Homeowners

Apr 8 2013

15-year fraud

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A former Los Angeles resident who was a federal fugitive for 12 years pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft and bankruptcy fraud for a massive scam that promised to postpone foreclosure sales for more than 800 distressed homeowners in the Southland and elsewhere.

Glen Alan Ward, 48, pleaded guilty in connection with three separate sets of charges in federal courts in Los Angeles and San Francisco, all stemming from his 15-year fraud, according to the Department of Justice.

Mar 12 2013

At least temporarily

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A plan to charge Los Angeles County property owners a fee to fund the cleanup of local waterways seemed destined to be abandoned today, at least temporarily.

Nearly two months ago, the Board of Supervisors acknowledged that the plan needed to be reworked.

But now, Supervisors Gloria Molina and Don Knabe have formally recommended against instituting the measure “at this time.”

Lavenia Stewart  |   OW Contributor
Jan 3 2013

Some fear it will squelch the city’s market

The Inglewood City Council voted to place a property transfer tax measure on the General Municipal Election ballot, despite pleas from homeowners for increasing it incrementally and real estate professionals’ objections that it will stifle a slowly recovering residential market.

Aug 30 2012

Information, resources offered

Congresswoman Karen Bass will host a Mortgage Relief Town Hall and Resource Fair at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Culver City Senior Center, 4095 Overland Ave., Culver City, to inform residents about the latest news on the Obama Administration’s housing and mortgage relief programs.

Homeowners will have the opportunity to receive a private consultation with bank representatives or a HUD-approved housing counselor to get guidance on working with mortgage servicers to avoid foreclosure, organizing financial matters and understanding available mortgage options.

David L. Horne, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
May 10 2012

Practical Politics

The last time this column visited the affairs of state Attorney General Kamala Harris she was fresh from scoring a significant negotiated victory for beleaguered California homeowners in the federal omnibus settlement with mortgage banks. What has she been up to lately? She has followed up that triumph with a principled, relentless political effort to convince California legislators to pass a Homeowners Bill of Rights.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.