California meetings to fight foreclosures, evictions

Neighborhood block associations are teaming up with one of the largest union locals representing service employees in Southern California to fight back against the area’s record-setting crisis of foreclosures and evictions.

The Harvard Boulevard Block Association, located in South Central Los Angeles, and Service Employees International Union Local 721 are organizing a Labor-Community Fightback Forum on July 26 with community groups, anti-war and housing advocates.

California, to date, has the largest number of foreclosures of any state: 405,000 in 2007. That number is due to increase in 2008. California is also setting national records for gas prices, which drive up the cost of food and make getting to work costly. All this has become a state emergency.

The forum will push for a resolution designed to create a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. That resolution and strategy are patterned after efforts by the Michigan Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions.

Attorney Jerry Goldberg, a member of the Michigan coalition who was instrumental in designing that group’s resolution, has been invited by the union to speak at the forum in Los Angeles. The resolution is now a bill before the Michigan State Senate.

Goldberg will speak in San Francisco on July 27 at 3 p.m. at 2940 16th St., Room 207, at a Workers World Party forum on the same issues. Call 415-738-4739 for more information.

Part of the Los Angeles forum will deal with organizing marches and intense political pressure on politicians, all the way up to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, demanding a moratorium. Already two California State Assembly members have responded to forum organizers and will be speaking at the event, which is being held at SEIU Local 721 headquarters. To find out about these forums, call the International Action Center at 310-677-6407.