a lot of do information on the show today, but certainly a lot to process. we'll keep you posted on how those initiatives with the taxes go and which ones actually make it to the ballot. now, before we go we want to remind you how to get in touch with us. our viewers send us great e-mails every week. we want you to be a part of that. our e-mail address is feedback@nbcclassaction.com. we're also on facebook. join me there at facebook.com/nbcclassaction. thanks again for watching.

and we'll see you next week.

hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo. today the summit on latino issues brought to you by the white house hit the south bay earlier. we'll take a look at that. plus a vietnam war memorial in san jose for those k.i.a.-ed in action who were from san jose. the sons of san jose. this is your "comunidad del valle." ♪ we begin today with the white house summit on hispanic issues. they're traveling across the country. they were in the south bay just recently. hilda ramirez was with the steering committee that helped bring this about in the south day. also with us is patricia lindo,

the national president of the national hispanic organization for -- give us a final -- >> real estate association. >> real associates. welcome to the show. >> thank you. >> this was a big deal in bringing the white house to the south bay. tell us how big it was. >> it was huge. it was wonderful because it brought the community out and we were able to understand what the programs are from the white house. but more than that, we really got the sense that they want to know from the community, the people on the street what it is that we need, what the issues are. and they were requesting feedback on some very important issues. health, education, voters. housing. many topics were discussed. global commerce. so not only were they identifying leaders or people in the trenches doing the work on the community, but they were inviting us to give our opinions and then they're coming back to us after the fact with the events that eyre bringing into manifestation in real-time here. >> we'll get into that in our second segment.

we'll have you for two segments. how precedent setting was this type of event? because usually if you want to get a hold of the white house you have to -- i mean, i don't know how you get a whole of the white house. but this time the white house came to you. >> it really was extraordinary and it was a wonderful opportunity for our community here, hispanics in san jose and the greater bay area, to host the white house. the white house uniquely came out to us. they invited educators to the white house last fall, and they announced that they had this initiative that they were actually going to engage nationwide. and san jose was honored to be selected as one of the host cities. it was phenomenal because we were able to invite 500 leaders in our community to participate. and what was very unique is the fact that it was an open space format. so there was no preset agenda. it was an invitation sent out to all the bay leaders inviting them to come out and talk about all the issues near and dear to their heart. >> we were watching some similar event that happened late last year in other parts of the count country.

but i hear -- and unfortunately i was not there. but i hear that the white house staffers and those who represent the white house got not an earful from the local crowd. i mean, we didn't come here to say yes or yes, ma'am. they heard from us. >> they did. and they were at every table. we had breakout sessions. so they made sure to assign one representative at least from the white house at each breakout section so they could hear directly what was going on and interact with us. and as a result of that we're having phone calls, we're having events, conference calls, coming up. you know, with the white house understanding of what it is we're doing here. >> what does this say, hilda, if you will, about the power of not only the latino community in general but the latinos here in the bay area. >> well, there's one thing that's quite evident, is the latinos in the bay area are going to be a force in the next election and i'm convinced that the white house recognizes that. but it's very nice for them to give the honor that was due to

our community. they were also very open about us engaging in introducing innovation. i think one thing that was very unique to this process is that the silicon valley really brought new tools to the white house summit itself. so now the tools that we deployed at this summit will be used and leveraged throughout the rest of the country such as products like google docs and 234 other features that we use social media in order to encourage greater attendance. so it really was fabulous. >> we'll talk about the new endeavor that you are undertaking also in our next segment. was this seen as perhaps, we have to say this, a partisan event or was it non-partisan and here you had people from all backgrounds and affiliations? >> it was completely non-partisan. as a matter of fact, anyone who wanted to express or endorse views on a specific candidate was not allowed to do that. it was coming from a broad-based speshlth. it was not politics. it was issues to the community.

programs that can help with education, with work, with housing, voter registration. completely non-partisan. it was very good. >> i know one of our good friends, juliette rodriguez, is with the white house staff also. she was here. 9 daughter of arturo rodriguez, united farm workers. >> and local girl. >> a local girl. this is something they're taking notice of, the south bay latino community. >> absolutely. and i think one of the dynamics is minutes were taken from each session and those minutes are being memorialized at the white house office and then redistricted in the community so you can follow up and find out what actions were taken. it really is a work in progress. everyone rolled up their sleeves that day and put forth tremendous effort. we had some incredible leaders in attendance, and they were all very proud to have participated and congratulated the steering committee for putting on such a wonderful event. >> that is awesome. if you want to find out more, they have a edge special page

for us. it's whitehouse.gov/hispanic. find out about this nationwide endeavor by the white house to target latinos and find out what we're looking for and what we deserve. b'lbe al k tacerfts shintegme and find out what next, what are we going to do with this information. the word is swapportunity. can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. can you use it in a sentence? mmm. swapping a 300 calorie donut for this 110 calorie strawberry shortcake is a good swapportunity. that's not a real word. oh haha it's real. [ female announcer ] delicious, creamy, yoplait light. over 30 flavors each around 100 calories. do the swap today.

what programs we can tap into. and getting a network of the people who attended there to participate on an ongoing basis. i was fortunate to sit with a gentleman from san mateo, jorge

jaramillo. he's the president of the san mateo county hispanic chamber of commerce. we happened to sit next to one another and as a result of the two of us being together we're deploying the california housing recovery initiative together and the template is going to be launched out of this chapter. and he happened to be in the session with a gentleman with a white house program called ally, a.l.l.y. and what they want to do is take immigrants who are learning the language and put them right into jobs. so basically paying them to learn the language and then getting them right into workeg programs. so that's happening, and i was invited to that as well. >> so we've established a link to the white house now. >> exactly. >> and it seems like that link, that line of communication is going to remain open between -- >> and that's the idea. and not only the white house but the people within the community. we're having conference calls, we're having meetings, we're having luncheons to really take those ideas to the next level together. and we invite the public to join us as well.

>> an educated effort to make ties, if you will -- tighten those ties with the white house. hilda, you started something different called -- tell us about what you started. i don't want to get it wrong here. >> i didn't start it. i wish i could take credit for that. but it's a marvelous organization that was really launched on the east coast -- >> well, here we'll say you started it. >> i'm working with my director in san francisco and we've launched latinos in social media. it's known as lattism. and i'm one of the co-directors for latism. we really want to bring forth higher tech, higher touch for latinos and we want to promote the use of social media on all basis, for business, for commerce, for education, for social programs. it's really a great champion for non-profess organizations. it's a very affordable medium people can use. it just takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears tone gauge. but it really has been phenomenal. the white house really used

social media to help drive attendance to the event this year and to reach out to different generations that perhaps we may not have contacted in the past. but one thing that was very unique was the fact that we reach people using social media at all levels, all age groups, all demographics really. >> could you see latinos tweeting about the state of the union address two, three years ago? >> i would never imagine but it really did happen. and one takeaway from the housing summit was the fact that we got together, several of us that attended the summit, got together to actually watch the state of the union address the tuesday following. and when would that have ever happened? we actually connected there people that are passionate about causes, passionate about politics, and we got together and we were part of that tweeting sensation. so yes, it was wonderful. >> a giant has awakened. he's moving around. any final thoughts, patricia? >> yes, i just want to invite the public to communicate with you or with nora or hilda if

they want to know about upcoming events. let's rock the vote in 2012 and make sure why your opinion counts and the people know what you want to happen. >> did the white house make any promises to the group? >> the promise was they were going to take the notes that we -- as a result of the meetings and then go back and make sure that they were addressed within their programs. then they're coming back to us afterwards, so we now have a working relationship. that was the promise. >> we'll take it. let's show that information again. the white house has a special page on the hispanic summit. hilda, any final thoughts for you on this? >> i'd love to welcome everyone tomorrow. u.s. secretary of education arne duncan will be hosting a town hall meeting with hispanics on twitter. so look for the twitter hashtags hispaniced and the number sign and latism. >> that language would have been

so foreign years ago. the fact we're talking about handles and tweeting and -- >> and you know, what latinos have been one of the number one users of social media. >> thank you so much. good luck with the future endeavors with the white house. >> we appreciate it. we'll see you on facebook. >> there you go. >> up next on "comuniorial right here. orial m stemay wh us.ay [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry

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they are known as the sons of san jose, the brave men who gave their lives for this beautiful country in vietnam. now there's an effort to build a memorial in their honor right here in san jose for all those who were k.i.a.-ed during the vietnam war. sandra fernandez, ceo of the san jose war memorial foundation. and mike salas with the foundation also. a good friend who has an incredible tribute to those who are no longer with us who served in the military. welcome to the show. >> thank you. >> thank you, damian. >> tell us if you will about this endeavor.

we do have some clips and we're going to have the architect in our last segment, jeff berg, talk about his vision here. i opinion, this is -- i've been to the memorial in washington, d.c. how close to the real thing is this, would you say? >> we'd have to say it's pretty close in emotions that we've seen from the public. you know, damian, the people, when they see -- there was a replica in our veterans day parade of our float, the american g.i. forum posted that float. but the people were -- just like the wall in washington. they would walk up to, it place their hand on a name, and it became a very, very sacred moment for them. we saw tears. we saw a lot of emotions. and people were just looking for names. and this was within the corridors of our metropolitan district in the city of san jose. >> and sandra, we're not talking

in theory here. this is happening. >> this is happening. >> tell us about that. how close is it? what has it taken to get here? >> the foundation started in 2008 and we've been working diligently to work for the city to try to get all the policies in place so we can place this monument. we've been fund-raising since then, a letter campaign, a golf tournament, an upcoming dance. and we jumped through all the hoops that we've been asked to, and we're going to get this done. >> when do we foresee a ribbon cutting? i hate to have you look at your crystal ball. but when do you foresee one and where will it be placed? where can we go and pay tribute to the sons of san snoz. >> it will be at the guadalupe river park at confluence point. and we're hoping to have maybe groundbreaking in april sometime depending on how the politics go of it. but a significant event maybe in november or maybe march depending on how it proceeds. >> and when did you decide to get involved? this is something that -- it's

spectacular. this is long in coming, if you will. >> absolutely. my husband's a vietnam veteran, and he was actually original designer of the monument. he wanted to make sure that it was going to be something that people could come to and to sit and have families come and be a calming, soothing organization. so once husbands get involved in things, a wife usually gets involved as well. >> there's a guy who wrote a book and it's called "ya e "ya es tiempo." >> it's time. >> i think you can attribute that to this. >> absolutely. it's something for the community of san jose. it's an important event. and they need to be relegated as the heroes that they are. >> how personal is this for you? >> it's very personal. i think it's personal to all of us. but to myself i personally known nine or ten names on the wall. >> wow. >> six have been confirmed from the high school i went to, san jose high school.

so it's very personal. i have a cousin on the wall in washington, d.c. but on this wall there's 142. and we're here to try and have their names memorialized on this black granite stone we're going to construct along the guadalupe river banks. >> and this is tireless for you. you've been talking about this for a while. 2008, i guess. but partly even before that. >> yeah. it's tireless and effortless. but it's well worth it. we're on a mission to have this installed. we're very close now with the city of san jose in getting it installed. so we're very excited. our vision and our mission began in 2008. and i think we moved along quite well for a small group. >> i know that in my father-in-law's case it took him 40 years to hear the words "welcome home." have we paid enough tribute, do

you think, to our heroes in vietnam? >> i think this is a start. i think it needs to be ongoing and they need to be revered as heroes. and this is just one other avenue where we can start the healing. >> give us a number, if you will. how many sons of san jose are there? san jose high school, i mean, you can't get any more san jose than that. >> there's quite a few. there's 142 names on the wall. and it's pretty evident, when you look at the names, without promoting it, it's pretty evident that well over 40% are latinos. and you know, it's a hidden agenda that keeps us driven to finish this project and get it installed. however, every ethnic group is represented and all of the armed forces are represented on this wall as well. >> what does it say, if you will, sandra-b the courage and the valor of the men who served in vietnam who are from this area? >> well, they went to that war

with full honor. they went to fight for their country. and everyone forgets that they had hopes and dreams and a whole life that they were looking forward to. and they didn't get to come home. so their families are deserving of this wall to come and memorialize them as heroes. >> how do you speak without getting choked up? because it's hard for me. >> it is hard. it's very difficult. because when i think about the young men that went over there, 18, 19, 20, 21-year-olds, they're babies. and they had a whole life ahead of them. and it got cut short. they deserve this. >> they're holding a special fund-raising dance. for this great event. it's happening -- go ahead and tell us when it's happening, mike. it's with the band mystique. >> yes, it's the band mystique. february 18th at the ies hall. that's where we used to go when we were 19 years old to dance

and have a wonderful time. so we're looking forward to it. every penny raised at this dance will go to the monument. >> all right. we'll be back and speak with the architect ofs thit grearime tgl when we continue. so stay with us. n those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. fantastic! pro-gresso ] they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. i'd trade a lot less for a little more. or a little less for a lot more. either way, when it comes to having more. i want a lot more of more and a little less of less. ♪ and that's exactly what you'll get at embassy suites. more free breakfast, more for my money, more deliciousness, more hearty guffaws...

[ guffaws ] because more than enough more is never enough more. more coffee? what do you think? [ female announcer ] free breakfast. more room. complimentary drinks. embassy suites. get more. when i visited the memorial in washington, d.c., the vietnam war memorial, i was with my father-in-law and his two vietnam buddies, i blogged about the trip and i said i was there with three heroes of the vietnam war. and when he read the blog, it kind of chastised me and asked me why i called them heroes. he said the real heroes are the ones on that wall. what's your take on that attitude, mike? the fact that, you know, they don't want any of the credit because as he said the real heroes are the ones on that wall. >> the real heroes -- yes, damian, the ones on the wall are the heroes. the ones that gave their life in the name of freedom.

the ones who stepped forward. they enlisted, they got drafted. all ethnic groups. they went forward and fought the war. unfortunately, many didn't survive that war. and never came home. and those are the true heroes. the ones that gave up their tomorrows for our today's. >> jeff is the architect of the project we've been showing you. what made you say i want this? >> there was no hesitation. i was contacted really from mike to -- it's a long story how we had known each other and introduced me to the foundation. and he explained what they were trying to do, and i was more than happy to jump in. it was a great opportunity to kind of -- my mark or my contribution to serving the country and putting this great monument out there for the public and the fleemgz. >> we all know the emotions of folks that go to the wall in washington, d.c. what do you want folks to go home with at the end of their

visit to your memorial? ? i thi . >> i think the ability to have a nice place to pause and reflect on the names and really think about the sacrifice those families gave with their children. there hasn't been a place in san jose for those families to do that. i think at the end of the day that's really what we'd like do, is have that location for them, a place we can come back and remembrance and closure. >> and the city has been in full support of the project? >> yeah, they have been. it's been a long process. in '08 we had to go through and actually revise the city's monument policy to get this approved. that was kind of a long hurdle to get through. now we're just working really with the different departments, parks and rec and public works on finalizing the agreements and plan checking and we're looking to about the march counscil hae

hearing to get our final approv approval. >> this is low-tech. i don't know if you can see that. $100,000 is what we're looking for. >> we are fund-raising. we have a great contract community that a lot of donations have already been made in kind, a lot of the consulting on a pro bono basis. but there are costs along the way. >> we're also fund-raising in a fun way. we've got a dance coming up, again, once again on february 18th. with mystique. it will be the hottest ticket in town. we also have a golf tournament august 6th which we've had an overwhelming spon response from the community. we couldn't do any of this without them. we couldn't say enough and give enough thanks to all those people out there that have supported us. >> how exciting is this for you? >> it's very exciting.

i'm thrilled. we're etching on 142 names on this wall, you know, but we're also going to walk away with a feeling, an unselfish feeling inside that we were able to make a difference and give back. and those families are going to have closure and know that their sons and daughters did not die in vain. >> the two wars we were at and are at right now. what's your feeling when you drive around the neighborhoods and you see a house with a gold star on the front? >> well, the gold star, i'm very solemn when i see a gold star. of course that means they lost somebody in battle. we give tribute -- during the ceremony -- we perform a ceremony at our events, and it's called the missing warriors ceremony, and we give special tribute during that ceremony not only to all the veterans from all the wars but also to the mothers and the loved ones and the wives that have to stay home and spend