Join the City of Hawthorne at its Meet & Greet and Resource Fair, January 30 at 10:30 a.m.

Please join the City of Hawthorne and newly elected representatives in a Meet & Greet and Resource Fair. The fair will feature various service provider booths, emergency preparedness information and promotional giveaways.

COME MEET HAWTHORNE’S NEWLY ELECTED...
Councilwoman Angie English
Councilmember Alex Vargas
City Clerk Norb Huber

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2010
10:30-2:00PM
Hawthorne Memorial Center, Sun Room
3901 W. El Segundo (at Prairie)
Hawthorne, CA 90250


WITH INVITED GUESTS
Senator
Roderick Wright
Congresswoman
Maxine Waters
Assemblyman
Steven Bradford
Supervisor
Mark Ridley-Thomas
Senator
Curren Price Jr.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
THE HAWTHORNE POLICE DEPARTMENT
HAWTHORNE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
HAWTHORNE PARKS AND RECREATION
GOLDEN STATE WATER COMPANY
WEST BASIN WATER MUNICIPAL DISTRICT
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS COMPANY/SEMPRA ENERGY
CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE COMPANY
AT&T
TIME WARNER CABLE
VASEK POLAK HEALTH CLINIC / LITTLE COMPANY OF MARY - PROVIDENCE
SOUTH BAY FAMILY CENTER
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS
SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS
CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
OFFICES OF FEDERAL, STATE ASSEMBLY, STATE SENATE
AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY

EPA To Hold Listening Sessions on Wastewater Management Issues

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting several Listening Sessions across the country to obtain stakeholder input on a new rulemaking aimed at reducing stormwater discharges from new development. According to the EPA, stormwater discharges from developed sites can negatively impact water quality through increases in stormwater volume and increased levels of pollution. To address this issue, EPA recently announced its plans to propose and take final action by November 2012 on a national stormwater rulemaking. These Listening Sessions are one of the first components of this regulatory process.

NAR members will testify at Listening Sessions in Denver, Dallas and Washington, DC to express support for clean water, but also voice concern regarding the danger of excessive regulation hindering the nascent housing recovery.

VA Will Not Accept FHA Condominium Approval

Effective December 7, 2009, the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will no longer accept HUD/FHA condominium project appraisals in lieu of VA project review. Condominiums previously accepted by VA, based upon HUD/FHA acceptance, will continue to be acceptable to VA. This policy appears to apply to all projects whether HUD (HRAP) or lender processed (DELRAP) approved.

House and Senate Leadership Continue Negotiations On the Terms of a Final Compromise Health Reform Bill

House and Senate leaders and their staffs continue to work on melding the House and Senate health reform bills approved late last year into one final compromise measure. A number of high profile issues still need to be resolved; these including (1) whether to include a single national Exchange (House) or a system of individual state-based Exchanges (Senate), (2) final thresholds for high cost health insurance plans subject to a proposed excise tax paid by insurers, (3) Medicaid eligibility income thresholds and (4) additional measures to improve and ensure affordabililty of required insurance coverages. While reports indicate that progress has been made, it is not clear when a final bill will be sent to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for scoring, i.e. an analysis of the proposed measure's impact and cost. A final bill will not be released until an politically-viable CBO score is received. Any final bill must then be approved by both the House and Senate.

In a January 12, 2010 letter sent to House and Senate leaders, as well as the chairs and ranking members of each of the five House and Senate Committees with jurisdiction over health, NAR stressed the importance of improving the affordability of policies available thru the Exchange by providing (1) small non-profit employers with access to the same affordability credits available to small non-profit employers, (2) equitable payroll tax treatment of health insurance premiums for the self-employed and (3) a single national Exchange, in any final bill.

Governor proposes extension, expansion of home buyer tax credits

During his State of the State address, Governor Schwarzenegger today announced his 2010 proposals for California. Included in the proposals is a recommendation to set aside $200 million for a new round of $10,000 state tax credits for first-time home buyers according to reports today by the California Association of REALTORS®. The proposal expands upon the initial $10,000 state tax credit by including both new and existing homes. Last year’s tax credit applied only to new homes. The tax credit could be combined with the recently extended and expanded federal tax credit for home buyers.

Some Southern California homeowners saddled with higher flood insurance

Thousands of homeowners in Southern California are forced to increase their flood insurance coverage in order to comply with new federal flood zone maps, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A report published today in the Times found that

The federal government has informed property owners in more than 150 cities and unincorporated areas in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties about the new requirement...

Premiums range from $500 to more than $1,700 a year. Insurance is mandatory for anyone with a federally backed mortgage, and lenders will typically buy policies, sometimes at a higher cost, for property owners who fail to do so on their own. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own or guarantee more than half of all U.S. mortgages.

For the complete story, click here.

Flood Insurance Extended Through February

The Defense Department spending bill recently signed into law, included a 2-month extension of the authority for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), according to the National Association of REALTORS®. This gives Congress until February 28, 2010, to continue considering a range of reforms to strengthen NFIP's long-term financial viability. Without NFIP, property owners in federally designated areas across the nation would not be able to obtain a mortgage or flood insurance to protect their property. NAR will continue to work to extend the program until Congress takes up a long-term reauthorization and reform measure.