damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo, and today, the new president of west valley college on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

damian: and we begin with what's called the decarbonization grant offered by the city of san francisco, here to explain is agustina mogetta, she is with the san francisco environment department, and arturo riera is with cana the cultura y arte nativa de las americas, here on the show--welcome to the show. arturo riera: thank you. agustina mogetta: thank you. damian: so we'll start with you, agustina, tell us first of all about this decarbonization grant, why it's needed, and how it works? agustina: yeah, so the department of environment has granted cana a decarbonization grant to be able to distribute, i think it's 150 induction stoves and also inform the community, the latino community especially, on the dangers of cooking with gas, and this is why it's really

important that we have the community aware that, and also that we are able to give them the options to switch to an induction stove so that they can cook with cleaner and healthier equipment, and they're not exposed to any toxic pollutants that are emitted from gas stoves. damian: and we're looking at video of some of those gas stoves in operation, talk about what an induction stove is for those of us who might not be aware. agustina: yeah, so induction stoves may look like electric resistance stoves, but they actually work very differently. and in fact, they end up working very similarly to natural gas stoves, just without the flames. so, induction stoves, they have a magnetic coil in the bottom, so they work through magnetism. and this is why it's really important that you keep in mind that you need to use different pots and pans for induction stoves, and you may already have these kinds of pots and pans

at home. what i like to do is i like to test with a magnet, any kind of fridge magnet that you might have, and usually these are stainless steel and cast iron. you can use those, and yeah, the induction stoves work very similarly, they actually end up heating the food directly, they don't have to heat up your pan and then the food. so that's why they are actually a lot nicer than electric stoves, and they work 90% more efficiently than electric and natural gas stoves. and at the same time, it's all through electricity, so you're not burning any natural gas while you're cooking, so they're a lot safer, there's no risk of fire, there's also no toxic pollutants, like i mentioned before, coming from the stoves. damian: a lot of great information that a lot of us might be unaware of. arturo, why is it crucial, important, smart to partner

with cana? arturo: well, we create events throughout the year, our best known as carnaval san francisco, and we use that opportunity in attracting hundreds of thousands of people to our events to combine that with education and different opportunities for the community. so we actually wrote a grant that said, we know how to distribute these induction stoves, we've created a contest that people can enter, either through our website carnavalsanfrancisco.org or through our facebook page. and there, you can not only, if you're a san francisco resident, enter to win the stove, but really give us some feedback about the kind of stove that you currently use. this is really filed under environmental justice. many of the older homes, especially in san francisco, we have a lot of old homes that also have old gas stoves. and so the idea is we're going to replace 125 gas stoves with

125 portable induction stoves, including the proper cookware, to make sure that we basically take 125 stoves a year out of use in san francisco. and the opportunity is to educate folks through our facebook page, you can enter there, our website, you can enter there, and obviously during the two days of carnaval san francisco, may 25 and 26, at our live festival. you can also visit the sfe booth, the san francisco environment booth, and our carnaval booth to sign up and enter to win these induction stoves. plus, go to the website and receive a whole bunch of information about why it's important to move to induction and electric versus gas, our city of san francisco has said we want to be carbon neutral by 2040 and this is one of the ways that the city is achieving that goal.

damian: wow, what a venture, and smart of both the city and cana to partner with this. well, let's show you those websites arturo talked about, there's one for cana and one for the san francisco environment department. there they are on the screen, it's the time to convert your gas stoves into something more environmental friendly. information there on the screen, we'll be back and wrap this up here on "comunidad del valle," so stay with us.

damian: and we're back with agustina mogetta, with the san francisco environment department, and arturo riera, with cana de cultura y arte nativa de las americas of san francisco, here on "comunidad del valle." one stat that y'all threw at me that's fascinating, agustina, is that 3% of all gas stoves leak, causing 15% of respiratory illness, so, not only are we worried about the environment, but our own personal health at the same time. agustina: yeah, definitely. and it's really important because a lot of kids are exposed to these and then it may lead to any respiratory illnesses like asthma, and even when the stoves are turned off,

they may be leaking as well. so that's why, partly not because only the climate is affected by natural gas, it's a greenhouse gas, and it's a pollutant, warming up our climate, but also it's affecting every single one individually to our health, creating potentially those illnesses like asthma, but also other safety hazards as well. damian: some residents might think, oh, no, here we go, i have to--there's a conversion kit i have to buy. what--how difficult or easy is it to go from gas to one of these induction stoves? agustina: it's very dependent on each household also, you know, there's renters involved, that they may not be able to switch their stove immediately. so it really depends, you know, some--if you have the capacity and if you're a homeowner, you may be able to purchase a full set. in some cases, you might have to switch out, you know, the

electric panels at your home. but for example, for renters like myself, these induction portable stoves that cana is offering are really helpful because all you need to do is plug it in, and then maybe you'll have to switch out a few pots and pans, but you actually may be surprised you may already have them at your home. so it really depends, but i think looking into it and seeing if that's a possibility for your home, or if you were--if you're a homeowner and your stove is, you know, in their last years, or you might want to switch it out soon, these are important things to consider, given that san francisco will be carbon neutral. and so, you know, gas stoves will be rolled out eventually, and also there are a lot of--induction stoves are a lot healthier for you. damian: good to know. arturo, you know our gente, i mean, we grew up on propane stoves, and--my family from mexico, you know, you cooked on propane, you come here, it's natural gas, you love the flame.

is it gonna be an easy sell do you think? arturo: well, ironically when we did last year's poll, we found that there were households still using propane in san francisco--how amazing that is. and so yes, you know, the most dangerous place in your home is when you're cooking, because not only might there be natural gas leaking, but you're also creating a whole bunch of toxic gasses as well during the cooking process. the beauty about induction stove is, it converts 90% of the energy straight to heat, versus a gas stove, only 30%. doesn't heat up your home, doesn't throw off noxious gasses, and in terms of cooking, it actually cooks much faster than a gas stove, because so much of the energy is converted straight to heat. and so it's, you know, everybody should have an induction stove, they're really an important part of becoming carbon neutral. it's also a fast way to cook, you can heat to boiled water in

about 90 seconds, versus 5 to 10 minutes on a regular gas stove. so it's faster, it's cleaner, it's more efficient, and the reason we're giving away portable stoves is this literally allows the household to stick the portable stove on top of their current gas stove and never use it again. damian: i've learned something today, i know that arturo is a great grant writer, he's a great musician, he's an engineer as well, i've learned that today, great job. anything else you wanna add, agustina, before we let you go? you have about 30 seconds. agustina: yeah, just to come out to carnaval and participate of the raffle, i think it is. and you may be able to win an induction stove, you know, this is not only for better health and better climate, but also ensuring that those communities that are more burdened by all of environmental pollutants and any contaminations get the chance to

be prioritized in this campaign and this initiative, and put their health first, and be given this opportunity to get a healthier, safer way of cooking. damian: all right, well, thank you so much, agustina mogetta of the san francisco environment department, and arturo riera with cana. thank you for this great information. arturo: thank you. damian: all right, and then if you wanna, again, log on to these websites, we're gonna give you a couple of them, one is for cana and one is for the san francisco environment department. there they are on the screen, get your free induct--portable induction stove by the city of san francisco. up next here on "comunidad del valle," the new president of west valley college, stay with us.

damian: she is a new president at the west valley college in saratoga, dr. jennifer taylor-mendoza is my guest, here on "comunidad de valle," welcome to the show. jennifer taylor-mendoza: thank you so much for having me, damian, i'm super excited to be here. damian: thank you for being here, what is your favorite part

about the west valley, is it the drive, is it the the surroundings of the woodsy area? there's a lot to like there. jennifer: it's a lot, it's everything. so, well, first of all, we have just a beautiful, premiere destination campus, 143 acres. we have seven academic schools where we offer a variety of transfer programs to california state universities, also to the university of california, as well as private liberal arts colleges, ivys, our students go everywhere. we are top two in transfer in the bay area, and we're really able to help transition students in a smooth way, and so they are prepared, academically, once they leave west valley college. another thing, too, is our wonderful career education programs. we have unique programs like fashion design and parks management, and programs that are not offered anyplace else. and so besides the beautiful facilities, the state-of-the-art facilities, the grounds, the academic, you know, and career

pathways, and our outstanding faculty who just teach--and they have their strong, you know, scholarship and expertise in such a beautiful way, and how they share that with the students. so those are just a few of the things that i love about west valley college. damian: and it's a great campus, you know, when you get a chance, we drive out there a lot because it is a beautiful drive, but as you mentioned, academically, you're preparing these students for this century, the next century, and tackling silicon valley issues and preparing them maybe for that, the transfer portal. jennifer: yeah, absolutely. i mean, saratoga, we're in the heart of silicon valley, right? and so it's important that we connect with our industry partners and we're really preparing, we're upskilling and we're also reskilling. preparing students for the workforce, and doing it in partnerships with industry leaders and companies, as well as our beautiful k through 12 partnership, we offer dual enrollment.

so students can come to west valley college in their 9 through 12 grade year, and take units that go towards you know, a college degree. so imagine being in high school and being able to take up to 15, 30 you know, even 45 units before you even get to the 4-year, and so we are not only preparing our high school students for college, but definitely with our career education preparation, getting folks upskilled and reskilled to enter the workforce and it's such a beautiful partnership, especially being in silicon valley and the innovation. it's just--it's been great. damian: no, it's a recipe for success, what y'all have going there. and you're celebrating an anniversary there at the west college, i mean, there's--it's an institution that you've been there for a long time, the college has. jennifer: yes, yes, we are celebrating 60 years of academic excellence. i am so excited, we're kicking off our event on march 21, march 21st, with our founders under the stars. i will moderate a panel of the college founders actually.

and then we're going to see a beautiful planetarium show in our new, state-of-the-art planetarium, and so it's gonna be a wonderful, wonderful day. and we'll also kick off a year of sort of activities, you know, in september, we'll have our--sort of our gala celebration, our 60th celebration, as well as some other unique events. in july, we'll have our tour to saratoga, and some other really exciting things. so it's so great to be part of an institution that was really community driven, right? that the founders on that panel really advocated for a community college, and that's what's so beautiful about the community college system, it represents the community. and so as president, it's always exciting to be able, not only to serve students, but to also really have authentic partnerships and really serve the community needs. damian: and you come from the college of san mateo, so vast experience in the community college spectrum. jennifer: i do, i do, i have like the 20 for like--23 years now, experience in the community college system.

in the past 12 years, i was at the san mateo county community college district, and i was--served in various roles from a director to a president, i was president of college of san mateo, and so i got really familiar with santa clara county through my work in san mateo county, and very excited to come from one institution, a premier you know, location destination, especially to another. so it's been great transition for me. damian: all right, a good seven months or so here at west valley, well, if you want to--want more information about the college, we're gonna show you their website. log on to that and find out the--celebrate 60 years and everything that's going on, the classes being offered. west valley college in saratoga, there is the address and the website. we'll be back with dr. taylor-mendoza here in "comunidad del valle," stay with us.

damian: and we're back with dr. jennifer taylor-mendoza, the new president at the west valley college in saratoga, well, she's been there for nine months. she's seven to eight months, she's already a veteran there,

but doctor, one thing we love here on "comunidad del valle" is the word free, and you--come to talk about free tuition. jennifer: yes, yes, proud to say that as of spring 2024, west valley community college district, and so within our district is west valley college admission, that we are offering free tuition for the service areas that we support. and so saratoga, los gatos, campbell, areas of, you know, san jose. we are offering free tuition if you reside in those areas. it's super, super exciting, and who--we haven't had this until, you know, since community college's inception, free, and through the support by assembly member, mark berman and our legislation, ab 3158, 3158. we are hoping to have things legislated so we can use our unrestricted general funds. so, super exciting and it's all about equity, right? because tuition is linked to whether or not students can have

this opportunity. and so that's really why we're so excited about the free tuition and we are removing barriers, we are making sure that our practices are inclusive and so that all students can get an education. damian: can that be the difference, doctor, to some students, i can or can't--i can go to college or i can't go to college? jennifer: absolutely, we are experiencing--our students are experiencing so many, sort of, what we call issues when it--surrounding student needs. so whether it's students who are homeless, or having transportation issues, or unable to afford, you know, books, or pay for tuition. how can we ask students to focus on their academics and scholarship if they're not even able to meet those basic needs that we all should have? and tuition is just one of those ways to just kind of remove the barriers even further, and at west valley college, what i love, is that we offer holistic support.

it's not just about what happens in the classroom, but how do we ensure that you're set up for success, holistically? and so we have several support services that really help with that, and we're even focusing now, too, on our parenting students. and so equity has been very central to the work that we have done, so if you come and you're a student, you feel like you belong, right? and one way that we are doing that is through our identity centers. el central, that focuses on latin a culture, african american black center, on the african diaspora. we have our inclusive center for students who are--that might experience learning disabilities, and we also even have our pride center as well. and so these centers, and all of the support where there's tuition, and whether it's, you know, helping students, you know, find secure places for their home life. it's around just making sure that we're serving all of our population in a very authentic and true way. and so, yeah, it's great to offer free tuition, to just add

to that. damian: and when you advocate for equity and diversity, doctor, how does, also, that the students for the real world, when they go out there? when they're prepared on campus to deal with equity and diversity, that must prepare them once they hit silicon valley running. jennifer: absolutely, yeah, not only does it help with identity development, right, and self-confidence, and you know, that builds their self-efficacy to know who you are. you now understand how to navigate the landscape in the world. we live in a diverse community, and it's important for us to be able to understand the various cultural backgrounds of our fellow coworkers, right? and even of--and understand industry a little better, so i feel that we do a great job, not only with self-confidence, building self-confidence, but also being able to engage with different cultures and having conversations, brave conversations in particular, how we want to unite, regionally, even, you know, globally. you know, how do we begin to solve real world problems together? and i think the more we understand our cultural

backgrounds, understand ourselves, and have confidence in that, in our own voice and advocacy, it just ensures us moving forward together as a nation. damian: very well put, any final thoughts doctor, before we let you go today? jennifer: i love west valley college, having such a great time. i have to give a shout out to our men's basketball team that's 30 and 0, so we're headed to the championships, and i just wanna say go vikings. damian: all right, thank you so much, dr. jennifer taylor-mendoza, the new president at west valley college, thank you for the work that you're doing for our community there. thank you very much, and again, we're gonna show you the website for west valley college, they are here in saratoga serving the students of silicon valley and beyond, there is their website once again. well, if you want to get ahold of us here on "comunidad del valle," you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo, there's also my email address on the screen, and we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us in celebration because--that celebration for the mexica new year is happening

today, right now, over at emma prusch park, we're gonna leave you with some images of last year's festivity. so here it is, and we'll see you here next week. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

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♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ male: in the morning, yeah, we had some huayquis, which means like, you know, brother, you know what i mean, homie, you know what i mean, the huayquis. they're from tahuantinsuyo, south america, peruanos, you know, quechua, [speaking in foreign language] you know, they speak their language, they came and offered their song.

you got a place here too, you know what i mean, we recognize you for having your culture, you know. come and share it, you know. share your way, share your traditions, you know. so our relatives, the totonacas, are from veracruz, mexico, the state of mexico, and they brought the danza de los huahuas. go on this indigenous-- ♪♪♪

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