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The round table will explore what genetically modified crops are, what negative impacts they have on Lake County’s agriculture, and what can be done to stop them. A new ordinance that would regulate these crops also will be discussed.
Calls from the community will be taken on 263-3435 during the program. The program will be repeated on Tuesday, April 15, at 10 a.m.
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The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at the at the Middletown school multi-use room on Wardlaw Street.
Agenda items will include consideration of appointing Linda Diehl Darms as parliamentarian; MATH meeting day and place change; encouraging children to attend MATH meetings; MATH by-law amendments and Rosenberg Rules of Order, by-law committee; presentation by David Petri on building a library on Big Canyon Road.
MATH is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (includes HVL), Long Valley, and Middletown.
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Chevo Ramirez, Wells Fargo Foundation, community development officer and a member of the selection committee said, "MKF was a top finalist, but unfortunately was not selected. It was a tough decision and we do want MKF to re-apply in two years."
Asked by Treasurer Sandra West if he could share why MKF was not selected, Ramirez stated, "It was your bottom line, we want to see more growth with additional revenue and support from other funding sources."
West said MKF did receive a $25,000 grant from Wells Fargo Foundation for 2008, support she said was much appreciated.
According to Sarah Bennett, vice president of Wells Fargo Community Development Group, 69 nonprofit organizations throughout California submitted grant proposals. The decision making process was difficult due to the quality of the applicants and their proposals.
Facilitators Susan Harmon and Sandra West have facilitated 99 participants over the last 19 months and are currently working with 51 active participants.
In just the last two months, from Feb. 8 through April 8, Harmon and West have facilitated opening seven new businesses which created 10 new jobs and facilitated four existing businesses which created eight new jobs. That brings MKF’s grand total, in the last 19 months, to 36 business creations and 93 job creations.
Although disappointed that MKF was not awarded this grant, West and Harmon continue to source and solicit economic development funds from other organizations and are committed to fulfilling MKF’s vision of developing a strong and sustainable local economy in Lake County.
For more information about the free business services that Mt. Konocti Facilitation offers see their web site at www.mtkonocti.com or call 995-8133.
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Senate Bill 1137, introduced by Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland), was approved 6-3 Tuesday by the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance and Insurance.
SB 1137 would enact a comprehensive package of reforms designed to prevent unnecessary foreclosures from further worsening state and local economies and housing markets.
Specifically, the bill would require lenders to contact borrowers in a timely fashion before a Notice of Default (NOD) may be filed in order to assess the borrower's financial situation, explore options to avoid foreclosure, and to provide the borrower with a toll-free number for HUD-certified housing counseling agencies.
According to Wiggins, the goal of SB 1137 is to “reduce the number of foreclosures in California, ensure that foreclosed properties do not become a source of blight to the communities in which they are located, and provide increased protections to individuals who rent properties that ultimately go into foreclosure.”
California is suffering the effects of a severe housing crisis, which has not only negatively affected borrowers who have lost their homes to foreclosure, but has also had significant negative ripple effects on housing values, local economies, and the state economy.
Although many other states have been affected by what has colloquially become known as "the sub-prime mortgage crisis," California is suffering more than many others.
Sen. Wiggins described SB 1137 as a “response to the expectation that defaults and foreclosures will continue to grow in number in California through 2008, and out of concern over the negative impact they will have on California homeowners, California's local economies, and the state economy.”
During February 2008, the most recent month for which foreclosure data are available, RealtyTrac reported that California, Nevada, and Florida continued to document the highest foreclosure rates in the country.
California's foreclosure rate was second highest in the nation, with one in every 242 households receiving a foreclosure filing during the month. California and Florida metropolitan areas accounted for nine of the top 10 metropolitan foreclosure rates in February, with the Vallejo-Fairfield area rated number eight.
In November 2007, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reached an agreement with several state-regulated financial institutions to engage in streamlined modifications of certain types of sub-prime ARMs. A month later, President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson announced the HOPE NOW Alliance plan, an industry-led plan intended to facilitate streamlined modifications of selected sub-prime ARMs.
The American Securitization Forum has also published guidance documents intended to facilitate loan modifications by servicers, pursuant to the contractual terms specified in pooling and servicing agreements. Despite the existence of these voluntary initiatives, defaults and foreclosures continue to rise.
Patricia Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which includes portions or all of six counties (Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma). She also chairs the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. Visit her Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.
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