hello and welcome to "comunidad." today we honor our veterans on this show. plus some immigration news. this is your "commune date del valle." ♪ >> we begin today with the baby bash, he's a performer here in the bay area, now he's gone nationwide. he joins us on "comunidad del valle." he's got a new hit.

>> "go girl" just comes out. as you see by our energy drink. there's a special cause. >> special cause besides the serape we needed to use. profits go to help breast cancer, one of the biggest silent killers in america. i've lost family members to breast cancer. along with the song, we actually got the energy drink to keep it cracking. >> the energy drink is named go girl. "baby bash" what's up with that? >> baby bash heap. i was baby bishi, love my chickchick chicken greasy. when i got my record deal that name was signed to something else. baby bash, my friends call me bash like the bash brothers. conseco, mark mcgwire, i was a big brother of the bash brothers. i could hit too like them. baby bash, stuck with that. >> he's from vallejo, went to

andrew hill high school in san jose, houston, now you're back. >> i've been blessed and lucky. i work hard. i think i take that from my grandfather who raised me. the work ethic is there from watching my grandpa working 50 hours a week, come home and to landscaping jobs. hey are he'd take me out, i'd be out there sidekicking. when i was little i didn't know how much it affected me because my grandpa was such a hard worker. now that i'm older i appreciate it so much more. >> "go girl" is his latest hip. we have a short clip to show you. ♪ excuse me miss what's your name i don't want to tell you the same old thing ♪ ♪ i need a go girl ♪ i need a go girl

♪ go go girl ♪ i in addition a go girl >> what are your thoughts? you've hit the big time. >> it's a blessing. this song i worked with e 40. e 40, one of my mentors. just a blessing. i like to make people feel good. i'm not mr. hardcore rapper, trying to be mr. rapper guy. i've always been in my own lane and try to make people feel good. >> upstairs records helping you reach the top? >> yeah, upstairs, there's a staple out here in san jose. i've known them for years. pleasure to work with them. they get it cracking. i'm proud so say we're a partner. >> how big of a no brainer was affiliating yourself with go girl? >> that was a tef it in no-brainer. especially when the cause came into effect. it was one thing to talk about money, investments, commercialism, about we work together. when i found out about the cause, i was like, let's do it for the cause. because i myself lost a lot of people to breast cancer. i know i have friends that have

been devastated by breast cancer. so it's also a great cause so we can fix the problem. >> santana? one of the big performers? >> i've been lucky enough to perform with akon, jennifer lopez, sean kingston, e 40. my biggest accomplishment is carlos santana. for me to work on his last a.m. bum was the biggest stamp on my career. the little boy from vallejo, san jose, working with carlos santana, dream come true. >> i gigged with baby bash, is what santana is saying. >> yeah. >> get ahold of upstairs words. it's called "go girl." there's the web address. any final thoughts? >> you know, everybody thanks for listening. thank you for taking the time. and i hope in the community you do. i need to get back here more often. twitter, facebook, hello. >> door is always open. baby bash.

he's on every radio station. gigging with santana. thank you so much, good luck to you. up next we continue with the upcoming children's fair right here in san jose.

with me today are part of the organizers. dawn perry and roseanne alonso. welcome to the show. >> thank you very much. >> i love your theme this year. because it involves parents. and who can argue that parents are your first and most important teachers for your churn? tell us about the theme and the premise behind it. >> play together, learn together, growing with giggles and grins. it needs to be fun for parents and children to do things together. and children just absorb so much from what hiving aaround them and especially what parents are providing. >> there are people who have never heard of a chirnts fair. tell us if you can what's special about it and why parents

and children should attend. >> what's special about it is it's a free event. so there's no cost to get into the parke grounds. what's special about it is there will be over 30 activities that parents can engage with their child. so parents can actually get that time together and at the same time do a finger painting activity, blow bubbles with their children. lots of different things. >> and we were showing video of a children's fair in other parts of the bay area. but just to let folks get the idea, a couple of stage performers this year at the children's fair? >> yes, we're very fortunate to have two professional children's entertainment groups that are volunteering their time to perform at the children's fair. so we have jerry and the silly monsters that will be there at 11:30. and snep we have papa hugs band which will be on in the afternoon. and then in between those times we have children's dance groups

that will also be performing. >> and roseanne, this is called a children's fair. in reality this can be called a parents' fair. it's a chance for them to get engaged and engage themselves in engage their children in this fruitful development, if you will. >> that is correct. and also for anybody, caretakers of children, educators. because they can also gather resources that may benefit them or anybody that they know that has a child. >> what do you see the kids and parents going home with? because this is your 23rd annual. you've been a witness to this. >> right. they go home with a lot. not only the things they do with the activities, but each booth is hosted by a nonprofit or community organization or local business that provides services or programming for young children. so the parents go home with a lot of information that they can use later on or connect their families with later. and the children, of course, go home with all the activities that they've been able to

participate in during the day. >> even teachers maybe might be able to learn a thing or two, do you think? >> i do think that they can. and actually, the resources, there's anything from tutoring resources, counseling resources for parents with children. after school. there's all kinds. child care. >> all right. any final thoughts that you might have? >> a couple of the booths that are going to be there, there's one that's going to provide free dental screenings for young children. and another one that will be doing free fingerprinting and i.d.s for kids as well. it's a variety of things for parents to learn, a variety of activities for kids to enjoy. it's a fun outdoor event. and it's free. it's free entertainment. come and enjoy. >> that's the magic word. thank you for the information. roseanne, give us your final thoughts and make sure the information i have up there is correct. >> final thoughts are that it is

free, once again. we usually always have great weather so let's keep our fingers crossed. >> this year you never know. >> exactly. >> and just a chance for parents to actually get out there and have some fun with their child. >> it's the 23rd annual children's fair happening at discovery meadow in san jose. there's the number for more information. thank you for what you're doing for our kids and our community. thank you. up next, some immigration news. stay with us. mary! hey! wo you look great! thanks! it's this new wish yourself thin pgram. i just wish it and it happens.

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there are new immigration rules to be aware. with me today are patty, the legal services manager over at the center for employment training, cet. and patty lenan with the asian law alliance in san jose. welcome to the show. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> tell us about these new rules and the fee waivers that are taking place. >> yes. the fee waiver is form i-912 and

it will facilitate the request process to obtain a fee waiver. there are three forms of eligibility. the first one is based on whether you're receiving public benefits. modest means tested public benefit which is food stamps, medicare, or temporary assistance for needy families. the second eligibility is if your household income is at or below the federal poverty guidelines. that is for a family of two, an income of about $18,000. and for each additional person, $5,000. the third eligibility factor is if you are in an extreme hardship situation, special circumstances, or extraordinary expenses or liabilities. those are the main three factors that usdis looks at to determine if someone is eligible for this fee waiver. >> if not what's it going to cost you? >> for a naturalization application, $680. >> making it more expensive to become an american, i guess.

and so why should people then, because it is getting more expensive and probably the rules are a little tougher now, why should one become a u.s. citizen? >> we want people -- we just want to emphasize the fact that indigence is not a deterrent to applying for citizenship. there is a fee waiver. i know there are different programs that we can help out people with so that they could apply for citizenship and other benefits. next year, for instance, we're having a big election year. we're electing our new president. so it's really important for immigrants to be able to exercise the right to vote and participate in civic and political life. >> i know that in my background, and maybe in my extended family, there was a sense of patriotism that i don't want to lose my, in my case, my mexican patriotism is what my relatives would say. so i don't know if i should become a u.s. citizen. should we lose that mentality? >> well, i think that's a more

personal decision. most countries actually do allow dual citizenship. so they could retain, for instance, their mexican citizenship and their u.s. citizenship. again, that's a case-by-case basis. put for me personally i think it's important that you do participate fully in the country where you live. so citizenship is definitely beneficial. it's not just -- it opens up maybe federal government jobs. it opens many doors to residents. >> sure. and it sounds like a lot of people do take advantage. when we show video like the one we're going to show now, the places are always packed. there are hundreds of people who are becoming naturalized citizens. >> right. and we're part of the citizenship collaborative, which is come prized of both of our agencies. siren services and working rights and education network. community service, chair tizz immigration program.

also the office of huge relations. with the exception of the office of human relations we provide immigration assistance, citizenship assistance. we can definitely provide assistance to individuals who would like to partake of this benefit. who really want to discuss their eligibility. we are there to help them. >> has it gotten any more difficult to become a citizen, to take the test and everything? >> the requirements are the same. >> they are, okay. >> that hasn't changed. the fee only increased $5 in november. but this application for the fee waiver is a great help to people who are indigent and have no other form of having that money available for this application. >> and i mean, becoming a u.s. citizen, my parents and my brothers and my sister did it. it's such an emotional feeling once you raise your right hand and swear allegiance to the flag. >> it is really. i've gone to a couple of ceremonies and it's just a great feeling. >> any final thoughts you might have, patty?

on the fee waiver especially. that is important. i mean, it costs a lot of money to become a u.s. citizen but there are ways to help. >> definitely. we want to emphasize that there is a new form available and that aside from citizenship, this form can also waive the fees for other immigration forms. so we definitely want to encourage the community to seek our help. we are there to offer any assistan assistance, guidance, legal assessment and advice. >> all right. and that would be the cet legal services division, and also the asian law alliance. a myriad of agencies helping out. any final thoughts that you might have while we show the information on the screen? >> i just want people to take advantage of the fact that they live here in santa clara county in the bay area and there's a lot of legal services organizations that offer free or low-cost assistance. on top of that there are fee waivers that are available to people who are eligible. so if they want to apply for citizenship, or if they want to

apply for immigration benefit, then, you know, not being able to pay the fee shouldn't be a deterre deterrent. >> thank you all so much for what you're doing for our immigrant communities. there's a reason that folks are being allowed to become u.s. citizens. at's because of our next guests. we're honoring our

the veterans and their families resource fair is here once again. with me from the san jose vet center, juanita morales and veteran miguel, active at the events center. welcome back to the show. >> thank you. >> here we are again. what a way for us to pay homage to our veterans and to have a resource fair where we tell them and their families, these are the benefits that you've earned and please take advantage of them. >> and it's very important, because of the fact that we have so many of the new generation veterans that are coming back and they're not aware that they have five years of free medical

care, dental care. you know, coming into the san jose vet center for problems with sleep, problems with depression. whatever is going on, we are there to help. and we're open six days a week. you know. from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30. so we encourage not only the veterans but their families. because we also do counseling with family members. fiances. just about everybody. >> it's wonderful. we have video of an event that you had. it's a hire event program. just to show the services you provide. you served your country already but you're still serving it in this capacity as a volunteer with the san jose vet center. why do you do this? >> well, one of the purposes is to give back to the veterans that have served our country as well, as i have. there's a lot of veterans out there that don't know their rights or the benefits that they have coming.

and what this resource fair does is three different things. one, it educates them. two, we give them guidance. and three, we assist them in getting their benefits. >> and the uniform, you decided to wear it. i don't know if it was by choice or if you were asked to join, sir. you still wear the uniform proudly. talk about that for those of us who were never brave enough to sign our names on the dotted line. what's it like to wear that american uniform? >> it's a great privilege as an american to wear the uniform in the first place. secondly, as a retired command sergeant major from the army, i take great pride in that. and my family takes pride in it as well. and i like to show the people here in my country that i served, and i served proudly, and i still serve proudly. >> we touched on this a hill bit. how difficult is it for veterans to open up? because that's got to be one of

the most difficult parts. the army and the military trains you, they wind you up to go to war or to serve your country. then when you come back, they don't know -- they don't take the bats oteries out, they don' unwind you, detox you if you will. >> very true. as a soldier you're trained to go forward, move forward. don't go back. and just keep on marching. and mentally and physically, you're trained to do that. and when you retire or do your time in the military, and come into the civilian world, you come with that training and thought. and it stays with you. and as you go through life, it just stays with you. so it's hard for a man, a woman that's been in combat to talk about that, those things. and it's hard to share with anyone. >> if there's ever a place where

you can do this, it's your vet center. because you walk in and the minute that they touch base with you, boy, it's like you feel like you're home. because you're so welcoming there. it feels like a home away from home. >> thank you. [ speaking spanish ] . [ speaking spanish ]

[ speaking spanish ] [ speaking spanish ] [ speaking spanish ] >> i mean, there is a reason, thank you. [ speaking spanish ] talk to us, if you will, just about the fair itself and what our veterans cab expect there. >> we are really excited. this is our sixth year. we're going to be at the santa clara county fairgrounds, the fiesta building. everything is free to the veteran. no cost for parking, no cost for admission. we're going to be entering through the monterey road on gate "d." and so there's going to be free parking. you know, we post our colors at 10:00 a.m. at 11:30 the program starts. and so we're hoping that it will be about an hour. and so we're going to have -- i think we're up to 66 vendors that offer services to the veterans. so they're going to be all under

one roof. a lot of door prizes. i believe our cooks, who is the knights of columbus are fixing tri-tip, which is hear is a delicacy. so we're going to have children's activities. the holy cross lutheran church is going to be sponsoring that. and so we're just going to have a lot of activities. a lot of fun stuff for the family to come. and learn. get educated about the benefits that that veteran has. because you know, when mr. gastello came back from vietnam it wasn't just putting away that uniform. the va was there to offer services. and we, and my staff, myself and my staff, we guide the veteran through what it is to get their benefits. and it makes a big difference. a matter man is looking at about $3,000 a month tax-free money. with free dental, free eye care, free services for the rest of

his life. >> that's information not a lot of our veterans know. this is a place to get that information. there is the information on your screen. it's happening this coming saturday, april 16th, at the santa clara county fairgrounds. there's the number to call. veterans and their families resource fair in san jose. any final thoughts before we wrap this up? >> i just would like to invite all the veterans from all wars, men and women, to come to this function so they can learn their rights and the benefits that they have coming to them. they will not get them all fixed right there. but the vet center is there to help them go through this stuff. >> all right. there's a special silent auction. everything done by lupe and her friends at the santo vet center. thank you so much. shoutout for what you're doing for our veterans. a lot of us were not brave enough to sign our names. we're thankful many of you were.

>> thank you also to our guests in the studio but not on the

show. he's still with us here today. >> and here's our address for next week. remember to pick up a copy of the newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. thank you again for sharing another part of our sunday with us. see you on saturday at the veterans and their families resource fair in san jose. at