Homeowner and Housing Fraud and Scams: August 27 Public Speakers Meeting

Featured Guest: Lisa Sitkin
National Housing Law Project

PROGRAM

1:30 Welcome and Introductions 

Board News/Requests

1:45 Featured Speaker(s) -

    Q&A and Discussion

3:00 Action Updates and Reports

NEW BUSINESS

ENDORSEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Board of Director Nominations are now open and may be made until the Annual Election Meeting October 22.  Any Gray Panther Member in good standing and up to date on annual dues may nominate, vote, or serve on the Board. 

Current Board members are Betsy Morris and Carol Crooks (co-convenors), Cecilia Williams, David Blake, Helen Walsh, Kristy Martin (stepping down), Maria Sol, Raines Cohen (database coordinator), and Robert Magarian (treasurer). We are seeking a Secretary of the Board. Call Betsy 510-842-6224 for more info.    

The Board met August 11 and a majority endorsed BAROW (Berkeleyans for Accessible Rights of Way) to represent concerns of disabled pedestrians to transportation and urban design plans on Telegraph, and elsewhere.  Concerns are that bicyclists would be relegated to indirect routes off commercial streets. 

The next Board Meeting is September 4, 2025; the next speaker meeting is September 24, 2025. 

3:30 ADJOURN 

Open zoom discussion until 4pm

Automated Summary - may be inaccurate

The monthly Speaker meeting covered board member nominations, upcoming speaker presentations on housing scams, and various committee updates. The group endorsed a film about senior homelessness and discussed homeownership preservation issues, including scams targeting senior homeowners and resources for reporting fraudulent activities. The conversation ended with discussions on housing policies, community organizing challenges, and health-related topics among activists.

Next steps

• Board: Finalize which board members are stepping down before the October election
• Board: Announce slate of board nominations at the September meeting
• Carol: Send out meeting guidelines in writing via email to members
• Lisa: Provide her PowerPoint presentation with resource links after the meeting
• EBGP: Put the "No Place to Grow Old" film premiere information on the calendar
• EBGP: Send out information about the "No Place to Grow Old" film showing in September at the Roxy Theater

Summary

Speaker Meeting: Guidelines and Nominations

The monthly Speaker meeting began with introductions and a review of meeting guidelines proposed by the board, which will be discussed further at future meetings. Board member nominations were announced, with current board members listed and a call for new nominations by October 22. The meeting will feature a speaker on housing scams at 1:45 PM, followed by committee and coalition liaison updates, and will conclude with potential endorsements and new business announcements.

Senior Homelessness Film Premiere Sponsorship

The group endorsed/sponsored a film premiere in San Francisco called "No Place to Grow Old" about senior homelessness, with their logo to be featured as a sponsor. Lisa Sitkin, a supervising attorney from the National Housing Law Project, was introduced to speak about homeownership preservation and scams targeting senior homeowners. The discussion began with an overview of homeownership preservation issues, including mortgage-related problems and successor/heiress issues, with Lisa noting that her organization provides expertise and policy advocacy rather than direct legal services.

Homeowner Scams and Prevention Strategies

Lisa discussed various scams targeting homeowners, highlighting how they have evolved and intensified, especially during the foreclosure crisis. She emphasized the importance of preparedness, including understanding mortgage terms, future costs, and the need for estate planning. Lisa also addressed common scams such as foreclosure rescue schemes, deed and title scams, and the risks associated with reverse mortgages. She provided resources for reporting scams and stressed the significance of monitoring property records to detect fraudulent activities.

Real Estate Scam Awareness Presentation

Lisa presented on various types of real estate and mortgage scams, including title theft, hard money loans, home improvement schemes, and reverse mortgages. She emphasized the importance of being cautious when dealing with contractors, financing options, and unfamiliar companies offering quick cash for homes. Lisa also discussed recent developments in the real estate market, such as extended listing agreements and post-disaster scams. She encouraged attendees to do thorough research and seek reputable professionals when facing financial difficulties related to their homes.

Housing Scam Reporting Resources

Lisa presented resources for reporting and addressing housing scams, including federal and state agencies, non-legal housing counselors, and legal aid options. Betsy discussed solutions beyond hiring lawyers, inspired by Berkeley's upzoning and a social worker program in Ann Arbor. The group agreed to follow up with city council members and explore protective options. Carol suggested collaborating on sample materials for vulnerable populations, and Helen inquired about resources for homeowners with disabilities. Lisa expressed willingness to continue the conversation and develop accessible materials.

Berkeley Bike Plan and Initiatives

The meeting focused on several key topics. Norma discussed how China's high rate of home ownership and dropping prices for goods and rents could be a model for other countries, and she encouraged attendees to change their voter registration to the Peace and Freedom Party. Helen Walsh provided an update on Berkeleyans for Accessible Rights of Way, a group working on the new Berkeley bike plan, and shared information on how to submit comments on the draft plan. The meeting also touched on the LTSS for All coalition's ongoing work to improve long-term home-based supports and services, and Betsy announced plans to follow up with various organizations and leaders for future discussions.

Homelessness Advocacy and Housing Updates

The meeting covered several key topics related to homelessness, housing, and advocacy efforts. Arlene provided an update on Measure W, highlighting concerns about the oversight committee and the need for accountability in service provider policies. She also mentioned upcoming teaching events at Laney College. Betsy shared information about the Housing Now coalition's efforts to support tenant rights through legislation and lobbying. Nancy discussed her work with nursing home residents and concerns about fraudulent billing practices. Carol provided updates on Berkeley's allocation of Measure W funds and ongoing efforts to address homelessness. The group discussed upcoming meetings and events, including a board meeting on September 3rd and a Health Life Enrichment Committee meeting on September 25th.

Meeting Adjourned, Future Plans Set

The meeting was adjourned due to low attendance, with plans to reconvene on September 24th. The treasurer reported receiving $500 from the ecology center for disaster relief and noted some recent member renewals. Arlene mentioned attending her first faith and justice breakfast in Walnut Creek, while the group discussed housing policies in China and historical social housing initiatives in the United States, particularly among Jewish communities.

Challenges in Activist Health and Well-being

The group discussed challenges in community organizing and the need for more compassion and empathy among activists. Arlene shared her personal health issues and the need to sometimes step back from activism due to limited capacity. The conversation touched on the importance of self-care for older activists and the impact of environmental factors and medication on health. The group also briefly discussed health-related topics like turmeric and its benefits.

Meeting Chat (unedited)

Raw unedited automated closed-captioning transcript - may contain errors or misattribution

And we can formally begin. In 3… 2… 1…
Hi, everybody! Great panthers and guests. We're currently 11, but we usually.
Get people trickling in. For 20 to… between 20 and 30.
I'm really happy… Oh my gosh, that this monthly speaker meeting came together.
Carol, my co-convener, and I. we'll, be divvying up the moderator  tasks. And I just put
The program in the chat. Now, for, let me read it for those who don't have chat
So we… we begin, 1.30 with welcome and introductions, then we'll have some board news.
And communications, then we… our featured speaker, Lisa Sitkin. Who's, I'll introduce.
at 1.45. And I think that'll be robust. There's a couple people that I'm hoping will join.
because they have had experience with housing. Scams and frauds themselves, so…
at 3 p.m, or when our speaker and our discussion is done, then we'll go into.
More, sort of, action updates and reports from our committee and.
Team, coalition liaisons. then we can have some new business endorsed, which we don't have plans for making a decision today.
But there are some announcements… no, that… about endorsements.
that I guess, is new business, and uh… so Carol, why don't… you start us off…
With, our… experiment in meeting guidelines. The board is using these meeting guidelines, but we want to run it by members.
We're getting a few more people now.
Hey, um… Yeah, so actually, if you bring that up, or however you want to bring it, let me.
Finish welcome and introductions. So, first off. Welcome again. Hi, Helen.
Pam, Patrick. Leon Cheryl, uh…
And, Robert, our treasurer, um. I want to just say that yesterday was Maggie Kuhn's 120th birthday. For those who don't know her, she's the founder of Grey Panthers.
And the New York City Gray Panthers chapter, which kind of.
Wow.
Inherited, um. And the national group that she created and served on.
Closed the New York City group had a birthday party for her yesterday.
I mean, she's long past, but uh… But if you have a chance, check out videos of her.
Online, Wikipedia, and… You know, it's always good to know where a group came from, so we can see how we're…
Getting better. Or, you know, what we can… what we can, learn from that.
Okay. hi, hi, Julia, good to see you. okay, then, uh…
Why don't Carol, why don't you… share the board agreements with the group.
Okay, the meeting guidelines. Our one mic, meaning that one person speaks at a time.
Step forward, step back. Um.
Each person should share, and then allow time for others to share.
Keep individual remarks to under 3 minutes. Respect each other, respect ourselves.
Accessibility. Support our co-conveners and timekeeper.
And these were the meeting agreements that we came up with for the board meetings.
we've been wanting to do them for regular meetings. And we can take…
Primates from the floor. That changing those or adding to them, or accepting them as they are.
For the general meeting. Guidelines.
and… Are you… are you complete on that, Carol? Because I wanted to follow up.
Yeah, I'm… that's it.
can I suggest that if people have. Comments or suggestions, feel free to put them in.
Chat for now. This is gonna be brought up the next three… to speaker meetings, and uh… We have our annual member meeting and board elections in October, and so that would be a great time.
For any further conversation, you know, discussion about. You know, meeting guidelines or other things people feel would make us work together.
Even better.
Yeah, it would be good to have a large group when we… When we do that.
So, great. We don't… we don't really have a timekeeper… oh.
After people have trickled in.
Helen?
I just wanted to say I like the start of this.
And I appreciate the time you put in to put something together to get us talking about this, so thank you.
Thank you, Helen. Thank you, Carol. Um…
Board…
I miss the word that you said, you missed… you like, Helen, you like talking about what was her?
Public, it sounds like. Okay, that's the…
I liked how this is starting with, giving us this opportunity. Yeah, I really appreciated that.
That's… that's fine, thanks, Dante.
Yes.
For… for meeting guidelines or member guidelines. In… when we gather, yeah.
Yeah, and that you're going to introduce it over several meetings, so people can participate. I really appreciate that.
I'm glad you could make it today, Helen. Um…
Could we… could we have it in writing, an email or something, so we can…
Sure, we'll send it out.
Yeah, I like to read things. They stick better. And refer back to them.
Carol, you were also gonna bring up.
Nominations? Are you prepared for that, that announcement?
Yes, just a moment. To bring it back up.
Okay, we have, Current board members are… Betsy Morris and Carol Crooks, co-conveners.
Cecilia Cunningham. David Blake, Helen Walsh, Christy Martin, who is stepping down.
Maria saw… Reigns, Cohen.
It's the database coordinator, and Robert McGarion, who's the treasurer. We're looking for a secretary of the board.
you can contact Betsy at 510-842-6224 for more info.
That there's some… earlier language.
About the process. I'll just…
But I'll read it. Board of Directors… board of directors nominations are now open and may be made.
Yep.
Until the annual election meeting, October 22. Any Grey Panther member in good standing and up-to-date on annual dues.
May, nominate, vote, or serve on the board.
And there's no… there's no limit, particularly. We… we don't have a quota.
but we need at least 5, which we're good for, which we're all right. And… and I… we're still… finalizing whether any board members would like to step down.
Um… But for now, that's the status.
So… were there any questions about that? And get in touch if you're interested in serving or would like the job description.
Um… And, uh.
I'm gonna capture my brain… let's see. So this is part of our bylaws, that we have an annual.
Cycle. September is when. We in… the board is… announces.
any… slate, or recommendations that have already gone through.
The process of meeting with us. and… and there are a couple people who are… have expressed interest.
um… and we'll talk about that in the Tuesday meeting. I mean, I'm sorry.
September meeting. but members can make nominations, from the floor.
On October 22nd, so… If you're interested, but not currently a voting member, hey, start building your…
Building your support. let's see…
I think that's it. Okay. So, I think we're… there's… there is a bunch of, um…
news and requests, but I think I will… just announced one of them. This was at our board meeting.
earlier this month. we voted to endorse.
Or sponsor a film, film. Premier in San Francisco called No Place to Grow Old.
And, we actually looked at the trailer, which I recommend.
Anyone look at. It's a… a film that the, um…
San Francisco Public Press and a couple of. Sponsors they have in San Francisco.
uh… And… and it's, three… it's… it's a very thoughtful film about three seniors.
Who find themselves, for very different reasons. Homeless at, you know, over the age of 65.
and they are… the film was made in Portland. Kind of a sister city to what, you know, Oakland or San Francisco.
And Berkeley, has as a place where, um. Unhoused brothers and sisters, unhoused neighbors.
Have… have… have… set up camps, or are still being generated by high rents.
So, we'll tell you more about that film if… send out the info. It's being shown September.
I think it's the last Friday in September, and there's a panel discussion.
The focus, and it's at the Roxy theater, so… I'll put this on the calendar, um… But our logo will be one of the sponsors.
Because, unfortunately, the San Francisco Grey Panthers. is kind of on a hiatus.
They had some… challenges with.
among their board, although Art Persico, who's often joined us, is still… is still doing things at the national level.
So, I think that brings… board news.
To a close for now, and we'll… we'll come back to other… reports from members after.
Our speakers, so let me introduce… Lisa Sitkin, who is a.
Supervising attorney? Is that the proper title? she is from the National Housing Law Project, which I had not heard of.
but, she can say a little more about that and her work, but she comes highly recommended from our member, Carol Morasovic.
As, an expert. and presenter on homeowner…
And I… and maybe other kinds of housing, rental housing fraud as well.
So, would you like to say a few more words, Lisa, about… who you are and how we can know you.
What…
Sure! well, first, thank you for having me. I'm happy to know about the group, and I am a…
Almost lifelong Berkeley resident. I grew up here, and I still live here.
so it's nice to present to my neighbors, even if it's.
Virtually. Um… So, as Betsy said, I am a supervising attorney, on the staff of the National Housing Law Project.
And, um… the organization is, um…
Long-standing, we've been around for actually over 50 years. I haven't been there that long.
and, we were created, actually, as a support center when, um.
The whole, sort of, infrastructure of legal aid in the country was… getting started. in addition to direct service legal aid organizations.
and agencies, there was, at that time, federal funding, no longer.
for what are called support centers that would be sort of hubs of expertise about certain.
Issues, and could be available to the frontline legal services agencies, and attorneys.
To help them with. Case consultations with trainings, with keeping them up to date on things, and as time progressed, we also.
got very involved in policy advocacy, so sort of. Translating what, you know, a legal aid attorney might be seeing on the ground.
To, take that, to our partners and… think about it and propose policy changes in Sacramento and in D.C. Also.
we are currently bigger than we've been. We have… attorneys and other staff, in different states around the country and a small office in.
Dc, but our, sort of headquarters main office is in San Francisco.
Although, my office is here in my dining room. Um… And, originally, the project, was really focused entirely on.
Tenant and rental issues, and… is really sort of a hub of expertise. We also put out a manual that legal aid attorneys around the country use.
On federally subsidized rental housing programs, so… Section 8, public housing.
If you're familiar with LIHTC, the tax credit program. all of those are kind of in our wheelhouse. Um…
But during the foreclosure crisis. they expanded, I wasn't there at that time. Um…
To also work on issues related to, um. Preventing foreclosures and, what I have taken to call home ownership preservation.
for low-income homeowners, and often that ends up being a focus on senior homeowners.
But not… not exclusively. So… I lead a very small team, me and one other person, at the project who.
Focus on those home ownership issues, um. And I came into that job after…
Spending basically the entire foreclosure crisis starting in 2008. working in direct services with homeowners in the Bay Area.
trying to, help them prevent foreclosure and hold onto their homes.
so I've kind of taken that. 9 years or so of practice experience, and I now.
Do a lot of training, policy work, and, case support, so I consult on people's cases.
so what I'm gonna talk about today is, um. Broadly speaking, homeownership preservation. I'm going to talk a little bit about what.
I see that as encompassing in terms of helping folks actually keep their homes and keep their homes and their families.
and… there are so many directions that could go, but I'm keeping it narrow. So, you know, one…
Possible path one could take is talking more about social housing and community land trusts, and that as a way to preserve.
and affordable home ownership. I'm not talking about that today.
I'm not an expert on that anyway, I'm very interested. but what I am going to talk about is, helping folks who, you know, own the home.
remain owners, and as I say, be able to pass that along if they want to, to heirs or to whoever they want to pass it along to.
Could be a land trust. Um… So, and then I'm gonna sort of hone in particularly on.
The wide variety, unfortunately, of scams that we see targeting. senior homeowners in particular.
and just kind of go through an overview of what those different scams.
Look like, a little bit about what to look for.
and then, um… I have… I haven't completed my links, but when I give you my PowerPoint after this, I will have a bunch of links for resources and where you can report things.
I'm perfectly happy to answer questions along the way. I don't… it doesn't seem like that's maybe your… etiquette, but.
If people have them, it doesn't bother me at all, so it's very informal.
so do I have sharing… ability… Okay. Great.
Yes. It should. I… I did want to.
As you begin, I just want to say that this issue.
really came to our attention before COVID. due to, thanks to a group called…
I want… well, several groups in Oakland that… of… of… Black homeowners who had lost their family home.
Or their parents, you know, willed home to… to them, and it raised how vulnerable we can be, even with a will, even with a trust.
that be… So, I don't know if everyone here remembers that. I don't think… I think only a few of us were at that.
In-person meeting, you know, 7 years ago, but I… I just wanted to offer that as context, that this… There's a lot more going on.
Than… than meets the eye. Okay, thanks. And here she… here you are.
Looks like Dirk might have a hand up.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah. No?
I'm protecting homeowners. Does your group ever protect renters who get affected?
So, um… Many of my colleagues work on issues related to protecting tenants.
and we work with a lot of legal aid agencies that represent people in eviction cases.
Our organization doesn't do what we call direct services, so we don't take on individual.
Clients were sort of, like. A little bit of a think tank, I guess you could say, but support center is really what we're usually called.
So, um… there are people I work with who know a lot about those topics. I know a little about them, and I'm happy to try to answer questions if they come up, but this is really focused on.
On home ownership, since that's my particular area of expertise.
Thanks.
And… and thank you, Dirk. and Lisa, we have some folks… who have limited vision, or…
It's helpful if you read what you really want us to know from the slide.
Absolutely. Okay. So… let me…
Start up. So, this is an overview of what I'm going to be talking about.
Sort of gestured toward it, but, I want to talk a little bit about what homeownership preservation is. It's much more than just preventing foreclosure. That's a pretty narrow piece of it.
I'm gonna talk a little bit about special risks for older homeowners, that many of you may be well aware of, so… We'll see if that's new or not.
I want to focus a little bit in on mortgage-related problems that homeowners encounter.
because that's a big piece of what I work on, and, in that section, Betsy, I will also talk about.
or actually, I guess it's in the first section. I will talk some about the successor, the heirs kind of issues that we see, maybe in both of those.
then as I said, we're going to talk about, um.
All these different varieties of scams targeting homeowners, it's kind of… horrifying how many different… versions of them. There are, and they all kind of overlap, but, it just seems that.
Every time you think you've sort of dealt with one piece of it, there's kind of a whack-a-mole.
They come back and have some new scheme. and that's been going on forever, but really, really ramped up, during the foreclosure crisis, unfortunately.
when a lot of people were… in great distress, and were very vulnerable.
And the scammers have kind of kept at it ever since.
and then I'll just talk about some resources and where you can report, um.
And I might have some questions for you at that point, too, because you may know more than I do about that.
okay. Homeownership preservation, so I kind of divided this into two parts, because usually.
people think of this as being about when there's a crisis, you know, somebody's facing foreclosure, or has gotten scammed or something, and you have to clean up.
This problem, this mess. But I think of it as starting well before there's actually a risk to homeownership.
to think a little more holistically in terms of being prepared.
Before that ever happens, and laying, you know, solid groundwork.
people, you know, are at all… stages or, levels of preparation, I think in this way.
I have been a homeowner for a long time and haven't checked all these boxes myself, I will say, so… you know, it's a work in progress, but these are the things that.
I think we all… uh… who are homeowners.
wanting to hold on to that, precious resource, need to be thinking about. So… Obviously, understanding current, but also future costs. So for mortgages, you know, being clear about.
What the terms of a mortgage are, is the interest rate going to go up, is the payment going to go up at some point, and planning ahead for that.
Similarly, with property taxes, because of Prop 13 in California, we don't have.
you know, rapidly escalating property taxes the way, people do in other states.
But, there can be reasons that taxes go up. Nonetheless, and they do go up at least a little bit every year, so that's something to keep tracking.
Homeowners insurance, we are obviously in. Kind of a crisis at this point, a crisis.
everywhere, certainly in California, and those prices are going up.
I don't have solutions, but, being aware of what's happening and what the trends are, and knowing that.
In order to hold on to the home and, you know, protect that investment, you need to actually.
Have an insurance policy that you can afford, and that will renew, um… is an important piece of this. And then, of course, maintenance and repairs.
I… my elderly parents, who also live in Berkeley, have a lot of deferred maintenance on their house, and makes me quite aware of.
the toll that that can take, and the way that it can sort of erode.
Um… stability of homeownership and ability to stay in the home, too.
obviously understanding the household's financial situation, and I… I… I know this may seem sort of an obvious point, but I was always very struck.
and I think it's kind of, in some sense, human nature for a lot of us, but when clients would come in who were facing foreclosure when I was doing direct services.
with how, kind of. Little solid grass. People had just of what their financial situation really was. There's sort of a…
day by day, or week by week, and, some people are totally all over it, and some people just want to bury their head in the sand a bit, but… being prepared for any risks to homeownership, I think, requires.
having a really solid, um. Understanding of what the financial situation is now, and where it's headed, you know, if somebody's retiring, what is that?
Gonna do to cash flow and things like that. and then estate planning.
is also a part of this. I have had… so many clients and so many case consultations involving families where.
the homeowner passed away, and, maybe they had a will, maybe they didn't.
They definitely didn't have… a trust, which in California is in a lot of ways kind of the best vehicle for this to avoid a lot of costs.
To your family later. And complications and delays.
so… Estate planning, I think people steer clear of, because nobody likes to talk or think about death, or most people don't.
and also because it sounds like it's going to be expensive.
there are increasingly some lower or sliding scale. lower cost or sliding scale, and sometimes even free, estate planning services for, like, simple estates.
that can allow someone to do… the planning up front that really makes things so much easier for their family that they want to leave a house to.
it's also really important because if someone passes away. While there's still an outstanding mortgage on the house.
In order for the air to be able to communicate and get information from.
The, um… mortgage servicer about that loan, and to know what's going on, and be able to deal with any problems that come up with the loan.
they need to show that they have. Title, or a claim to title, and that requires that the original owner, you know.
Do some… some estate planning so that it's there, in the paperwork, and… The air isn't kind of starting from ground zero.
So, that's a really important part. for the kind of long-term, intergenerational.
Kind of passing of a helm. And, a big concern, particularly in, um.
BIPOC communities, a lot of, um… Black families who I worked with, for a variety of reasons did not have access to or information about estate planning, and.
We just saw so many houses lost to. That, really, when it could have been prevented. So, it's something…
That, I've been pushing to have more of these services available, and… as I said, there's… there's some uptick in that.
And then the other piece of this these days is disaster preparedness.
Which I'm not great at myself, but, as we know.
fires in particular here can, be a threat, and, um.
Having both insurance and, you know, other preparation for that is part of… preserving the homeownership.
So, the kinds of crises that we see that are threats to homeownership.
Are when there is, you know, a change in financial circumstances.
that can be a drop in income or increased expenses.
that can drive, then, a mortgage delinquency, which can lead to.
Potential foreclosure. Also, a lot of people, you know.
Have a precarious hold on their home because they've been victimized by a scam, and sometimes those scams follow from the financial hardship. They're in distress, and.
Vulnerable and somebody who says, I can give you cash up front.
You don't necessarily read all the paperwork. So, um… a lot of people who come into Legal Aid offices looking for assistance.
with, holding onto the home are in that situation.
another thing that folks don't always think about is that there can be non-mortgage judgment liens, so if there are outstanding debts or losses that somebody won against the homeowner.
they can sometimes get that. Reduced to a judgment from the court that then gets recorded as a lien on the property.
And in certain circumstances, the creditor, or whoever has the right to collect.
May actually seek to foreclose because of that and take the house. there are some defenses to that, and homestead exemptions and things, but… It does create, real issues for people.
And then, of course, natural disaster, which… I'm not gonna say a lot about, but that's… you know, we've dealt a lot with, colleagues down in LA who are working with the folks, you know, in the wake of.
Of the fires in January, and… it's… quite heartbreaking, what the decisions that people are having to make, and the kind of displacement that we've seen.
so for older homeowners, the… they are, in many ways, kind of…
They, have a bit of a bullseye, I guess. and very much a target of… of scams.
And some of the reasons for that are often they've been in the home for a long time, and.
For those who are in Berkeley or in the East Bay in general.
you know, property values have really gone up. over time, and that means that they probably are sitting on a lot of equity, which makes them a very attractive.
target for a scammer. many homeowners, although they have a home and have this asset, which may be worth a lot.
are on a fixed or limited income and have limited assets, and.
that puts them in a position where. The main, sort of, source of wealth is the house, and so.
Offers and, solicitations that involve. Kind of taking value out of the house in order to do X, Y, or Z, or have cash.
Are, you know, it's obvious why those are attractive and why people get.
Lured into them, because they need some… more cash. Um… As I said, deferred maintenance problems, isolation can often cause older adults to be susceptible to abuse, and that's both from, kind of.
Outside scammers, but also from family members. We see many, many.
issues come up with older homeowners whose. Grandkid, or niece, or nephew, whoever, someone in the family, their kid.
you know, introduces them to someone who's gonna give them this great loan, and, um.
Take care of everything, and get them out of foreclosure, and all these things, and… and it ends up being kind of a vehicle for that person to suck money out of.
Out of the house. Um… Or to, you know, take away ownership or control of the house in some way. So…
That's, uh… unfortunately quite… quite a frequent occurrence.
cognitive issues, whether actual or just perceived, I think also kind of.
Make, older homeowners. Seem like a really good target.
and I don't know if you think that there are other… sort of, characteristics of older homeowners that make them.
Vulnerable, but I just leave the list open if anyone has thoughts on that.
Just, uh… If we paused.
Betsy?
Um… If there's someone with, you know, we've had people.
Who, multiple issues in their marriage, late in life. With their partner and themselves.
Hmm.
So it feels like there… and not enough money to have a personal lawyer, and it's more complicated than legal services.
Usually handles… we have a… A person who joined us, um.
you know, supporting member a few months ago. Who brought up some ghastly stuff.
You know, concerns and, I maybe wonder if you might.
Address, this isn't a scam, this is… This is just people get reverse mortgages or line of credit to support themselves.
As we get older, what with the fixed income, so maybe you'll get to those.
Those stories.
Yeah. Yeah, I do talk about… I have reverse mortgages in a miscellaneous list of other scams, because.
they're not always a scam, but they very easily can.
Act like one, so… Yeah, yeah.
Right.
So, just to hone in on mortgage-related problems, obviously people, for various reasons, may miss payments, and um… I just wanna… I don't wanna take a lot of time on this, but wanted to just, let people know, to the extent that you're not familiar with it, that there is.
You know, a very specific… timeline… Someone at the door. Um…
In California, there's a… there's a statutory, scheme that governs.
Foreclosures, and the main thing to know about it, I'm not going to go through all the steps, but the main thing to know is that.
first of all. under federal rules, which we hope will stay in place.
no foreclosure activity can be initiated, no legal activity, which means recording what's called a notice of default.
Can happen until someone is at least. 4 months late. So, just in terms of people having a sense of, like, what their timeline is, if they've missed payments, how much time they have to resolve something, or…
Excuse me, just a minute. Can you, Erin, can you go on the porch? Or… yeah.
Um… Anyway, so it can't start for 4 months, and then in California, we have what's called non-judicial foreclosure.
So, the lender does not actually have to go to court in order to initiate foreclosure. They just have to record a series of documents according to a certain schedule.
And then they can basically schedule an auction of the house.
there are complicated reasons why that is, and there was a trade-off.
That… to some extent benefits borrowers, but.
It does mean that things can happen. Without people really being clear that it's going on. They get notices.
And ultimately, there's something that actually gets posted on the door, but… it's… but I think for such a big thing to happen as a foreclosure, people sort of expect there will be more process or a court involved, but they're not.
So, the lender can initiate the foreclosure by recording a document with the county.
after… at least 4 months of delinquency. Then they have to wait another 3 months.
Um. Before they can take the next step, and the idea is that that would be time to try to reinstate or work out some kind of, um.
modification or other accommodation that would bring the loan current.
then they record a notice of sale, and then there has to be… that has to be posted on the house at least.
20 days before a sale can occur. So. basically, it's at a minim an 8-month timeline from when someone first.
Falls behind on their mortgage, and I just think that. Having that kind of… window, in our awareness is helpful.
loss mitigation that I refer to here on the slide is.
The general term for the back and forth between a borrower and the mortgage servicer.
when the borrower is behind, and they're trying to find some kind of way, arrangement.
To bring the loan current again, hopefully, and that can mean changing terms of the loan, like interest rate, or extending.
The length of time for paying back. and, sometimes, especially during the pandemic.
People, who were having income interruptions would. Go on a brief pause, or sometime many month pause, called a forbearance, and then when they had.
That many months due at the end of that. That would get kind of tacked on to the end of the loan, and…
Zero interest on it, but it would have to be paid back at the end. So.
That can look a lot of ways, but that's… that's what loss mitigation means.
and then there are a lot of problems that, really, I put squarely in the mortgage servicers.
Court, they… There are a lot of communications challenges, both, issues when, for example, there's a successor or an heir.
And the servicer won't talk to them. Um… Or they just communicate very poorly. I mean, as anyone who's looked at a mortgage statement or a letter from a mortgage servicer probably knows.
there's a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo, a lot of jargon. They're not written in a way that's clear, and sometimes they're just wrong and inaccurate, or they say something, and then you call, and they say something else.
So, a lot of issues. Arise just because of that.
There can also be, you know, billing and application of payment errors, there can be errors with.
The escrow account where they're collecting payments for taxes and insurance.
and that can get screwed up in various ways. And then the other thing that goes on kind of behind the scenes is that.
you know, you may have… a loan that's serviced by…
Nation Star, or Shellpoint, or something, but these companies, there's been a lot of change and merging and buying and selling and going out of business in the past.
Couple decades, and the servicing rights, the contract to service your loan and collect payments and everything.
Get sold and get transferred, from one company to another, and that… process is not smooth in most cases, and can also.
Cause issues that then… have an impact on the borrower.
It should be that they just let you know, and you start paying the new servicer, but… There are often problems.
and then, as we've been alluding to, successors and interests, or heirs.
Often have challenges when there is a mortgage on the house, either because.
The original owner, or they themselves after, you know, one source of.
Payment and income has passed away. have fallen behind on the loan, and they have to do this loss mitigation, and talk to the servicer, and get things back on track.
or sometimes they just have trouble. Getting their payments, you know, applied and taken correctly.
if somebody can afford the loan who's a successor to the house.
there's nothing that, um. That keeps them from simply continuing to make the payments. They don't really have to do anything other than that, but we do see.
That, servicers can… cause issues and, again, be unwilling to talk to someone.
there are some federal rules about how that's supposed to go, but again.
If somebody can't show that they are the successor, so there isn't, you know, a probate case open that.
Shows them as the beneficiary or a living trust. Now, you know, is gonna transfer to them.
They… or they're not, you know, jointly on title. Sometimes it's a spouse.
They, can have a lot of trouble just being able to communicate with the servicer.
Betsy.
Could you just move your chair about 2 inches to the… there you go.
you were behind your name, and it's harder for… people who… no, no, lip-read.
Oh, sorry about that.
So, there was a request, but, is that… No, I think…
Okay, is that better? Or am I still behind it? I can't see how it is, so…
Okay. Cool.
It looks better to me. You could even move a couple of inches more to the… to the left, I think. Yeah, that's…
That's… hopefully that works for whoever. Oh.
Okay. On my screen, I'm now behind my name, but if people can see me, that's flying. That's fine.
Okay, so let's go on. So, here is our catalog of scams.
Um… So, the first category, and a lot of these kind of overlap.
But just for purposes of, uh… you know, listening and talking about them.
the first I would call foreclosure rescue scams, in quotation marks.
sometimes it's also referred to as mortgage relief assistance. and these are the things that really just, um.
Exploded during the foreclosure crisis. There were just all of these businesses, and.
Conglomerates that, you know, got into the business of. Basically defrauding people, saying, we'll help you, you know, you're in foreclosure, we're gonna help you, and one of.
You know, several different ways. Just pay us money, and then they might string them along, and um…
Do a little bit. They might do nothing at all, but they would just basically take people's money.
these can involve attorneys, realtors. You know, real estate investors who come around.
they often, as I say, charge an advance fee. and in California, once somebody is in…
Foreclosure, any, like, foreclosure consultant, if that's what they call themselves, or somebody who's saying, will help you get out.
Cannot charge an advance fee. They can only charge. After they have performed the services.
So, a lot of attorneys, for example, usually take a retainer fee.
and they're not allowed to do that either. They are supposed to do the work, and then they can charge, and that came out of.
just the millions and millions of dollars that people had, stolen from them, basically, by these outfits.
Said, we're gonna help you, and then… did very little, made things worse, or did nothing.
Often what they will do is say that they are going to handle all the interactions, which they usually call negotiations.
With the mortgage servicer. and I put negotiations in…
quotation marks because. In these cases, the mortgages, there are rules that whoever, like, actually owns your loan in the background has about what can and can't be done to, you know, lower your interest rate, or.
Allow you to repay over time, or things like that. and those are the rules that the servicer has to follow. They have a contract with the owner, so…
When somebody says, I'm going to negotiate with the servicer, I am always.
On alert, because it means that they're trying to make it seem like they bring some great.
Insight or knowledge or expertise or something to these conversations, when in fact.
They tend to be about… sending in some papers, giving some numbers, saying, yes, I can afford that, signing a form. It's very…
Ministerial, really. sometimes they tell people to redirect their mortgage payments to the scammers, so they say.
You know, just stop making your payments, or, you know, if you're behind, but you want to try to.
Start making them again, send them to me, and then they just take that money.
one of the things that they, uh. Used to tout, I think they're still doing it, I haven't seen as many these days, but it was called a forensic loan audit, where they would say, oh.
You fell behind on your mortgage, but the real issue here is that when you first got your mortgage years ago.
there were all these legal violations, committed by the lender.
And we can get you out from under this loan because of all of these violations. So pay us.
$5,000, $7,500. And we'll do this forensic loan audit, which sounds very official.
sort of like CSI for… accounting. and…
Then they come up with these reports that are very… I mean, you could just get one off the internet, they're not real specific to anyone's loan, generally.
And they identify all of these violations, which may or may not be accurate.
Usually not, but one, they don't then actually offer to help you do anything about it.
They just charge you to do this report. And two, in most cases, even if there are violations that go back to when somebody took out a mortgage originally.
Most of those violations. Basically becomes stale. There's a statute of limitations, so they can't really do anything with.
Those issues. Once more than 3 years has gone by since somebody took out the loan.
So, I always know it's a scam if somebody has a loan that they got 22 years ago, and somebody is offering.
You know, a $7,500 forensic loan audit. That's just going to be of absolutely no value to anyone.
sometimes the attorneys who are involved in this type of thing promise or guarantee.
These amazing outcomes of litigation, and say they can get you your house free and clear, and all of that.
As with so many things, if it sounds too good to be true, it's too good to be true.
That rarely, if ever, happens, and um… is not something that an attorney can ever really guarantee in terms of the outcome of litigation.
another thing they'll do is file kind of a skeleton, or give you the paperwork for what's called a pro se, or self… represented bankruptcy filing.
Really dangerous for people to go into bankruptcy court themselves. There are lots of booby traps, and it's very technical, lots can go wrong.
also, once somebody files for bankruptcy, it limits their ability to do so again in the future.
So unless it's really, you know, a sort of… legitimate bankruptcy attorney who's willing to actually be on the papers and file and work with somebody.
Is involved and is shepherding it through. it is almost certainly going to do more harm than good to somebody.
and the reason, you know, people do file these when there's a foreclosure the next day, because a bankruptcy can stop that.
So, you know, sometimes it's just the Hail Mary thing that somebody does, but… There are a lot of downsides to that, and.
My hope, always, is that somebody is able to get. Real advice and help much earlier in the process, and not sort of be in that position.
Another kind of scam are deed and title scams. so these involve.
convincing a homeowner to basically sign over the property, sign over the deed.
often it comes… these days, what we see is it comes with some kind of promise that the owner will then be allowed to buy the property back.
In a good deal. but then actually that… person who has now has ownership of the house.
Actually evicts them, or… starts charging them exorbitant rent so that they can't actually afford, and just makes it impossible for them to stay in the home.
And it turns out that there's nothing enforceable. That allows the owner to get their title back.
That is happening a lot. A lot. Um… Sometimes the scammers even will forge the homeowner's signature, working with a shady notary.
so one of the things that's advised is, you know how we're always told to.
Check on our credit report, you know, once a year or more, even.
To make sure that nothing funky is showing up there. Similarly, it can be a good practice to check.
The property recording, so… for those of us in Alameda County, so in Alameda.
there is an online, uh. Access to, the county recorder.
And you can see if something has been recorded against the property, and if somebody is trying to take over title or steal your house, basically.
The only effective way for them to do it is to record something. So, it's worth.
Monitoring that, especially if. The owner has come into contact with somebody, who sounds like they were trying to…
Embroil them in some kind of questionable scheme. Betsy.
the DA's, former… the DA. Pamela Price set up.
A trigger warning so that if… okay, maybe you might speak to that. I know you'll get to solutions. I thought it was timely.
No, no, go ahead, go ahead. Yeah.
well… Those of you who worked hard on her campaign or supported her.
You know, fought the recall, might know. That, she set up part… I would like to… gray panthers to take credit, because she came to one of our meetings where we.
Talked about these kinds of. Concerns about frauds and… probate. She set up a…
A flag would go up if a senior… of the home of a senior changed title.
They would at least try to… the DA's office would at least try to call you.
To let you know that happened.
Or the… That's right. Thank you.
Mm-hmm. Or I think they sent out a note at… I don't know if they did written notice there. I know in Emeryville, I think you and I talked about that.
I… I don't know if it's still in place, but during the foreclosure crisis, Emeryville adopted this thing, similar thing, where they were.
The city was sending out, sort of, monitoring for notices of default, for foreclosure.
But also for changes, in the ownership of a property to let people know in case.
You know, they didn't. which is a really useful thing, and it's helpful because then people don't have to.
Do all the monitoring, but it's not… because it's available online, it's… it's pretty doable.
Linda, did you have…? Yeah.
You're muted. You're muted? Nope.
Okay, my second Zoom meeting of the day, the first… Um.
I ran the law office of Jeff D. Hoffman. We sent people to you.
And I've been trying to reach you for quite a while.
Jeff was arrested for domestic violence and elder abuse about 2 years ago. All he's wanted is to get me out of the home that I bought. I've been paying for. Long story short, today, the judge who's never heard a word from me.
Decided, writ of possession goes to Jeff. So, yeah, I've been paying for it for over a year. I can afford my home.
Whew.
He cut me off without any money. I found out when you work with a spouse in California.
One of you're supposed to be paid as an employee. He was billing for my time as a paralegal at $2.50 an hour. I'm not a paralegal, I was running… I was doing everything. Anyway, long story short.
I got a letter from our title company. That someone was trying to do something, and I called and found out.
That it's this… person that Jeff lost about $90,000.
With some boondoggle in Petaluma, this Doug Seiler. So, my title company let me know, but yes, if you can give the connection to.
Whatever Pam Price put on, and thank you, Gray Panthers. I didn't know we were supposed to pay dues.
I'm negative income, but I have savings. And that's all.
No one's required to pay dues, but if you want to vote.
I want to… I'm gonna be 76… On the 29th, I'm not taking a dime with me, I can afford my home, I'm supposed to have gotten spouse support, Jeff is claiming poverty.
Yeah, TMI. Yes.
I'm sorry, Linda. Linda, I'm so glad you could join us and reconnect. I'm gonna put.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I don't need one. I don't…
as Lisa had said, she's not a practicing attorney anymore, but I'm… I'm gonna put… I'm gonna put her email, if that's okay. I'm gonna put it back in chat.
And uh… and then you can follow up later if that's alright, Lisa.
Yeah, and there are other… other resources locally who, you know, may be able to help.
Yes. Yes, I've been in touch.
Yeah. I don't… yeah.
But I'm really sorry to hear that. I remember his name.
It… oh my gosh! Yeah, he's still using the website, but yeah, I don't want it to be about me, I just needed the link.
Yeah, okay.
So.
For the county thingy. That's all.
Oh, well, I will… so what I'm gonna do is, after… we finish here. I am going to share with Betsy this.
Set of slides, and it will have lots of links on it, I have to still add some of them in, but it will include that. Thank you for that reminder.
Um. if… if you have a link, or someone has a link to.
Which part of the DA's office. Please put it in chat, if anyone has that.
I don't… I don't know exactly.
Well, it's… and it's the county recorder that… where you can look yourself, too, so… Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay, great. Thanks. Lisa, where are we in your… where are we in your.
yeah, lots of stuff go on with it.
Presentation. Are we halfway through work? Do we… should we open… Okay.
two-thirds, probably? Maybe a little more? Are we okay on time, or you want me to speed up?
Folks can hold… on questions, I will hold on my comments as well. Thanks.
Okay, I mean, it's fine with me, but I… I want to abide by whatever your timing is, so… the other thing that sometimes, is like a variation of these deed and title scams is that.
The scammer will, tell someone, oh, and this is often to stop a foreclosure, too.
If you sign over the title into this trust, and maybe it's even in the owner's name, but it's some kind of weird, probably not truly legal.
Trust entity, then we'll have the trust file a bank… it's this whole complicated thing.
That, again, doesn't work. There, you know, somebody who comes and says, I have this, like, crazy loophole, complicated thing that I've worked out.
It doesn't work, and… Basically, it's another way to vacuum money from somebody who is in distress, so…
That's… that's just another variation. another category we call hard money loans, and these are basically.
Loans, usually from an individual, sometimes from, like, a family trust or a very small, outfit.
who are just lending their own money, that's kind of what hard money means, as opposed to a bank or other kind of lender that's basically borrowing money to lend out.
these loans, are often something people go to when they cannot qualify for a home equity loan or to refinance, or.
Like today, when interest rates are so high, that it's not actually beneficial to refinance.
they come with very high interest rates, they have lots of fees and costs at the time you take out the loan.
They are usually short-term, so… often there's just one or two years, until it has to be paid off completely.
And time after time, I see people who took out this loan.
Basically with their eyes closed, they were desperate. I understand that, but with no plan or way to be able to pay that off or refinance, or get another loan, and then they lose the house at the end of that one or two years.
they have very strict penalties on missed payments. They generally don't really work with people in loss mitigation to, come up with an affordable or realistic.
Way out to bring a loan current. And because these are smaller entities or individuals.
Who make probably just a handful of loans every year. they're often not subject to all of the legal protections that borrowers actually have under federal and California law.
They get some exemptions for being small, so that means that they can victimize people even more.
and, um… they're just, you know, they're out there, they're kind of loan sharks, basically.
And, I understand, again, why people get to the point where they take those loans out, but they are very, very dangerous.
Julia.
Julia? Hi.
You do.
hi. Do I have my microphone on? Okay, I have to confess, I'm a tenant, and I haven't been listening very closely, so I'm asking a question.
That's fine.
I have seen a number of ads recently. If you… if you watch TV programs for old people, you know, they're reruns, you get all these ads.
Yeah.
Directed at all people, and one of them frequently now has been about.
Losing the title to your home, and I wondered if you've seen those ads, and did you address it, and I just didn't hear you.
I did talk about… like, title theft and deed theft.
I don't know specifically what those ads are. I actually don't watch a lot of TV, so… I get to miss the ads, but I know they're being pushed on radio, on billboards, in churches, you know, I mean, there are all kinds of places where the scammers go.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, basically, yeah, I've seen those, too, you know, just, we'll buy your home, we'll give you cash, you don't have to go through… do any paperwork and all that stuff, which is, you know, real… confounding kind of thing, but this is a… more of a warning to people.
Yeah, yeah.
This kind of, theft is taking place.
Well, you know, I'm a fan of public service announcements that get at this and let people know it's something to watch for.
Okay.
okay, so I think this is probably the… second-to-last category of scams I'm going to talk about, but these are.
home improvement schemes. these are a big, big part of.
How people are getting in trouble, and uh… getting on the verge of losing, or actually losing their homes.
Will be when there's a door-to-door salesman, or a cold call.
to sell some kind of home improvement, and often these days, it's been, like, some sort of green energy efficiency improvement.
Which, I have nothing against, those are great, but… they sort of act as if, because they're doing good for the environment, anything else goes.
So, the contractor will be… Selling someone on, you know, getting solar panels, getting water filters.
Home hardening, because. Fire and stuff, tree trimming, window upgrades.
Something called Cool Coat Paint, which I still don't understand if it is a true thing or not, that's supposed to, you know, reflect heat away.
many things. and… it may be an improvement that the person.
Isn't, you know, hasn't really thought about needing, doesn't really need.
But whether they need or want it, they often really can't afford it.
and the way it's set up is that the contractor, who's the one who's gonna.
Get the money, is involved in soliciting you for the financing, too.
So, you know, maybe kind of selling you a loan to pay, you know, him or herself to do this work.
and sometimes the financing is secured by the property, so there's a lien on the property, you know, a mortgage, a home equity line of credit.
Sometimes it's something called a PACE loan. I don't know if folks here are familiar with these, but those are specifically for.
Kind of green energy efficiency products, and… they end up, um… they get repaid through your property taxes, so…
You still have to repay them, it's just now the property taxes go way up.
sometimes they are unsecured, so, you know, very much like a credit card, and don't really threaten, you know, your ownership of the home.
But, even unsecured debt at a certain point, can get people, you know, in a lot of trouble financially, and make it hard for them to afford.
The mortgage, or the rent, or whatever it may be. and… the secured financing in particular does create that risk of foreclosure. So here, somebody went to.
You know, upgrade their windows. And now they're losing the whole house because of that.
These are very difficult to unwind, these transactions. even when a contractor has done nothing, or as often happens, has actually caused damage instead of fixing or improving anything.
and even when we've been able to show that there was forgery on the financing documents by the contractor, they just wanted to get that money.
even then, it can be really, really difficult to unwind these, so… I give a special, call-out to be incredibly careful in choosing contractors, in shopping around.
In probably not going with the folks who come door-to-door or do the cold calling, you want to do your own homework and find.
people who, you know, come with. Actual, you know, reviews or testimonials or recommendations, if possible.
And as for the financing, it's best to. Deal with that separately from a contractor to.
Figure out how you're going to pay for this. Without the contractor involved at all, because…
That just creates a conflict of interest. finally, some other miscellaneous kinds of transactions that can be risky.
one is the We Buy Homes. I think someone mentioned that earlier.
Where, you know, you'll see a lot of ads for this, but usually what it is, is somebody making some kind of quick cash offer.
Way below the market price. So, essentially, they're… stealing somebody's equity, right? They have a house that's worth…
700,000, and, they offer 520 or something. You know, get out quickly, and… people either aren't aware of the value or are, you know, in distress and need the cash, and so take it, but they're really taking advantage of.
People, in those situations. If somebody wants to buy a home, wants to get the equity out and actually move that way.
There are realtors, even if the home is worth less than, is owed on it, there are ways to do something called a short sale.
So, always worth doing the homework to. Find more reputable, professionals to help with that transaction, and hopefully.
Maximize what you're going to get if you're selling. the other thing that's a more recent development are, that we keep getting letters about here.
Are… we call them home equity investments, sometimes they're called shared appreciation products.
There's a company called Unison, in particular, that sells these, but there are others.
And they basically offer people… they kind of target people, usually they can tell from filings with the county.
If somebody's, you know, kind of in financial distress or delinquent on the mortgage.
and they will come to them and say, hey, we'll give you… $75,000, $40,000, whatever amount of cash.
And you sign this huge stack of papers. And later down the road, when you sell your house, or if you refinance, or, you know, when you, the borrower, pass away.
We will get some percentage of your home value, or some percentage of the appreciation of your home value. So if it's gone up $150,000.
Will get 70,000 of that, and it's huge amounts that they take. They take huge bites of people's equity.
For really, you know, what can seem at the time like a really useful amount of money, but compared to what they are going to take at the back end.
really, it's not… not a good value proposition, and really basically steals.
the equity from the home. They're very slick, they look really…
Impressive, and to have all this stuff about, you know, you don't need… good credit, and you don't need that, you just need a lot of equity in your home.
And what that means is they're not focused on your financial situation, they're focused on the fact that you are sitting on this big nest egg, and they want to take some of it.
That's… that's what these are designed to do. reverse mortgages, Betsy talked about.
people may be familiar with these, but these are a product where you can, again.
Basically get cash out of your home and stop having… mortgage payments, if you still owe on the home, you can refinance into a reverse mortgage, or you can.
If you own the house outright, get a reverse mortgage to take some of that cash out.
And, um… We're seeing that there are some in the private market, there are some of these being sold even to people… usually they're for people 62 or older, but there are some products.
For 55 and older now. That are of dubious… legality. Um…
We're still learning about those. A reverse mortgage can be appropriate in some circumstances.
But it really should be seen as a last resort, because they're quite expensive.
They cost a lot in terms of fees and interest and ongoing administrative fees.
it limits somebody's ability to pass the House on. Were to pass on the equity, because.
Every month, unlike a… forward or regular mortgage, where you're paying down the amount you owe.
With a reverse mortgage. You owe interest, it's just that it keeps getting added to your balance, so your principal, if you borrowed.
You know, $250,000 can go up to $600,000 over time, or more.
because they keep just basically deferring everything that you owe and adding it to the debt.
the other thing to know about these is that borrowers have to keep up with the property charges, with the taxes, with the insurance.
and if they don't, they can still get foreclosed. I think there's often.
A belief that with a reverse mortgage, you lock in being able to stay in the house until you pass away, and that is generally the idea.
But there are things that can happen that can still cause people to lose the house along the way.
and if somebody, um. Isn't going to be able to keep up with property charges.
Probably getting a reverse mortgage, and then losing the house in not too long.
Isn't going to be a great solution to their issues. the other thing we've seen recently.
Is what I call extended exclusive listing agreements. There was this company called MV Realty.
That was signing people up, they would give them maybe $5,000 or something, and sign them up to a 40-year.
Realtor exclusive listing agreement, so anytime you sold your house in the next 40 years, or your heirs tried to sell it.
That, realtor would be entitled to either. List it, you know, handle the sale, or if you sold it, because, you know, 30 years later you forgot you ever even signed this.
they could then come in and basically collect what the commission would have been.
we were able to get a law passed in California that limits.
Listing agreements to 24 months. I would have liked it to be 12 or 6, but that's what we got.
and I think they can be renewed. not automatically, but in writing for another 12 months, but…
This isn't allowed in California anymore, so if anyone's coming to.
You or someone you know offering. some cash up front for this kind of long-term listing agreement.
That's illegal, and should run the other way. another kind of scams, I mean, they're endless, but the one I'll end on is post-disaster scams. So…
Every time there's some kind of natural disaster, fire, flood. We see people posing as, you know, FEMA staff.
People, you know, contractors coming in and, price gouging, or… a lot of people coming in and, you know.
Giving very low offers for all cash on, let's say, the lot, if the house burned down, and really.
kind of… when people are in a really, really difficult situation and very vulnerable.
In various ways, cheating them out of… if not the home, then money.
or some of the equity in the home. those look a lot of ways we could talk about them all day, so I'm not gonna go deeply into them, but it's… it's definitely… there are lots of warnings on, some of the government websites about all the different versions of them, and.
It's worth, educating ourselves about those two. finally.
this is what I will populate with links, but… These are… the basic resources, there are lots, and there may be some in Berkeley that I don't know about, I've never heard of Berkeley, the city, having a way to report this. I mean, I know the DA we could, but…
but these are the agencies at the federal and state level that are involved in these kind of issues, and would be where.
someone would go to report. I'll add the Attorney General, actually, on the state. I should have put that.
And then in terms of where people can get help. there are kind of two categories. So one are non-legal housing counselors.
Who can especially help with issues relating to mortgages and foreclosure.
they are free, there's no, income qualification, up or down.
and they are currently at least, funded by and certified by, the Federal Housing and Urban Development Department, HUD.
and there's a way to locate the ones who are certified in your area. I'll add those links.
And then, legal help, as you said, Betsy, I mean, there are some complicated issues with divorces and family law.
an inheritance and things that arise that legal aid. Basic legal aid offices.
May not be equipped to deal with, or somebody may be over income who has, you know, who has a home.
so I will give some legal aid, options, but also.
A link to a directory for private attorneys who may have more specialized.
knowledge and abilities.
That's… that's great. Thank you, Lisa. I'm gonna, let's, uh… switch off your… screamed.
Yeah.
And if people want to use Gallery view to see everybody, or hold Lisa, you know, in the middle, you can choose that view option.
I was hoping we would get into solutions. Besides hiring lawyers.
Since not everyone has that kind of. Resources, um.
Just laughed. Oh, thank you.
Yeah, so what I… I do see your hand, Carol. And I just wanted to say to people, um.
A couple things. I thought we would get into ideas for solutions, because what.
Partly stimulated this topic. Is people, during the recent Berkeley upzoning.
With the missing middle, which allows homes that are a single-family home, depending on lot size.
Could end up with 8. Or even 8 units subdivide, you know, there's all this…
And there's an incentive to enable homeowners to add. More capacity, you know, for housing.
and people expressed to me the fear that they would get a bunch of harassing phone calls.
Because homeowners are getting harassing phone calls, or cold calls, or visits.
Sometimes with the scam, and sometimes it's a real estate agent, or a realtor who's.
Just wants to help you sell. Well, you know, they want to help you sell. We have a very mature, realistic.
Who could be a scammer, too. Yeah. Yeah.
Realtor, community here in Berkeley. and I just wanted to add that another inspiration was Gray Panthers.
In Ann Arbor. In Ypsilanti, actually.
in Washtenaw County. The Jan Bendor, the gray panther longtime chair and a.
Very big activists there. told me that their… county treasurer, or property assessor's office, I'm not…
Surewitch, had actually put social workers on staff. To be available as that kind of counselor.
And caution, you know, able to somewhat help people who had questions.
generally.
I'm… and that's… I'm hoping Pam White might speak about. This, that I'm looking… I'm looking to collaborate with other folks.
Pam Price, Pam Price? Oh. Oh.
on… on exploring some of those protective options. Um… Pam White. Pam White, one of our members. So, here…
Sure. I… And I would just add, Betsy, sorry to interrupt, but that the housing counselors.
And I've been… yeah.
Are not… not lawyers and are free. And they are people who are trained.
Both in, sort of, pre-purchase, helping people, counseling them before they get a house, but also.
Yeah, yeah. Okay.
In holding onto the house, including, you know, seeing through this kind of scam. So.
That is a good resource. Yeah.
So if you have those names and resources, the only folks I know is NACA, which is a national.
Non-profit that helps people buy homes if they're low-income. I did not know they do help.
So, yeah.
They're… they're good for some financing stuff, but I wouldn't… I wouldn't pick them as the housing counselor, but there are other resources in the area.
See, yes, you see. So I think… I want to say I also invited.
all the city council members and the mayor, who is a member.
and I got an email back from, uh. Cecilia Lunapara's, aide.
Josh, Jonah, and he said they're looking forward to hear what we recommend the city do.
Could do, you know? So… I see us as having follow-up steps, you know, and uh… and I think.
We're gonna, um… I'm gonna ask you to take questions. If people have a question, they can put in chat to keep it short. That's great.
Sure.
I'm gonna ask that we move our programs, so we now have 10 minutes.
and that means we'll move on to our other announcements.
I mean, maybe we can push it back even further than 305 or 310.
depending on how many questions. Okay, Carol, do you have a question or a short comment?
Well, first, Lisa, it would be helpful to have the contact information for the resources you just listed, and those.
Resources do not cost people money to contact the state. Also, perhaps for some individuals to have a short statement.
Has, on the resources expressly what they do. I mean, I under… Yeah, I know.
Yeah, I'm gonna beef up those slides, I just didn't get the links, yeah.
She's… she's gonna add them, Carol, she… She's gonna add the links to her presentation, and he'll try to get it back to people, so…
So, I… So, Lisa, it's, it's good to hear you. I brought you to the Commission on the status of women a couple years ago.
To do a presentation there, and has a result of your, um.
Your present… I did write a quite…
Maybe that.
Involved. Recommendation to Council that we passed at the Commission on the Stairs of Women in terms of them developing materials, particularly for those persons subject to.
most vulnerable to exploitation, which tends to be older people, particularly women and minorities.
and, it actually just went nowhere for a year. It's sort of interesting to hear that.
Councilmember Luna Para's. Office has stated that they were interested in what we were doing, because actually Council just ended up… I…
I stated at the Health Life Enrichment Committee that the current Commission on the Status of Women, which I'm no longer on, doesn't seem to have an interest in this issue, so they reverted to the Commission on Aging, which I don't believe they've done anything with it. And so, I was wondering if I can work with you and possibly developing some materials.
I am going to recommend to Betsy that we… that this, recording be distributed, to the council members, but this has been brought.
To their… their attention, and I would hope. That you're available to maybe collaborate on some sample materials, of which this, presentation could be part of that, because we were hoping from the Commission that there be much more expansive outreach to persons who are particularly vulnerable.
including places like not only senior centers, because not everybody goes there, but doctor's offices, faith-based communities, etc.
Yeah, no, I remember, I like… I like that update a lot. Yeah, I'm… I'm happy to help collaborate.
Thank you. Yeah.
I sometimes need a little bit of, you know, lead time, just.
Because of other obligations, but I also probably would pull in, maybe some staff attorneys at, a local, direct services.
Group, that… that often does workshops and stuff for homeowners, because they might be able to get involved as well.
The other thing I was wondering… you meant… please let me ask this question.
A disabled hard.
Carol? Carol, I'm sorry, why don't you add it in the chat, because we've got some other hands.
And I want to… let's come back to you if there's some other questions. We're not… we're not taking extended comments.
Well, I was just going to ask for. Okay.
But, but… That's great.
I was gonna ask for clarification on Emeryville. That's all.
Do you want to answer that, Lisa? A quick clarification about Emeryville?
I'm not sure what their current rule is, I'd have to look it up, so I can do that.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay, thank you. Only because our city manager…
We're losing you, Carol. I'm gonna move over to Helen. And when your signal's struggle, Carol.
Yes, but…
I'm hoping you can hear me. this is Helen, and Lisa, your presentation has been very eye-opening for me, so thank you.
Is that happen…
I think somebody is… can somebody mute? The…
Thanks, dear.
Okay.
Is there a way to, can you hear me? Okay. Um…
Yes. Much better now.
I just wanted to say I'm… I appreciate your presentation. I was very… unaware of a lot of this.
I, in particular, work, you know, as an advocate in the disability and senior communities, and I didn't know if you had any specific resources, because I have heard that.
Homeowners with disabilities have run into issues, especially, like, having to build a ramp or things like that, that they're borrowing money and then something happens.
I'm wondering if you have any also specific resources, or when.
We populate something, I'd be also into getting… helping get this information.
Out so that, and make it accessible to. because I think it's really important, for our community to know how to help themselves, and know there's a community out here of support. So thank you again.
for pointing us to these resources, and I can't wait to check some of them out myself.
So, thank you.
Thanks. yeah, again, I mean, I'm happy to continue the conversation. I don't, in answer to.
I just, uh…
The question about specific resources. I mean, there are lots of warnings and alerts and notifications on various.
You know, on FTC and DFPI and Bureau of Real Estate, Department of Real Estate, and all of those.
But those only go so far, because they're kind of, like, here, be aware of this.
but I think… you know, something could be pulled together that both gives the alert and gives information about, you know, where you can go to.
Complain or get advice and guidance, that would be a good, good thing.
Yeah, because we've got blind community members, so I'm all about making it accessible for those folks, so, again, in total appreciation here, and being on the board of the Great Panthers, anything I can do to help.
Definitely.
as we work together on this, more than happy to add my skill sets in.
And for those who don't have visuals, uh. that was Helen Walsh.
So I'm just going to ask people to say their name at the beginning.
Not… so, in respect for that. Topic that Helen brought up. Okay.
Are there other questions? I see…
Oh, you did?
This is… this is Helen. I am low vision, and I did announce my name so people would know, but there was a problem, technically, I think, and that could be why people didn't hear. And, again, if you miss my name, it's… it's Helen Walsh.
One of our esteemed board members. Yeah, um… Someone put their hand up, but now I'm… oh, Norma! Norma, do you have a question?
Norma.
Or are you wanting to make a comment, a short comment?
No. I think that the information that I'm going to insist, or try to insist to include.
Is that I was just reading a headline. That China… has 90% of the people own.
Their own place to live. yeah, China, yeah, yeah, that's the point, is nobody gets it.
China.
About how we've been robbed of our thinking. About how things work.
90% own, and goods also… and the rents are dropping. And so are things that people need to buy.
Are dropping in price. In China. Now.
And the other thing is, the reason that people. Are told to hate Cuba.
Is that they, too. Own their own places to live.
This is very frightening to the owning class. Who can't stand the idea of communism, and has been making war against the Russian Revolution.
For over a hundred years. So, I… I need us all.
At least to understand how we've been ripped off and lied to and… This is from the nursery school on.
That we are taught these terrible, terrible ideas. And thanks, thanks for all that magnificent presentation.
Thanks.
Thank you, Norma. Yeah. Can… can we give whatever effects, hearts, claps, or turn…
Unmute and just say thank you, Lisa. Those of you who know how to do…
You know what I mean?
Reactions. It's a good time to unleash them. We see hearts from Nancy Stevens, applause from Arlene Hipp.
Hearts from Helen Walsh, Robert McGarion, and Cheryl. We're not… we're not all shouting, but uh…
Thank you, Lisa.
Dorma!
Thank you. Well, I appreciate your having me. I'm gonna take off if you're moving on in your agenda, but, you know how to reach me, and Betsy, I will get you, um.
The, uh… PowerPoint with links and resources by the end of the week.
Okay, and I'm gonna delegate to RAINS, to get the recording.
Transcript and slide packet with your links up on the website. But technically, we're on vacation. I hope we'll do it before we get back.
Great. Okay.
What's a vacation? Wait, wait, what's…
I don't know. Yeah, I know. I had a moment today where I said, oh.
Bye.
This is kind of a vacation, because I was sitting by a pool.
Happy vacation!
anyway, thank you so much. Yeah. Carol, Carol Morasovic, also, thank you for connecting us up, and…
Bring in this resource here, so… I will… not unmute, um…
So, our next, uh. Phase of our… work, our program is to, uh.
maybe, maybe we could just say, as a discussion. it… that at another meet… we could talk about next steps, so email me, call, Carol.
Crooks, you know, when you have a chance to talk to her, maybe let's gather ideas. I think we've had some ideas here on follow-up.
and… and maybe more talks of… the Pam White and Candia.
Gandhi, who's the chair of the League of Women Voters.
Also, Willie Phillips from. Naacp expressed some interest in, like, follow-up.
Talks or informational… sharing. I did not see…
Winston here today, or Willie, but um… They were all invited, so we'll follow up.
With those two groups as well. Thanks! Okay, I need a short pause, and then we'll do, uh…
Reports, and updates, and I'm hoping Cheryl… uh… Pam…
I'm looking at names. Carol… anyone who's, Arlene, anyone who's a liaison to some of our coalition.
Partners and campaigns. please, please come back in a couple minutes, or at least.
Please start your report. You could start your report now, but I have to take a bio break.
Helen, I'm hoping you'll tell us a little about Barrow. And we'll, um… Yeah.
While I have this minute and a half. I ask you to change your voter registration.
To Peace and Freedom Party. It is a party-building socialism. The past 56, 57 years.
Registering Peace and Freedom Party allows you not to have to register in our owner's.
Parties, the bourgeois parties. Where the Democrats and the Republicans.
The Democrats have no recourse. For us.
They can do a little thingy here and there, but… It's just cover.
I have, uh… I will bring voter registration forms to the next Wednesday meeting at Alessio's.
if you want. And, help you if you want.
You could get… you can get one of those off the internet, of course.
Green Party is not socialist, it's… it's near… It's like DSA, Democratic…
Socialists of America. It's near socialism.
I thought you were going to the toilet, Betsy.
I did. I'm very fast. Linda, it's… I… I don't… I think this is a special announcement you want to make about a book?
I wanted to… Oh, hold on.
But I do need to get to our reports, and then we can have announcements spontaneous from the floor.
If that's alright. Okay, thanks. you're muted, you're muted, though, Linda, so we'll get back to you, we'll get back to you shortly.
Thank you to Norma! For real.
Okay, yes.
I got a machine smuggled into… into Cuba during the embargo.
Cuba, America, Friendship Society. We should not be afraid. Of the things you're saying. Thank you, Norma. And I have to go to Kaiser.
Thank you all. Thank you.
Okay. And you're recommending the book Final Draft? Which… first draft.
Yeah, don't… I got to edit this book.
Communists! He's amazing.
Okay. Murray Korngold, okay.
Sam.
All right. Thank you, Linda, for coming back.
okay, so… I see that Cheryl…
White… is she still… are you still here, Cheryl? Okay, um…
Is… had to go. but she is our liaison to…
long-term supports and services for all coalition. Which is actually working with Kara.
And, maybe Robert or Julia can, uh… so… backing up. So that LTSS for all coalition is something we've been on for…
I don't know, 4 years working to support. better wages for home healthcare workers working on an insurance benefit in the state.
Of California, so that… People can have… who are not actually.
Medicaid… on… qualified for Medicaid can still get a benefit to help.
With long-term home-based supports and services. uh… And, and Cheryl…
Put several links. Into the chat earlier that I'm repeating now, so if we had chat.
Chat, um… you can look at the state legislative targets.
That this LTSS for all grassroots Coalition. Has, and it's now, you know, working with.
With Kara, so… Oops.
Wow. I… I think that's the DC Police, if they haven't handed over.
Wow. Pause for a moment.
I'm gonna check on that, but I… it's just one motorcycle… every 50 feet or yards, and I've…
I hope… okay, it's dying down. I hope it's not the president's motorcade.
anyway, um… So, were there any reports back about Kara?
Or LTSS for all…
What were you just referencing in DC?
Well, you know, our president has ordered National Guard troops, now with weapons, to basically patrol.
Dc's streets and, uh. for illegal immigrants or, you know, undocumented immigrants, but also.
He's personally worried about the crime. even though it's at a 25-year low.
And he's, he's just doing a bunch of shenanigans to, you know.
Mess with the DC, which has no… congressional representatives that can vote.
So, DC has this special status. They do have a mayor and a city council, and a police department, and they're pretty pissed off about this.
So, I'm hoping to actually… Well, we're only here for one more night, but there's protests going on.
And the department… so, I heard that the president wanted to ride with the police.
And I just don't know what these motorcycle. Police were doing. I don't think the National Guard gets on motorcycles, so…
I'll tell you more later. Offline. You know, we have… we do informal discussion at 3.30.
Usually after we adjourn, so thank you, Carol. Morosovic. So…
I'm not seeing… Helen Walsh. You know, you are our… you are one of our liaisons to Barrow, along with Carol Crooks. Would…
Is it possible you might make a, catch us up on.
Berkeleyans for accessible right-of-ways, a group that we endorsed and signed on to.
Work on recently.
yeah, sure, happy to do that. Our group has been rather busy. We're working on letters right now, and letters on response to.
The new Berkeley Bike Plan, in particular, there was a workshop a couple of weeks ago that we attended, and now we're having conversations in the group to.
Pull out concerns and comments, having to do with accessibility and rights-of-way access for, seniors and persons with disabilities and families.
what I'm gonna do in the chat, comments. Are still opened. I'm gonna put some information in the chat of where you can find and review.
The new bike plan draft, which was put out August 2025, City of Berkeley, the Transportation Department.
And the date, and the email, so you know who you can email your comments to.
and if you also have any questions, um. Gosh, we just… we just created a, Barrow, email.
I don't have it on hand right now, but I'll try to get that into the chat for folks.
If you want to send in an email to Barrow, and then one of the individuals or groups that might have a certain expertise in the area might be able to help you.
if you needed help drafting anything. So, let me go about doing that now for everybody.
Um… That's…
So, is there a website with the latest communications?
Okay, yeah.
We're starting to put up a website, we're just starting to build one. What we did do is, we put out information to the community. I'm gonna go.
off, and then grab that. On, which… I'll cut, copy, and paste for folks.
it's on my Facebook, but it gives you an overview of what Barrow is.
and also an email contact, address. So I'll be in chat, shortly.
Here we go.
With a summary of that, I'm gonna summarize it with a very short, with the contact information for folks, um.
Yeah. So I… I see your… your… chat link. Do you want to read that for those who don't have… can't see chat?
What would… what… what…
Yeah, in the chat right now, and you can also email me.
directly. because I don't have the Barrow email offhand. that's what I was trying to do, Betsy, is go get that information and then return back. But I… we can go this way.
Okay. Well… I'll… you…
with what's in the chat, it's the transportation, Infrastructure Commission.
New draft plan for the bicycle. Plan. and it's a direct link, so the link brings you direct to the PDF that is in the chat.
thing. If you want that information and cannot see it, I am also low vision, too. It's no hesitation to ask.
Which is why I was trying to grab an email. I'm gonna give you my personal email, I'm gonna go ahead and put that in the chat, and anybody here can just email me, and I will send that information.
And also the information about the barrel, okay? So my name is Helen Walsh, H… E-L-E-N-W-A-L-S-H.
Yeah.
You can email me for that information, and the email is B, as in Bumblebee.
R as in radio. A as in apple.
N, as in Nancy. A as in apple.
C as in cat. H as in my first name, Helen.
Sign, Comcast. Dot net.
Put in subjects. cycle… the transportation information.
on the draft bike plan. So just put a draft bike plan.
And then I'll be able to find it easily.
Thank you, Helen. Uh…
And then what I will do is I'll send you the same information, and I can also give you the information about Barrow.
And that, so you have that direct email address. Thank you for your time.
Just, quick update is that this concerns especially the fact that bicycle planning.
In Berkeley and many gray panthers. Do bicycle, but that bicycle planning has not.
Coincided with conversations. And input, robust input from.
the disabilities community, to the extent it could and should, especially around conflict.
Points for, people in wheelchairs or, with blindness. Conditions. And I know there's a lot more nuance that I'm missing, Helen, but just for some of the newcomers today.
No, there is… there is a lot… there is a lot more…
It's very particular to Berkeley, but it could be applied in Oakland as well.
Oakland and other areas. So, um… Yeah, uh…
So… so I've… yeah, so… I want to move on, Helen, unless…
Yeah.
Yeah, I was just saying, I appreciate your attempt to help with accessibility, but, in the future, don't cut me off when I'm using a screen reader.
And I'm trying to get to my stuff, okay? I can help people, or people can make a request.
Okay. Great. Thank you.
Thank you, Helen. I am… I… as some of you may remember, we're working with several different.
Homeless solidarity, and uh… working groups, around homelessness, and Measure W is a billion dollars.
That the county is allocating, and our member, Arlene Hipp.
Might have a few words to say. Do you… from any of the groups you're part of, Arlene?
I want to give us an update? Also, Arlene, you're…
You and Carol are related to the poor… involved with the Poor People's Campaign, so… If you could start with Measure W, maybe you could also speak to the Poor People's Campaign.
If you wish. I didn't mean to just surprise you.
Um…
Yeah, you did.
Oh, okay. I tried to email, but it was very, very… recent.
Yeah, I was out and about. Anyway, Measure W is picking up steam, but one of the biggest things, one of the things that I really appreciate.
Is the, uh… the conversation that, Nikki Fortunato was very strict, strict about.
Setting county policy on service providers. And not only… Um…
County policy, but now this is an opportunity for grievance and compliance and enforcement to come into play. So I'm looking forward to seeing.
What is going to become of that? Also, the second thing is the Oversight Committee.
Now, we're already 5 years in. This sunsets at… in 2030, I believe it is.
And, we're already 5 years in from being back and forward in court.
And we don't want to wait. Here in Oakland, we had Measure A1, which… the oocyte… they took 4 years to get an oversight committee established.
We already 5 years in, we don't have time to wait for 4 years.
On Measure W in it.
And I measured up… yeah, I'm only talking about Measure W right now. And so… One of the really interesting things, when I went to look at the oversight committee.
The Taxpayers Association was on the, oversight committee, and that was the one of the groups that had us in court.
To hole up the distribution, receipt and distribution of. Measure W. I really think that.
we have to pay attention to the oversight committee and what their responsibilities are, and how account… how we have to make them more accountable.
How we have to, um… reporting out, so we don't wait a year, two years before something is done.
If there's an issue. I think that's, like, imperative. Going to the meeting, what I found out was about, um.
I know that they are… part of the funding is to also get additional, um.
Purchase, I think, small, like, hotels, right? And, they have, like, a restriction on the size of the hotel. I think it's supposed to be, like, 48.
but there's some that's, like, 24 rooms, and I think that they're trying to work out.
The possibility of buying those as well, so I'm looking forward to.
Hearing about that. Well, one of the big things that's really, um… being on a working group, I would really like to see.
then look at vacant buildings. Look at vacant buildings in the communities where the people are… have encampments, instead of taking them out of their community, leaving them in their community.
Utilizing the properties that's. There. So, that's just a few of the, concepts. I know one of the groups have become, uh.
One of the encampment groups have become a 5013C. And so, I'm looking forward to talking to them about how this is going to roll out. They got wonderful.
Wonderful people that they're actually attorneys and various people, architects, that are actually working with them. So, it's going to be exciting to see.
Those who are directly impacted actually designing something and rolling it out.
Wood Street Commons. Our long time, yeah.
So, I… yeah, and so, you know. Yeah, and I just finished talking to John just a couple of minutes ago, so I'm excited to see, um…
Thank you.
How this is going to play out. We don't want… we can't do with the same thing that we've been doing.
Because it's broken. It's just broken.
No. Do you want to say… yeah, do you want to say a few words about the teach-in at Laney College?
That's open to everyone. Okay, that's great.
Okay, yeah, I just opened up the flyer. I'm ready.
on September the 25th. This is a save the date.
On September the 25th, from 11 to 2… 11 a.m. To 2 p.m.
Uh… The Laney Poor People campaign is having their full teach-in.
the subject matter is they steal our survival and our say, unite against cuts, cages, and control.
And, like I said, this is a save the date because the location is to be determined. They're working it out now.
Along with whoever the speakers are gonna be. It's gonna be a smaller panel this time, which I'm really… glad about, because, it gives an opportunity for more discussion.
After the presentation, it gives an opportunity for more in-depth discussion. So, anyway, be on the lookout, put it on your calendar. September the 25th, from 11 a.m.
To 2PM. it's gonna be, uh. Hybrid. So, if you can't be there in person, um…
You can also catch it online, and I will shoot the information to Betsy.
Thank you.
All right, thank you. I see… I see your hand, Carol. I'm gonna pause, though, because…
I want to make a short update. About, our membership in the statewide coalition Housing Now.
Housing now, exclamation point, which kind of goes hand-in-hand with tenants together. So, what's exciting to me.
Is to see, um… tenant-oriented legislation.
Proposed and lobbying training going on. If anyone's interested in knowing more about it. We… we are part of CARA.
We are part of EBHO. Those are, associations that give us lobby training.
But they have not tackled. Residents' rights… tenants' rights.
And, I just want to say that there is a steering committee meeting, which… if anyone would like to sit in on, there's, you know, usually I'm representing us.
but I'm excited, and I did want to mention that they have… are asking for.
Coordinated, you know. For support on several bills having to do.
With tenant rights, like lowering the cap on rent increases. And it's a long haul. Another is to get rid of these algorithms, this computer software that landlords can use.
To basically. Figure out how much they should raise the rent.
and in a sense, this… some of the algorithms amount to collusion, because they're… talking to each other and giving input and deciding.
you know, making sure no one's gonna lose money, or doesn't… There's more to it. So, some of the bills to look out for, I do have a cheat sheet, but I'll keep this short.
AB… 749.
Ab64. Ab20 and AB45, and I will…
Try to… if anyone's interested, let me know. I will try to send some information sheets or post them in some way.
but if you're interested in joining the statewide coordinating committee for Housing Now.
you can go to Housing Now. Org, or California Housing Now, Google that.
And, sign up to receive, um. Notices and announcements.
And, one of the issues they are doing is organizing mobile home park residents.
Against, corporate buyouts, or even just… selling out from under people who have very limited incomes.
And the new owners expect to be able to raise rents. Currently.
Mobile home parks are considered an affordable housing option. But, in fact, their real… prime real estate.
Targets right now to… Because people, uh… You can make so much money.
And there's definitely an effort to get, uh. Tenants organized so they can make a bid on the property, or work with.
An organization. in the state that helps.
Mobile home park tenants become cooperatives, resident-owned and covered. Okay, so… Those… those are, uh…
The other, um… And, I will… I will now pause, with, on our…
Standing coalition partnerships and liaisons, and I see Nancy. You had your hand up.
and… and then, someone else who hasn't spoken, why don't, Nancy, why don't you go, and then Carol, you can… you can please… speak. Nancy, there…
Hi, everybody! Thanks, Betsy. I just wanted to ask, I'm doing something kind of on the down-low.
I'm trying to find… Or get in touch with residents, in nursing homes.
Through the Resident Council President. because… I am considering a key ten, against corporations, in the nursing home industry that are… they've been threatening to shut down right now because they're not getting the funding that they want.
in order to siphon the money out. and so, our corporation here.
I discovered that every Friday that… well, they've been doing it for a very long time, but now there's a huge uptick.
In the numbers of people that they're billing. Who should not have a shared cost. They give them hand-done bills.
With loads and loads of errors on it, so in case someone tries to take them to court for it, or claim that it's.
you know, fraud or abuse of an elder. financial fraud, they can say, this is what our bill looks like, that person is trying to extort us, that is a fake bill.
And so, they'll change little things like the city name in their address. they'll make the total incorrect.
and double bill on the bill, and just all kinds of things, but there's red flags, and so I go around every Friday, I make room visits in the entire building of.
99 rooms I usually get into about, I would say 80% of them, um.
But there's a huge uptick. this past Friday, I found, 12 people.
Got bills, fake bills. we called their insurance companies, and so I just want to make that quick announcement. Even if you're not able to connect with me.
if someone gets a fake bill, just please, spread the word. If you get a bill and you're not sure, does it make sense?
Just call your insurance companies if you've got MediMedi, call both.
to find out what your share of cost is, and get an itemized, detailed bill.
That's all. Thank you.
Thank you, Nancy. I want to call attention.
To the chat, hopefully people can… Pursue that, but um… G? No, I'm not saying it right. You gave me the proper pronunciation, but, G. Ariel…
Ox, asked about, what about redistricting and gerrymandering? So, uh… why don't we pick that up.
After Carol. I'm not making a report about the National Council, but I'll do that later.
The National Grey Panthers Council. Has… often takes larger.
Issues, but we haven't, as a chapter. Taken up the governor's… redistricting campaign, so…
Carol Morasovic?
Yes, I want to address Measure W. County Measure W, but, I wasn't clear where Nancy is from.
Nancy lives… oh, Nancy, you want to tell people how to… how they can reach you?
And where you are?
Yes, absolutely. I am a… long-term care skilled nursing home.
reform advocate. and…
An aging and disability advocate. you can reach me at 760…
3, 1, 4… 5170.
I do prefer text or email so that we can schedule a time. I've got about a dozen meetings or more each day, so, Mondays and Tuesdays, I usually leave a few hours open.
So, are we talking about California nursing home providers?
for appointments. The entire state of California, yes. So, my…
Nursing homes Corporation owns 33, just under this particular nursing home company, but it's a very, very large.
Conglomerate, right up there with. Shlomo Rosnik.
So you're… you actually are part of the nursing home industry, not an advocate?
no, no, no, I am an advocate for nursing home reform. I'm not part of… I'm actually a resident in a nursing home.
I've been here for just, 2 months shy of 7 years.
Okay, because what you're, uh… identifying certainly seems like something that should be litigated if this is going on.
You got it. Mm-hmm. I do. His name is Sean O'Neill, and he is with.
Masks, so do you have an attorney?
Okay, good.
Stalwart Legal Group. he has California's, in the history of California, the largest settlement suits for.
This type of thing, as well as MedMouse stuff, so thank you.
Good. Good, good. Because if you hadn't, I was going to recommend Catherine Stabner.
So, addressing Measure W, I just want to say it doesn't appear that Berkeley is going to get the money.
Well. But…
That it needs in terms of how the monies are being apportioned. It's not get a substantial amount of money. I have to grasp the exact breakdown, but based on… I'm… again, I did this off the top of my head, maybe it was 26, $27 million that the city manager's office brought to city council that we'll need. Some of this is to sustain our current, uh.
Motel conversions, as well as it included housing retention monies and the small sites, etc. But certain things that we need in… just to sustain, but the amount of money that's being apportioned to, as you said, Berkeley, Albany, Amoryville, or Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville? I'm not sure what's considered North.
Yeah. Carol, you're… you're… we're losing your…
Okay, so, can you hear me now?
Integrity, so I think you should wrap… I think you've made your… Make one sentence, say it as clearly and slowly as you can.
Augusta will not… we will not receive as much money. Under County Measure W in Berkeley, as was requested.
By the city manager and council. We will be receiving what was requested. We have.
Proportionately. Yeah.
So, Carol? Carol? Oh. My understanding, and maybe, uh…
Uh… Arlene might… might recollect, but my understanding is the count… The Board of Supervisors was not funding cities.
Their funding proposals. From agencies.
And so, perhaps I'm… maybe… maybe Arlene could speak to that.
No, no. Okay, so it's a… it's a… It's a… it's a portioned by areas, geographic areas.
Okay, and we have about a third… yeah, Arlene, thank you.
It's by geographic areas, and supposedly by the point of count. And so.
But not by cities itself. In other words, the city doesn't request.
Specific money, the amount… Okay.
Well, the city has collected data on this information, so naturally it goes to follow, you know, they might put it… do it like the continuum.
And put all of the things under one resource, so they know the amount that they actually need.
Instead of just going individually. So, service providers are individuals.
What you need the number collectively under the city in order to request the money.
There is a geographic breakdown as to far… as to how much will be abortioned.
Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's 14… it is… it is by city.
Thank you, Eric.
Oh, well, what I meant was… Okay, I misunderstood. I did not think cities were putting in their wish lists.
And Alec… and they're given their wish list, I thought it was agencies.
Allocated funds, but I may misunderstand that.
The City of Berkeley did submit it. It was approved through Council.
And that was back in… I've tried to remember now. It was… it was before the vote was taken.
Before the recess.
Okay, it's, maybe you could put a link. I think you were gonna email us to… that request list, or email me, but I never received it.
Okay.
So… I think Arlene and I… yeah, might want to…
I think a lot of cities are not going to get what they… what they, uh… actually applied for Carol.
I just… I just don't think that they are. I think we have high hopes, but it's just not going to happen.
Yeah.
Especially with a portion of the, you know, the allocation. First of all, money in reserve, and then, you know, 20% of it is for essential services, and… you know, et cetera, et cetera. We only have a small window anyway.
And, it's basically for sustainability. It's not really for a digital, so…
Yeah.
Correct. Correct. And most of our stuff we asked for was sustainable. It also included some money needed for another Horizon-type model. We're just not gonna get the money, and I can tell you, as far as.
From one money. That's already been committed, so it's not good.
But let's… let's just…
Well, for… Wolford. Well, from what I understand, depending on the model.
It's not good.
The size of it, because the previous Board of Supervisors meeting, they were talking about rates.
Right? And so they were also talking about sides of facilities. And so, depending on the size of the facility, they might not fund it if it's not in compliance with what they're requesting.
And so if it's a smaller facility. That's part of the window. It's like, all of these criterias that they really mentioned, and also they ask for increases in the, um…
per bed unit, of which I don't necessarily believe they're getting. I think it might be a small percentage, but really not that much.
And that's pretty much to cover everything, you know what I'm saying, Carol. Staffing and all things that encompasses.
producing this particular service.
Mm-hmm.
okay, I'd like to close out… Even though… I think we need to have a meeting with a much shorter speaker, even as important as it was, so that we can catch up on.
These campaigns and what liaisons are rec- what. Liaisons are recommending.
Any action, just so if… if… If we're okay with that, I would like to just wrap up the meeting with a.
Reframing of, the agenda by. Announcing that our next board meeting.
Is, September 3rd, Wednesday, 1.30. Carol and I, will be calling that, and if you… we would like to be interviewing candidates.
for the board, if you haven't had a chance to do that.
but other members, can be… can, you know, be invited to the board meeting.
it's… it's currently on Zoom. I don't… I don't know exactly. Then there's a social… that, Carol…
Crooks often organizes and… that would be the… September 10th.
Also, Wednesday, and she'll… get the word out.
our board member, uh. Christy Martin has offered her rooftop.
Her new apartment… new studio. On the rooftop of, on Telegraph Avenue area, so I think she and.
Carol Crooks will decide if that's feasible. and then our next speaker meeting in September is.
The 24th of September, so stay posted. Check out.
Please con… please consider the parking when you choose a new… I moved in here, because two-hour parking just doesn't work.
Yeah, that is one of the drawbacks. Oh, and I… yeah.
And almost every place in Berkeley is 2-hour parking.
Yeah, that is one of the advantages to Parker Street, where hell I see us is.
so anyway, thank you, Julia. are there any short… technically, we should adjourn, but are there any short.
Very short headline announcements that. Members want to make right now.
I mean, anyone who's here needs to make. Okay. Dalton?
This is… this is our lane. I put it in the chat, we were talking about in-home support services.
Yeah, Arlene.
Yep.
And I put a link for National Domestic Workers Alliance, which encompasses federal, you know, nationally.
they're trying to roll back, wages, which, you know, each state has its own autonomy, so it's above the minimum wage, but they're trying to stop their overtime, and I think we need… we really need to think about supporting them, because they're already stressed enough.
Especially with Medi-Cal and Medicaid, and Medicare under attack. Thank you.
Okay, they are part of our… the domestic workers hand-in-hand and the Domestic Workers Union is part of our LTSS for All.
Coalition, and thank you for updating. That aspect of the… work. Domestic workers, um…
Work.
September 25th is likely to be the day of the Health Life Enrichment Committee meeting. They have it scheduled now.
If they place on their agenda the item that was referred to them on Monday, this is regarding, the, clearing of the.
The RVs off Dwight. Which are actually really… well kept up compared to some of the other encampments.
Heidi. Oh my gosh.
So that was, brought on the agenda, but that's because the neighbors in that area have been complaining for several years that they want all those RVs cleared.
Out. So, I'm not giving you the item in detail, but it was referred by the agenda Committee instead of going to Council, it was referred to the Health Life Enrichment Committee to discuss which currently their meeting will be on Thursday, September 24th. I mean, 25th, but that's… subject somewhat to change, but that might be a meeting that people want to engage in. So, the city, as I said, has not.
Gotten everything in what I thought was an excellent request put on Measure County Measure W. I just want to say they are continuing to apply for other types of homeless services grants, one through this county.
How about mental health? I know that was a big gap.
One through the state. You know, and…
What…
Are they applying separately for mental health assistance, or…?
Okay, all right. Okay.
I'm just saying in terms of, motel conversions, mental health is a whole other… Issue… mental health is… still under the settlement agreement.
If they… If they do it under CalAIM, if they do it under CalAIM, it might be, uh…
A partial grant under CalAIM, because I think, what is it, Carol, 6 months, that they will pay for.
housing through CalAIM. if it's associated with mental health, so…
Yeah, exactly.
So.
Which is all subject to change, too. I mean, from the federal agreement, but… and there's also… Disability Rights California Litigation Settlement that was entered into a settlement now, is it almost 2 years ago now, that's on a 5-year.
Agreement to implement county mobile crisis and. Peer respites, which to me isn't progressing very much, but…
Okay.
That might be an interesting speaker to get. To gray panthers also to talk about how that's panning out. It's got a court monitor, every… the county is supposed to fully implement it in 5 years. That's based on people being sent.
To Santa Rita and John George. Thank you, thank you. Too much.
Carol? Carol? Carol? I'm sorry, I'm going to adjourn the meeting for all members. We're down to 13 people.
Thank you. Okay. Okay.
And if people want to have that conversation. About the details on what's going on with, homeless…
Issues on that team. Stay on, or introduce other topics of conversation. So, meeting adjourned.
We'll gather again, in September 24th. Thanks.
Mental health. Okay, thanks. Okay. Thank you.
Thanks, Betsy. Thanks, Carol.
Thanks, everybody.
Thanks, thanks, Lianzo. Great to… You want to come on for one minute?
Thank you. It was just because mental health was great.
Leon, so we can see your face. If it's still the same face.
Oh, okay. I… it's probably different.
It's up to you. Yeah. Really great to see you. I see, you know.
There I am.
Great to see you, Leo. Great to see everybody.
All right. All right, and… and Robert.
Okay, savior, Arlene. Thank you.
any announcements from our treasurer?
Okay.
Yeah, not really, I…
We got $500 from the Ecology Center. For our participation.
Yeah.
In the disaster relief, I saw that, and also thank you everyone who's.
Renewed their dues. We even have a few new members. Sorry, Robert, I'm jumping on your.
Okay. Thank you.
Bandwagon. We'll let you know.
I don't even know when I'm supposed to renew.
That's the same for me!
Yesterday. Yesterday, Arlene… yesterday!
Right.
Oh, okay, 10 lashes with a wet noodle for me.
I do know that everyone here, I think, has renewed their dues recently, and thank you, thank you, Julia, Helen, Norma.
That's right! Forgot.
You even were early. but it's always… I think so, we'll… Carol, I hope… who has left us?
I see as… and… Ms. Cecilia are supposed to be.
Kind of managing our membership rosters, but it's been… we've had some slowdowns on my side.
Katie Gluck. Oh! She came and went.
Came and went. Well, I know, but she needs…
Well, she's been… she's been at all kind of meetings, so… Cecilia's been at all kinds of meetings, so…
She doesn't do emails, so… Yeah. All right.
Yeah.
And pen and paper!
What? What is that? What?
Oh, God.
And tomorrow's… I know, right? Pen and paper. Put pen to paper, put pen to paper, right.
She's sweet. Yeah. She's sweet, though, I love her.
This sweet woman. Yeah.
She makes phone calls, so… How's… how's…
And tomorrow is the Faith and Justice, breakfast. in Walnut Creek, so I… I don't generally go, but I kept getting questions about.
So, I'm gonna go. But she's probably gonna be there.
Are you going home?
Oh, good. my… My church was looking for somebody to go. I might hone in on that, I just need to figure out how to get there, so if I do, if they still need somebody and I volunteer.
look out for you, Arlene and Cecilia, if she goes.
It's a yes in Walnut Creek, so they made the arrangements, they even got a ride for me.
Wow.
To bring, you know, bring me in and take me out, you know. When you start getting older, becoming elder, they treat you nicely.
Well, that's good. Well, I'm glad you're gonna be there. Yeah. Oh, cool!
Well, this is my first time ever going, so, you know… Yeah, this is my first time ever going… you know, I don't know if… I don't do well so much with all of the, um…
Listen to hear.
Sometimes with all of the socializing and, you know. Politicking, as I call it, you know?
Yes. No, I get you. I'm similar to the same. I just like to have conversations with people and exchange information, not do the rest of it.
Yeah, and you know, like, kind of get things going. That's, you know, that's my whole point.
I hear ya. Right, yeah.
Get the community.
It's like, how can we get things going? You know, all of this talking around about stuff, you know? I'm like, I'm freaking talked out. Come on, people.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? And you know what? The thing about it is, everybody has all of these, you know, $64,000 words, and they use this lingo, and you know what? We're going down, you know.
Swirling around the toilet, so…
How about… how about… How about that? How about that 90% of the people in China.
Live in their own house, in their houses that they own. Is that difficult to understand?
What's difficult to understand is whether it's in the city or whether it's in the outskirts. Look how many people are in China, because I don't know.
90% of the people in China. Wherever they are, that's 90%.
And we're talking about them owning their house. They don't pay rent.
Or mortgage, to live there. Where…
I would love… Pardon me, Norma.
That's okay, that's okay. No, I… I'm always…
When you're done. I'd like to know more. I think… not here, not now, but it's worth.
I…
Investigating how they've structured.
There's the headline, you can look up a headline by saying 90% of the people in China.
Own their own homes, and you will get back information on the internet.
Details.
It says… it says. 87% in urban areas and 90%… 96%.
In rural areas. I'm looking it up as we're talking.
Good for you, thank you.
Yeah, yeah, it's not hard for me to get stuff, you know what I mean?
Um…
Right, right. Well, I'm saying, if you want to ask me anything, I just get the headlines, and I… blasted out. Hooray! Because I'm such a backer of communism!
Well.
And so is Putin, and people don't get that that's what's driving Putin.
Putin got into the KGB. Because he backed the Russian Revolution so hard, the morality of the Russian Revolution was so appealing to him that he wanted to get in and advance it.
And that's where he comes from. And so now he's trying to work it out.
In the face of being slapped down by so many institutions in the world.
And they may… they… the propaganda, you get the propaganda, you gotta hate him, you gotta hate.
The system and all that. And we're on the wrong sign.
Of that issue, the wrong side.
Listen to this, Betsy. The government now provides. Affordable housing by subsidized commercial housing purchases or by offering low rent.
Public social housing to middle- and low-income families. At the same time, it relies on the private commercial housing market to meet the needs of higher-income groups. That seems to be the way that they do it. Now, the interesting thing to me when I hear about China, when I hear about Barcelona, when I hear about other European or other countries within the Pacific Rim.
One of the things that I really recognize is. Their government have designed themselves to do this. Our government.
No.
Has not. I'm not saying that we didn't.
No, we did have social housing one time. I'm just saying. No, I know, I'm just saying that it was…
It was gorgeous. It was very crowded and all of that. There was a bunch of Jews living with 47 people in an apartment.
And committing communism. Yeah, because the Jewish migration ended up in transit.
It's through the New York social housing and all that.
Are from New York.
The biggest co-ops in… the earliest. Co-ops… yeah. But the fin… the Finns created the first… they're a tiny blip.
Yeah.
Right, right.
Definitely, the socialists… And several unions, I…
Well, they train… they transported their ideas and their way of living, to, to, to, here in Turtle Island, for lack of a better way to say it.
I'm gonna skip it.
Like, I grew up in Brooklyn, right? And so I came up in Williamsburg, and where I came up from the other side of it was the Sephardic Jews, right? And Hasidic Jews, right? And so, they transplanted their way of life.
To where they are, where they live at. Their schools. Everything that they did.
Did they build cooperative apartment buildings?
Yep, they actually did.
No, I'm just wondering…
No, no, they got assistance from the government, but they did… but they did have some buildings and… Mm-hmm.
No, no, they didn't build them, did they? I don't think so. They put a… I'm just saying they… they… they utilize a system that was in place.
Yeah.
And they live very cooperatively, and I know that because.
It's very Jewish. That's what the problem is, is that the revolution is so Jewish.
Well…
Well, there's… there's definitely more than, uh. The tiny percent of the… national population that's Jewish, but.
Absolutely stall, you know, part of this social housing, the history.
Well.
Comes back to that kind of solidarity, but I… I'll just say, I was really relieved to read that the Black Panthers 10-point program.
Is still supported, and number four. If you go to the second sentence, it's about housing cooperatives. Like, owning collectively, which is a little different.
Now, this is…
Absolutely.
Than other kinds of home ownership, you know? But, I was proud that they… you know, I was glad to know.
Well. The interest… the interesting thing with that is… is…
They supported that.
first of all, we were very siloed. Everybody… we all have to collectively.
We all need the same things, right? But we're not working together for the same things, and that's part of the problem.
Some of the things that…
Well, well, you know, the Reverend comes along and says it's a moral issue. It's not a moral issue.
We could all be going around being very nice and still be fucked in the… Because the system does it to us.
So, the idea that to call it a moral… You know, and God and all of them guys…
I love that they, when they talk about the fairy in the sky, yeah…
Well, you know what? Me, I'm gonna tell you, I'm disrespectful of.
Well, what…
Whomever. I, you know, I agree to disagree. I'll put it to you that way.
Yeah, I know.
I respect… I respect each person's opinion. And I do not… I do not…
You know, poo-poo on it, for lack of a better way to say it. I just really try to be respectful of people.
And I try to be respectful of the opinion. Whether I agree with it or not. And I mean, that's just part of being civil.
The trouble is it diverts people's ability to do the work about it.
If they're gonna go to church and pray about it instead of get out in the streets with everybody.
Well, this is one of the things that I find with, with, and I was just at a meeting, which was interesting, where Indivisible are mobilized in the various groups like that, and one of the things that I brought up is that.
I was not a community organizer, I… a community activist. I was a corporate girl.
For many decades. And when I came to California and. A life change. I became something different.
And so, with that being said, what I find is that there's a lack of compassion and empathy.
Among just humanity… wait a minute, let me… let me… let me finish… let me finish speaking, Norma.
They don't get the opportunity!
That won my… one mic.
Let me finish speaking, Norma. I'm not talking about the movement. I'm just talking about people, because we don't know what condition people are in.
And we're yelling at them to do this, that, or the other, but we don't know if they have the capability.
To do the very thing that we requested. So my thing, that's what I talk about, just being civil with people, because we do need to have more compassion and empathy. Just because someone might not be able to do exactly what it is.
Someone feels that they need to do.
I would be a melted puddle if I had any more compassion. The things that are going on now.
But you're you, and you have your own history, and you have your own makeup, so you're… Okay.
I would… I know. I think every… I think everybody is like that. They need the opportunity to be compassionate.
And they don't get it. They get diverted by things like, go pray in the church for one.
Or… or whatever it is. I mean, yeah, there's a lot of people that are not behaving well.
But they need the opportunity to behave well. For… for every… to help everybody.
And once again, you're making this statement based on a privilege that you… you have, that other people might not have.
And that's what I'm talking about compassion and empathy, uh. Norma. I'm not talking about whether they pray, whether they're an atheist, agnostic, or anything else.
What I'm saying is that some people have the privilege and the opportunity to participate that way. Not everyone does.
And they may think you don't, for example, keep with that.
And… and so with that, I'm just saying we need a little compassion, we need a little bit more compassion.
My…
And we need a little bit more empathy for those who might not have access. That's all I'm saying.
I love her too.
All right, she's blowing you kisses, Arlene. It's 702, somehow we have to have room for these kinds of debates and discussions and…
Yeah, thank you.
Not debates, you know, but back and forth, so we can be stronger together.
Hey!
I backed off of a group because they were… they were just pushing me too much.
I'll leave it at that. Which… which one?
Oh, okay, okay, got it, got it. Yeah.
Not knowing… and I'm not mentioning any names, but what I'm saying is, is that I had to step back, because I have my old thing that I'm going through.
But…
And they… because they see I have a skill set. And I always try to bring whatever skills that I have. St. Helen mentioned it, you know, utilizing her skill sets to do the work, right? But if you're going through something, and your plate is full, you might not have the capacity. But somebody on the outside doesn't necessarily know that.
And so, I just had to… I had to put up, wait a minute, I had to put up boundaries.
Right.
What are you going through? Can…
In order to protect myself and get my own self better. I'm going through something as we speak, and that's why I had to step back.
Can… can we help you at all?
Actually, I wish you could… I wish you could.
Oh, Arlene.
I wish you could. I'm going through something, and it's… kind of depressing me a little bit. It's stressful.
I got love, and, you know, um… But it is what it is. Sometimes we have to just walk alone, you know what I'm saying?
Would you… would you… would… would you tell Betsy what it is? I know you're not gonna tell just me.
Yeah, yeah.
And I'm… I'm…
What… Kelsey. Tell us if there's…
I'm not telling Betsy either. I love Betsy. I love all of you guys, and you know what? I thank you so much, but I'm gonna tell you, when you're going through health issues, there's nothing nobody can do for you. You just have to go through the health issues.
I want to know what they are, because I've got a lot of stuff on that.
Right. Sending you… sending you love there, Arlene.
You know what I'm saying? Thank you so much, Helen.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, appreciate it.
I appreciate you. But what I'm saying is there's so much going on, we're swirling around, there's so many things we need to be doing, but if you have the capacity to do it, then that's all well and good. But if you don't have the capacity, you know what?
I believe in just giving somebody some grace. That's all.
Right on.
Did… remember when I told the group. Then I went to the doctor at one point where she looked up at me and said.
What have you been doing? She was looking at my figures, the numbers from the blood, whatever test.
Mm-hmm.
What have you been doing? And I said. Well, I did start taking Coumadin.
She says, I wrote a paper on that, she said. About how Coumadin can help. The cancer was down.
Mr.
Was… was recessing whatever. On its own, because… and I… that was the only other thing I was doing, different. So I'm just… I have a lot of health stuff, so you… if that's…
I believe in… I'm a believer in holistics, and you know.
Non-traditional, what they call non-traditional medicine. I'm a believer because I've been bringing my numbers down and working toward getting healthy, so thank you so much, Norma.
Well, if I can… if we can talk and you want me to think about stuff, you could do that. I've been doing that.
Health thing for 50 years, ever since right before I had my daughter.
Thank you so much for the offer. I appreciate the love I'm getting.
So… Yeah, you're…
But you know, I do. But you know what? I really just had to take a time out. I was supposed to be going to DC September. I don't know if I'm gonna be going. I'm supposed to be going to, I don't know if it's Palm Springs or somewhere in LA in October. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to go, but, you know.
We'll see what… we'll see what happens, because, you know, there's work to be done.
Because what Christ is terrible.
There's work to be… there's a lot of work to be done.
Yep.
Thank you. Thank you, Arlene. Thank you, Marty.
What did I say? I didn't say it.
And it… yeah, there's a lot of work. And I love, uh…
It's not Coumadin, it's something. It's not Coumadin, it's… Turmeric. Turmeric.
Okay? Okay.
Oh, I have that in my cabinet. And that has brought my numbers down, by the way.
I better quintuple my doses. I eat it regularly. Oh.
Well, be careful, too. You gotta watch liberal with too much. There you go.
Yeah, you can't do too much.
You need… you need… You need… You need as much as there is in a pill.
I made that mistake, one time. Ooh!
And a little bit of ground black pepper.
Black pepper, there you go. We're… yeah.
Oh my gosh, you guys! All right, maybe we'll have a health exchange, but…
We should!
We might be fighting about that. Well, I'll just…
Well, the thing about it, when you start aging, and because of the way our country is run, a lot of our bodies are poisoned by the community that we live in. That's just a reality. Genetically modified food, you know, we're not eating from the original.
That is… too true, too true.
Not mine.
We're not… we're not eating from original seeds, they're, like, stored somewhere in Antarctica or wherever they got it stored at. So we're eating all those genetically modified so that they can produce more and more and more longer shelf life. So, we have an illness that we didn't have before.
You gotta watch, you gotta watch late night… Late night TV, they do something that's not Afropop.
It's other stuff. People have been going into Africa and doing little things. They've been making.
A usable threads out of garbage, plastic. All kinds of developments that a bunch of white people, totally dedicated.
To changing the… the paradigm. Have gone into areas, and they're retrieving land and, animals and all…
And resources, and all manner of things, yeah. All manner of things, and, you know… But this is the thing. Here we are, we are an elder group.
We're… we are youth! We have some younger members, aspiring elders, but yeah.
And we talk about the things that impact us, but. Yeah. Yeah, we do, but for the… but for the most part, it's the Grey Panthers.
We all have… yeah.
Okay, so all I'm saying is this. As I age, what I found is that I had to learn more about taking care of myself.
Yeah.
But I find when you're older, and you're doing all of this work outside in your community, you expend a tremendous amount of physical and mental.
Time and energy. And so, sometimes we're not taking the best care of our own selves, because we're expending so much.
Yeah. Liver and kidneys. Yeah.
Doing stuff outside. I never hear anybody talk about, okay, a lot of us got all kind of issues, either diabetes, high blood pressure, they're taking lipid… they're taking, like, all this medication, they want to check your kidney every two years because the medication they're giving you is actually, you know… deteriorating your body, and so, you know, but we… I think it's important, like.
You know, I don't call it self-care, but I think we need… me, uh… I'm thinking about taking better care.
and I speak to a lot of people that I know in my age group, because they got, like.
Their whole shelf is filled up with, you know, kind of drugs and medication, but everybody's driving, so they're driving through fast food. I don't eat fast food.
So, yeah.
And they're driving through fast food. Right? And, you know, they don't walk. They don't move.
And that impacts us. The older we get, we slow down.
Yeah.
And so, like, to me, that's a conversation. And I understand the world is the world. What's going on is not gonna stop.
Today. It's going to keep going. It's been going on. You know?
I told you I'm 90, right? I told you I'm 90.
Yes, ma'am.
Kaiser evidently is taking the right care of me. And that's a richness that not everybody can enjoy.
Exactly, and you know, I say I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Mm-hmm.
You know what I mean?
No. Um… Friends, I'm… I'm gonna thank you so much for getting, you know, into the heart.
And you're on vacation, you need to be getting back out there by the pool, honey.
of us, both… both…
Hey! Garden's good! Yeah, enjoy that pool!
I'm… well, it's 7 o'clock, and the fog has rolled into Washington, D.C, which is unheard of.
Uh…
but I have… I'm gonna… I'm… I… I… I'm gonna leave. Do you want me to leave the Zoom room open? I'll leave the Zoom room open.
Climate change, climate change, climate change. Environmental justice.
I'm not… anyway, let me stop.
But I have to go. But my heart, thank you each and every one for being…
Have a good one. Love y'all!
Who are, and what you're doing.
Bye, my darling. Enjoy your trip! Enjoy your trip!
Yeah. Jump in the pool in the fog! Just make it happy.
I… I… it's just starting. Uh-oh! Tomorrow! Tomorrow, I get to… I get to lounge around it again.
yeah, go ahead on Betsy, go ahead on. We're gonna let you go.
Yeah, thanks. Thanks. We'll have updates. All right, I'm gonna…
Bye! Oh, wait…
Cold. Okay, I'm leaving.
Bye-bye.
Everyone's gone dark, but they haven't left. So… Okay, then I'm gonna turn everyone else off once… once we're agreed, nobody's gonna be talking more, so…
OkayRains is

Keeping Seniors Healthy and Well in the East Bay:July Speaker Meeting

With Sheryl Morasco, 

Director of Outreach and Enrollment

Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, PACE and CEI 

Center for Elders' Independence, Oakland.

• No Kings rallies
• Berkeleyans for Accessible Right-of-Ways
• National Council of Gray Panther Networks
• Medicaid/Medi-Cal actions LTSS4All and CARA
• Berkeley Commissioners Needed  - Status of Women and Aging and HAC
• State affordable housing and tenant justice bills
• Ashby BART development. 

Rachel Matthews, Director, Home Match Alameda County, a project of Front Porch.

• FYI: Gray Panthers founder, Maggie Kuhn, was believed to started Shared Housing between older and younger people. Here's an article about that history. 

Pilar Zuniga, Community Engagement Director for Berkeley Ecology Center, will share how we can contribute the new Environmental Justice Element of the Berkeley General Plan.

Housing is too important to leave to the market, or to governments alone. We'll need a mass movement of movements with a shared vision to make housing a real human right.

The rents are too damn high - and housing is too important to leave to the market.  The Trump budget wants to cut affordable housing vouchers and funds. Evictions, displacement and criminalizing the unhoused are not the only choices we have.

HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT - Updates on Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and other progress toward a social housing ecosystem in California. Join us in person or by zoom, for this East Bay Affordable Housing Month special event, our monthly speaker meeting.

• Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance (SHCLA), a new CLT to address needs of mentally ill persons in Alameda County.
  
  
• Cooperative homeownership proposals with the Northern California Community Land Trust (NCLT)
• Legislative priorities to protect renters and finance more kinds of affordable housing from East Bay Housing Organizations.
  
• New organizing initiatives from Berkeley and Oakland Tenant Unions and Homeless Unions, and proposals for safe vehicle and tiny house villages.

Gray Panthers have been hosting events for Affordable Housing Month since 2018, highlighting seniors and disabled adults, housed and unhoused. This year we are hosting 2 events, a live social last week, and this one, our speaker meeting (a week earlier than usual) a hybrid. 

Last May, we brought inspiring lessons from the 4th international Social Housing Festival #ISHF and its organizer Housing Europe's common goal for Housing as a Human Right: to continuously grow the percent and variety of permanently affordable, non-commodified housing stock in service to participatory, green and inclusive neighborhoods and cities -- advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and Charter of Human Rights. We discussed the emergence of such a movement here in the US and California. And, we've stayed involved with multiple groups and coalitions working on this.

Wednesday, May 21, folks joined us either in person (at Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, near Ashby BART), or on zoom for updates and discussion of where California's potential social housing in 2025. Despite everything state and federal opponents throw at us -- undermine Fair Housing, cut HUD staff, block renter protections, criminalize the homeless, trash talk tenants, end Emergency Housing Vouchers, sell off public housing, block tenant protections, profiteer off of disasters There are everywhere signs of new roots and shoots. --- an independent collaborative ecosystem of networked tenant unions, nonprofit developers and professional advocates is growing with relations beyond short-term funding coalitions.

May 21 PROGRAM

1:30 Welcome and Introductions

1:45  Featured Speakers

Q&A & Discussion

3PM East Bay Gray Panther Member Business
Action Alerts and Announcements

4PM Adjourn

We look forward to seeing you there! All are welcome! 

Click here for a 3 minute video: Social Housing 101

Yes, we met in person AND on zoom. Video is below.

Our special speaker this month for Women's History month was Ann Squires (right), who wrote the original proposal as an intern for what is now the Over-60 Clinic that was established by Gray Panthers back in the early 1980s. Come out and hear a little about that history.

AGENDA

• 1:30 Welcome and Introductions to New Members and First-Timers
  
  
• Speaker
  
  
• Q&A
  
  
• Announcements
  
  
• 3 pm Adjourn

Chat:

Featured Speakers:

Note new date! Possibly hybrid. Stay tuned.

TOPIC TBD

1:30 Welcome and Introductions to New Members and First-Timers

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Adjourn

Open discussion zoom until 4pm

RSVP on this page to get the Zoom link. We look forward to seeing you there! Spread the word.

Housing For All / Housing As A Human Right

Ending Mass Incarceration and Creating Re-Entry Options

Our featured speaker this month was Xavier Johnson, Director of Policy Justice for the Just Cities Institute, along with a speaker from All of Us or None, a project founded and led by formerly incarcerated advocates.

Johnson (left) is a former tenants attorney with Centro Legal in Oakland, Chair of the Berkeley Housing Advisory Commission, and elected Commissioner on the Berkeley Rent Board.

This meeting was entirely virtual, on Zoom, a recording is below.

Also on this meeting's agenda:

• • Planning our booth at the annual Solano Stroll street fair in North Berkeley on Sunday, September 8
    
    Robert and Raines are coordinating, and we've got a great location at the Top of Solano! We're planning lots of fun activities with partners. Learn more and sign up to be a part of our presence there.
    
    
  • Our September social: new host? Or cancel for this month?
    
    Neither Betsy or Carol or Raines can make the usual second-Wednesdays date, but we may have someone else to lead it.
    
    
  • The California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) Candidate Forum Tuesday, September 10 (virtual and in-person). Learn more and RSVP here.
    
    
• A just-scheduled in-person talk Wednesday morning, September 11, by Alameda County D.A. Pamela Price, on Fraud and Elder Abuse. Location TBD.
  
  
• Nominations for the Gray Panthers of Berkeley and the East Bay Board of Directors are now open!
  
  The Board will present a slate at our September meeting, but nominations remain open for all voting members until the elections in October.
  
  If interested or curious, please contact Co-convenors Carol Crooks or Betsy Morris to learn more or join us for a Board Meeting (we are seeking a Board Secretary).
  
  Board members serve for two-year terms.
  
  
• There will be time also for action updates and announcements.

Freedom to Discriminate author Gene Slater - July Speaker Meeting

We met July 24 to hear from Gene Slater, author of Freedom to Discriminate: How Realtors Conspire to Segregate Housing and Divide America

We dove into the documented history of the National and California Associations of REALTORS. REALTOR(r) is a registered trademark of a small but powerful group of real estate agents who have, since 1902, have conspired to drive up home prices with covert and overt tactics that continue driving our housing and homelessness crises.

Despite a belated public apology in 2021 for racist and illegal undermining of Fair Housing laws, California REALTORs continue to pour millions into public elections to limit renter protections and extract more profit from housing prices by restricting choices. 

How does this tie in to Gray Panther efforts to limit damage from high wealth hedge funds and other "private equity" funds buying into affordable housing and nursing homes? After a short break, we will discuss ways to raise these issues and more.

Gene discussed his insights into the conflicting definitions of freedom created by REALTOR disinformation campaigns. 

Gene Slater has 40 years experience in housing justice through housing finance. His firm, CSG Advisors, is one of the nation’s leading advisors to governmental agencies at all levels. He has designed policies and programs more than $70 billion of financing for first-time home buyers, low-income renters, mixed-income apartments, neighborhood revitalization, and improved public housing in cities, small towns, and suburbs in all parts of the US for the past 40 years. In 2020, he began speaking publicly on the history of housing segregation in the US, publishing his book in 2021 with Heydey Press. Since 2022, he has been working with Congress on policies to limit the impacts of private equity pension funds and hedge funds in local housing markets. He currently works and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The March East Bay Gray Panthers Speaker Meeting!

Purely virtual - from your home via Zoom

Video is below.

Women’s History Month

with Jovanka Beckles and Tiny Gray-Garcia

1:30 Welcome:

... and more action updates from members and the community.

www.eastbaygraypanthers.org

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Join or renew your voting membership ($35/year) DONATE at:

www.eastbaygraypanthers.org

Call 510-842-6224

Follow us on Facebook!

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Speaker Meetings are regular gatherings on the Fourth Wednesday of most months. We focus on special topics with guest speakers as well as highlighting Gray Panther and partner activities

For many Berkeley events of interest, see Kelly Hammargren's Activist Diary in the Berkeley Daily Planet, at https://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/ - click Current Issue for the latest updates. 

Currently the Monthly Meeting and Board Meetings are by zoom or phone-in but we are scheduling occasional outdoor and safe in-person gatherings in 2024! 

Get in touch with any questions: 510-842-6224 voice or text