In today's newcast:
Immigration panel
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and immigration attorneys are trying to help residents understand recent policy changes.
Lofgren and two attorneys held a panel Monday night in the Soledad Community Center to answer questions about new immigration policies.
Clarisa Reyes-Becerra is the managing attorney at the California Immigration Project. She said changes to rules for green card and visa applicants are top of mind.
" Under this administration, they changed it to be more encompassing of what can be included to define whether they would be considered a public charge, someone who is dependent on the government," Reyes-Becerra said.
After Sept. 18, immigration officials are now allowed to consider whether applicants are using housing benefits, CalFresh or Medi-Cal to determine if someone is a public charge. Reyes-Becerra noted that tapping into these benefits shouldn't mean being automatically disqualified.
"There's a totality of your circumstances," said Reyes-Becerra. "Are you able to work? Have you had consistent employment? What else can you show that makes you an asset to this community?"
She says anyone considering dropping their benefits should consult with an attorney first.
UCSC mosque parking study
Mosques face more pushback over parking requirements than churches when applying for building permits. That’s according to a new study from UC Santa Cruz professor Mark Massoud.
He found mosques were 16 to 18% more likely to experience opposition than newly proposed Christian churches.
Claiming the plans don’t include enough parking, he said, has become a way for people to object to a mosque without overtly saying they don’t want Muslims in the neighborhood. Massoud says the objections can lead to lengthy delays, even though mosques typically do plan for adequate parking.
The report encourages cities to consistently apply zoning standards to all projects. It was published in the Journal of the American Planning Association.
That story from Kendra Hanna with partner station KCBX.
