Rep. Eshoo is hopeful HEROES Act will pass, tells Realtors election system will prevail

At a Silicon Valley Association of Realtors’ virtual webinar with U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo last week, the 18th California District Congresswoman told Realtors she was back home in her district because she needed to be with the people in the community who are affected by the fires. District 18 is located between the cities of San Francisco, Santa Cruz and San Jose, and includes portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

Updating Realtors on federal issues, Eshoo said the CARES Act, the single largest economic relief law every passed by Congress, was a bipartisan effort passed swiftly to provide relief to the American people. The House of Representatives then worked on the HEROES Act, a new stimulus package that currently faces a stalemate in Congress because Senate Republicans deem the $1 trillion package too high. Provisions include economic aid to the American people, funding for coronavirus testing and contract tracing, the extension of nutrition and food assistance programs, and free coronavirus treatment for all Americans.

Eshoo said the Democratic-led House has held out for the large monetary figure in the HEROES Act because something less does not meet the needs of the people. “There isn’t any point made in doing anything meaningless. We cannot leave people behind. We have to address these issues,” said Eshoo.

Eshoo said the pandemic and the havoc it has wreaked “has brought America to her knees.” The death toll nearing 200,000 is the equivalent of having a 9/11 tragedy every three days. At a recent discussion on the homeless she learned the food banks are feeding 500,000 people a month in the area.

“People are having to choose between putting food on their table, paying their rent, making their mortgage. I continue to believe that the only way to avoid a housing crisis is an eviction moratorium coupled with federal support for tenants and landlords. That would ensure that people can stay in their homes without pushing the economic burden off to landlords. They are also struggling in this economy,” said Eshoo.

An added layer to the pandemic is the tragedy of the wildfires. In Eshoo’s district close to 1,000 homes have been destroyed, not including homes that have been damaged, and there are 77,000 evacuees.

“We already have a public health crisis and an economic crisis. The last thing we need is a housing crisis. I’m committed to do everything I can to prevent these evictions, foreclosures and bankruptcies,” said Eshoo.

On voting by mail Eshoo said the secretaries of state across the county for the most part operate in a non-partisan way and agree chances of fraud are .0001 percent. “That’s not chilling fraud in anyone’s book,” said the Congresswoman.

When voting by mail, Eshoo said it is very important for Realtors to tell voters to fill out their ballot and get it in right away. She said the mail has been slowed down, and there will be attempts by some state legislatures to diminish the number of voting places, but she believes overall that the system is going to hold.

Eshoo said political interference has caused the public’s confidence in a vaccine to wane. She said an independent data review commission will scrutinize the data from the drug companies for their safety and efficacy. Once approved, it is likely the vaccine will first be distributed to those in need of it most.

In closing Eshoo said, “It’s tough out there, but every generation of Americans has had a challenge. I pray hard not for my party, but for my country, that we move from one of the darkest chapters in American history. But we have to keep the faith. I’m convinced that we can make it.”