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| Young Voices of God
Represent
a Church Coming Full Circle When the Young Voices of God performed at Ridge View United Methodist Church's annual homecoming worship on Sept. 12, they filled the sanctuary with music that set the foot to tapping and delighted the eyes with a sight the congregation hasn't seen in quite some time: young people. The grandchildren of the aging membership have come back to church, and hip hop has brought them there. The words are old standbys--"Go Down, Moses," "Onward Christian Soldiers," "His Eye is on the Sparrow"--but the sound is far from "old." The Young Voices of God present church music in a way few have ever heard it before. The hip hop choir, comprised of youth ages 8 to 17, not only has changed the face of worship in the Visitacion Valley congregation, but it has also given the church a new outreach focus. The group is the brainchild of the Rev. Stephen Lee, former Pastor of Ridge View, who teamed up last October with Pope Flyne, a Bay Area drummer who hails originally from the African country of Ghana. Flyne set traditional spirituals and gospel hymns to original tunes and rhythms, while Lee secured grants from United Methodist sources and the San Francisco Foundation to help fund the project. It was then the responsibility of Ridge View's elderly members to bring in the kids. "It was really rough going at first," says Cleo Champion, whose grandchildren are participants in the choir. The youth, whose parents had long drifted away from the church, were a hard sell. The parents, too, were slow to lend their support. The grandmothers continue to be the driving force behind the young people--literally. It is a handful of older women who drive their grandchildren to rehearsals twice a week, who sit and watch through each practice, who enforce respectful behavior, and who provide transportation to performances within and outside of the church. The Young Voices of God has appeared at Methodist church gatherings beyond Ridge View as well as community events within and outside San Francisco. The group's unique sound and style, which includes choreographed movements, has a wide appeal, and the young people have been well received by older as well as young audiences. The group is open to receiving new members, and rehearses at Ridge View church two evenings a week for two hours. The youth sing for the 11 a.m. Sunday worship service about once a month. Ridge View is located at 590 Leland Ave. For more information, contact Pastor Laurie McHugh at (415) 239-5457. New Beacon Hotline Serves Cantonese Speaking Community Visitacion Valley Community Beacon now has a Chinese hotline serving those members of the community seeking services whose primary language is Cantonese. When the Beacon receives a call from a Cantonese speaking individual, the caller will be referred to the hotline. This service also provides written translation for information related to the Beacon. When requesting a document to be translated into Chinese for purposes related to the Beacon, community members may simply access the hotline and request the Beacon document they wish to be transferred. This hotline is staffed by Frank Mok, formerly Youth Services Coordinator at the Beacon, who has knowledge of both the Beacon and Visitacion Valley community. The Beacon also staffs capacity for Spanish and Samoan speaking individuals requesting services in their primary languages. Funding Requested for
A request was recently submitted by the City and County of San Francisco to HUD for the release of $700,000 in Economic Development Initiative (EDI) funds for EDI-Special Projects for five construction projects in Visitacion Valley. Funds would be used as follows: *Heritage Homes, 222 Schwerin St. - a child care center for 45 children: The center was included in the overall development program for Heritage Homes. The City issued a Finding of No Significant Impact and published an Environmental Assessment pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and HUD environmental regulations on Sept. 1, 1998. EDI-Special Projects funds for $19,000 will be used for architecture and engineering fees and for interior furnishings on the child care center. *The Village, 222 Schwerin St. - a 13,500 square foot community center for community agencies and services was also included in the overall development program for Heritage Homes. The City issued a Finding of No Significant Impact and published an Environmental Assessment pursuant to NEPA and HUD environmental regulations on Sept. 1, 1998. EDI-Special Projects funds for $400,000 will be used for interior improvements and soft costs to construct the community center. *Britton Street Family Housing, 150 Britton St. - a child care center for 28 children: The center was included in the overall development program for Britton Street Family Housing. The City issued a Finding of No Significant Impact and published an Environmental Assessment pursuant to NEPA and HUD environmental regulations on May 29, 1998. EDI-Special Projects funds for $12,000 will be used for architectural and engineering fees and interior furnishings. *John King Senior Community and Child Care Center, 500 Raymond Ave. - a child care center for 45 children and a senior center: HUD completed and approved an Environmental Assessment for the project then known as the Visitacion Valley Senior Community, 500 Raymond Ave., pursuant to NEPA and HUD Environmental Regulations (24 CFR Part 50) on Nov. 15, 1996, with a subsequent update by HUD on May 24, 1999. This project is identical to the project now known as the John King Senior Community and Child Care Center, and included the child care center. The City has written a Continuation Statement, dated Sept. 15, 1999 pursuant to 24 CFR 58.47 to continue the HUD environmental review. EDI-Special Projects funds for $19,000 will be used for architectural and engineering fees and interior furnishings for the child care center. *John King Senior Community and Child Care Center, 500 Raymond Ave. - a 6,300 foot senior center: HUD completed and approved an Environmental Assessment for the project then known as Visitacion Valley Senior Community, 500 Raymond Ave., pursuant to NEPA and HUD Environmental Regulations (24 CFR Part 50) on Nov. 15, 1996. with a subsequent update by HUD on May 24, 1999. This project is identical to the project now known as the John King Senior Community and Child Care Center, and included the senior center. The City has written a Continuation Statement, dated Sept. 15, 1999 pursuant to 24 CFR 58.47 to continue the HUD environmental review. EDI-Special Projects funds for $250,000 will be used for interior improvements and soft costs for construction on the senior center. Entrepreneurship Center
Helps
When Mary R. Higgins started a business in May of 1997, she had a skeleton business plan, lack of marketing skills, two clients and limited knowledge of how to reach her target market. Renaissance's Core Business Planning class enabled her to write a business plan, which is now the road map for her business and helped her to reach her target market. "One program that helped me reach my target market was the Renaissance Expo '98," explained Higgins, where she learned to design an effective and affordable exhibit booth. Higgins also learned how to develop qualified leads by using a variety of displays, strategies and successful sales techniques while increasing her number of clients. Her business, M.R. Higgins and Associations - Legal Nurse Consultants is a professional service company specializing in medical litigation review with services including: comprehensive medical research, investigation of medical records; translation of medical terminology and deposition reports; and interpretation of health science literature and documents. Since Higgins graduated from Renaissance, she has continued to be a part of LIFT Mini Business Association. LIFT (Leveraging Individual Foresight and Talent) is a project of the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center that identifies the needs of Bayview-Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley entrepreneurs and provides training, technical assistance and ongoing support and networking through the Mini Business Association. Higgins continues to participate in orientations for LIFT and Renaissance Graduate Peer Support Group. This association has also introduced her to the Small Business Advisory Commission, Board of Supervisors meetings, Merchants Association, Black Chamber of Commerce and San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations that are beneficial to small business owners. LIFT Mini Business Association has a Toastmaster's Club sponsored by Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center that will next meet Thursday, Oct. 14 from 6 to 7 p.m. at City College's Southeast Campus, 1400 Evans St., 2nd Floor. For more information or to RSVP by Oct. 12, call (415) 824-7780. San Francisco in the 1980s KRON-TV looks at San Francisco during the 1980s in the tenth of 12 monthly primetime documentaries chronicling the past 150 years in the Bay Area airing Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. and repeated on Sunday, Oct. 17, 24, 31 and Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. on BayTV (Channel 35 on most Bay Area cable systems). Raildays Presents
Trains at
Golden Gate Railroad Museum will be offering a behind the scenes look at preserving and operating trains during its first annual Raildays at the Hunters Point Shipyards on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23-24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Activities include guided tours, train rides and special events for children. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children (ages 6-12) and children under six are free. Call 883-1883 for more information. Kick Off Ceremony for
A ceremony to kick off the Third Street Light Rail Project will be held Friday, Oct. 15, 11:30 a.m. at the CalTrain Station at Fourth and King streets. Mayor Willie Brown will join Muni General Manager Michael T. Brown and Supervisor Michael Yaki, chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, to mark the start of construction for a new rail line that will extend the J-Church Muni Metro line from the Market Street Subway and Embarcadero extension along Third Street and Bayshore Boulevard to a southern terminus in Visitacion Valley scheduled for completion in 2003. The N-Judah line will also be extended as far as Mission Bay to accomodate the heavy demand in this area expected sometime after 2008. Free Self-Defense Class for Women San Francisco Women Against Rape is offering a free 12-hour self-defense class for women in Spanish and English. Sessions of this class meet on Oct. 16, 23, 30, and Nov. 6. For more information and to register, call (415) 861-2024, extension 304 for English, and extension 351 for Spanish. Books into Theater at S.F. Library S.F. Public Library will present an exhibit and series of programs celebrating the work of author, painter, choreographer, performer and teacher Remy Charlip at the Jewett Gallery of the Main Library beginning Oct. 13. An opening reception followed by a book signing featuring Remy's latest book, Peanut Butter Party at 5:30 p.m. A performance by Remy and children from the San Francisco Arts Education Project will take place following the reception at 7 p.m. in the Koret Auditorium. All events at the Library are free and the public is invited to attend. New Grant to San Francisco Schools Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Sept. 10 announced that the U.S. Department of Education will award a $2.79 million grant to the S.F. Unified School District under the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative. "With this grant, our Wellness Schools program will be able to add 10 more elementary schools and seven more high schools to the 17 middle schools already served," said Pelosi. "This means that approximately 13,189 additional youth and their families will be able to receive a wide range of comprehensive social services." Coalition Addresses
Low Procurement
The Coalition for Economic Equity was organized to address the problem of low participation of minority-owned and women-owned businesses (M/WBEs) in San Francisco's procurement system. In 1982, the S.F. Board of Supervisors passed a resolution calling on the City's Human Rights Commission to conduct hearings on allegations of discrimination against M/WBEs. An ad hoc committee, consisting of activists from the African American, Asian, Latino and women business communities was formed to encourage minority-owned and women-owned firms to testify about their experiences in seeking contracts from the City. The committee became known as the Coalition for Economic Equity (CEE) and took a leadership role in the successful campaign to pass the City's first affirmative action contracting ordinance in 1984. Since the ordinance took effect, the Coalition has become the Bay Area's leading advocacy organization for M/WBEs. It has developed affirmative action contracting policies for a number of government agencies (including programs for the San Francisco Unified School District and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency), and for the private developers of Mission Bay. The ordinance is subject to a sunset clause which requires periodic review to determine its continuing need. With the help of its legal counsel, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Coalition, over the years, has successfully overcome legal challenges to the ordinance. The Coalition also provides a forum through which its affiliated organizations can communicate with each other on a regular basis--sharing information, coordinating activities and often resolving potential conflicts before public positions must be taken. While the Coalition still has much work to do in promoting the development of minority-owned and women-owned businesses, it is considered a model of effective cooperation among the City's diverse communities. The Steering Committee for the Coalition (consisting of a representative from each of the affiliates) generally meets on the last Saturday of each month from 9:30 a.m. until 12 noon). For further information, call (415) 752-4506. Workshops Help Students Prepare for SAT Exams Teens will be better prepared to take the SAT exams, receive financial aid, prepare college essays, and enter the college of their choice, thanks to a new series of workshops offered by the San Francisco Public Library. College preparation workshops for the SAT and SAT II, including Mathematics Level 1-C and Essay and Grammar, will be offered at branch libraries in October. A Financial Aid and College Essay Workshop will be offered at the Main Library. This program is funded through a $500,000 gift from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more information, call (415) 557-4272. Neighborhoods Across
San Francisco
Over the years San Francisco's neighborhoods have had a history of pitting themselves against each other over important political issues. Neighborhoods fought bitterly for years over whether the Golden Gate Bridge should be built; and we've all heard the stories about the years of in fighting that occurred before the City finally decided to build Golden Gate Park. Likewise, the Central Freeway has been a very divisive issue for nearly a decade. On Nov. 2, the issue will come before the voters for the third time. Voting yes on Proposition J would throw out the Octavia Boulevard Plan that passed in last November's election and call for retrofitting and doubling the width of the old, damaged structure between Mission and Fell streets; Voting no on Proposition J would be a vote to continue with the Octavia Boulevard Plan, which would replace the Central Freeway with new ramps and a four-block boulevard along Octavia Street, connecting the freeway to Fell, Oak, Franklin and Gough streets. Proposition I would continue the progress of the Octavia Boulevard Plan by establishing a planning process for building up to 900 units of housing that can be constructed on land freed up from the freeway right-of-way; and establish a planning process that would prioritize how the $30 million windfall from land sales will be spent to improve traffic flow to and from the Octavia corridor. After almost ten years of hard-fought
debates between east side and west side neighborhoods, agreement among
community organizations is finally being reached. This year neighborhoods
from across the City have endorsed the Octavia Boulevard plan.
Gerry Crowley, from Telegraph Hill Dwellers, said, "We have learned by experience that tearing down of the Embarcadero Freeway has significantly enhanced the northeastern part of the City. In the spirit of caring for others in San Francisco, we want the Boulevard-?it's aesthetically pleasing and will ensure the future of Hayes Valley." Dave Monks, of the Noe Valley Democratic Club said his club supports the Boulevard Plan because they realize that "Freeways through residential neighborhoods create problems that never go away: crime, vagrancy and litter." Dave says Noe Valley is lucky not to face these problems, so Noe Valley's residents can focus on issues like the quality of the parks, not on battling drug dealers and illegal dumping like folks in Hayes Valley. Dave pointed out that "The inherent problems of the freeway waste a lot of neighborhood energy in Hayes Valley. Once it's torn down, that energy will be directed to more inspiring, exciting neighborhood projects." This year both the Sunset and the Richmond Democratic clubs voted overwhelmingly to support the Octavia Boulevard. The Boulevard Plan is "the option that is best for most communities." They added that the Boulevard "allows us to get to and from our neighborhoods in about the same amount of time, with the advantage that the Boulevard actually allows more options to choose from than merely getting on and off as the freeway does." The Boulevard "moves traffic as efficiently as the Central Freeway, with less adverse environmental and neighborhood impacts. It's safer than the retrofit, will result in more affordable housing, costs less and will be done sooner." Former Mayor Art Agnos, stated recently that "It's not often that we have an opportunity to create something positive for our City that will still be benefiting residents one hundred years from now. I had that opportunity with the Embarcadero. Look what we created there-?the wonderful vistas of our waterfront. We have that same opportunity here-?to leave San Francisco better than we found it. We have an opportunity to better the lives of San Franciscans for one hundred years and beyond. We can be proud to say we were part of this effort." Other neighborhoods supporting the Boulevard Plan are Alamo Square Neighborhood Association; Castro Area Planning + Action, Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association; Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council; Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association; Mint Hill Neighborhood Association; North Beach Neighbors; North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association; Pacific Heights Association; Panhandle Residents' Association; Russian Hill Neighbors; and, Sunset-Parkside Education and Action Committee. Ingleside Station Police Report *On Aug. 23 at 12:30 a.m. at MacArthur/Broadway in Oakland, Ingleside officers responded to a call of a rape which occurred in San Francisco. The victim was picked up in Oakland by a suspect driving a red two door Toyota Celica with a black interior. She was taken to San Francisco somewhere near the Cow Palace. She was able to see a street sign for Schwerin. The victim was driven back to Oakland after the suspect released her. The suspect went by the name of Raymond. He is a black male 5'10" 170 lbs., approximately 35-45 years old. He had a moustache and short close crop hair. He was wearing a light brown suit, beige shirt, and brown shoes. Case 991034544 *On Aug. 23 at 7:00 a.m. on the 100 block of Randall, Ingleside officers responded to a threatening obscene phone call. The victim was called by a suspect who told her he worked for the phone company. He also said he was at the side of her house. He said he had the phone lines cut and she could not call out. He told her to do exactly as he said or he and another suspect would enter the home and harm her and her children. The suspect said he could see her through the window. He knew the type of work she did. He also knew where certain items in the house where kept. She was asked to do a number of things which she did. When she complied with his demands he hung up the phone. Case 991029692 *On Aug. 23 at 8:30 a.m. on the 1700 block of Sanchez, Ingleside officers responded to a call of a robbery in progress. The victim was called by a suspect who told her he worked for the phone company. He then told her it was a robbery. He told her to put her jewelry in a bag which she did. She became scared that the suspect was somewhere in her home. She ran from the house to a neighbors where she called police. Case 991028058 *On Aug. 23 at 9:00 p.m. on the 4700 block of Mission, Ingleside officers saw a crowd of people stopping traffic in the street. The officers were trying to disperse the crowd when one of the subjects assumed a fighting stance challenging the officer. When the officer tried to detain the subject he ran from the officer. Several officers chased the subject and caught him. While attempting to place the male suspect into the vehicle he became combative. There were also two other male subjects approaching the officers. They tried to get between the officers. The officers tried to restrain them and the two subjects became combative. The officers were finally able to subdue the subjects and take them into custody. The first suspect was booked for challenging to fight, resisting arrest, delaying arrest and vandalism. The second suspect was booked for attempting to lynch a prisoner, resisting arrest, battery of a police officer, and violation of probation. The third suspect was booked for attempting to lynch a prisoner, resisting arrest, giving false identification, and battery of a police officer. Case 991026773 *On Aug. 29 at 12:36 a.m. at Blythdale/Brookdale, Ingleside officers spotted a vehicle driving at a high rate of speed. The officers attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver would not comply. A chase ensued and the driver was caught. The officers responded to the home of the registered owner of the vehicle where it was determined that the vehicle had been stolen. The driver, a male suspect, was booked for the theft of the vehicle, possession of stolen property, evading a police officer, reckless driving, and driving without a valid license. There were also four other suspects in the vehicle, all black, who are still wanted. Case 991055095 *On Sept. 9 at 1:38 p.m. on the 200 block of Vienna, Ingleside officers responded to a burglary in progress. The officers detained two suspects inside the home. The first male suspect was booked for burglary, possession of a concealed weapon, possession of a firearm with altered identifying marks, possession of burglary tools, and possession of stolen property. A second male suspect was booked for burglary, possession of stolen property, and possession of burglary tools. Case 991106002 *On Sept. 9 at 10:00 p.m. at Ocean/Phelan, Ingleside officers responded to a robbery. The victim had two suspects ran up behind her and grab her jacket. When she did not release the jacket immediately she was thrown to the ground. The suspects punched and kicked her repeatedly until she let go of the jacket. The suspects were described as two black juvenile males, both approximately 5'8",130 lbs. One of the suspects was wearing a black jacket with a red ski cap. The other heavy dark clothing. Case 991108951 *On Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the 400 block of Silver Ave., Ingleside officers responded on a call of a possible rape. There were several subjects detained at the scene. The victim stated none of the subjects was the one involved in the rape. The suspect is described as a male of unknown race, 5'8", 180 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt and tan pants and is approximately 50-54 years old. Case 991114027 *On Sept. 12 at 9:25 a.m. on the 5000 block of Mission St., Ingleside officers spotted a male bleeding from the upper chest and back area. The victim was being chased by a female. The officers were able to detain the parties and seek medical attention for the victim. The suspect was booked for assault, attempted homicide, terrorist threats, and inflicting injury on a cohabitee. Case 991118897 From the D.A.'s Office Drug Sweep Targets
Western Addition Dealers
Armed with 18 arrest warrants and six search warrants, the police officials stormed 14 residential locations to investigate and stop the rash of shootings that have left several people dead in what apparently had become a street war over illicit drugs. In addition to the DA's office and S.F. Police, officers from the S.F. Sheriff's Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the S.F. Probation Department also took part in the raid. There were also officers present from Children's Services and Animal Control to ensure the safety and well being of all who might possibly be affected by the operation. "We have been working to put this operation together for the past four months as a way to blunt crime and violence in this neighborhood," said District Attorney Terence Hallinan. "We wanted this to effectively eradicate the problem while, at the same time, be sensitive to the community's needs and rights." Several major and notoriously dangerous street level drug dealers were targeted for the raid that, Hallinan said, was in part designed to disrupt the distribution chain for street drugs in the city. But in addition to curbing the illicit drug trade by apprehending the dealers, the mid-morning raid was also crafted to hopefully uncover evidence to help prosecute those responsible for the rash of shootings that have terrorized local residents. "This kind of drug business is not easy
to stamp out," explained Hallinan. "It takes a lot to time, coordination
of various agencies and careful, secretive planning. But today we're sending
a message to would-be drug dealers that we are committed to doing whatever
it takes to quash your operations. And my office will harshly prosecute
anyone involved in this vicious drug trade that terrorizes the community
and ultimately threatens all of our citizens."
DA to Beef Up Domestic
Violence Unit
"This grant will be a boon for our office," said Hallinan, who has already increased the office's Domestic Violence Unit from two attorneys to nine. "It will allow us to vigorously go after stalkers in particular, augmenting our commitment to protect women from the kind of terror and torment that has plagued them for too long." San Francisco was chosen as one of only three counties in the state to receive the model three-year grant that will be used to provide a full range of services for stalking victims, more than mere prosecution of the perpetrator. There are roughly 50 stalking cases a year brought to trial in San Francisco. Hallinan said part of the money will be used to hire an attorney and an investigator, both of whom will be especially trained for and dedicated to prosecuting stalking cases. But equally important, Hallinan said, is the fact that the grant will also be used to hire a victim services advocate who will set up safety plans and other means to aid the victim in avoiding the stalker while the office builds a case for prosecution. "These situations can be scary and deadly. So, we will take a team approach to make sure that victims get the help they need," said Hallinan. "With this grant we are now able to go after stalkers with the kind of effort and determination needed to stop these people who, if left alone, often escalate their terror from dangerous to lethal." Program Assists Families in Paying for Childcare The Children's Services Fund of San Francisco Vendor Voucher Program is a collaborative between Wu Yee Children's Services, Whitney Young Child Development Center and Children's Council of San Francisco. Purpose of the program is to assist San Francisco low-to-moderate income families in paying for licensed childcare for children ages 0-13 years old. The program is designed to serve single parent families who are working or have been offered employment, and two-parent families, of which either parent is working and/or offered employment, and the other parent is working, or enrolled in school or job training. Through the program, parents will be free to choose any licensed child care provider, as well as receive child care counseling and choosing child care information. Registration is on-going and enrollment is based on availability of open slots. For more information and application forms, please contact: *Wu Yee Children's Services, 777 Stockton St., Suite 202, San Francisco, CA 94108; (415) 391-1355. *Children's Council of San Francisco, 575 Sutter St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102; (415) 243-0700. *Whitney Young Child Development Center, Inc., 100 Whitney Young Circle, San Francisco, CA 94124; (415) 821-7550. State Income Tax Rates Set for 1999 Tax Year Californians whose taxable income remains unchanged from last year will pay lower state income taxes when they file their 1999 tax returns, announced the Franchise Tax Board (FTB). The standard deduction will increase for single or separate taxpayers from $2,642 to $2,711, and for joint, qualifying widow(er) or head of household taxpayers from $5,284 to $5,422. The personal exemption will increase for single, separate or head of household taxpayers from $70 to $72 and for joint or surviving spouses, from $140 to $142. Due to Assembly Bill 1140, the filing threshold amounts have significantly changed. Nearly 400,000 Californians who filed last year will not have to file for 1999. Filing requirements now take into account dependent exemption credits and senior exemption credit. The indexed values are computed based on the inflation rate as measured by the California Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers from June 1998 to June 1999. Performances Will Commemorate
S.F. Public Library is cosponsoring with the California Council for the Humanities a series of programs, readings and lectures, Rediscovering California at 150, to commemorate the statewide Sesquicentennial celebration of California. There are two parts to the celebration being presented at the Library. The first segment is the History Alive! Chautauqua performances with vivid in-person portrayals of fascinating and important figures of California Gold Rush-era history. Scholar/actors with in-depth knowledge of the fascinating figures they portray will bring the characters to life. Each performance is designed to engage audiences in the adventure of California's history. Modeled after the rousing tent assemblies that traveled throughout the 19th century America, these performances will be provocative and informative for library patrons. The California Council for the Humanities plans to present at least one History Alive! performance in each of California 80 assembly districts over the next two years. There will be four performances of the History Alive! Chautauqua which will feature historical re-enactments of the historical figures Yee Fung Cheung, William Leidesdirff and Sarah Royce: *Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1:30 p.m., Chinatown Branch; 6 p.m. Main Library's Koret Auditorium. *Thursday, Oct. 28, 10:30 a.m., Bayview/Anna E. Waden Branch. *Wednesday, Nov. 10, 6 p.m., Main Library's Koret Auditorium. All programs at the Library are free of charge. The other facet of this program will be Gold Rush Readings and Discussion Groups with two scholar-led groups focusing on exciting accounts of life during the California Gold Rush era. Each group will meet three times and explore selected passages from the anthology Gold Rush: A Literary Exploration. For more information, call (415) 557-4282. Milk Bill on Way to Governor As milk prices are about to rise by 41 cents a gallon a new Milk Bill by State Senator Jackie Speier was approved Sept. 15 by the State Senate. "The milk bill will help consumers determine where they can buy the least costly milk for their families," explained Speier. "Consumers can easily discover how they can save up to $1.40 on the purchase of a gallon of milk. With milk prices about to rise yet again, consumers need to be made aware that they have options and can find more affordable milk in their small neighborhood stores." The Milk Bill (SB 419) directs the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to conduct monthly statewide price surveys of the cost of milk at supermarkets and convenience stores. Price results would be posted on CDFA's website and recorded on CDFA's toll-free telephone milk line. Farm milk prices fell by a historic 50 cents a gallon in April and have been steadily climbing since then. As a result, by the end of October, the average retail price for whole milk in San Francisco is expected to be more than $3 per gallon. According to price data from CDFA, in May retail prices bottomed out at an average retail price of $2.39 per gallon of whole milk in San Francisco. In July, the average retail price for a gallon of whole milk was up 18 cents to $2.57. For the same period, the farm price for milk has risen by only two cents per gallon to $1.22 per gallon. Farm price in August went up another 4 cents to $1.26 per gallon and is set to go up another 41 cents in October. Recent independent price surveys of retail milk, including a study by Consumer Union, sponsors of the bill, reveal that milk prices, even prices for the same brand of milk, vary widely from store to store with larger stores often charging 40 percent more than smaller stores for a gallon of milk. "We're taking it to the consumers--they are the ones who will decide who wins the milk pricing war," said Speier. "Informed consumers can shop with their feet and bring competition to retail milk pricing." Speier emphasized that the bill requires grocers to post CDFA's toll-free milk price number and website at the dairy case where milk is sold. The survey would cover the entire state. The milk bill requires that CDFA capture prices for all brands of milk sold in a store and that prices be posted for nonfat, 1 percent, 2 percent and whole milk. The bill also calls for CDFA to survey 100 stores monthly. Measure Prohibits Sale
of Personal
Grocers will be prohibited from selling or sharing shoppers' personal information under legislation signed by the Governor Oct. 4. Now signed into law, SB 926 by State Senator Jackie Speier, recently approved by the State Senate, makes California the first state in the nation to regulate the collection and use of such information. Existing supermarket reward or club card applications used by some grocers ask consumers for their driver's license number, birth date, social security number, home address, phone number, work phone, number of people in the household, and household income. Under this legislation, these applications could no longer request the drivers license number or social security number as a condition of getting a card. Additionally, a grocer would be prohibited from selling or sharing the consumer's name, address, telephone number or other personal identification information. "Consumers should not have to provide
their social security numbers and driver's license numbers to save money
on grocery purchases," said Speier. "Supermarkets do not need to collect
this personal information before taking 50 cents off on a bag of apples."
"By prohibiting the sale of sharing consumers' names, addresses and phone numbers, grocery shoppers can feel confident that they will not find themselves on countless marketing, mailing or telephone lists," noted Speier. "Additionally, by prohibiting the collection of driver's license numbers and social security numbers, consumers will enjoy some level of confidence that they will not find themselves a victim of identity theft as a result of use of these cards." Identity theft occurs when a person's name, address, telephone number, drivers license number, social security number, or other information is used to obtain credit cards, gain access to bank accounts, and engage in other activities where the consumer's identity is used fraudulently by imposters. Perpetrators of identity theft impersonate their victims, spending as much money as they can in as short a time as possible. New Reports Document
Discrimination Against
WASHINGTON - Minorities trying to buy homes continue to face discrimination from mortgage lending institutions, according to a new report prepared by the Urban Institute for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Urban Institute report issued today says that "not all Americans enjoy equal access to the benefits of homeownership, in part because of unequal access to capital." It also says that "minorities are less likely than whites to obtain mortgage financing and, if successful in obtaining a mortgage, tend to receive less generous loan amounts and terms." HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo released
the Urban Institute report at a news conference with members of Congress
and leaders of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
(ACORN). ACORN released its own study at the same time demonstrating continuing
racial disparities in the national home purchase, mortgage and refinancing
markets. Congress Members James Clyburn of South Carolina, Eleanor Holmes
Norton of the District of Columbia, and Loretta Sanchez and Xavier Becerra
of California also attended.
The Urban Institute study--titled What We Know About Mortgage Lending Discrimination in America--has three major findings: *Discrimination can begin at the early stages of the mortgage lending process, including pre-application inquiries by would-be borrowers. The Urban Institute findings were based in part on "paired testing" that was carried out by people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in a sample of cities. Each group of testers--including one white and one or more minorities--told lenders they had similar credit histories, incomes and financial histories, and had the same type of mortgage needs. The testing found that overall, minorities were less likely to receive information about loan products, received less time and information from loan officers, and were quoted higher interest rates in most of the cities where tests were conducted. *At later stages of the process, racial disparities in loan denial rates cannot be "explained away" by differences in creditworthiness or by technical factors affecting the analyses of denial rates. *Good intentions on the part of lenders
are not enough. Action must be taken to ensure minorities do not face lending
discrimination.
HUD's work to combat lending discrimination is led by the Department's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. The Office enforces the Fair Housing Act, which bars housing discrimination on account of race, color, religion, sex, disability, family status and national origin. The Act covers the sale, rental, financing and advertising of almost all housing. The federal budget President Clinton submitted to Congress sought an increase in funding for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity to $47 million in Fiscal Year 2000--up from $40 million this year. However, the House has voted to cut funding for the office to $37 million in 2000--$10 million less than President Clinton requested. The HUD budget is now before the Senate. "Now is the time for this country to
do more--not less--to end all forms of housing discrimination," Cuomo said.
"Mortgage lending discrimination is intolerable because it contributes
to the vast homeownership gap that divides whites from minorities in America
today."
The independent Urban Institute report, commissioned by HUD, re-analyzed data assembled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and found large differences in loan denial rates between minority and white applicants. It said the differences can't be explained by data or statistical problems asserted by prior critics of the Boston study. The analysis presents substantial evidence that discrimination exists, shifting the burden of proof to those who would argue that these differences are entirely due to racially neutral underwriting criteria. The Federal Reserve study found that the probability of loan denial in the Boston area was about 80 percent higher for a black or Hispanic applicant than for a white applicant, even after loan, property and credit and other traits were accounted for.The report found that even among institutions with good intentions, and where loan officers take pride in working with borrowers who need more help on loan applications, minority customers may not be receiving equal treatment. The study says that achieving significant reductions in lending discrimination may require changes in business practices. The Urban Institute report concludes by recommending priority next steps in measuring mortgage discrimination and developing policies and practices to better combat it. These recommendations include: *Expanded research on lender decisions about office locations, advertising and outreach, as well as referrals that may discourage minorities from ever applying for loans with some institutions. *Stepped-up testing at the pre-application stage and possibly the loan approval stage as well, for research, enforcement, and self-assessment by lenders themselves. *New nationwide studies of mortgage lending, including analysis of mortgage loan performance to determine the "business necessity" of lending criteria and procedures that disproportionately disadvantage minorities. *Expanded research on loan terms and conditions, including examination of relatively recent market trends such as risk-based pricing and credit-scoring formulas, as well as analysis of overages and fees. *Rigorous evaluation of successful fair
lending to find out what really works to increase lending to traditionally
under-served groups.
HUD commissioned the Urban Institute report on lending discrimination in response to calls by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, The National Conference of Black Mayors, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, the Congress of National Black Churches, and 100 Black Men of America, Inc. for such a study, as part of an effort to close the homeownership gap. |