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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
On Sunday, Nov. 8, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. a social media meetup workshop is scheduled to be held in the dining area of the Hidden Valley Food Mart. The workshop will be a team effort by Mark Rudiger of Lake County Websites and Lamar Morgan of CDMM-Synergistic Business Marketing.
The workshop will make use of the dining area's 42-inch HDTV to showcase in slides ways small businesses can benefit from being in the social media space on the Internet. This will include ways to help your computer run more efficiently and effectively.
Free flash drives will be handed out with special software programs to enhance your computer's operation. There also will be a hands-on demonstration of how to rid your computer of the old files that slow it down.
Pokens will also be introduced into the mix. A Poken is a flash drive device that transfers social media data between people at the touch of a four-fingered Poken hand. Pokens are spreading in popularity around the world – especially at business networking events – including Tweetups, meetups, BNI functions and chamber of commerce meetings. For some, a Poken is "the new business card" of the 21st century. Pokens have already been utilized by IBM to help conduct major business conferences.
The Hidden Valley Food Mart has set itself up as a free WiFi hot spot. Folks can now do more than simply get the car filled up with gas and purchase groceries at the convenience store off Highway 29.
Soon you should be seeing a large, four-foot blue sign out by Highway29 announcing that Hidden Valley Food Mart is a free WiFi hot spot. The Internet access is made possible by AT&T/Yahoo and is high-speed DSL. However, the WiFi signal is also being made secure. That is being accomplished by The WiFi Co. of Colorado, which also provides an advertising splash page for branding purposes.
All those desiring to attend the upcoming workshop at the Hidden Valley Food Mart are encouraged to call 707-709-8605 for more information and to make a reservation.
The fee to attend the workshop is $30 (which includes a free flash drive you can take home and use with your computer).
Bringing one's laptop is encouraged because hands-on help will be available during the two-hour workshop. Seating is limited.
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- Written by: AAA Northern California
“Although gas prices are trickling down in California, market optimism about the possibility of an improving economy, and thus, an increased demand for oil, has led to a slight increase in the average national price over the past few days.” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja.
According to the latest report from AAA Northern California, which tracks gasoline prices as a service to consumers, California’s average gas price is the third highest among all 50 states. The Golden State’s average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is averaging $3.02, down 9 cents since last month’s report on September 8. For perspective, that’s 45 cents less than California’s average price on this date last year, when it was $3.47.
Northern California gas prices are now averaging $3.02, down 10 cents from last month. In the San Francisco Bay Area, motorists can expect to pay an average price of $3.16, a 3 cent drop. The national average price of $2.48 is down by 10 cents, which is still 73 cents cheaper than the national price on this date last year, when it was $3.21.
Over the past few days, the primary factor behind rising oil prices appears to be optimism among commodities investors that a global economic recovery is developing. Contrary to this view is government data from last week, which showed gasoline stocks were higher than originally anticipated. This may indicate that demand is down and a recovery could be delayed.
“For consumers, keeping a proper perspective is always the key when looking at where gas prices are going,” said Skryja. “Investors are constantly chasing daily economic and consumer demand data as indicators of how much oil they should buy on the market. But for consumers, a long term view is more helpful, because it allows for daily fluctuations that don’t necessarily have much impact on the price at the pump.”
The least expensive average price in Northern California can be found in Marysville where unleaded is $2.79. Of all the metro areas in Northern California where gas prices are tracked by AAA, Eureka and Yreka have the highest average price at $3.29, which is also the highest price in the lower 48 states. Tahoe City is close behind with an average price of $3.28.
The least expensive gasoline in the country is found in Springfield, Missouri where the average price of gas is $2.21. Wailuku, Hawaii, holds the crown for the highest average price in the nation, with $3.63 per gallon.
AAA Monthly Gas Price Averages: October 13, 2009
City/State/Region Price Monthly Change City/State/Region Price Monthly Change
NATIONAL 2.48 - .10 SAN MATEO 3.14 - .07
CALIFORNIA 3.02 - .09 SAN RAFAEL 3.13 - .01
N. CALIFORNIA 3.02 - .10 SANTA CRUZ 3.02 - .10
BAY AREA 3.16 - .03 SANTA ROSA 3.06 - .06
CHICO 2.89 - .18 STOCKTON 2.92 - .14
CONCORD 3.03 - .12 TAHOE CITY 3.28 - .02
EUREKA 3.29 - .06 TRACY 2.97 - .09
FREMONT 2.99 - .09 UKIAH 3.03 - .06
FRESNO 2.97 - .18 VALLEJO 3.01 - .09
MARYSVILLE 2.79 - .25 YREKA 3.29 + .02
MODESTO 2.92 - .14 Elsewhere…
MONTEREY 3.07 - .08 LAS VEGAS 2.62 - .10
OAKLAND 3.08 - .07 LOS ANGELES 3.02 - .07
PLEASANTON 3.10 - .06 NEW YORK CITY 2.75 - .15
REDDING 2.93 - .18 WASHINGTON, DC 2.55 - .10
SACRAMENTO 2.94 - .14
SALINAS 2.94 - .15
SAN FRANCISCO 3.17 - .02
SAN JOSE 3.04 - .08
One way consumers can reduce the amount of money they spend on fuel is to shop aggressively for the lowest price. The AAA Gas Price Finder makes it easy to locate low gas prices at home and when traveling. This online tool provides updated price information for more than 85,000 gas stations throughout the United States and Canada. Start saving today at www.aaa.com/gasprices .
AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report is the most comprehensive retail gasoline survey available, with over 85,000 self-serve stations surveyed everyday nationwide. Data is provided in cooperation with OPIS Energy Group and Wright Express LLC.
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- Written by: Attorney General's Office
SACRAMENTO – Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. has issued a consumer alert warning California homeowners to avoid individuals and businesses that charge up up-front fees for foreclosure relief services in light of a just-enacted state law that makes this "abusive practice" subject to prosecution.
"Over the past two years, unscrupulous attorneys and real estate brokers have abused their trusted roles and exploited desperate homeowners seeking to avoid foreclosure," Brown said. "The loophole that allowed this abusive practice to continue has now been closed, and homeowners should avoid any person charging up-front fees for foreclosure relief services."
Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 94, which immediately makes it unlawful for any licensed attorney or real estate agent "who negotiates, attempts to negotiate, arranges, attempts to arrange, or otherwise offers to perform a mortgage loan modification or other form of mortgage loan forbearance for a fee or other compensation paid by the borrower … to claim, demand, charge, collect, or receive any compensation until after the [attorney or agent] has fully performed each and every service the licensee contracted to perform or represented that he, she, or it would perform."
Until now, licensed attorneys and real estate brokers could charge advance fees under certain limited circumstances. Foreclosure scam artists often sought to exploit this exception. The new law closes this loophole.
Brown has made it a top priority to protect homeowners and combat loan modification fraud in California. In August, threatening possible criminal and civil prosecution, he ordered 386 mortgage foreclosure consultants to register with his office and post $100,000 bond. Brown also ordered more than two dozen foreclosure assistance companies to substantiate suspect claims made on the Internet and in direct mail advertising.
This action followed a nationwide sweep in July that led to lawsuits against 21 individuals and 14 companies who ripped off thousands of homeowners seeking mortgage relief. In total, Brown has sought court orders to shut down more than 30 companies and has brought criminal charges and obtained lengthy prison sentences for dozens of deceptive loan modification consultants.
Loan modification consultants continue to exploit homeowners desperate for relief. This year, Brown's office has received more than 2,500 complaints against loan modification consultants and their businesses. This is a dramatic jump from 2008, when less than 200 complaints were filed.
As part of today's consumer alert, Brown offered the following tips to homeowners:
Don't pay up-front fees. Foreclosure consultants are prohibited by law from collecting money before services are performed.
Don't ignore letters from your lender or loan servicer. Responding to those letters is your best bet for saving your house.
Don't transfer title or sell your house to a "foreclosure rescuer." Beware! This is a scam to convince homeowners they can stay in the home as renters and buy their home back later. It might also be part of a fraudulent bankruptcy filing. Either way, a scammer can then evict the victim and take the home.
Don't pay your mortgage payments to anyone other than your lender or loan servicer. Mortgage consultants often keep the money for themselves.
Never sign any documents without reading them first. Many homeowners think that they are signing documents for a loan modification or for a new loan to pay off the mortgage they are behind on. Later, they discover that they actually transferred ownership of their home to someone who is now trying to evict them.
If someone demands an upfront fee for foreclosure assistance services, you can report them to the Attorney General's office at 1-800-952-5225, or file a complaint online at: www.ag.ca.gov/consumers/general.php .
For more information on the Brown's action against loan modification fraud visit: http://ag.ca.gov/loanmod .
The text of Senate Bill 94 can be found at www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0051-0100/sb_94_bill_20091011_chaptered.html .
- Details
- Written by: Governor's Office
These bills aim to strengthen California’s reverse mortgage laws by providing senior homeowners with greater consumer protections when considering reverse mortgage agreements, make it a felony to commit fraud in connection with a mortgage application and promote responsibility and accountability in the real estate market.
“Fraudulent mortgage practices have become more prevalent as a result of the national foreclosure crisis that negatively impacted California’s housing market and economy,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “This legislation helps crack down on abusive lending practices by giving law enforcement the tools to effectively investigate mortgage fraud crimes and provides Californians with greater consumer protections to promote homeownership in a safe and accountable environment.”
The governor signed the following bills:
AB260 by Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) will enact the Higher-Priced Mortgage Loan Law which would codify a fiduciary duty for mortgage brokers, authorize California’s mortgage regulators to apply specified federal mortgage lending laws and regulations to their licensees and cap prepayment penalties and yield spread premiums on higher-priced loans.
SB 36 by Senator Ron Calderon (D-Montebello) to establish standardized licensing requirements for all individual loan originators who offer or negotiate residential mortgages.
SB 239 by Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) to make it a felony to commit fraud in connection with a mortgage application. This bill makes individuals who engage in mortgage fraud guilty of a public offense punishable by imprisonment in the state prison or in a county jail up to one year. The bill also provides law enforcement with the necessary tools to make it easier to obtain a search warrant for real estate records and documents believed to contain evidence of mortgage fraud.
AB 329 by Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) to establish the Reverse Mortgage Elder Protection Act of 2009 to provide senior homeowners with greater consumer protections to ensure that they are fully informed about the consequences of entering into a reverse mortgage agreement. Specifically, the bill requires lenders to provide prospective borrowers with a clear and informative written disclosure statement and a written checklist pertaining to the risks and suitability of a reverse mortgage, prior to borrower attending loan counseling.
SB 237 by Senator Ron Calderon (D-Montebello) to create a registration program for appraisal management companies (AMCs) and prohibits any person or entity from acting in the capacity of an AMC without first obtaining a certificate for registration from the Office of Real Estate Appraisers.
AB 957 by Assemblymember Cathleen Galgiani (D-Livingston) to mandate that buyers of foreclosed homes would have the choice of using a local escrow office to handle the transaction. It also prohibits a seller of residential property from requiring the buyer to use an escrow service company or purchase title insurance chosen by the seller and would also prohibit a seller of residential property from, without good cause, disapproving the use of a title or escrow company chosen by the buyer.
AB 1160 by Assemblymember Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) to require mortgage loan documents to be translated into the language the verbal negotiations were conducted. Mortgage documents would be translated into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalong, Korean and Vietnamese languages.