We Still Support Rep. Laura Richardson, Despite Her Housing Woes

Drudge Put Her On Blast, But Richardson Fights On!
While South Bay politician Laura Richardson says the foreclosure on her Sacramento house was due to a miscommunication, the congresswoman has also defaulted on properties in Long Beach and San Pedro, records show.

Clearly the mortgage crisis facing the nation is affecting more than just the average Joe.

Dropping Home Prices Worse In 20 Years

Richardson, who represents Long Beach, Carson and other areas of Southern California with a sizeable African American community, was able to bring her payments up to date on the Long Beach home relatively quickly, but the San Pedro property lingered in the foreclosure process for almost eight months, and still has a pending auction date.

The Long Beach Press Telegram has all the details.

Black California Congresswoman Laura Richardson Fights Bad Press Over Home Foreclosure Debacle

(2007 photo of Richardson running for Congress, courtesy 3BAAS)

Biracial California Rep. Laura Richardson, who recently replaced deceased Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, claimed Friday that her Sacramento home she purchased after winning a seat in the California Assembly was sold into foreclosure without her knowledge and contrary to an agreement with her lender.

Richardson said she is like any other American suffering in the mortgage crisis and wants to testify to Congress about her experience as lawmakers craft a foreclosure-prevention bill.

In a lengthy interview Friday night with The Associated Press, the Southern California Democrat struck back against several days of negative publicity over reports she defaulted on her mortgage, allowing the house to be sold at auction.

Richardson, someone I've known for over 10 years who has always tried to do the right thing since first winning a contentious seat on the Long Beach City Council, acknowledged turmoil in her life in the months after Millender-McDonald's death in April opened up her Los Angeles - area House seat.

Richardson used her money to finance her campaign and fell behind in mortgage payments. But now, Richardson said, she has renegotiated her loan and promised to fully pay it off, along with $9,000 in delinquent property taxes.

She insisted she's not getting special terms because she's a congresswoman.

"I'm Laura Richardson. I'm an American, I'm a single woman who had four employment changes in less than four months," Richardson said. "I had to figure out just like every other American how I could restructure the obligations that I had with the income I had."

Richardson bought the 1,600-square-foot home in Sacramento's desirable Curtis Park neighborhood for $535,500 in January 2007. It was sold at auction earlier this month to a Sacramento mortgage lender who paid $388,000, according to the Sacramento County Recorder's Office.

A default notice sent to Richardson in March put her unpaid balance at $578,384.

Richardson provided the AP with an April letter, which appears to be from Washington Mutual Home Loans, telling her there was a hold on foreclosure sales on her property until June 4. She also provided an e-mail dated Thursday, which she said was from Washington Mutual, that appeared to acknowledge an agreement "to facilitate the recission of foreclosure sale" but gave no financial details.

A Washington Mutual spokeswoman, Sara Gaugl, told the AP earlier Friday that the company had "not received consent from Ms. Richardson that would allow us to discuss her loan situation." Washington Mutual did not respond to a later request for comment on Richardson's claims.

Not long after getting to Congress, Richardson voted in favor of a mortgage debt forgiveness bill which subsequently became law. She was absent earlier this month for votes on a foreclosure prevention bill, which she said was because of her father's funeral. The House is expected to bring the package back up in June once agreement is reached in the Senate.

Congressional ethics rules don't prevent lawmakers from voting on legislation that might affect them economically. Rather than shy away from voting on mortgage-related bills, Richardson said her experiences could help her craft legislation to make sure others don't experience what she did. For example, she sees a need to add steps to inform property owners before their property can be sold.

"We have to ensure that lenders and lendees have the tools with proper timing to resolve this," she said.

Richardson Wins Congressional Seat: Biracial California Politico To Replace Millender-McDonald!

Black Assemblywoman's Win Caps "Remarkable Ascent" That's Been Years In The Making

Long Beach resident Laura Richardson easily won the election Tuesday to succeed the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald in Congress and we couldn't be happier.

But please, let's not make it sound like she just got lucky.

The daughter of a Black man and White labor union activist, Richardson has been working her butt off to be on the cusp of a new political movement spawning the likes of Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Massuchusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and most notably, 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Ranging from their late 30's to early 50's, these well-educated, attractive, tenacious and dare I say, articulate men and women of a lighter-skinned hue are clearly redefining the way we look at Black elected officials and their ability to represent a more diverse constituency.

Richardson, the Democratic nominee, held a 42-point advantage over her nearest competition, Republican John Kanaley, a police officer and an Iraq war veteran who was new to electoral politics. "We're breaking a record tonight, to have served on the council, then go to the Assembly, and now to Congress in less than a year," Richardson said, from a party at her Carson headquarters.

"I'm a hard worker, and I'm using my skills to advocate on behalf of the people I represent."

With all precincts reporting, Richardson held 67.1 percent of the vote to Kanaley's 25.2 percent. Green Party candidate Daniel Abraham Brezenoff came in third with 5.4 percent, followed by Libertarian Herb Peters, who won 2.3 percent. The 37th district covers Compton, Carson, Signal Hill and most of Long Beach.

"A lot of people were saying this was a done deal," Richardson said. "We needed people to stay focused and keep reaching out to voters. I'm just incredibly grateful."

As expected, turnout was low, at 8.6 percent. Tuesday's runoff was a bit anticlimactic after a bruising primary campaign in June between Richardson and state Sen. Jenny Oropeza, also a Democrat.

The primary election divided voters along ethnic lines, as Latinos tried to capitalize on growing population numbers and black voters tried to hang on to a traditionally black seat. Richardson bested Oropeza by 6 percentage points, preserving black political clout in Congress.

Richardson's move to Washington will set off a wide-open race for her 55th Assembly district seat, which covers Carson, Wilmington, Harbor City, Lakewood, and much of Long Beach.

The strongest candidate in the race and the one we're backing is African-American Carson City Councilman Mike Gipson.

His likely challengers: White Carson Mayor Don Dear, and former Los Angeles School Board Member Warren Furatani, of Asian descent.

Let the race begin!

IF RICHARDSON KEEPS 37TH CONGRESSIONAL SEAT BLACK, IS BROTHER GIBSON NEXT UP FOR HER 55TH ASSEMBLY SEAT?

Black Politics In California Is On And Crackin'

Assemblywoman Laura Richardson won a two-month sprint to succeed the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald on Tuesday, besting a better financed and more experienced opponent with the help of labor and Black leadership.

Richardson won 37.8 of the vote, to 31.3 percent for Latina state Sen. Jenny Oropeza. Millender-McDonald's daughter, Valerie McDonald, finished a distant third with 9.4 percent.

"I just thank God," Richardson said Tuesday night, from a party at the Home Depot Center's Stadium Club in Carson. "It's not just about money and it's not just about the number of years you've served. It's about what's in your heart."

Millender-McDonald, who represented her district for 11 years, died April 21 of colon cancer.

The top vote-getters from each party will face each other in a runoff on Aug. 21. Because Democrats hold such a strong advantage, Richardson is a shoo-in for the runoff election.

The race drew attention initially as a test of African-American political clout, as leaders worked to hold on to a congressional seat that has traditionally been held by someone Black, even as its Latino population has grown rapidly in the last decade.

The state Black Legislative Caucus rallied behind Richardson, who served on the Long Beach City Council for six years before being elected to the 55th Assembly District last fall.

But the membership of the Congressional Black Caucus was divided between those who supported the assemblywoman and those who backed the late congresswoman's daughter.

That divide may resurface very soon, as folks begin jockeying to run for Richardson's 55th Assembly seat.

While their are rumblings that city officials in Compton and Long Beach want the gig, we got five on Carson Councilman Mike Gipson.

He has had to deal with quite a bit over the last few years as Carson Mayor Jim Dear has continuously bumped heads with the up and coming brother.

A White city councilman who replaced former Black Mayor Darryl Sweeney (currently imprisoned for criminal misdeeds while in office), Dear has been mentioned as a candidate.

Hizzoner may want to rethink that decision, however, given that a vocal group of angry residents, many of whom are Black, are currently organizing to recall him.

Former Los Angeles School Board Member Warren Furutani, who lost to Richardson in the Democratic primary last year, is also reportedly mulling another run.

A special primary election to fill the seat will likely be held toward the end of October or early in November.

Like the 37th Congressional seat, Democrats run it so any Republican in the district doesn't stand a chance!

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