Dennis Cardoza Obama Spreading Fairy Dust

Democrat Representative Dennis Cardoza (C-18th) says the Obama administration is spreading "fairy dust" and slams Shaun Donovan, the Urban Development Secretary, for saying California's Central Valley has had improvement in foreclosure rates.

Dennis Cardoza

Donovan said thanks to Obama's "targeted tools," the housing market in the Central Valley is beginning to stabilize. Cardoza dares to differ:

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., noted that the three biggest cities in his district are ranked in the top 10 of RealtyTrac’s foreclosure list and claims Donovan has a “fundamental disconnect” between the reality on the ground and the fairy dust the administration is spreading."

Cardoza says that Donovan failed to note the delinquency rate in his district has risen to more than 16 percent when he touted the decline in foreclosure rates in the Central Valley.

"In most simple terms: things are not getting better in the Central Valley, they are getting worse," he wrote.

The Fresno Bee Opinion blog says Cardoza is trying to keep Donovan from traveling:

As Cardoza put it in a telephone interview with The Bee, his intention is for Donovan and his aides to "keep their sorry asses in Washington until they fix the problem." They do not understand the depth of the problem, Cardoza said.

Cardoza's amendments would wipe out HUD's $21 million travel budget. They would also prohibit HUD officials from traveling using funds designated for administration and operations.

Remember that the Central Valley's water was cut drastically to protect the Delta Smelt. Judge Oliver Wanger says the law "does not allow him to weigh economic factors against the preservation of a species." Read the Human Cost of the Central Valley's Water Crisis.