Next Tuesday morning, Asm. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) will be dropping by to take some of your questions. In addition to being a friend of Calitics, Lieu has been focusing on fighting the housing and banking crisis. You can find his assembly site here to get more information on his legislative agenda.
Obviously, as ground zero for the foreclosure boom, this is a very important issue to California, one where there has been spirited debate. Asm. Lieu, who is also one of the many candidates for California Attorney General, will be here on Tuesday morning at 11:30 to answer your questions about the housing crisis and anything else you have on your mind. Feel free to post your questions here or just ask them on Tuesday.
Assemblyman,
Why are the Democrats failing to take the fight to the Governor and his party?
Reasonable folks in this state are sick and tired of the go-allong antics of Bass et. al. If the Democratic Party was serious, really serious, about the crisis in our state caused by the Republican Party’s destructive tactics they would have a spokesperson on the news every night informing the people of the situation.
Can you tell me why they do not sir?
What progress has been made concerning the 105% maximum to qualify for the housing/foreclosure relief that is crippled for CALIFORNIA due to the large percentage of current value vs money owed on home. Most or many, not sure, are not helped for the National Obama Homeowner Relief Plan. Can you bring us up to date?
My local paper has an editorial by Rookie Assemblyman Dan Logue that indicates the REPUBLICAN’s in the House have formed a group to come up with an Economic Plan which includes stopping folks from moving businesses out of State. First problem I see is that they are not working in BiPartisan way from the git/go and I fear they will dust of Tom McClintock’s talking points and come back with NO, No, no again. Your thoughts on what they are up to. Obviously I have mine! 🙂
I used to live in your district and I recall getting mail from you regarding your efforts to advance the concept of building “green.”. I haven’t kept up with this and wanted to know what is happening on that front and what else you are working on to promote energy efficiency.
Thanks!
1. What is the rate of foreclosure in your district and is it an issue at all for your constituents?
2. Other than raising money, what makes you qualified to run for Attorney General?
3. In regards to the state budget, why won’t you support revisions to Proposition 88 and 13 so that California can balance a budget and do it on time?
California’s income tax has the lowest threshold for the top rate – $47,056 at 9.3% (before the budgeted increase surcharge). How do you justify voting to raise sales taxes, vehicle license fees, and surcharges on income taxes when we are in a fiscal crisis because of spending, not revenue?
Ted Lieu:
those facing foreclosure are still better off than us who never dare to dream a house. For at least they had been capable to buy a house.
But for us, whose salary is no more than $2000 a month, we even dare not to have a dream of buying a house all our lives. So where is our American Dream?
And how you can help us to be able to buy a house before we end our lives? forget about those who already have a house facing forclosure for the timebeing. they are still far better off than us.
You know the proverb:”the camel died of starving is still bigger than a horse”?
Takai
While the media and much public attention has been focusing on the foreclosure and banking crisis’ – not enough attention has been given to it’s repercussions in first, the rental markets and second, the low-income housing tax credits markets.
First, given that many of the families impacted by foresclosures will inevitably become renters – this will only add additional pressure on the rental market driving housing costs up. What remedies do you forsee can help ease the higher costs in rental housing?
Secondly, given that banks – usually one of the biggest purchasers of low-income housing tax credits – cannot maintain their historical role given their current struggles; how can the State Legislature help to insure a healthy market for the credits. Tax credits are one of the largest sources of financing for affordable home builders to construct homes – a weak market inevitably hurts affordable home construction hurting low-to-moderate income families.
I’m curious whether you support a repeal of the 2/3 rule for both budgets and taxes, lowering it to a simple majority standard and eliminating the undemocratic conservative veto?
Will you fight to restore the destructive and economy-wrecking elimination of state funding for local transit agencies? Will you fight to ensure that none of the 26,000 teachers who received pink slips will actually be laid off?
Should California even continue to subsidize and otherwise support homeownership? Might Andrew Oswaldand Richard Florida be right when they suggest that subsidizing and promoting homeownership is actually costing us jobs and economic security?
That’s all from me.
Assemblyman Lieu,
Thanks for coming by.
From the Irvine Housing Blog, via Orange County Progressive.
Fundamentally, we’re in a market process where housing prices are reverting to the mean, which takes them back to 2002/3 prices, roughly 50% below a peak based on cheap money, corrupt lending standards, and outright fraud.
Will your efforts mitigate the problems or just postpone the suffering?
When the limitation on restrictions on HOA’s was originally drafted by a task force, it also singled out local governments as a culprit, and required that both HOA’s and local governments be enjoined from any restriction that limited installation of a well-maintained landscape of native or drought-tolerant landscape.
We should probably also be thinking about eliminating any prohibition by local gubmint or HOA’s on food production.
It’s time to end the tyranny of the grass farmers, people who take precious California soil and grow a crop of lawn, that they water, fertilize, harvest, then throw away every week.
didn’t have the common courtesy to answer questions that are not political lobs from the left…
This guy is kidding me if he thinks he’ll ever be AG
Watching paint dry is more interesting than Ted Lieu…