In today's newscast:
Monterey County seeks feedback on Active Transportation Plan.
The Transportation Agency for Monterey County kicked off an engagement event series over the weekend for the new Active Transportation Plan.
The plan will determine what pedestrian safety projects get prioritized.
Senior Transportation Planner Janneke Strause says the agency want to know, "where do people feel most comfortable biking and walking?"
Strause says the agency also wants to know where people feel unsafe — especially if it's en route to schools, grocery stores or hospitals.
At the Sept. 27 "Oaxaca by the Sea" celebration, Seaside residents were given multiple ways to answer those questions. There were printed surveys, a map to mark unsafe streets and green stickers to label projects they want to see more of — like bike lanes or roundabouts.
Strause says the transportation agency is still adding events to the calendar, and they want to host a focus group in each city in the county.
New rules for public charge determinations on green cards
Federal changes to public charge rules give immigration officials more discretion to consider immigrants’ use of public benefits — including Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance — when they apply for green cards.
Benyamin Chao with the California Immigrant Policy Center says the rule change could discourage immigrants from seeking help they’re legally eligible for.
"There’s less clarity, and it creates more uncertainty for that individual who may be weighing that decision, 'should I apply for these benefits that I’m eligible for?'" said Chao.
The changes apply to green card applications filed on or after September 18.
That reporting comes from our partners at CapRadio.
