On Aug. 1 he and other county social workers will drop letters in the mail informing 15,414 noncitizen immigrants that their food stamps will be cut off on August 31. Montano is an eligibility worker at the Social Services Agency, which is charged with carrying out welfare reform in Santa Clara County.
Eligibility becomes more complicated.
At press time, the details of California's welfare reform proposal are the focus of intense horse trading between Gov. Pete Wilson and the legislature. And while some details of the new plan remain muddy, others are already going into effect in the county. The most immediate impact on Santa Clara County comes next month, when 15,414 legal immigrants, including 4,500 under 18 years of age, become ineligible for food stamps. New applications for food stamps submitted by legal immigrants have been denied since April 1. As of Aug. 31, legal immigrants can only receive food stamps if they have worked in the U.S. for a total of 10 years or have served in the armed forces.