Schwarzenegger to Seniors and Tenants: Drop Dead!

Consider California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He recently eliminated from the state budget the annual renters rebate for seniors that provided a little economic relief (up to $347 a year) to elderly persons on a fixed income. He did the same thing to the tax rebate for senior homeowners. A terminator’s got no time for feelings.

Schwarzenegger also nixed two bills that would have assisted renters caught in the foreclosure of their landlord’s property. One would have made crystal clear that the bank or mortgage company that forecloses (and now owns the property) is responsible for returning a tenant’s security deposit. The other would have helped tenants turn back on their utilities (such as lights and gas) when heartless companies shut them off, which, as unbelievable as it sounds, they do.

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