damian trujllo: hello and welcome to comunidad del valle. i'm damian trujillo, and today the abcs of lowriding on your comunidad del valle. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

damian: we begin with our monthly visit by the consulate of mexico in san jose. with me is ambassador, alejandra bologna, who's a consulate general of the consulate here in san jose. welcome back to the show ambassador. alejandra bologna: thank you so much for having me. damian: you know, it wasn't too long ago that we were talking about, los muertos, the day of the dead. now it's already [speaking foreign language] tell us about what we should know. a lot of families traveled to mexico this time of year to visit family for a couple of weeks, if not longer. what should we be aware of? alejandra: yes, of course. well, it's a seasonal period of vacations or mexicans are going back to visit their families in this period. so we have always a guide, yeah, the [speaking foreign language] it's called in spanish that has a lot of information. they can just get it through internet or also come to the consulate with any appointment we gave them for the volume with

the whole information about what they can do during their vacations, the rights they have and everything. so it is important. and we have a lot of mexicans-americans that are going back to our country. if they are mexicans, remember that they don't pay the taxes for visitors and for that they need to have their mexican document that proves that they are mexicans. damian: all right, and what if they're driving and they're taking a car? do they need to go to the dmv or is that something at the consulate? how do they handle the--taking the car? alejandra: they need a special permit. they need to get that permit through internet or the consulate that physical does permit it's sacramento and los angeles. both consulates in here in california are the ones that in person could do this permit.

but they can do also through internet. it's important they need to have a permit. it's a permit for six months, and they need to bring back their cars. damian: okay, that's very well said because a lot of people may be just driving and they're not aware of what they need to do. what else do you wanna share with us today about the services there at the consulate? alejandra: yes, well, two important notices is, as you may know, next year we're going to have electoral votes in mexico. so there's a special campaign for getting or being registered at the ine, instituto nacional electoral the authority that regulates the elections in our country. so through the consulates, they can come with that appointment to get their credential for voting, to register for getting the credential for voting.

so they can come, it's going to be from 15 days ago that we start this campaign until february the 20. we recommend if they can come before february the 20 because it takes some time that the ine that will send the credentials to their homes. that's why it's important them to bring their proof of address to do the--of their credential. and also the other thing that they need to bring it's an id and the birth certificate, that is important. it's not just the passport or the matricula, they need to bring their birth certificate. damian: all right, very good information. we have elections next year, both in mexico and in the united states and so that's something to be aware of. thank you so much ambassador for being on our show again here on comunidad del valle. alejandra: thank you. damian: thank you. and for more information, they are on enzo street in south san jose.

there is a web address. if you, again, are taking the car, log on to see what you need to do to take your car into mexican territory for the christmas holiday season. up next here on comunidad del valle "the abcs of lowriding." stay with us.

it's called "the abcs of lowriding," the new book by my next guest here on comunidad del valle, ricardo cortez is back to share with us his new publication. welcome back to the show, brother. ricardo cortez: thanks, thanks for having me, damian. damian: well, tell us, if we don't know about lowriding, what are "the abcs of lowriding"? ricardo: well, the book itself actually doesn't have anything to do with cars, has to do with the people, the customs and the traditions of the lowriding culture. and yes, there are some cars featured in there, but it really has to do with the community of lowriding. damian: talk about the stigma that once was being a lowrider and how maybe that's changed and the volume, you know, the cruising ban and how the cruising is back. talk about maybe the lifting of that ban and maybe the lifting of that stigma. now it's, you know, it's okay, it's normal. it's actually awesome to be a lowrider,

ricardo: right, i mean, there's been, you know, for many years the criminalization of lowriding, whether it be through, you know, laws that have been put in place to what has been portrayed on the media, and now there's this resurgence and re-embracing of lowrider culture that has been such a fundamental aspect of san jose's legacy and history for so many years that it feels really nice that lowriding is getting the spotlight that it deserves. damian: and tell us about your book then though. what do you write about and what do you want the kids to know and the adults to know? ricardo: right, so the book itself actually is an alphabet learning book, but what it does, and what i aim to do is have it bridge generational conversations where this shared history of lowriding from the young generation to the old generation, this book can serve as a tool to facilitate a dialogue between these groups, between the old and the young. damian: and--so you're having a special book release party, and at the same time its proceeds are going to a couple of great causes.

ricardo: right, so on december 9, at 20 barack obama boulevard, which is right across the street from the sap center, i'll be having a book launch party. and if you bring a unwrapped toy donation, which are gonna be supporting sacred heart nativity school and los amigos de guadalupe, you'll get a discount for the book. and so you can buy the book at, you know, at $21 as opposed to $25. and the great thing about those two neighborhoods is that they were fundamental epicenters of lowrider culture. east san jose, as you know, had an explosion of lowriding story in king and west san jose is where sonny madrid founded lowrider magazine. damian: and we, in fact, we were looking at some of the images of your book and we saw a caricature, or a cartoon or a picture of sonny madrid. how vital was he in making us proud of the lowriding era that was great then and is great now? ricardo: what he created was the first documentation, archive documentation of the culture, right?

it was written by lowriders for lowriders. it showed them in a true light, in a true perspective and it put a lot of famous people on the map in the early days of lowriding's inception or lowrider magazine's inception. damian: i mean, i remember back when i was a kid, and if you saw an article or a picture, "hey, that's at salinas car show. wow, we were there in salinas." it was a big deal. ricardo: yeah, i mean it covered our people, right? and when you look through the old first issues of the magazine, it looks like--it reads like a yearbook, right? and there's poetry features in there, there's artists that are featuring their work for the very first time. if you think about teen angel, he got his start in lowrider magazine. david gonzalez was featured many times in lowrider magazine, he created the homies, and yeah, it's just a great time capsule, at least now, of what our culture was like back in the 1970s and where it all started. damian: and you also walk the walk.

you have a couple of vintage automobiles in your possession. ricardo: i do, yeah. so i'm very honored to be able to drive my grandfather's cars. they're 1954 gmc pickup and a 1967 buick savor. i get to cruise those around and the truck will actually be at the event. so i'm inviting everybody to bring out their lowriders, come out, enjoy free, you know, free festivities that day. santa will be making an appearance, got some free art making. so i'm really grateful for being able to hold space with creekside socials, who is, you know, partnership with jamestown and google in that area. i think it's gonna be an amazing event. damian: so it's actually happening across from actually where they have the sharks playoffs, when they're in the playoffs. the sharks playoffs pre-game parties out front on the street then? ricardo: that's correct. yep, right in that same spot. damian: well, sell us the event again, it's an event where it'll benefit a couple of nonprofits that you mentioned. sacred heart nativity schools and also amigos de guadalupe. but at the same time they're able to do what?

it's a four hour party there. ricardo: yeah, so there'll be a big lowrider display out there, we're gonna have some food trucks, dj music. there'll be some posters that you'll be able to screen print on your own so it's almost like a learning workshop on how to screen print. i designed a holiday lowrider poster. again, santa will be out there. there'll be folks that are featured in this book that will be autographing the book that day at the event, as well as, you know, collecting toys and giving those out at a later date to those communities. damian: then can it be turn into an impromptu car show or just bring your lowrider and park it, and then let's have a good time. ricardo: yeah, i hope so. so we do have a dedicated space for some lowriders but all of the street parking is gonna be blocked off. not in a block party style, but the side road area, the parking stations will be blocked off for lowriders to pull up and hang out for as long or as little as you want to. and the parking lot across the street is also open, so plenty of room out there to bring your cars out.

hopefully the weather holds up, no rain, looks like we're gonna be okay. damian: you mentioned that the criminalization of lowriding back then, is the effort maybe your attempt is to maybe help ease that and make it more acceptable for those who still might not accept it? and it seems like to be kid friendly as well, so that chavalitos can learn a little bit about it. ricardo: right, i mean, the book itself and the event can always be seen as a learning experience, right, or a learning opportunity. the book itself can be a learning tool. and so anybody who is open-minded enough to be able to experience a new culture, i invite them to come out, come and check this out. you know, you may not have been in experiences with lowriders before, but this event itself is welcoming to everybody. and so i invite everybody to come out and check it out, whether you know about lowriders and you're accustomed to the culture, or you're new to lowriders and you are very curious about what the culture is all about. it's gonna be a great time to learn about it. damian: all right rick, well thank you for the pride in

sharing that pride with us and helping us learn a little bit more about the lowriding and the history. i mean, it originated in san jose and it's going strong. thank you so much. ricardo: thanks again for having me. damian: all right you're welcome. and again, this event is happening over right in front of the sap center where the sharks--when they are in the playoffs, have their pre-game festivities. it's called the "abc's of lowriding." it's a book release and toy drive, the benefit of a couple of great non-profits in san jose. december 9 from 12 to 4 p.m. right there in front of the sap. up next here on comunidad del valle, nourishing our neighbors. an effort here by nbc bay area in telemundo--

damian: well, our annual "nourishing our neighbors" drive is back here on comunidad del valle. with me is liz gomez, once again with the alameda county community food bank and also blanca garza, my old colleague, representing the second harvest food bank of san mateo and santa clara counties. welcome back to the show, ladies.

blanca garza: it's great to be here, damian. damian: thank you. thank you for being here. liz, i'm sure you're here to tell us that everything's fine now. we don't need any more help, there's no more poverty in the bay area. liz gomez: i wish that were the case, damian. unfortunately, hunger remains a major issue in our communities. in alameda county, we are estimating that we are providing assistance to one in four of our county residents. that includes children, adults, and seniors who are experiencing some level of food insecurity or even hunger. you know, just to help illustrate, before the pandemic, we were serving one in five at alameda county residents. here we are, you know, 2023, and what we're seeing is that people are still struggling. the need hasn't led up. food insecurity remains high, and the need for essential food supports continues. damian: wow, that's a sad statement to make here on comunidad del valle, and blanca, this is not exclusive to alameda county.

we're seeing it in san mateo, santa clara, all over the bay area, all over the state, blanca garza: really, it is really a food insecurity for all over the bay area, but yes, for our organization that we serve, the county of san mateo and santa clara, we see the same thing. and we are helping around 500,000 people a month. so it's a lot more than we used to before pandemic, it was more like 250, but of course, pandemic is over, the health pandemic is over, but guess what? there's a food insecurity pandemic going on in the bay area, and with an average salary for a lot of essential workers like a bus driver or a teaching assistant, it is about $50,000. and my question is how can someone, you know, live in the bay area with such high prices for housing and food and gas and childcare survive and still save some money with 50k a year? it's very hard.

so when you are faced with these, you know, challenges in life, the first thing that our clients tell us they cut is food. so because this is where they can manage to maybe eat less or buy less at the store as well. so this is where we come in and we try to help as many people as we can. and of course, we're always welcoming more and more clients every time. damian: yeah, and it's sad to see that the numbers you would like them to diminish, liz, but the fact of the matter is they're not. the need is greater, you're helping more, the poverty, $50,000 a year is not considered poverty, it's considered extreme poverty, and that's what so many of our families are going through right now. liz: absolutely, you know, damian, i've been at the organization now at the food bank for 26 years and i have to say that sometimes it feels like we're moving one step forward and two steps back. you know, just when i think about the government intervention that many of the families in our residents that

we received, right, during the pandemic, which included, you know, pandemic ebt increase in calfresh or snap allotments every month, the child tax credit, well, those were significantly helpful during the global health crisis. but what we're seeing now, unfortunately, is the negative impact when those government supports go away. the families that were already struggling before the pandemic are even in worse situation now. and so, yes, it is definitely being felt across our community. damian: well, and so you have to double up, right, blanca? you have to double your efforts to meet the need, but you've made it easier now. you had mentioned prior that it is no longer called a food drive because now we made it so much easier. now all it takes is for you to walk in the safeway and tap your phone on a qr code, and boom you can make your donation that way. blanca: yeah, these-- that's during our campaign for nurturing neighbors, which ends december 25.

yes, that's all you have to do and if you even just donate $1, this will help provide enough food for two meals. but of course, you can make a financial donation anytime of the year at 24 hours, 7 days a week through our website. and if you visit us there, you can just make a donation as well. and also find more information like if you want to find a food drive, a distribution, sorry, or if you would like to become a volunteer as well, there's a lot of information there you'll find. damian: yeah, and these efforts are ongoing and i didn't mean to say that everything stops on the 25th, right? if it wasn't for your efforts year round, then we wouldn't be to this level where during the holidays you wouldn't have enough funds to meet the need. and that's why the push is year round, blanca. blanca: absolutely, absolutely. and the reason why we don't have the traditional food drive

anymore is because, you know, safety concerns and also traditional food drives are more expensive to manage. and also the ability to leverage large scale food donations comes in play. so definitely monetary donations helps us ensure a mix of products in the boxes we provide as well, like lean protein or whole grains and other items, you know, for kids or seniors. before, you know, when you donate in cans or any other products, then maybe we have more of one item. and so this way we have the ability to mix, you know, all the food that our clients get. damian: yeah, very good point. you're the experts in all of this, you should decide what goes in that box. well, thank you for your efforts. we're gonna have you back for one more segment because it's an important issue, but if you want to participate in "nourishing our neighbors" drive by nbc bay area and telemundo along with

safeway and the food banks, there is the information on your screen. again, this is by the alameda county community food bank, second harvest food bank, and all the other food banks across the bay area. we'll be back and wrap this up in our next segments. please stay with us. ♪ ♪ california sky ♪ ♪ todos alcanzamos las estrellas ♪ ♪ sunny state of mind ♪ ♪ flexin' all the time ♪ ♪ todo es dorado ♪ ♪ y nos gusta picante ♪

♪ cause this place is caliente ♪ ♪ 'tamos enchilado ♪ ♪ feels so golden ♪ ♪ livin' in the golden state with you ♪ ♪ feels so golden ♪ ♪ vive en el estado dorado oooh ♪ ♪ we got that drip, drip, drip ♪ ♪ come take a sip, sip, sip ♪ ♪ feels so golden ♪ ♪ vive en el estado dorado ♪ damian: and we're back here on comunidad del valle with the blanca garza of second harvest food bank and liz gomez of the alameda county community food bank. and you've been there for 26 years, you mentioned, liz, at the food bank, and you'd think that by now things would look a lot better than when you first started but as i tell my friends sometimes-- [speaking in foreign language] we're in reverse here instead of going forward, we're going backward. liz: it certainly feels that way, damian. you know, it often feels like we're making significant progress, and this is work, you know, it's not easy, but i do wanna make sure to give credit to our network of community partners who are out there in our

communities tirelessly getting food ready to distribute to our communities. they as well as us through our food helpline are hearing from our community members about their experiences and, you know, having a tough time making ends meet. expenses that, you know, higher cost of food, higher cost of gas, higher cost of rent. it's really, really expensive, as you know, to live here in the bay area. and so, yes, definitely the need, the need is still here and, you know, but we remain with hope. we hope that, you know, all of our efforts will someday help to eliminate hunger in our communities. damian: yeah, so one thing you can't lose is hope, and that's what it's important to have. and, blanca, when you were a journalist here for telemundo and nbc bay area, you did a lot of stories and reports just about the community need and that doesn't stop, right, once you're off tv.

blanca: that's exactly how i ended up, you know, being in second harvest 'cause i knew of the amazing work that they do out there in the community. but now that i actually, you know, i'm in there and like listened, you learn about the stories of our community and our clients and what they go through and the need that is out there and sometimes we forget about it because we get caught up in our own lives and stuff. but then you hear these stories, or you visit one of the distribution centers and you talk to our clients and, you know, it's incredible what they go through. and a lot of them, like 60% of our clients tell us that they have less than a $100 in savings. and so of course, they're worried about an emergency or an accident happen because what would they do? and actually 28% as well of our clients do not have any money for basics in their home. so many of 'em are just worried every single month, how are they going to pay the bills next month?

and so if we can just help with food, whatever they need, and be there for them, of course we're gonna continue to be there. we've been here in the community for almost 50 years and, nah, we're not going anywhere, we're staying. damian: that's good to know. and it just doesn't seem fair when you mentioned all those numbers and you put faces to those numbers and it just-- you just shake your head. you mentioned the hard work and you can't lose hope, liz. the good news--the latest numbers from safeway is that as of november 28 through this "nourishing our neighbors" drive, they've raised over $1.082 million for this cause. well, that gives you hope. liz: that definitely gives us hope, damian. and, you know, every dollar that is donated, we can turn that into two meals. and so every dollar does definitely does count. our goal this year is to raise $14 million between, you know, between now and december,

and it does feel pretty big, but yes, we're not losing hope. and it's a significant amount of funds that we need to raise. that is actually our entire budget the year before the pandemic. so i just wanted to put that into perspective because while food is also expensive for us and for the people that we are serving, it is also expensive for food banks in our food purchasing, you know, budgets. and so that's important to know as well. damian: so your budget for the entire year before the pandemic is the same as your budget for this drive that we're--this holiday drive that we're doing? that's amazing. liz: yes, yes. damian: wow, you guys are blowing me away today. any final thoughts, blanca, before i let you go? blanca: my final thought is that if anybody is out there in the need of food, please come to us, we will provide you with food. and if you're wondering what are you going to get,

you're gonna get protein, you're gonna get milk, you're gonna get eggs, you're gonna get rice, beans, all sorts of good food, nutritious food for you and your family. damian: all right, we have about 20 seconds, liz, any final thoughts? liz: give us a call. give us a call if you're interested in receiving services for food like blanca said, and also if you're interested in donating, everyone is welcome. damian: all right, well, you are heroes without caps. we thank you so much for the work that you do in our community, both of you. blanca: happy holidays. damian: thank you, happy holidays. liz: thank you very much. damian: and for more information, you can log on and find out more about "nourishing our neighbors drive," happening all over the bay area. we've had, of course, the alameda county community food bank and second harvest food bank of san mateo and santa clara counties, but there's our website for more information to find out more about how you can help, and bring a smile to some families that might need the help. well, if you wanna get a hold of us on comunidad del valle, you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. there is also my email address and we thank you for sharing

another part of your sunday with us on comunidad del valle, we'll see you again here next week with a brand new show. [speaking in foreign language] ♪♪♪

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