Campaign News

Tracey Corder, an organizer with the progressive Center for Popular Democracy, said she has been meeting with Republican members of Congress in recent days and urging them to take Ford’s allegations seriously.“Survivors are being retraumatized by all of this, and we’ve been telling [senators] that we need a Supreme Court justice who is a fair and decent person,” said Corder, who flew in from Oakland, California, to join the demonstrations. “If this were an episode of Scandal, [Kavanaugh] would have withdrawn by now,” she continued. “That’s our current politics —it’s even more absurd than television.”

Read the full article here.

Mayors of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago Launch 'Cities for Citizenship'

Wall Street Journal, Michael Howard Saul, September 17, 2014   -  The mayors of the nation's three largest cities—New York, Los Angeles and Chicago—plan to launch a new effort on Wednesday to increase citizenship among legal permanent residents, an effort officials hope will spread across the country.

The initiative, titled "Cities for Citizenship," will help the three cities expand naturalization programs and other ventures dedicated to helping immigrants secure their financial footing through counseling, legal assistance and microloans.

Citigroup, the founding corporate partner, is contributing more than $1.1 million.

The initiative comes as the number of legal immigrants becoming citizens is on the rise. Last year, naturalizations in the U.S. increased to 779,929, up nearly 3% from 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration.

In the New York metro area, naturalizations have increased at the greatest pace among metropolitan areas nationwide, up roughly 37% in 2013 compared with 2011. In the Los Angeles metro area, naturalizations climbed about 12% between 2011 and 2013, while in the metro region that includes Chicago, the number of naturalizations has remained stagnant, mirroring many other places nationwide.

"Citizenship is a powerful poverty-fighting tool because it brings huge economic benefits to families and to communities," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "More than that, it helps keep families together."

A report to be released Wednesday—from the Center for Popular Democracy and the National Partnership for New Americans, two nonprofit groups, and the University of Southern California—shows the economic benefit that citizenship brings to local economies.

According to the report, the increase in earnings to immigrants, who otherwise wouldn't have become citizens, is estimated to add between $1.8 and $4.1 billion over 10 years to New York's economy; between $1.6 billion and $2.8 billion in Los Angeles; and between $1 billion and $1.6 billion in Chicago.

Among the nearly nine million permanent residents nationwide who are eligible for citizenship, there are currently about 450,000 New Yorkers who are "one step away" from becoming naturalized, Mr. de Blasio said. Many haven't completed the process because of the cost, Mr. de Blasio said, but the new initiative will help them navigate the legal process and obtain financial assistance.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said his goal is to make Chicago "the most immigrant-friendly" city in the country.

Almost half of all new businesses are started by immigrants, Mr. Emanuel said. "So, you can't be pro-small business and anti-immigrant," he said. "They're inconsistent."

Bob Annibale, global director of community development at Citigroup, said statistics clearly show poverty levels are much higher among foreign-born residents than those who have become citizens.

"So, there really is a value in helping people not only to build a national identity, but with that, their financial identity," Mr. Annibale said. "And that's sort of the role where we felt we could be part of this."

As part of the initiative, the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs in New York City will issue a study on the economic impact of citizenship programs for mayors across the country in hopes of demonstrating the value of funding naturalization programs as a way to combat poverty.

"Immigrants are the backbone of our economy," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "It's time we encouraged their successful integration into our social and political tapestry to continue boosting our economy and not stand in the way of it."

Source: The Wall Street Journal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2013

Contact: Tony Perlstein, Center for Popular Democracy (917) 647-7751, TPerlstein@populardemocracy.org

REPORT:  NYC GOVERNMENT CAN RAISE $1B ANNUALLY FOR BUDGET AND CREATE $1 BILLION IN MAIN STREET STIMULUS BY USING $350B WALL STREET MARKET POWER

New York does enough business with Wall Street to renegotiate bad deals

On the heels of a mayoral victory won on the issue of inequality, a new report released today by the Center for Popular Democracy shows that New York City could generate an additional billion dollars annually for the city budget and generate a billion dollars in economic stimulus by effectively using its $350 billion per year in financial market power.  The report, “One New York for All of Us: Leveraging New York’s Financial Power to Combat Inequity” shows the city could save as much as $1 billion annually and stimulate the economy by about $1 billion more.

The city’s financial market power comes from the $200.4 billion that the city’s pension funds have invested in Wall Street institutions combined with an additional $150 billion in debt issuance and payments made and received.

“New York City is uniquely positioned to lead the way in holding Wall Street to an appropriate high standard,” said Connie Razza, lead author of the report and Director of Strategic Research Initiatives at the Center for Popular Democracy.  “We spend a ton of money with them, and we should use that clout.  The city and its related authorities have powerful financial leverage and economic power to demand short, medium and long-term changes from Wall Street that will save money for taxpayers, bring in more revenue for essential city services, and move new investments and new jobs into our neighborhoods and small businesses.”

The report kicks off a week of action to draw attention to the ways Wall Street and big corporations continue to siphon resources away from average New Yorkers and point toward solutions that would help reduce inequality and build economic fairness.

“In 2013, New Yorkers voted for a Mayor committed to addressing the vast inequality in our city, and for a strong plurality of progressive City Council members committed to broader prosperity,” said Michael Kink, Executive Director of the Strong Economy for All Coalition. “In 2014, we’ll start to build a New York that works for all of us. This report maps the way – and tells us to begin by changing the way the city does business with Wall Street.”

“This is our moment,” said Camille Rivera, Executive Director of United NY.  “We have the opportunity to make real change in the city and the state, but only if our elected officials know we have their back.”

“One New York for All of Us” highlights concrete solutions to address the imbalance in the city’s relationship with Wall Street. The report details how reforming the city’s relationship with banks could save a minimum of $725 million each year for the city budget, withhold another $300 million in current bank subsidies banks until job-creation commitments are fulfilled, and stimulate the local economy by another $1 billion per year, creating nearly 17,000 jobs.

Key recommendations:

Renegotiate toxic financial deals to save up to $725 million each year. -Use the city’s economic and financial leverage to lower fees and interest rates for new and existing financial services; -Investigate unethical behavior by Wall Street and prosecute fraud to the fullest extent of the law to recover losses; -If Wall Street won’t negotiate in good faith, bring the functions into the city by creating an in-house financial management team and/or a publicly owned city bank.   Save money and create jobs by holding banks to firm commitments to the community in return for $300 million each year in city subsidies for banks.   Write down underwater mortgages to keep 86,000 families in their homes and stimulate the local economy by as much as $1 billion, creating nearly 17,000 jobs.

Key factual findings:

The city and associated entities pay $160 million a year for bad deals with banks. The city, its pension funds, and the MTA pay $563 million in base Wall Street fees each year. New York City and State give banks subsidies worth about $300 million a year, without ensuring that New York City communities will benefit. Because their wages are so low, 39% of bank tellers and their family members rely on at least one public assistance program, at a total government cost of $112 million. During the past 5 years, foreclosures have cost New York City $1.9 billion in expenses and lost revenue.

“Due to the bank-induced mortgage craze and crisis, 20% of New York homeowners owe more on their homes than the homes are worth,” explains New York Communities for Change Executive Director Jonathan Westin. “By adjusting bank-inflated mortgages down to fair market value, we could stimulate the local economy by as much as $1 billion and create 17,000 new jobs. It’s good for homeowners, good for communities, good for the city, and even good for banks – whose risk of defaults would drop dramatically.”

“This report highlights the power that our city has to take a stand to improve income inequality. The Great Recession has not eased for most New Yorkers. We have lost good jobs, and the remaining jobs have actually deteriorated. In banking itself, this is shockingly true,” said Deborah Axt, Make the Road New York’s Co-Executive Director. “Frontline bank workers report less pay, inadequate healthcare, and more work with less staff. A full 32% of surveyed bank workers even report working overtime without pay. It is a tragic moment in New York City history when we learn that the wealthiest and most powerful corporations in our nation, perhaps the world, seem to be committing wage theft.”

ABOUT NEW DAY NEW YORK COALITION

The New Day New York Coalition is a new coalition made up of community groups, faith organizations, labor unions, and veterans of Occupy Wall Street working for years on issues of economic fairness – united to organize a week of actions demonstrating that the vision and policy principles New Yorkers voted for in the past election have popular support and practical pathways forward.

The coalition includes Center for Popular Democracy; United NY; Strong Economy for All Coalition; ALIGN NY; New York Communities for Change; Make the Road NY; Alliance for Quality Education; Coalition for Educational Justice; Walmart Free New York; Coalition for the Homeless; Food and Water Watch; NY Citizen Action; Met Council on Housing; Community Voices Heard; United Federation of Teachers; Professional Staff Congress; Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (UFCW); Communication Workers of America Transport Workers Union Local 100; New York State Nurses Association; Service Employees International Union 1199 – United Healthcare Workers East; Service Employees International Union 32BJ; Alternative Banking; Not An Alternative; Beautiful Trouble; 99 Pickets; MoveOn NY; and others.

Grant to Ohio raises questions over the federal Charter School Program’s grant making process

CPD report on fraud, waste and abuse in charter schools

Following an announcement that the U.S. Dept. of Education will give $157 million in taxpayer funds to charter schools, Kyle Serrette, director of education at the Center for Popular Democracy, released the following statement:

“As our 2015 national report on the charter school fraud demonstrates, there are regulatory shortcomings that foster fraud, waste and abuse in charter schools. It is alarming that Ohio is the largest grantee. One would think that the sheer volume of fraud, waste, and mismanagement that has been documented in the state would have disqualified them from receiving this federal windfall.  Our research has documented over $15 million in fraud, waste, or mismanagement, which means that thousands of children are being robbed of a quality education. Giving the Ohio charter schools $71 million makes no sense. 

Some cases of Ohio fraud, waste, and mismanagement include:

Auditor Investigation: In January 2015, the state auditor released a report of the results of unannounced visits by inspectors to 30 charter schools. In nearly half of the schools, the school-provided headcount was significantly higher than the auditors’ headcount.

Greater Achievement Community Charter School: An Ohio state audit found that administrators at the Greater Achievement Community Charter School egregiously mismanaged public funds, sometimes using money for personal expenses. Between 2003 and 2010, the auditors found that Greater Achievement developer Elijah Scott diverted over $46,000 of public funds into his personal account. The school’s financial records could not adequately account for excessive cash withdrawals from ATMs and other sources and the school overall was found to have misspent at least $570,000. Source: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index. ssf/2012/03/audit_finds_more_than_570000_i.html

Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy Charter School: After receiving an anonymous tip, the Ohio Auditor of State’s office investigated the Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy Charter School and found that administrators stole at least $148,000 of taxpayer money. Superintendent Dr. Lisa Hamm and school treasurer Stephanie Millard were indicted in March of 2013 on multiple criminal charges. The two are alleged to have used school funds to pay for things such as sightseeing tours through Europe, a $20,000 tour of California, and a Chicago trip to a Tina Turner concert, all under the guise of visiting schools to identify best practices or for professional development. Source: http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/charterschool-officials-to-appear-in-court-for-allegedly-spending- 148k-in-school-funds

Many more instances of Ohio fraud, waste, and abuse can be found in our report.

Recently U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown blasted

Ohio's charter school system for having rampant waste and fraud. In a statement he said, "We want to make sure these charter schools effectively educate children," "Right now they're not.”

“It’s time to fix our broken charter oversight system. Sending millions of more dollars to states with broken charter schools laws will only exacerbate the fraud problem.” said Serrette

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The Center for Popular Democracy promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda.