The U.S. Department of Energy today announced it’s providing more than $74 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic stimulus plan to expand home weatherization aid programs in California.

This is only 40 percent of California’s eventual share: The state received 10 percent in March for training and ramp-up activities, and it’ll get the other half after demonstrating successful implementation of its plan to weatherize more than 50,000 homes, thus lowering energy costs for low-income families, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating green jobs. In the end, California’s funding is expected to exceed $185 million, of which up to 20 percent can be spent to hire and train workers.

The Weatherization Assistance Program will be available to families making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, about $44,000 a year for a family of four; these families will see an estimated average of 32 percent for heating bills and savings of hundreds of dollars per year on overall energy bills, according to the Energy Department. States will spend about $6,500 to weatherize each home.

In California, more than 50 non-profits, local governments and community groups will do the work, using national auditing tools to examine homes and determine what’s needed; the state will also require that a third party inspect all weatherized properties, measuring performance based on the work’s quality and speed. And the state will follow the recommendations of the California Green Collar Jobs Council by employing members of the California Conservation Corps, YouthBuild, and other youth employment groups; outreach for the program will be done by canvassing neighborhoods, local advertising, and cooperating with landlords and property managers.

California was among 15 states with funding announced today; more than $453 million is being delivered across the nation.

Three local agencies have landed grants from the U.S. Department of Labor’s YouthBuild program, which helps out-of-school youth get their diplomas or GEDs while providing occupational training in the construction industry to build and renovate affordable housing within their communities.

The Youth Employment Partnership in Oakland gets $675,000; the City of Richmond Employment and Training Department gets $687,500; and the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton gets $687,500. All of them seem to have received funding through this program at some point in the past.

Overall, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced about $114 million granted to 183 community groups this past weekend; that’s an initial increment for two years of grant operations, and more might be awarded if money becomes available. Of the 183, 62 were current YouthBuild grantees and 121 were new. The awards include about $47 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic-stimulus funding, although the Oakland, Richmond and Stockton projects received regular funding.

YouthBuild participants include those who have been in the juvenile justice system, youth aging out of foster care, high school dropouts and others. Besides getting academic and occupational skills training, they develop leadership skills and take part in community service opportunities. Many learn green building techniques by helping to retrofit existing homes, learning to make their communities sustainable and environmentally friendly. YouthBuild was transferred by Congress from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Labor Department in 2006, and it’s being revamped to include what the Labor Department describes as “a rigorous randomized control trial evaluation of the YouthBuild program to learn more about its impact on the disadvantaged youth it serves.”

New Democrat Coalition chairwoman Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, has been getting no love from the liberal netroots – see here, here and here for examples – over her role in H.R. 1106, the foreclosure-prevention legislation. That didn’t stop her from expressing joy as the bill passed the House today on a 234-191 vote.

“I am pleased that the House approved the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. This is one component of a very large effort to stabilize the housing market and limit the number of home foreclosures in California and across the country,” she said in a statement issued this afternoon. “Accessible and sustainable loan modifications are essential to getting millions of families the tools they need to stay in their homes.”

Her news release said she “played a leading role in improving the bill, which is a key part of President Obama’s Making Home Affordable program, so that homeowners can first and foremost access a loan modification plan and, allowing homeowners in the most dire of circumstances, to seek relief through bankruptcy as a last resort.” She also “inserted language into the bill to prevent homeowners who can afford their loans from abusing the system by filing for bankruptcy just to capitalize on falling real estate prices,” the release said.

Other, more liberal Bay Area House members gave the bill similarly rosy reviews. Read ‘em, plus the GOP’s take, after the jump…
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Rick Santelli, on Thursday:

Robert Gibbs, today:

Read up on President Barack Obama’s housing plan, and decide for yourself: Who has a better grasp of the facts, and who’s blowing smoke?

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, issued the following statement today on President Obama’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan:

The plan is designed to help up to 7 to 9 million families restructure or refinance their mortgages to avoid foreclosure. The plan will help make mortgages more affordable by lowering monthly payments through refinancing; create a stability initiative that will encourage responsible loan modifications through such things as incentives to lenders; and seek to increase available credit and help maintain mortgage affordability through Fannie and Freddie.

“President Obama’s plan is part of a wide ranging strategy to jump start the economy by stemming the tide of foreclosures and providing some relief to homeowners and communities,” Tauscher said. “In the coming weeks and months, I will work with President Obama and Congressional leaders to make sure that my bill, the Housing Disaster Area Foreclosure Area Prevention Act, is part of a comprehensive solution to help homeowners in areas hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis.”

Tauscher has introduced the Housing Disaster Area Foreclosure Area Prevention Act, which would target the areas hardest hit by home foreclosures, including those in California. Under the bill, state housing agencies could provide aid to help homeowners who have “underwater mortgages” – where they owe more than the value of their home – and allow state housing agencies to use money from the $700 billion financial rescue package to help families restructure their mortgages.

From House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio:

“The housing crisis is at the heart of our economic troubles, and House Republicans want to work with the President on a plan that keeps families in their homes without asking taxpayers to bail out irresponsible lenders, scam artists, and borrowers who knowingly made bad decisions. While we hope to work together, there are many unanswered questions that remain about the proposal that was announced today. Why should we reward Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with $200 billion in taxpayer dollars without first reforming these housing entities that were at the heart of the economic meltdown? Will taxpayers be forced to subsidize the scandal-plagued activist group ACORN under this proposal? Should a responsible plan include a ‘cramdown’ provision that could increase the monthly mortgage payments for responsible borrowers?

“Taxpayers and homeowners who are playing by the rules expect their leaders in Washington to work together on solutions to get our housing industry – and our entire economy – moving again. The President’s announcement of his plan is an important step in that process, and Republicans look forward to working with him and our Democratic colleagues in Congress on this issue in the weeks and months to come.”

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, introduced a bill Wednesday that would let the California Housing Finance Agency issue an estimated $10 billion in new bonds to help refinance “underwater” mortgages and jump-start growth in neighborhoods devastated by home foreclosures.

The bill also would grant CalHFA the power to use Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) money to help families refinance their homes at a price they can afford in order to avoid foreclosure.

“Foreclosures are decimating neighborhoods from Fairfield to Antioch and Oakley,” Tauscher said in her news release. “This legislation will help families in the hardest hit areas get the additional resources they need to stay in their homes and keep these vibrant communities from disappearing.”

Tauscher’s co-authors on the bill are Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose; Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater; Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.; and Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.

Cardoza’s Central Valley district includes more than half of the city of Stockton, which has been rocked by one of the nation’s highest foreclosure rates. “As I have continued to say, the foreclosure crisis remains at the heart of our nation’s economic crisis. It is imperative that we pursue all means to address this problem and ensure that taxpayer funds are being used in the most responsible way,” he said.

UPDATE @ 8:36 A.M. THURSDAY: Click here for a copy of the bill.

Alexis has two young children, a husband injured on the job and a mortgage payment her family’s reduced income no longer covers.

“We’re about $1,000 a month short and with the economy the way it’s going, we’re in trouble,” said the Martinez mother who asked that we use only her first name. “I’m hoping I can get our lender to work with us for about six months.’

Alexis was one of several hundred people who attended a day-long mortgage foreclosure prevention workshop today jointly sponsored by three members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, George Miller, D-Martinez and Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton.

Area homeowners met with HUD-certified housing counselors, lenders and community resource organizations. They also heard from experts how to avoid scams and illegal loans, options to foreclosure, tax implications and bankruptcy.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE PACKET HANDED OUT AT THE WORKSHOP. IT INCLUDES RESOURCE PHONE NUMBERS AND INTERNET ADDRESSES, TIPS TO AVOID SCAMS AND MORE.

“You have taken a huge step by coming here today,” said Miller from the podium at the United Association Plumbers and Steamfitters union hall in Concord. “Forget the embarrassment. Many people are in trouble, many of them through no fault of their own. You must reach out to lenders and admit you have a problem. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

The congressional triumvirate convened the foreclosure prevention forum to help stem the rising foreclosure tide sweeping across the nation and California.

The East Bay has been hit hard as people on the economic edge stretched into risky loans or borrowed on home equity that no longer exists.

As people lose their homes and banks dump the properties on the market at discounted prices, everyone’s home values decline, Tauscher said. That leads to even greater numbers of homeowners whose houses are no longer worth what they paid for them.

Tauscher and her two East Bay colleagues support legislation that would allow banks to voluntarily reduce loans up to 30 percent and negotiate new mortgages with homeowners. Similar versions of the bill passed in the House and the Senate and await the outcome of a conference committee.

To help restore faith in homeownership as an investment and reduce the number of foreclosed homes for sale, the legislation also includes a tax credit for nervous but qualified first-time homebuyers who need a push to persuade them to enter the fragile market.

Are you behind on your house payments? Don’t wait until it’s too late to save your home and your credit. Call and get help or look on-line for assistance:
– HUD housing counselors: 800-569-4287 or www.hud.gov/counseling
– Hope Now, industry alliance: 1-888-995-4673 or www.hopenow.com