En Sintonía con el Concejo Focuses on Montgomery County’s Trust Act, Friday at 2 p.m. on Radio América

The featured guests on this week’s En Sintonía con el  Concejo del Condado de Montgomery (In Tune with the Montgomery County Council) will include Council President Natali Fani-González, who chairs the Council's Economic Development (ECON) Committee, and Luis Aguirre, program manager at the Latino Health Initiative (LHI). The show will air on Friday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. on Radio America (WILC 900AM) and is streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. 

This week’s edition of En Sintonia will highlight the signing of the Trust Act (Expedited Bill 35-25, County Administration – Immigrant Protections – Promoting Community Trust – Immigrant Protections Act), a measure designed to ensure that all residents, regardless of immigration status, can safely access County services without fear or discrimination. 

Special guest Council President Fani-González, who spearheaded the bill with full Council support, will discuss how the Trust Act builds on existing County policies to strengthen civil rights protections. County Executive Marc Elrich will sign the bill into law on Feb. 20. The legislation prohibits County employees from requesting or investigating a person’s immigration status unless required by law, bans intimidation or discrimination based on actual or perceived status, and ensures that County services and opportunities cannot be denied because of immigration status, except where legally mandated. Expedited Bill 35-25 was passed with unanimous support of the full Council and will be signed into law by the County Executive on Friday, Feb. 20. 

The show will conclude with a segment with Dr. Aguirre highlighting the Montgomery County Latino Health Initiative’s efforts to educate the community about the risks of marijuana use. He will discuss marijuana’s impact on the brain and overall health, particularly among adolescents including effects on memory, learning, and mental health, as well as the risks of early and frequent use and the importance of prevention. 

LHI will host a Facebook Live event on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 12 to 1:30 p.m., streamed on the Latino Health Initiative Facebook page. The program, conducted in Spanish, will help viewers recognize signs of marijuana use among youth, offer guidance on starting conversations, share prevention tips, and include a live Q&A session. 

The Montgomery County Council and Radio America have entered a partnership that provides the Latino community with key information on issues and programs. The partnership also provides a forum for residents to express their views and ask questions. The partnership includes the weekly one-hour show each Friday on the Washington metropolitan area’s most popular Spanish language station. 

Each week, the show features host Marcela Rodriguez, Council program manager and public information officer, and guests talking about important issues before the Council and provides information about programs offered by the County to help residents.