Reports
My office is actively looking in to issues that affect residents of the Inland Empire.
Below are several of the reports my office has put together.
A Plan to Fight Poverty
Released: October 15, 2015
Even as the American economy achieves robust growth, many families in the Inland Empire and across the country continue to suffer from persistent poverty. My office put together the following report to highlight the impact of poverty in our community and to offer solutions that will help thousands of our neighbors, friends and family lift themselves out of poverty.
Supporting Documents
A Plan to Address Deep Poverty in America
8 Persistant Myths About Poverty in America
100 Businesses of the Inland Empire
Released: August 26, 2014
In working to ensure that the Inland Empire economy remains on the road to recovery, we must provide our local small businesses with the resources they need to continue growing, innovating, and creating jobs.Last year, I visited 100 businesses in California’s 41st Congressional District to get a first-hand understanding of the challenges local business leaders face, and how to best advocate for the priorities of the Inland Empire while in Washington, DC.
This report uses the knowledge gained through these visits and an accompanying survey to offer a set of policy proposals that will help get the Inland Empire back to work.
Public Transportation In Riverside County: How to Break Down Barriers to Access for the Disabled and Elderly
Released: August 19, 2014
My office released a report about the lack of access to public transportation for seniors and disabled residents in Riverside County. The report showed that in the Riverside-San Bernardino Metro Area, 69 percent of seniors will have poor transit access by 2015 and that adults with disabilities are twice as likely as those without disabilities to have inadequate transportation. The report also found that families in the Inland Empire, on average, spend slightly more on the combined costs of housing and transportation than the 28 largest metropolitan areas.
Reverse Mortgages: Senior Housing Bubble Held Together by Glue and Tax Dollars
Released: April 24, 2014
My office released a report about the potential dangers of reverse mortgages, which allow seniors to take equity out of their homes to help pay for living expenses or other costs. As the equity in their home decreases, the amount of the loan increases. Unlike a traditional mortgage, seniors do not make monthly payments. The loan becomes due when the borrower dies, moves out of the house, or fails to maintain the property and pay homeowner’s insurance and property taxes. This type of loan is almost always insured by the Federal Housing Administration.
As financial pressures on seniors have increased, the numbers of reverse mortgages have grown, and so have the opportunities for unscrupulous lenders to take advantage of seniors. These loans are complex, expensive, and drain equity from the property, leaving seniors with very few options later in life.
Supporting Documents
Rent on the Rise in Riverside
Released: January 23, 2014
My office issued a report showing that one in three renters in Riverside County is paying more than fifty percent of their income on rent, a twenty percent increase since 2007. The report also show that the number of people paying more than half of their income on rent in Riverside County is rising faster than other Southern California counties.
The report, gathered from information available in the Census’ American Community Survey, also showed that while rent has continued to rise, wages are still below their 2007 levels, making the increase in rent even more difficult to afford.
Supporting Documents
- Background Information on Rental Backed Securities
- Letter to the House Financial Services Committee
- Letter to the Securities Exchange Commission
- Response from the Securities Exchange Commission
- Letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Response from the Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Letter to the Treasury Department's Office of Financial Research
- Response from the Office of Financial Research
The State of Transportation in the Inland Empire
Released: September 3, 2013
My office conducted a transportation survey of my district in May and recently published the results here. 548 community members responded to the survey that asked which transportation and infrastructure issue was most important to them. Respondents from Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Jurupa Valley were most concerned about freeway maintenance, while residents of Perris wanted to see increased public transit options. Other concerns included transit options for the disabled as well as increased pedestrian and cyclist safety.
