Westside Reader April 2016

22 • THE Reader
a day i n t h e l i f e
Students, business tours
and Junior chamber
make for a busy day
r ay t h e r e a lto r®
they never learn
April 2016
by u.S. Rep. Steve Knight
Contributing Writer
by Ray the Realtor® Kutylo
Contributing Writer
Iwake up on a breezy March Wednesday
morning in a fantastic mood.
One of my favorite activities as a congressman
that I’m fortunate to do is speak
to students, and that will be my first activity
of the day. At 8:50 a.m. I arrive at Golden Valley
High School in Santa Clarita, where I will
be spending the next two hours. I park my
car in the staff parking lot and make my way
to the front office, where I am greeted by a
very nice faculty member named Lynn.
She walks me over to the auditorium and
onto the main stage. A moment later, the
room fills with noise as students begin filing
into the hall. Around 75 high schoolers
find their seats, and their teacher spends
about a minute quieting everyone down. I’m
given a quick introduction, and then they
turn the microphone over to me.
I rundown what my job as a member of
Congress entails — from voting on legislation,
to considering different ideas in committees,
to meeting and listening to different
groups about the challenges that they face
and the changes they would like to see. I explain
how it is all interconnected, and that I
see my role as a vessel to take good ideas
and put them into action at the federal level.
Next, I get more into the nitty gritty of
how the political process works. After a
quick overview, I bring seven students onstage
to hold a mock debate so that the
teenagers can get a feel for what it’s like to
form opinions on a wide range of topics,
then defend those stances in front of a
crowd. I turn it over to the audience to ask
the “candidates” questions about whatever
they want, and there were some very indepth
inquiries, from cell phone privacy to
North Korea’s nuclear threat. The debate
goes on for quite a while, and the participants
gave some very thoughtful responses.
I wrap up my lecture by encouraging
everyone to get involved with the political
process. There is so much potential in the
room, and in gyms across the country, but
that potential can only be realized if young
people step up and put in the necessary
work to see their ideas become realities.
The bell rings, and the class shuffles off.
There’s a ten minute break where I chat
with a local reporter and with lingering students,
then a new class files in and I do the
whole presentation over again.
This time, the questions and responses
were different, but the overall theme remained:
if you want your voice heard, take
initiative, get involved, and work to implement
the changes important to you.
I depart Golden Valley High School
around 11:15 a.m. and head back to my district
office. There, I meet with local representatives
from the National Association of
Home Builders. We discuss their legislative
priorities for the upcoming year, and the issues
that the home building industry is currently
facing as a result of federal
regulations.
My staff and I take notes, and after the
meeting we pass everything we learned to
my staff in Washington, D.C. so they can
strategize on how best to support the industry,
which plays a big role in the Santa
Clarita Valley.
After the meeting, I eat a quick snack then
head over to the intersection of Newhall
Ranch Road and the Old Road, where I will
have my first of two tours for the day. Advanced
Bionics is a company that designs
and sells audiology products and specializes
in sophisticated cochlear implant technology.
An employee shows me around the site
and explains the function of cochlear implants,
as well as how federal regulations
like the Affordable Care Act are making it
difficult for companies like theirs to grow.
My next tour is at Cobra Tactical Inc., a
small business located in Valencia that manufactures
custom firearms. The owner
shows me around the shop, and we have a
conversation about how their operation has
been hampered by uncertainty and overregulation
at both the state and federal levels.
As a member of the House Committee on
Small Business, it is very important for me
to get input from all kinds of growing companies
— especially those like Cobra Tactical
that are subject to a wide range of
restrictions.
After the visit, I finish my day at JJ’s Bar
and Grille, also in Valencia, where the Santa
Clarita Chapter of the Junior Chamber International
is holding a “Politics on Tap” event.
They invited me to come discuss two bills
that I introduced this year: one that would
block companies like Cemex from mining in
Soledad Canyon in the future, and one that
would give a boost to longstanding efforts to
clean the Eastern Santa Clara River Basin
and provide fresh water to the Santa Clarita
Valley. I also gave a miniature version of my
talk with the Golden Valley students that
morning, outlining my experience and vision
as a member of Congress, and encouraging
everyone to continue to be involved in
their community. I spend over an hour at the
event chatting with young people from
around the SCV, and once again I am impressed
with their dedication to improving
our community.
As I drive home, I reflect on everything I’ve
said and heard over the course of the day. I
have a renewed sense of service, but also a
great feeling of confidence for the future of
our communities and our country. There are
so many passionate and talented individuals
right here in the Santa Clarita Valley, and I
look forward to supporting them as they
shape the world of tomorrow. R
Steve Knight is the U.S. Representative of
California's 25th District which covers the
Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys as well as
portions of Simi Valley.
Iwoke up this morning and wondered
what topic I would cover in this column.
The deadline for submission is the end of
today, and I usually write it on the day it’s
due. However, I generally have a topic already
picked and thoughts popping though my
mind as to how I will approach it. Not this
time. I’ve been really busy lately, yesterday in
showing property in Santa Rosa (!), and all
over my extended market area with some
great clients.
Then later today I have been reading that
some people, including some in the public
policy arena, want to relax credit requirements
in order to stimulate the housing market.
Really? Didn’t we try that in the late ’90s
and the early aughts (or the double ohs or
whatever), and didn’t that result in the nearcollapse
of the entire freaking financial system,
worldwide? My friends and my clients
know I can go on a rant, and here goes! First
the disclaimer: I’m a Realtor®. I love to sell
homes. The idea and the reality of “home” is
something that is so important for individuals
and for families. “Home” can largely define
who we are, and who we become,
influence the people we meet, the friends we
make, the joy we find, and the comfort we
seek. The idea of our own home, owned as
our real property, is an essential component
of liberty itself. Never underestimate the
power of “home,” and I and the rest of the Realtor®
community want to help you find the
very best home in the very best area that is
possible, and one that you can afford, and fits
in your household budget and comfort zone.
Unless you can pay all cash, you are going
to need a home purchase loan. Most loans require
a down payment (the Veterans’ Administration
has a no-down loan available), and
FHA has a 3.5 percent down program, and
there are home loan programs for 5 percent,
10 percent, 20 percent down and so forth and
so on. Interest rates vary with the program,
as do qualifying ratios. Qualifying ratios are
based first on the home loan/taxes/insurance
monthly amount divided by your documented
income, and secondly on the monthly
housing costs plus all of your monthly debt
obligations, again divided by income. These
two ratios are added to the mix of your credit
score (FICO at least in the mid to low 600s
and possibly lower) and your credit history,
and your home loan lender will be able to determine
how much of a loan you qualify for.
With your down payment, you have your
maximum qualifying purchase price.
So the Obama administration wants to
relax credit requirements and/or down payment
levels so more people can buy homes? I
am as much of a cheerleader for homeownership
as anyone, but if housing values fall,
even a modest amount, and people are underwater
again in their equity position, or
they lose their jobs or have other economic
difficulty, how is that going to help people?
Didn’t anyone watch the movie, “The Big
Short”? Derivatives and mortgage-backed securities
are still a thing! Are people’s memories
completely gone? Are the idiots still in
charge? When will they (and we) learn? Apparently,
never!
Ray the Realtor® Kutylo is associated with
the SCV Home Team at Keller Williams VIP
Properties in Santa Clarita. My team and I are
ready to help you find and buy the very best
home you can afford given your loan-ability
and your budget. Home-buying is HUGE, and
we respect you and the decision involved. We
will treat you just like we would like to be
treated if our roles were reversed. Call us.
Call or text us at 661-312-9461 or email at
Ray@SCVhometeam.com. Our Mobile App is at
www.mobile.SCVhometeam.com CalBRE license
number 00918855
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