Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff
According to a release from the United Health Care Workers, a majority of members of the largest union of healthcare work- ers at Kaiser Permanente, the Service Employees In- ternational Union–United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), came out in record numbers to give 94 percent approval of a new national labor agreement af- ter 10 days of voting across California.
The agreement, which will provide three guaran- teed 3 percent pay raises, maintain existing health- care benefi ts through 2013 and improve job security, is a stabilizing force in a California economy where unemployment has climbed to 12.4 percent.
“Given all the bad news affecting California’s work- force, it is good to hear of a group of workers gaining the protections of a collec- tive bargaining agreement, especially at an important employer such as Kaiser,” said John Logan, direc- tor of labor studies at San Francisco State University and senior labor policy spe- cialist at the University of California Berkeley Labor Center.
The agreement has been hailed as a model for the way in which unions can forge positive relationships with the healthcare industry to provide quality care to Californians.
State Attorney an- nounces investigation into banks’ treatment of tenants after foreclosure
At the urging of hous-ing advocates, California’s Attorney General, Edmund G. Brown Jr., has launched an investigation to ensure compliance with tenant- protection laws by banks and private investors ac- quiring tenant-occupied, foreclosed properties. The investigation, announced this week, comes after Ten- ants Together and 20 allied housing rights and public interest groups from across California brought rampant violations of tenant protec- tion laws to the attention of the Attorney General. The coalition urged Attorney General Brown to take ac- tion in response to a pattern of illegal conduct and tenant harassment by banks, real estate agents, and lawyers in their treatment of tenants after foreclosure.
“Tenants who live in properties in foreclosure are the forgotten victims of the collapse of the housing market,” Attorney General Brown said. “We’ll fight every step of the way to ensure they aren’t rousted from their homes in viola- tion of the law.”
Bill establishing $44 Million in tax credits passes Senate committee
A bill authored by Sena-tor Gloria Romero (D-East Los Angeles) to establish a new tax credit program modeled after the federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC), today passed the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee with a 3-0 vote. The bill next goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1316 would provide $44 million in tax credit in- vestments in schools, small businesses and real estate throughout California in low-income communities in rural and urban areas. The goal of SB 1316 is to assist California’s economic recovery by stimulating further investments within the state. For example, it will provide funding for small-business projects that would otherwise be denied fi nancing due to their small scale.
The new program would be funded by phas- ing out the portion of the 1031 exchange tax credit program awarding credits for out-of-state properties. This amounts to about $44 million annually. The New Markets program would provide for a somewhat smaller amount ($35 – 38 million) in new tax credits,ensuring some General Fund savings. The bill would use General Fund dollars to stimulate direct investment in California, rather than continue to fund tax credits for investments in out-of- state properties – a practice that essentially subsidizes private investment activity outside California.
