MONTEBELLO – Protesters from the Occupy Movement on Friday rallied outside the district office of a local legislator, asking him to support the swift passage of the California Homeowners Bill of Rights, which will come to a vote at an upcoming meeting.

Occupy LA, housing rights advocates and local homeowners are urging Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, to sign off on a bill that would give protections to homeowners to prevent foreclosures while they go through a loan modification process with their lenders.

The bill also calls for a single point of contact for lenders and strengthens due process for homeowners.

Calderon sits on a Joint Legislative Conference Committee on Foreclosure Issues, which will vote on the bill at a later date, Calderon’s staffers said.

Occupy LA members said they have been told the vote would come Monday.

“He needs to stand up for homeowners,” said Carlos Marroquin, an Occupy LA member and homeowners advocate. “It’s necessary and the only way to get him to listen.”

If the committee votes on the legislation, it will then go to the House and Senate before going to the Governor’s office.

In response to the protest, Calderon on Friday issued a statement:

“I understand the frustration and anger of homeowners who were foreclosed upon unnecessarily and without due process,” the statement read. “I, along with my colleagues on the Foreclosure Conference Committee, am working hard to craft legislation that will ensure that homeowners, who can afford to do so, are allowed to stay in their homes wherever and whenever possible. At the same, we must make sure we do nothing to stall the recovery of the housing market.”

juliette.funes@sgvn.com

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