Hispanics Set to Grade Candidates on Litmus Test this Fall

A leading analyst on Hispanic voting patterns said immigration reform will be to Latinos what choice is to women – a litmus test for Members of Congress in this fall election. For those members

Lydia Camarillo, Vice President of the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project (SVREP) told A View from DC in a wide ranging interview that a member’s position on immigration reform will have a big say on the support he or she receives from Latino voters. She said Gray Davis, former Republican Governor of California, would still be governor if he did not renege on his promise to support immigration reform. James G. “Gray” Davis was the Democratic Governor of California from 1999 until he was removed in a recall election in 2003.

She said the grassroots is very angry and feels the president has not kept his promise of enacting immigration reform which prompted many Latinos to vote for him in the fall of 2008. Camarillo said Latinos will not be satisfied with simply introduction of a bill, she says Latinos want a comprehensive bill passed.

“There are no excuses,” she said. “Democrats are in control and should be able to pass something.”

She said Latinos are not the swing voters as some might surmise but are a pretty reliable vote for Democrats although the intensity of their vote may vary state-to-state. She said 67 percent voted for President Obama which is significant because Latinos, on average, are a young electorate. The average age of the Latino electorate is 22 years old and is likely to vote along the lines of their parents. She said there is no gender or generation gap within the Latino community.

She said because of the closeness of various races in November, the Latino vote can have a significant impact on the election’s outcome. She said any effort to pass a punitive immigration bill will not please the Latino electorate. She said the health care debate has ignited the anger within the Latino community because of a provision which prevents undocumented immigrants from purchasing health care even if they have the resources to do so.

“The president won by such a large margin the Latino vote is not appreciated as much,” she said. “If he won by a closer margin, Latinos would be call saviors.”

She said the census will have a huge impact on future elections. She said the Latino community continues to grow in spite of being undercounted by a third in the last census. She said the census count will be of particular importance in states with large Hispanic populations which are expected to gain congressional seats such as Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Texas.

SVREP's mission is to empower Latinos and other minorities by increasing their participation in the American democratic process. They do this by strengthening the capacity, experience and skills of Latino leaders, networks, and organizations through programs that consistently train, organize, finance, development, expand and mobilize Latino leaders and voters around an agenda that reflects their values. Thus, SVREP's motto: "Su Voto Es Su Voz" (Your Vote is Your Voice).


Credit Unions Fail to Meet Needs of Low Income Households

A report released by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found that credit unions are failing to meet the needs of low income households. As a result, NCRC is calling for the Federal government to require credit unions to comply with reporting and investing requirements as specified in the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) http://www.ffiec.gov/cra/.

"Credit Unions: True To Their Mission Part II" looked at data to measure how credit unions fared in offering services to low income households as compared to mainstream banks. The findings in the report indicated that mainstream banks performed better in offering services as measured by fair lending indicators than credit unions which are non-profits chartered with the mandate to service the underserved. The fair lending indicators measure the percentage of loans given to women, minorities and low- and moderate-income borrowers.

As a result of the report, NCRC is calling for CRA to be applied to all large credit unions. NCRC has a total of seven recommendations as a result of the report:

1. It is calling for CRA’s reach to expand and apply to credit unions.

2. NCRC is calling for changes in how the designation of underserved areas is determined. They feel it should be defined in a more meaningful way where only areas with low- and moderate income households should designated as underserved.

3. They are also calling for the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to enhance its anti-discrimination reviews of credit unions.

4. NCRC wants to mandate the NCUA to measure a credit union’s performance.

5. NCRC want to amend the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) so that small institutions can report their lending data. Previous arguments against such reporting center on the time and cost of gathering this data. NCRC contends that technological advances make reporting much easier and less expensive.

6. NCRC feels small business lending should be disclosed by credit unions and mid-size banks.

7. Finally, NCRC feels community development credit unions (CDCU) should be supported by other credit unions and banks.

HUD Secretary Testifies Before Congress

Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) testified before the House Financial Services Committee to explain the administration’s rationale for submitting its proposal on the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.

In his testimony Donovan reiterated the department’s desire to broaden the number of players involved in the revitalization of neighborhoods. Donovan praised the HOPE VI program, which the Choice initiative would replace, but felt it was not as comprehensive as is needed in many neighborhoods.