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Hola comunidad.
My name is Kayla Gomez and I am a student at UCSC currently working on a project to collect the demographic information of our elected officials by conducting a census. At the start of my work with SCCV, we thought it would be interesting to look at the makeup of our elected bodies. After calling both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, their staff informed me that this data is not available and suggested that I should search the internet to find these answers. If I want to understand, I will have to either dig deep and search through various sites-- possibly even order lists from the elections office for a fee. As much as I love an opportunity to practice my open source research skills, this would not be the most effective way to go about it. As entrepreneur and co-chair of the Kapor Center, Mitch Kapor put it, “Getting information off the internet is like taking a drink from a firehose.” I share this quote because it reminds me of the overwhelming amount of unorganized information available online. When it comes to who is representing us, this information should be available and easily accessible since most of our community members don’t have hours upon hours to spend searching for bits of information. The policies our local leaders form and vote on directly affect our communities so it is important that these leaders do in fact reflect the diversity of our county. In partnership with Santa Cruz Community Ventures, I hope to conduct a census that will help us gather data on the demographics of our current leaders within the Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. If we had demographic data for our boards, councils and commissions, it could help us identify any gaps and we could work together to ensure that we move toward filling these gaps. With that said, I will be keeping you all up to date throughout this process by writing blog posts with updates. Kayla Gomez, SCCV Team Member
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My name is Luis Adrian Manzo, I grew up in Monterey County. I was first exposed to non-profit and community-based work when I was in high school. I was fortunate enough to meet amazing leaders in my community as well as expose myself to some of the great work they have done and continue to do. Since then it has always been my desire to return to my community and be a mentor for the next generation of leaders. Through my work with Community Ventures I hope to be able to give the tools necessary for residents in Santa Cruz County and its neighboring counties to feel empowered to fight for their future.
By Marco Aguilar, Financial Capability Lead I am a first-generation college graduate who comes from immigrant parents from Nayarit, Mexico and I am the oldest of three. My parents taught me the importance of my roots never forgetting who I am and where I come from which has shaped my passion for Latinx empowerment. I first moved up to Santa Cruz to start school at UC Santa Cruz and I graduated with a degree in Spanish Studies with a concentration in Language and Linguistics. I spent some time living in Mexico to pursue a dental degree I was not able to finish it due to the financial hardship my family was going through at the time, so I decided to come back to the US. So, I know of the challenges that some may face in trying to pursue higher education. During my time at UC Santa Cruz, I was part of an organization called Hermanos Unidos where I served as fundraising chair which gave me the opportunity to be helped and help others in the journey that is graduating college. I am happy to have the opportunity to be able to share my story with other people and help future generations find a path to success as well as provide the tools needed to get there. I have experience in management since I was a General Manager at Panda Express after graduating from UC Santa Cruz. I decided to work for a non-profit because I wanted to find ways in which my career could involve helping Latinx community here in Santa Cruz county as well as being able to be a resource to people in this community. I am excited to be part of this team and look forward to the great things that we can accomplish together. By Haven Shannon, Program Associate
This week, we hosted a community conversation on Predatory Lending. After a welcome from Watsonville’s City Manager, Matt Huffaker, Professor Heather Bullock from UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center presented to the audience the findings of Mamas con Mas, a report that identified that the City of Watsonville had almost three times the number of predatory lenders as compared to the City of Santa Cruz. Maria Cadenas, Executive Director of Santa Cruz Community Ventures (SCCV), shared SCCV’s recommendations to address predatory lending in Watsonville, including:
Those present then discussed barriers facing the community, their vision for the future of Watsonville, and suggestions of what could be explored to address the issue. Some of the community recommendations included:
Some of those present included: City Councilmen Aurelio Gonzalez and Lowell Hurst, Carmen Mansir Herrera of El Pajaro CDC, Erwin Reeves, Community Affairs Regional Manager at the FDIC, as well as leaders of organizations such as Salud Para la Gente, Mid-Pen Housing, Opportunity Fund, Families in Transition, First5 Santa Cruz, FoodWhat?!, Community Foundation of Monterey County, and Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County. Por Brando Sencion, Coordinador del programa
Hay muchas formas de generar crédito: una tarjeta de crédito, una tarjeta asegurada y préstamos pequeños. Estos son los tipos de productos de creación de crédito más utilizados por los consumidores. Pero a medida que comienza su viaje de crédito, es importante evitar los productos de crédito con tasas de interés extremadamente altas. Según WalletHub, la tasa de interés promedio de la tarjeta de crédito es del 19.24% para las nuevas ofertas, y la tasa promedio de las tarjetas de crédito aseguradas es del 18.81%. ¡Pero algunas tarjetas de crédito tienen tasas de interés de hasta el 28%! Lo cual puede ser peligroso para los usuarios de crédito por primera vez. Especialmente para jóvenes o nuevos clientes con conocimiento o experiencia limitada con crédito. A menudo, las compañías de tarjetas de crédito cobran altas tasas de interés a los usuarios de tarjetas de crédito por primera vez debido a su falta de historial crediticio. Lo cual es común, pero algunas compañías de crédito crean productos específicamente para aquellos con conocimiento limitado y acceso a buenos productos de crédito. Estas compañías facilitan que los consumidores obtengan crédito y, a menudo, carecen de transparencia sobre el costo real de la tarjeta. Lo que hace que este tipo de tarjetas de crédito o líneas de crédito sean depredadoras por naturaleza. Asegúrese de tomarse el tiempo para comprender el producto o servicio que está obteniendo para construir su crédito. En el lado positivo, hay productos que buscan ayudarlo a construir crédito. Por ejemplo, Amazon se ha asociado con Synchrony Financial para lanzar "Amazon Store Credit Builder", un programa que prestará a los compradores de Amazon sin historial crediticio o mal crédito. La tarjeta estará disponible para residentes de EE. UU. Mayores de 18 años con un número de seguro social válido o ITIN, y solo se puede usar para compras en Amazon.com. Se espera que Amazon Store Credit Card Builder sea una "tarjeta asegurada" con un límite de crédito de hasta $ 1,000. La tarjeta se considera segura porque se espera que los clientes depositen un anticipo para su límite de crédito. El depósito es reembolsable una vez que la tarjeta de crédito se haya pagado por completo y desee cerrar la cuenta, o si desea actualizar a su tarjeta tradicional de Amazon Store. Además de las compañías de tarjetas de crédito o los bancos, algunas organizaciones sin fines de lucro ofrecen programas de creación de crédito. En SCCV, CreditBound, un vehículo de creación de crédito para jóvenes (18-25 años) combina una plataforma en línea con educación crediticia en persona. El programa ofrece a los jóvenes que ingresan a la fuerza laboral la oportunidad de obtener crédito en un entorno seguro y controlado, junto con educación financiera para aumentar el conocimiento y el acceso al bienestar financiero. Por Brando Sencion, Coordinador del programa
Recientemente he estado recibiendo múltiples llamadas telefónicas que amenazan con "suspender" mi número de Seguro Social debido a actividades ilegales o impuestos no pagados al IRS. También les pregunté a collages y miembros de la comunidad si habían recibido estas llamadas, y lo hicieron. ¡Cuidado, estas llamadas son una estafa! El propósito de estas llamadas es obtener información personal sobre usted o engañarlo para que les dé dinero. En cada situación, el objetivo principal de la persona que llama es dañarlo financieramente. Al obtener su información personal, el estafador puede usar esa información para robar su identidad. Con su información, esa persona puede solicitar un crédito a su nombre, abrir cuentas o buscar atención médica. Estas llamadas también se conocen como phishing. La suplantación de identidad es la práctica fraudulenta de enviar correos electrónicos o llamadas telefónicas que actúan para ser de una empresa u organización acreditada con el fin de convencer a las personas a revelar información personal, como contraseñas, números de seguro social o números de tarjetas de crédito. Una cosa a tener en cuenta es que el IRS o la Oficina del Seguro Social generalmente (aunque no siempre) se comunicarán con usted enviándole una carta. Es posible realizar una llamada telefónica, pero las agencias gubernamentales tienden a comunicarse primero con usted por correo. También es importante tener en cuenta que si la persona que está al otro lado del teléfono amenaza con arrestarte o enviar a la policía a tu casa, es muy probable que sea una estafa. Ese tipo de amenazas son ilegales y no serían realizadas por un empleado del gobierno. Según el sitio web del IRS, el IRS no:
Si ha sido víctima de una de estas llamadas telefónicas, consulte IdentityTheft.gov o IRS.gov (consulte a continuación) para obtener recursos. Otro paso proactivo que puede tomar es verificar su informe de crédito de forma gratuita en AnnualCreditReport.com, que le permite verificar su informe de las tres agencias de crédito cada 12 meses. Por Brando Sencion, Coordinador del programa
Según el Silicon Valley Business Journal, en 2012 había 3,3 millones de empresas de propiedad latina en los Estados Unidos, que crecieron un 46% desde 2007. En contraste, las empresas de propiedad blanca disminuyeron un 6% en el mismo período de tiempo. La propiedad de negocios latinos lidera la nación en crecimiento para la propiedad de negocios, pero aún enfrentan muchas barreras financieras. Una barrera común es el acceso a préstamos bancarios. Un estudio de 2018 realizado por Stanford Graduate School Business descubrió que los propietarios de negocios latinos dependen del financiamiento informal y están sujetos a un mayor riesgo financiero debido a la baja calificación crediticia y al historial crediticio limitado. Los resultados de estas circunstancias son que los dueños de negocios latinos tienen más probabilidades de tener acceso limitado a préstamos bancarios tradicionales y están sujetos a altas tasas de interés. La barrera para acceder a los préstamos bancarios tradicionales puede llevar a los propietarios de negocios latinos a acceder a fondos rápidos y fáciles de servicios de préstamos alternativos. Más que a menudo, los servicios de préstamos alternativos pueden imponer condiciones de préstamo injustas y abusivas para el préstamo, que son préstamos predatorios. Estos tipos de préstamos tienden a ser a corto plazo, fáciles de obtener, implican tarifas como multas por pago anticipado y consisten en términos y precios poco claros. Aquí hay 3 signos comunes de un posible préstamo predatorio:
Encuentra más señales de advertencia aquí. https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/sites/gsb/files/publication-pdf/slei-report-2018-latino-owned-businesses-shinging-light-national-trends.pdf https://us.accion.org/resource/what-predatory-lending/ By Haven Shannon, Program Associate
SCCV initiative Familas con Mas focuses on education and advocacy around predatory lending. This work was born out of the finding of our Mamas Con Mas study, a project with UCSC Blum Center. This study focused on Latina mothers' financial experiences with both traditional and alternative financial institutions. Mamas con Mas found that despite having bank accounts, many women found alternative lenders easier to access than traditional banks due to confusing fees and limited cultural competency of staff. However, the convenience of these services often comes at an interest rate as high as 459%! Mothers used these alternative lenders to obtain funds to pay for basic needs such as rent and emergencies. The study results shed light on the fact that a lack of financial options and education often lead vulnerable community members to fall prey to predatory loan practices. SCCV created the Familias con Mas initiative to educate community members, and advocate to address predatory lending. Payday lenders are predatory businesses that target low income, minority communities, and the elderly. In the city of Watsonville, where 82% of the population Latino, many residents experience barriers accessing mainstream banking services. As a result, alternative lenders such as payday loans, pawn shops and check cashing stores are perceived as easier to access. The high rates and density of these businesses is predatory on the community. In California, the State Legislature is expected to pass the Fair Access to Credit Act, which blocks lenders from charging more than 36% on loans of $2,500 to $10,000. While this is progress in addressing predatory lending, it does not address the small dollar amount loans that hurt consumers' pockets the hardest. At the local level, cities such as Gilroy and San Jose have adopted strategies to protect their residents. To explore what could be done in Watsonville, a community conversation is being planned to discuss the issue on October 15, 2019 at 9am at the Watsonville Civic Plaza Community Room with support of the City of Watsonville. The event is free and open to the public. Register here! By Brando Sencion, Program Coordinator
Recently I’ve been receiving multiple phone calls threatening to “suspend” my Social Security number because of illegal activity or unpaid taxes to the IRS. I’ve also asked collages and community members if they have received these calls, and they have. Beware, these calls are a scam! The purpose of these calls is to obtain personal information about you or trick you into giving them money. In each situation the main objective of the caller is to financially harm you. By obtaining your personal information, the scammer can use that information to steal your identity. With your information that person can then apply for credit under your name, open accounts, or seek medical attention. These calls are also known as phishing. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails or phone calls acting to be from a reputable company or organization in order to convince individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords, social security numbers, or credit card numbers. One thing to note is that the IRS or Social Security Office usually (not always though) will contact you by first sending a letter. A phone call is possible, but government agencies tend to communicate with you by mail first. It is also important to note that if the person on the other side of the phone threatens to have you arrested or send police to your home it is more than likely a scam. Those types of threats are illegal and would not be made by a government employee. Per the IRS website, the IRS will not:
If you have fallen victim to one of these phone calls, please refer to IdentityTheft.gov or IRS.gov for resources. Another proactive step you can take is to check your credit report for free on AnnualCreditReport.com, which allows you to check your report from all three credit bureaus every 12 months. Note you can choose to pull a report from one of the three credit bureaus and pull another two later down the road if needed. By Brando Sencion, Program Coordinator
There are many ways to build credit: a credit card, a secured card, and small loans. These are the types of credit building products most commonly used by consumers. But as your credit journey begins it is important to avoid credit products with extremely high interest rates. According to WalletHub, the average credit card interest rate is 19.24% for new offers, and the average rate for secured credit cards is 18.81%. But some credit cards have interest rates up to 28%! Which can be dangerous for first time credit users. Especially for youth or new customers with limited knowledge or experience with credit. Often credit card companies will charge first time credit card users high interest rates because of their lack of credit history. Which is common, but some credit companies create products specifically for those with limited knowledge and access of good credit products. These companies make it easy for consumers to obtain credit and often lack transparency around the true cost of the card. Which makes these types of credit cards or lines of credit predatory by nature. Be sure to take the time to understand the product or service you are obtaining to build your credit. On the bright side there are products that look to help you build credit. For example, Amazon has partnered with Synchrony Financial to launch “Amazon Store Credit Builder,” a program that will lend to amazon shoppers with no credit history or bad credit. The card will be available to US residents over 18 with a valid social security number or ITIN, and can only be used for Amazon.com purchases. The Amazon Store Credit Card Builder is expected to be a “secured card” with a credit limit up to $1,000. The card is considered secured because customers are expected to deposit a down payment for their credit limit. The deposit is refundable once the credit card is paid in full and you wish to close the account, or if you want to upgrade to their traditional Amazon Store Card. In addition to credit card companies or banks some non-profits offer credit building programs. At SCCV, CreditBound, a credit building vehicle for youth (18-25 years old) combines an online platform with in-person credit education. The program offers youth entering the workforce the opportunity to build credit in a safe and controlled environment, paired with financial education to increase knowledge and access to financial wellbeing. |
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