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California Homeowner Bill of Rights takes key step to passage
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Wednesday announced the passage of two central elements of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights through a special two-house conference committee.
The 4-1 vote sends the bills to an expected vote next week in both the Assembly and Senate.
The two bills approved by the conference committee are the Foreclosure Reduction Act, which restricts the process of “dual-tracked” foreclosures and the Due Process Rights Act, which guarantees a reliable contact for struggling homeowners to discuss their loan with and which for the first time imposes civil penalties on the practice of fraudulently signing foreclosure documents without verifying their accuracy, a practice commonly known as “robo-signing.”
The proposed legislation also includes meaningful enforcement for borrowers whose rights are violated.
The full Homeowner Bill of Rights includes additional provisions to reduce blight, ensure appropriate law enforcement response to mortgage fraud and crime, and protect tenants.
The bills containing these protections are also advancing through the Legislature.
“I am gratified by this vote, which represents one more step toward our goal of achieving a Homeowner Bill of Rights for California,” said Harris. “The mortgage and foreclosure crisis in our state demands urgent efforts to help Californians keep their homes. The legislature will now have the opportunity to cast a vote on behalf of California’s struggling homeowners.”
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights was introduced February 29, 2012 at a press conference featuring Assembly Speaker John A. Perez and Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and bill authors from the Assembly and Senate.
The goal of the Homeowner Bill of Rights is to take many of the mortgage reforms extracted from banks in a national mortgage settlement and write them into California law so they could apply to all mortgage-holders in the state.
“The mortgage and foreclosure abuse in California ends here,” said Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), co-chair of the Joint Conference Committee. “This committee has passed historic legislation that codifies the protections eligible homeowners deserve, while helping to stabilize the foreclosure crisis that has thwarted California’s economic recovery. The Legislature has studied, listened and engaged Californians and industry to find a solution that is fair and effective to mitigate this crisis. I look forward to the full support of the Legislature and Governor in implementing this package.”
“This bill is the result of a long and difficult process in which we received input from all interested parties; including homeowners and the banks and found that foreclosures benefit no one,” said Assemblymember Mike Eng (D-Alhambra). “We ended such dubious practices as having a bank foreclose while a homeowner is in the process of modifying a loan and cut through confusion by making sure that there is a ‘single point of contact’ with mortgage servicers. With half a million California homes at risk of foreclosure, this action was urgently needed.”
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights extends Attorney General Harris’ response to the state’s foreclosure and mortgage crisis. Attorney General Harris created a Mortgage Fraud Strike Force in March, 2011 to investigate and prosecute misconduct related to mortgages and foreclosures.
In February 2012 Attorney General Harris extracted a commitment from the nation’s five largest banks of an estimated $18 billion for California borrowers.
To learn more about how the bills impact California homeowners, review the slideshow at www.oag.ca.gov .
Two injured in pickup crash into Clearlake grocery store
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department said two people were injured as the result of a pickup crashing into a city grocery store Wednesday morning.
The crash occurred at Rays Food Place, located at 15930 Dam Road, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.
At approximately 9:44 a.m. Clearlake Police officers responded to a report of a vehicle which had crashed into the building and had gone through into the store’s interior. Joseph said two people were reported down and possibly injured inside the business.
When officers arrived they discovered a 2005 Toyota Tundra, driven by 32-year-old Consuelo Castro, had crashed through the south side of the building and was now in the middle of the store, Joseph said.
Two persons – one a customer and the other an employee – had both been injured in the crash, he said.
Both injured persons were transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for medical treatment for non life threatening injuries.
Castro was not injured, according to Joseph.
Initially it was believed that the building was on fire as large amounts of smoke were billowing out of the building, Joseph said.
The smoke was determined to be tire burn smoke from the vehicle’s spinning tires. Joseph said Lake County Fire Protection District officials used large fans to clear the building of smoke.
A Clearlake building department official responded and determined the building had not suffered any significant structural damage, according to Joseph’s report.
The Lake County Health Department also responded to the scene. The business suffered damage to the building itself, property damage inside the business and to food products, Joseph said.
Joseph said the crash is still under investigation but drugs and alcohol are not suspected.
Firefighters work on fire near Walker Ridge
WALKER RIDGE, Calif. – Firefighters battled a vegetation fire along Highway 20 near Walker Ridge.
The fire, first reported at about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, was located one mile from Wilbur Springs, just inside the Colusa County line.
It had reached close to six acres just before 4 p.m., with three tankers orbiting overhead, according to radio reports.
Lake County firefighters from Northshore Fire Protection District and Cal Fire responded, with Cal Fire leading the incident command.
Helicopters, air attacks and tankers were called in on the fire, which was reported to be moving uphill.
Cal Fire also requested the California Highway Patrol’s assistance in controlling traffic in the area, with smoke lying over the roadway.
Radio traffic indicated the firefighting effort was close enough to Highway 20 that retardant might get on the road during one of the drops.
Requests also were made over the radio for additional crews to assist in fighting the fire, as well as additional water tenders from Northshore Fire and Williams Fire.
Helicopters were continuing to drop water while the tankers were in orbit, with firefighters working to put more line around the fire, according to radio reports.
Shortly before 5 p.m. crews had managed to surround the fire, radio reports indicated.
The tankers would eventually be released to respond to a fire in the Santa Rosa area.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Lakeport Fire to conduct Wednesday night training burn
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Fire Protection District will hold a training burn Wednesday evening.
The burn will take place at the City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District’s treatment facility at 795 Linda Lane, near the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 175, said Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells.
Firefighters will be burning the face of a dam there, Wells said.
Wells said the burn will start around 6:30 p.m. and take about three hours to complete.
Community members are asked to stay clear of Linda Lane while the burn is taking place.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
