Condors released early due to Timber Fire, leaders stand up for immigrants

This is Monterey Bay Today from KEZU News. It's Wednesday, August 12th. I'm Lisa Ledeen. The timber fire in Big Sur has burned about 3,000 acres and cut off access to a Ventana Wildlife Society condor sanctuary. Executive Director Kelly Sorensen says firefighters brought a staffer to the sanctuary to release two condors stuck without people to care for them. He says he's also keeping his eye on a few condor nests that are close to the fire. There is a threat that fire can take the lives of condors. But I just really want to stress that lead poisoning, unfortunately, really, is still the biggest problem that we face. The birds at the sanctuary were recovering from lead poisoning. He says they would have had a few more days of care in captivity if the fire hadn't forced their release. Central Coast leaders are reaffirming support for immigrants in the face of changing federal policies. KEZU's Aaron Molesbury reports. Local leaders spoke at a roundtable at Cabrillo College on Tuesday, hosted by Congressman Jimmy Panetta. What we have here is a demonstration of leaders at all levels of government who are willing to stand up. to the federal government, who are willing to stand up in order to push back and then protect the vulnerable communities that contribute so much to the Central Coast. Housing Matters CEO Phil Kramer says people are hesitating to reach out. Any worries things will get worse with new housing and urban development policies. HUD is proposing a rule change that will eliminate housing assistance to any household of a mixed status. Rescending those Section 8 vouchers would affect more than 1,000 people in Santa Cruz County alone, many of them children. In Aptos, Aaron Molesbury, KAZU News. That's it. From Monterey Today, We'll be back tomorrow morning with more local news.