Morgan Chase & Co., the 
nation's largest mortgage originator, announced that it will work with 
ACORN Housing Corporation and other community groups to help 
more minority Americans become home owners.  The Affordable 
Lending Alliance being formed by Chase, Fannie Mae, and 
community groups, will help address the racial disparities in 
mortgage lending addressed by ACORN and AHC reports last 
October and November.  Chase will work with Fannie Mae to invest 
$35 billion nationwide over five years in affordable housing 
construction and affordable home loans. Marketing support, 
education, and loan counseling will be provided by ACORN 
Housing Corporation, and other groups.  For more information, 
contact Bruce Dorpalen at ahclcdirect at acorn.org or 215-765-0048.  

10. ALBUQUEQUE FIGHTS POLICE BRUTALITY - Earlier this 
month, the Albuquerque City Council appointed Albuquerque 
ACORN President Ben McGartland to the Police Oversight 
Committee, over the Mayor's objection.  ACORN made its issues 
important during the City Council elections last year, and the result 
is an increased influence on the Council.  McGartland plans to use 
his position to press for measures to prevent police brutality.  For 
more information, contact Matthew Henderson at 
nmacorn at acorn.org or 505-244-1086.  

11. BOSTON PARENTS DEMAND BUS MONITORS - On January 
16, Boston ACORN held a meeting to demand that elementary and 
middle school busses carry adult monitors employed to prevent 
violence among the students while allowing the drivers to 
concentrate on the roads.  The previous week, a second-grader had 
suffered internal bleeding in his left eye following a blow by a 
backpack flung during a scuffle between two other students.  Many 
students have expressed fear of riding the busses.  Data from the 
Boston School Department shows that bus drivers reported more 
than 3,240 fights between January and November 2001.  Boston 
City Councilors Francis M. ''Mickey'' Roache, Charles C. Yancey, 
and Chuck Turner support hiring more bus monitors.  For more 
information, link to this newspaper article: 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/betterschools/clips2002/city.htm or 
contact Lisa Clauson at maacorn at acorn.org or 617-436-7100.  

12. PORTLAND, ORE., WORKS TO DEMOCRATIZE SCHOOL 
BOARD - Portland ACORN and allies are working to change the 
system of electing School Board members to one in which they 
would be elected by zone rather than at large.  On Jan. 21, a crowd 
of ACORN members and allies packed a School Board hearing and 
insisted that ordinary community members, parents, and teachers 
should be able to run for seats on the School Board and that this is 
impossible under the current system.  Several winning candidates 
in the last election spent between $20,000 and $50,000 on their 
campaigns.  As a result, low- and moderate-income neighborhoods 
are under-represented on the Board.  The Board will vote on the 
proposal to shift to zone-based voting at its February 11 meeting.  
For more information, contact Andrew Ginsberg at 
oracorn at acorn.org or 503-788-4362.  

13. SAN DIEGO KEEPS UTILITIES ON --- San Diego ACORN has 
forced SDG&E to restore service for many customers and maintain 
service for many more, by negotiating payment plans based on 
income.  In part as a result of these efforts, the State Office of Rate 
Payer Advocates, which is part of the California Public Utilities 
Commission has announced that it is creating rules for all utilities in 
the state that will require consideration of consumers' incomes.  For 
more information, contact Clare Crawford at caacornsd at aorn.org 
or 619-235-9593.  

14. ACORN DENOUNCES ENRON'S IMPACT ON UTILITY 
RATES - ACORN demonstrated against Enron last Spring and met 
with the company to demand that a small fraction of its enormous 
profits go to those unable to meet the skyrocketing utility bills.  
Enron declined.  Since Enron's collapse, attention has been 
focused on its mistreatment of employees and investors.  On Jan. 
21, DC ACORN President Katie Fitzgerald released a statement 
denouncing Enron's mistreatment of consumers and calling for a 
number of specific actions from the President to assist those still 
faced with outrageously high utility bills.  For more information, link 
to: http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/utilities/releases/enron.htm or 
contact Chris Saffert at legnatacorn at acorn.org or 202-547-2500.  

15. MINNESOTA ACORN TURNS 20 -- Senators Paul Wellstone 
and Mark Dayton will Co-Host Minnesota ACORN's 20th 
Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, Jan 26. For more 
information, link to 
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/otheracornwork/releases/minnesota.h
tm or contact Becky Gomer at mnacorn at acorn.org or 651-642-
0003.  

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 100,000 member families 
organized into 500 neighborhood chapters in 40 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.   

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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