Mar182021

NAC Blog: Yes In My Back Yard, turning thoughts into action

NAC

In the business of “change making” or advocacy, we seldom ever do anything alone. We need partners. The first step in laying out a strategy is to figure out who our friends are and who will join us in battle.As housing inventory continues to be the number one barrier to advancing sustainable Hispanic homeownership, the situation in California is probably the most severe. But at the same time, the advocacy community around addressing the housing inventory shortage and spurring housing production is also the most organized. One of the leading voices on housing inventory in the state of California is our friend Brian Hanlon, the President & CEO of the Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) initiative.

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Mar112021

NAC Blog: The next American rescue package is here

NAC

Como estan? Have you all registered for the 2021 NAHREP National Convention and Housing Policy Summit yet? Don’t forget that this year the conference is free to all members and only $50 for non-members. We’ve been working hard to make sure we bring you top-notch content, give you resources to help you grow as a professional, and cement yourself as a leader in your field and community. So excited to see you all virtually next month!

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Mar42021

NAC Blog: Who will be the first Latino President?

NAC

Last year, our CEO Gary Acosta and the NAHREP National Board of Directors set a number of audacious goals for our organization that pertain to the broader Latino community: Guide the Latino community to be among the wealthiest and most philanthropic in the nation; Build NAHREP to be the largest and most effective economic mobility organization in America; Incubate 1,000 new Hispanic millionaires and five new Hispanic billionaires; Help Latinos dominate the Fortune 500 boardrooms and C-Suites; Help elect the first Latino President of the United States of America. At the National Advocacy Committee, our work is directly tied to helping build NAHREP into the largest and most effective economic mobility organization in America. For that, we have to build strong relationships with elected officials.

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Feb252021

NAC Blog: The time to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform starts now.

NAC

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 was released last week by Senator Bob Menendez in the Senate and U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez in the House of Representatives. We’ve waited for this moment for a long time familia, a real shot at passing comprehensive immigration reform. If you look at every single one of our State of Hispanic Homeownership Reports, you’ll find that passing a sweeping immigration bill has been a consistent cornerstone of our policy priorities for the past decade. You may ask, what does immigration have to do with housing and advancing sustainable Hispanic homeownership? Everything.

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Feb182021

NAC Blog: Congress takes on housing inventory

NAC

First of all, to all of our familia in Texas going through the freezing weather and power outages, in a state with an infrastructure not built to withstand those temperatures, I hope everyone is safe and warm. I hope all of you are putting your “San Marcos cobijas” to good use, you know you have them. To all of our NAHREP Tejanos, you’ve been in my thoughts and prayers. Speaking of Texas, last week I met with all of the NAHREP government affairs directors in Texas. Coming from California with outrageous housing prices, I tend to see Texas as the state where all the Californian’s are moving to. However, based on that conversation, it is clear that housing inventory shortages are being felt universally across the nation, even in Texas.

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Feb102021

NAC Blog: The latest on CRA

NAC

A few weeks ago, the National Advocacy Committee Regionals met for a virtual retreat to plan out the year and dream big goals for what we can accomplish as we grow our advocacy operation. As we prepare for a year of big legislative fights, such as increasing housing inventory and passing immigration reform, we need to be prepared and ready to wield the power of our people when it counts. One of the primary ways in which we do that is through growing our National Advocacy Committee, individuals that have raised their hand to join our advocacy efforts. If you are receiving this blog post via email, you’ve likely already joined the NAC. You know the drill, you’re a rock star! If you’re reading this through social media, we invite you to join today.

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Feb32021

NAC Blog: Rethinking Cities After COVID-19

NAC

Aside from my work in the policy and advocacy space, I run the Hispanic Wealth Project along with HWP Chairman Jerry Ascencio. One of my favorite things about the NAHREP 10 is that no matter where we are in our financial journey, whether we just got our real estate license and are working on paying off our credit cards or we’re extremely successful business owners, there is always a place to improve. For me, I’ve been focusing on tackling NAHREP 10 Discipline #5: Invest at least 20% of your income in real estate and stocks, because they are the best and safest way to build wealth.

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Jan272021

NAC Blog: Immigration Bill Introduced in Congress

NAC

Let’s talk about immigration today. I am declaring it into the universe: We will pass comprehensive immigration reform by the end of the year. Who is with me here? I’ve had a front row seat to two previous attempts at passing an immigration reform bill in Washington D.C. The reason these bills haven’t passed is because immigration is HARD. Immigration is what is known in politics as a wedge issue, or issues that invoke strong responses from both sides.

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Jan202021

NAC Blog: A new President and a flurry of executive actions, the fate of the GSEs & NAHREP CA takes on housing inventory

NAC

Today we wake up to a new President. Yesterday we saw the first Latina Supreme Court Justice swear in the first woman of color to the office of Vice President, and J-Lo reclaimed our place in this country by singing “This Land is Our Land.” So much to unpack there. However, between last week and this week a whole lotta POLICY that applies to our mission happened so let’s get right to it.

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Jan132021

NAC Blog: Democracy, you ok girl?

NAC

As the daughter of immigrants, I tend to look at “Democracy” through the lens of my parents and my grandparents. I grew up hearing stories of how the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), the party that dominated Mexico for 71 years, would go into the “ranchos,” or rural Mexico where my family comes from, and buy people off prior to elections by giving them free washing machines or refrigerators in exchange of votes.

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