Special to Brooklyn & Boyle by Hugo Merida, Chairman - Los Angeles Metro Hispanic Chamber of Commerce As a Latino business leader in Los Angeles, I see that equity and inclusion for underserved communities of color continues to be an issue. Communities of color—including business owners and entrepreneurs—are disproportionately denied lending products such as second mortgages or home equity lines of credit because of credit scores. These lending products are crucial tools to starting and growing businesses. Today, what is needed are new approaches to finance that are not weighed down by past inequalities. Home ownership and the capacity to invest in, and maintain, what is traditionally a family’s most valuable asset—their home—is a critical part of wealth development for Latino communities. In Los Angeles, the Property Assessed Clean Energy program, known as PACE, has shown great promise as an alternative finance tool. Hundreds of California cities are part of PACE, which meets thi...