Anti-Foreclosure Legislation Clears Hurdle

Assembly Bill 1639—legislation aimed at avoiding foreclosures and authored by Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbra)—cleared a significant hurdle when it was passed by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 5/28. The measure, said a spokesperson for Nava, will establish a monitored mediation program to help homeowners and lenders reach workable modifications to loans. If a modification fails, the bill says, a reasonable transition plan would be hashed out. California continues to have the third highest foreclosure rate in the nation, with one in every 144 homes in some stage of the process.