One of the first things Donald Trump did in his second term was gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB was created in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis to protect consumers from predatory lending and deceptive financial products.
On Tuesday, County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer held a news conference where she detailed a list of things the newly proposed County Consumer Protection Unit would handle.
“A fee shows up after you’ve already agreed to the price. Rent suddenly jumps, an insurance claim gets denied when your family needs care the most. Pollution in your community drives up medical bills and lowers property values,” she said.
Along with Lawson-Remer were people who’ve had those kinds of things happen to them.
“Someone stole my social security number and filed a tax return of $158,000,” said Air Force veteran Tonya Savice.
Savice said the theft caused a cascading effect.
“It caused my Social Security disability to be stopped — $1,500 a month I’ve lost in income. Now I can’t even afford to live in San Diego county,” she said.
Jesus Martin Gallegos-Munoz lives near the Tijuana River. He said beginning in 2020, chemical and wastewater pollution from the river began decimating his health.
“My immune system was trying to protect me from contaminants and pollutants in my environment, but in doing so, I developed chronic uveitis, gastritis, colitis and sacroiliitis,” Gallegos-Munoz said.
Another speaker said black mold developed in his apartment.
Daniel Fuentes said getting his landlord to do something about the mold was not easy.
“I am here as someone who has had to fight against the corporate landlord class in order to receive the relocation assistance that was owed to me,” Fuentes said.
Lawson-Remer said the new CFPP would help consumers deal with those sorts of issues when they have nowhere else to turn.
“Its mission is straightforward: Enforce consumer protection laws, stop illegal practices that raise costs, and help residents recover money when they have been harmed,” she said.
Lawson-Remer said the county will pay for this Consumer Protection Unit with money it gets from settlements along the way. But if the board votes to approve it, they want to get it up and running as soon as possible. She said the county already has the money to do that. Lawson-Remer said that money came from a settlement the county got in a lawsuit that was settled several years ago.
The board will vote on the proposal at their meeting next week. If they approve, Lawson-Remer said it will begin its work as soon as it has the staff it needs.
