Law enforcement leaders in the central San Joaquin Valley joined California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris in Fresno on Thursday to support a set of homeowner bills she is pushing through the state legislature.

Harris proposed the California Homeowner Bill of Rights at the end of February to protect homeowners from unfair practices by banks and mortgage companies.

Three of the six bills would strengthen the ability of law enforcement to fight, investigate and prosecute crime associated with foreclosed properties.

"There is a connection between keeping families in their homes and what will occur in terms of safety in the community," if homes are left to foreclosure, Harris said.

The public safety portion of the bill of rights would:

• Extend the statute of limitations from one year to four years on crimes related to foreclosure-related fraud.

• Allow the attorney general to create a special grand jury to prosecute crimes that involve victims in multiple counties.

• Give cities more authority to fine owners of blighted property and give new owners of foreclosed homes time to make repairs before enforcement actions are taken.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dwyer supports the bills. Abandoned and foreclosed homes in Fresno have been burglarized, set on fire and become home to squatters and marijuana gardens, he said.

The police department has seen a 30% increase in calls since 2010 to assist city code enforcement officers with foreclosed homes that are not supposed to be occupied, Dwyer said.

"We do need to protect our homeowners because when we protect our homeowners ultimately we protect our neighborhoods," Dwyer said.

CDC message to baby boomers - get tested for hepatitis C.

Why the testing pitch for baby boomers: The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 2 million are infected, which is more than 75 percent of all American adults living with the virus; and baby boomers are five times more likely to be infected than other adults.

And what's scary -- most don't know they have the disease that causes serious liver diseases, including cancer.

Hepatitis C is usually spread by blood, from a person infected to another. Before widespread screening of the blood supply in 1992, it was spread through transfusions, the CDC says. Sharing needles to inject drugs is another way it's spread. Babies born to mothers with hepatitis C can get the infection during childbirth, but it's not spread through breastfeeding or by casual contact, such as kissing and hugging.
To learn more about hepatitis, visit the CDC web site.

Hepatitis C is the fastest-rising cause of cancer-related deaths, and the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States, the government says.

Deaths can be avoided, though, if people get treated. Treatments can cure up to 75% of infections, the CDC says.

"With increasingly effective treatments now available, we can prevent tens of thousands of deaths from hepatitis C," CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden said in a written statement.

Baby boomers also take note: The CDC says you can live years without noticeable symptoms. Symptoms of hepatitis C can include: fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, grey-colored stools, joint pain and/or jaundice.

"Identifying these hidden infections early will allow more baby boomers to receive care and treatment, before they develop life-threatening liver disease," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention.

The CDC estimates more than 800,000 additional people with hepatitis C could be found by one-time testing baby boomers. It would save more than 120,000 lives, the agency says.

Current CDC guidelines call for testing only individuals with certain known risk factors for hepatitis C infection. The draft recommendations for one-time testing baby boomers will be available for a public comment period from May 22 - June 8, 2012.

During Clovis Council Member Bob Whalen's unsuccessful 2010 Assembly campaign, he received a $2,900 campaign donation from a development company that is now building a Wal-Mart Supercenter-anchored project in the city.

The donation came just as Whalen cast a key City Council vote on the development at the northeast corner of Herndon and Clovis avenues.

Under pressure, Whalen eventually donated the amount to the Clovis Pet Adoption Center, though he always maintained -- and still says -- that he did nothing wrong in accepting the money.

Now, that same development company -- Orange County-based Paynter Realty & Investment -- has donated $3,900 to Whalen, who is again seeking an Assembly seat, this time in the new 23rd District.

Criticized the last time for the timing of the donation, Whalen says this time around there's no issues -- and he intends to keep this donation.

He noted the development is in the construction phase and the council hasn't voted on any issues regarding it since the one that sparked debate over the last donation.

"I'm exicted about the ... shopping center coming in," he said. "Dave Paynter has been very patient working through the process that is required for a development like that. We're honored to have them in."

As he did last time, Whalen also noted that Paynter has given to several members of the Clovis council, including those that opposed the project.

Fresno County supervisor candidate Andreas Borgeas won an endorsement this month from The Fresno Bee. But apparently it wasn't good enough.

A recent campaign piece for Borgeas includes an image of the newspaper editorial that supports him, displayed with the headline and his black-and-white photo just as in the paper, only some of the wording is changed.

Gone are the positive references to Borgeas' competitor Larry Fortune. And instead of Borgeas having a "slight edge," as the Bee's editorial board wrote, the rewritten editorial pronounces "We recommend Andreas Borgeas," no qualifiers attached.

When reached by The Bee this afternoon, Borgeas said he didn't know about the modified editorial. He said his campaign staff must have made the changes, and he acknowledged that changes should not have been made.

"I glanced at [the reprinted editorial] and it looked like it was the original material," he said. "I apologize for overlooking the very small print."

Continue reading "Fresno Supervisor candidate alters Bee endorsement to suit campaign" »

Bank of America started sending letters to mortgage customers who may be eligible for a principal mortgage reduction under the national mortgage settlement.

The first letters to more than 200,000 mortgage holders nationwide began arriving in homes last week, the bank said in a news release.

Most of the letters should be mailed out by the third quarter of this year, the bank said. They letters provide homeowners with a description of the program and directions on how to begin the review process.

Bank of America estimates that mortgage holders who qualify for a mortgage reduction could receive up to 30% off their monthly mortgage payments.

It is not known if any homeowners in Fresno County have received letters yet.

The $25 billion national mortgage settlement was approved in February.

It would provide as much as $311 million in assistance to Fresno County homeowners whose mortgages are held by the five banks involved -- Ally Financial, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

For more information on the settlement programs, Bank of America Home Loans customers can call (877) 488-7814.

Fred Karger remembers when the downtown Holiday Inn was a Hilton and a major campaign gathering spot for politicians visiting Fresno.

Karger has a long history of political work, dating back to the late 1970s with George Deukmejian, who would go on to be California's governor. Back in those days, Karger came though Fresno quite a bit.

Now, he's running for president of the United States -- as the first openly gay candidate for a major political party. He also happens to be a Republican.

Karger -- who came through Fresno today as he runs a lonely campaign ahead of the June primary election -- knows he's a long shot. He hands out Frisbees that proclaim "Fred Who?"

He's only on the ballot in six states.

But Karger, 62, is on a mission to try and help Republicans remember the party he said it was back when he made Fresno campaign stops working for Deukmejian.

That party was more moderate and less rigid in its worldview -- though even then not likely as moderate as Karger, who not only champions gay rights, but also abortion rights and marijuana legalization.

"It's a big message campaign," he says. "I'm proud to say I'm moderate."

He also feels the GOP is alienating Hispanics and other minorities, and it will hurt his party in the long run, as will the rigid orthodoxy on social issues.

Karger's California strategy is pretty simple. He's running hard in three congressional districts currently represented by Democrats -- Susan Davis of San Diego, Henry Waxman of Los Angeles and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose district covers parts of San Francisco and Marin County.

Republicans award three delegates winner-take-all to the presidential candidate who wins each of the state's 53 congressional districts.

Karger has targeted the three districts because Republican registration is relatively low, and of those registered, a high number are moderates. He figures he has the best chance of winning in those districts, and winning delegates gives him the power to go the Republican National Convention.

He wants to address the convention, but he knows that's a longshot -- especially considering some of the hostile reaction his candidacy has been greeted with from some party corners.

If Karger met with some of those Republican Party leaders in Fresno, he'd likely get a similar hostile reaction -- or at least a cold shoulder. Fresno's Republican leadership is conservative.

Instead, Karger headed out to Fresno State, where he hoped to hand out lots of Frisbees and get his message to some of the students. That's the future of the Republican Party, he said, and he said his moderate message has been well received among the young.