Kamala Harris, California's Attorney General, doesn't seem to stop. From fighting both the federal government and the banks for months to get a better deal of out the banks for their illegal mortgage practices and succeeding, to calling on the head of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac to resign, to this morning throwing her support behind a plank in the Democratic Party platform in favor of marriage equality, she just keeps energizing (reference intended).
Minutes ago I got email from the Courage Campaign saying Harris is now endorsing further action against the banks:
California's Attorney General, Karmala Harris, announced a new package of bills dubbed the Homeowners Bill of Rights, a powerful step toward ending the mortgage nightmare the Big Bank's have inflicted on California's homeowners.
This package of bills include numerous reforms, including an end to 'dual tracking,' in which banks pretend they are open to modifying someone's mortgage, while -- at the same time -- foreclosing on their home. It will also address the egregious violations recently uncovered showing that 84% of foreclosures in one California county were illegal.
and
from the press release:
Joined by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, Attorney General Harris announced her sponsorship of six bills designed to guarantee:
- Basic standards of fairness in the mortgage process, including an end to dual-track foreclosures
- Transparency in the mortgage process, including a single point of contact for homeowners
- Community tools to prevent blight after banks foreclose upon homes
- Tenant protections after foreclosures
- Enhanced law enforcement to defend homeowner rights - paid for by fees imposed on banks
- A special grand jury to investigate financial and foreclosure crime
I especially like the prospect of "dual tracking" restrictions. How many times over these past couple of years have we read about an instance of a bank saying that they are negotiating a mortgage modification with one hand but then with the other hand foreclosing? I've read far too many for my sensitivities, thank you. It's disgusting, and it is still happening.
It's a long way betwixt proposing legislation and having it passed, especially when special interests with lots of money (can you say 'banks'?) stand in the way. But getting the support of legislative leaders and the Attorney General of California from the getgo seems like a good start.
Yesterday afternoon Occupy Oakland and I marched on yet another financial institution, proclaiming along the way
Banks Got Bailed Out! We Got Sold Out!
Perhaps we are not marching in vain. Perhaps the message is starting to get through.
