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Jobs And Mortgages Are The Biggest Worries in Judy Chu's 32nd District

Jacob Chung |
December 8, 2010 | 3:18 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

From outside it’s difficult to locate the 32nd Congressional District office, tucked away in a beige commercial building in El Monte. The building—one of two identical structures on the block—houses a tutoring service, a dentist office, and other businesses.

The commercial building that houses the 32nd district office (Jacob Chung)
The commercial building that houses the 32nd district office (Jacob Chung)

Inside, the interior follows the same bare décor as the exterior—the beige walls seem to be bleeding into the building. As you approach the entrance to suite 201, a bell with a sign that reads, “Ring for Service” on top a half door comes into view.

Congresswoman Judy Chu represents a portion of L.A. County that reaches from East Los Angeles to the eastern San Gabriel Valley.

It’s about 1:30 p.m. but the office is empty. It resembles a dentist office—quiet, sterile, and artificially cold. To the right of the entrance sits a young staff assistant who is working on her computer. And across from her is a waiting room with a few chairs and a shelf stacked with metro maps and pamphlets about social security benefits.

Fred Ortega is the district director. Although Ortega’s only been with the district for about nine months, it’s obvious he’s the one to approach when Chu is in Washington, D.C.

Although reluctant at first to see anyone without an appointment, much less a reporter, Ortega extends his hand and offers to have a quick chat.

My purpose for the visit was to figure out what the constituents are saying about the current state of our economy.

Amid bipartisan talks in search of a feasible deficit-reduction plan, the district office is quiet—not because of a lack of interest but because constituents are busy living life. For many people of the 32nd District, economic concerns hit close to home.

“Our district is mostly working-class,” Ortega says. “A large percentage of our population is pretty busy at this point trying to survive.” Although there are small groups more vocal than others in policy discussions—mainly immigrant-rights groups and labor unions—the community is concerned about what affects them personally: jobs and mortgages.

“They may not be aware of the policy behind it,” Ortega said. “They just know that, ‘Hey all my friends are losing jobs or I’ve lost a job…what is a congresswoman doing to help improve the situation.’”

Jobs

Of the thousands of emails, phone calls, and letters that arrive at the district office, a popular theme is the lack of jobs in the area. And with California’s unemployment rate holding at 12 percent —roughly 3 percent higher than the nation rate—it’s no surprise why.

“Most people know that when call here, we can’t just give them a job.” Ortega said. “[The calls] are more about what the government is doing, what bills are being considered, and what the congresswoman has done.”

Congresswoman Chu has, in the past, fought to bring jobs in the district through government funding. In February of last year the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, through Emergency Contingency Fund a component of the stimulus bill, brought over 10,000 jobs for the district according to Ortega.

Through the contingency fund, the federal government subsidized 80 percent of the pay for low wage jobs ($10 an hour) allowing for businesses to hire more people. Although the staff at the 32nd District office considered the contingency fund to be a success, the funding came to a halt September 30, 2010 when it lost support for an extension.

Chu, Ortega said, is currently seeking other means to bring jobs for the district.

Mortgages

According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, roughly 47 percent of residents in the San Gabriel Valley are homeowners. What seems to be plaguing homeowners is the mortgage crisis.

“Most congressional offices receiving [mortgage] calls would say, ‘That’s out of our jurisdiction. That’s an issue between you and your lender.’’ However, with the Making Home Affordable program, Ortega said that there are now a few options that the office can provide.

“The key is for them to reach us early in the process.” Ortega said.

If they call early enough, the district office can refer them to federally approved loan modification agencies.

However, if they’ve already contacted the agency and they qualify for loan modifications, the district office can contact the banks to instigate a response back to the homeowner.

“Under the federal program, if they qualify, the bank is responsible to follow the rules.” Ortega said. “And if there’s some serious malfeasance on the part of the bank, we can go farther than that by instigating investigations through the federal department that oversees them and even through [congressional] hearings.”

Despite major battles to fight at home, Chu is standing firm on national issues while in Washington, D.C.

“When it comes to deficit balancing and taxes, she is opposed to vote in favor of any compromises that would involve extension of Bush tax cuts for the highest earners,” Ortega said.



 

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