damian trujillo: hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, the music of raul and mexia and suenatron, plus the effects of prop 47. this is your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with clearing the shelters, an effort by the humane society of silicon valley. with me here on "comunidad del valle" is michelle suarez who represents that organization very well. welcome to the show. michelle suarez: thank you. damian: now, we're talking about a couple of things. one is an event you have coming up on august 15th-- it's the 15th, right? michelle: correct, august 15th. damian: called, "clear the shelters." tell us what that is about and why it's needed. michelle: so, that event, what it's all about is we really want to empty all of our shelters, get all of our animals adopted, dogs, cats, everything. right now, our community is in real need of finding these animals homes in order to prevent them from being euthanized.

because we get to a point where we only have a certain amount of space, and in some of the organizations in our community, once they reach and max out on that space, animals have to be euthanized. one of the biggest things going on right now is we're in the middle of kitten season, and we have, personally in our organization, over 400 kittens in foster care right now in addition to all of those kittens that are at our facilities. we've got four locations available for adoption. so, we're really trying to find these animals homes so we don't have to get to a point where we have to euthanize 'em in order to make space for more stray animals coming in. damian: and unfortunately, how often is this euthanization happening, or do you even talk about that at all? michelle: well, with our organization, we're really lucky where we don't have to euthanize for space. what we do is we go out to other shelters and pull animals from them in order to minimize animals being put down just because of the lack of space. damian: and you also have a project called "project chihuahua" that's interesting. michelle: "the chihuahua project" is based on helping us

reduce animals showing up into the shelter environment. so, we've got five zip codes in san jose that we're targeting specifically that we've got data showing that most of the animals showing up to the shelter are coming from these area codes, and they're chihuahua or chihuahua mixes. so at this time, what we're doing is providing free spay and neuter for these chihuahuas, and in addition, we're also vaccinating them for free at the same time and microchipping them. damian: is it abandonment? what's the reason that you're having this influx? michelle: well, a lot of the times, one of the reasons that animals end up in a shelter is because they're unaltered, and unaltered animals tend to roam away from their home or get out. and once they're out, they get picked up and they end up at the shelter. and sometimes, people don't really know where to go looking for their animals, and if they're not found by their owners, then they go through the process of being put up for adoption in these shelters. and so, by minimizing unwanted litters, we're minimizing these animals showing up at the shelter. damian: and so, what you have also is a mobile unit, i guess?

michelle: yes. we have a mobile van. the first saturday of every month at the home depot on story road, we have a mobile van that's there from as early as 6:30 to 7:30, and we're there all day doing free spay and neuters for these chihuahuas, in addition to giving them the vaccines. so, the vaccines are free with the spay/neuter as well. damian: and they're not cheap either. michelle: they are not cheap, and neither is the spay/neuter. damian: and so, when somebody comes in and says, "i want to adopt," you don't say, "you get a dog, you get a cat, you get a dog." you have to kinda do a little research, make sure that they're qualified and fit to-- michelle: we actually work with the families to find out what animal they want and what's gonna be the right fit for their home, 'cause ultimately, if they're gonna keep the animal in their home, it's gotta be the right match when it comes to energy level, what type of care they're willing to provide. but we're willing to re-home any--to any person that's interested in adopting an animal, whatever animal that they want, and work with them to find the best fit for that family.

damian: well, it's a partnership to help clear the shelters in silicon valley, and so we'd like you to participate. is there a web address where people can kinda-- michelle: yes, they can find out about all of the programs that we offer a www.hssv.org. and we do--again, we offer low cost spay/neuter, vaccinations, training, grooming services, and we even have programs for our youth. damian: all right, and there is the web address for more information. thank you so much for what you're doing in this community. michelle: thank you. damian: all right. and up next here on "comunidad del valle," the effects of prop 47. stay with us.

from felonies to misdemeanors. voters approved that here in california. with me on "comunidad del valle," with the immigrant legal resource center is grisel ruiz. she's a staff attorney there. welcome to the show. grisel ruiz: hi, please, thank you. damian: thank you for being here. so, we have video, obviously, of san quentin, which is our most popular prison here.

but talk to us, if you will, about prop 47 and the benefits that you've seen as an attorney that's coming out of prop 47. grisel: of course. so, prop 47 is a voter-passed initiative in california. it passed in november of last year. and what it does is it really opens up a variety of opportunities for people. so, what it does specifically is that it changes six non-violent minor offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. so, for example, simple drug possession or shoplifting. and it's a really huge record-breaking opportunity, because it's estimated that up to 1 million people in california are available for this benefit. damian: do you have any success stories, maybe someone who maybe should not have been charged with a felony and was, and now had that charge reduced and is a contributing member of society? grisel: yeah, sure, of course. so, what i think a lot of people don't realize is that even after somebody has paid their debt to society, even after someone has served their sentence and is totally done with the obligations that they owe, they can still have sometimes even permanent consequences in their lives as a result of the felony on their record, even if it happened a long time ago.

so, there, in california, are close to 5,000 consequences as a result of a felony offense. over 50% of these are permanent. around 75% of these are related to employment. so, i can go ahead and give you an example of one individual. so, we have this story of daniel, who was working in a refinery in the east bay. and he had a job there, and after his employer did a background check, didn't realize that he had a felony drug possession, he actually lost his job. so, under prop 47, daniel was able to go into court, reduce that from a felony to a misdo, and then actually get his job back, and then was able to support his family again. so, really what prop 47 does is it opens up doors to allow people to be contributing members of society, to allow them to get their jobs, keep their jobs, and you know, really contribute to society again. damian: is there--and there's an immigration component to all of this? grisel: absolutely, so, what's really great about prop 47, what a lot of people don't know, is that it also has immigration benefits. so, what many people don't know is that even really minor offenses can have really dire consequences

in immigration cases. so, something as simple as, you know, even a theft offense that happened a long time ago could make someone deportable, even if they've had a green card for a very long time, even if they have a lot of family members here in the u.s. so, prop 47 will, for certain individuals, make it possible to possibly apply for citizenship, possibly take away barriers that previously existed to get immigration status. so, it really opens a lot of doors for a lot of people in a lot of different ways. damian: now, there's a lot of criticism. maybe you can answer some of this, if you will, because you know, some folks in law enforcement say, well, you're opening the doors for convicted felons to leave the prison and to come out and wreak havoc in our communities, and recommit crimes, and what not. what's your response to those who really think that this is a bad idea when it comes to crime prevention? grisel: so, prop 47 actually really does the opposite of that. it allows people to become contributing members of society. imagine if you had made a mistake a long time ago, and you had paid you debt to society, and you had served your sentence and done everything you were supposed to do, and then were

permanently unable to put your life back together because you couldn't get that job. possibly you had barriers to immigration status, you weren't able to fulfill your education. prop 47 opens up those doors to allow people to rehabilitate and recontribute. and i think it's also important to remember that prop 47 is somewhat limited. you know, so, we have--you know, it's really for minor theft offenses and for simple possession. damian: now, this is a statewide effort that you're obviously here because there is a need to get the word out about the benefits. is there a concerted effort to let people know that prop 47 is there and they should--i don't know if "apply" is the right word, but maybe they should apply and see if they fall under that category? grisel: absolutely; so, it really is a historic opportunity because an estimated 1 million people are eligible, and there is a time stamp. so, we have until november 4, 2017 for individuals to go into court and petition the court to reduce those felonies to misdemeanors. so right now, there's a huge effort to educate the community on this opportunity to make sure that they're taking the steps right now to be able to reduce those, you know,

to misdemeanors, to open up those opportunities before november 4, 2017. and what people can do to get more information to ensure that they--to see if they are eligible and see what the steps are, they can go to myprop47.org. and if you're interested in the immigration benefits as well, you can go to my organization, www.ilrc.org. damian: and i mean, that website is also in spanish. it's miprop47.org. grisel: correct, yes. damian: i mean, do you think that the word is getting out and more people are taking advantage of it, or it's kinda still slow in coming? grisel: you know, i think it's very important to continue spreading the word, again, because we have so many communities who could benefit. and you know, the more information, you know, that's out there, the more beneficial it is. and there are steps that you have to take, right? you need to go to court. you need to get your criminal record. a really good idea is to contact your public defender to see if they can help. if you're interested in the immigration benefits as well, you should also get an immigration attorney on board because that's also very important. so, there are steps that need to be taken, and you know, i think

it's very, very important to get the information out, especially again because we do have that november 4, 2017 deadline. damian: all right, well, grisel is with the immigrant legal resource center, but the web address again is myprop47.org. a statewide effort to help folks reduce their minor felonies to misdemeanors. thank you for the work that you're doing across the state. grisel: thank you. damian: thank you. and up next here on "comunidad del valle," suenatron. stay with us. welcome to fort green sheets. welcome to castle bravestorm.

it's full of cool stuff, like my second in command... and my trusty bow. and free of stuff i don't like. and in my castle we only eat chex cereal. chex cereal. it's full of delicious crunchability. no artificial flavors, and it's gluten-free. and that's something even my brother ... sister can understand. mom, brian threw a ball in the house!

♪ yo no me canso de admirara tu cuerpo. ♪ ♪ me has elevado de la tierra al cielo. ♪ damian: they're taking the country by storm. raul y mexia and suenatron. this is their latest release here called "caramelo." they're our guests here on "comunidad del valle." they're back by popular demand. welcome back to the show, guys. all: thank you. damian: this time you brought the whole cliqua here with you. tell us, first of all--tell us--introduce the guys for us, if you will. raul antonio: well, yeah, for those of you guys

who don't know, well, i'm raul. mexia hernandez: mexia hernandez. abraham alvarado: abraham alvarado. mexia: to our left, we've got abraham alvarado, 'cause they can't hear you. we got eduardo montelongo. he plays bass. gio hernandez: gio hernandez. i play the drums. matt gonzales: and i'm matt gonzales. i play guitar and i produce. damian: and some primos, or how are you guys all related, or friends, or how does that work? raul: yeah, well, of course, we're brothers. we brought our little brother this time. mexia: and then we got our cousin over here as well. our cousin abraham, he plays percussions with us. and then two friends that we've been playing with since--for a very long time here in the san jose local scene. damian: you guys are closer than family. you guys are together. you travel together. you're all over the country. i mean, how do you guys handle that? mexia: yeah, no. well, you know, fortunately right now--thank god we're traveling all over the country and doing what we love. taking it one step at a time, you know? just trying not to pull each other's hair out. no, but it's fun. damian: we're gonna hear their latest, the hit "caramelo," at the end of this show, so make sure you're tuned in for that. but i mean, you guys play everywhere. you're gonna play tonight over at great america. raul: we'll be at great america tonight.

thankfully, this is one of our first shows here in our--where we're from, from san jose, you know? for us, it's really special to come back here and show what we have. and we've been all over, all over the east coast, all over the south pretty much, and now we're making our way over to california. we'll be in this area for the next couple months working. thankfully, like i said, we've come a long way from "todos somos arizona" to where we're at now, and we're just happy to have work. damian: and you guys just came from mexico, no? mexia: yeah, we did. we were promoting our first single, "sencillamente," out there. "sencillamente" was actually in the number one charts within mexico, central america, south america, and making its way here to the states. and now with our second single, "caramelo," doing the same thing. so, we're kind of riding the wave, you know? cómo se dice? you know, we're very much grateful, very much appreciative of what's happening with us right now and the band. i think we've found, kind of, that perfect formula here, you know, with our producer matt, you know, here. we kinda found that sound that we were looking for for so long. damian: and what is that sound, matt? what's the genre that--if i go to pandora, what's the genre i'm gonna find you guys under?

matt: i mean, you can look up regional mexican or pop, you know? that's what we're putting it under, but we're calling it poteño. damian: poteño? matt: yeah, it's a mix between, you know, the traditional and the modern sound. damian: i mean, not just anybody can do that mezcla. you gotta have a creative mind. matt: it was--you know, it took a little bit of time to do. you know, but with these guys, you know, they're talented. and in the studio we really buckled down and just worked hard, and it was a good--at the end of the day, it was a good product that came out, you know? so, it was very organic, you know? it's cool the way it came out. damian: and did you not have a choice? did they say you're coming on board whether you like it or not? gio: well, i mean, i kinda knew that i was gonna be, you know, involved with them in this type of project. and sure enough, it happened and i'm very excited to work with them. it's not every day you can work with your brothers, you know? so yeah, no, this project right now that we have is going on very well. damian: do you try--i mean, it's a different genre. do you try to separate yourself from what your father with los tigres del norte have accomplished,

or are you guys still-- i mean, i see the pictures. you guys are still kinda feeding off and trying to gain some of his genius, if you will, in your music. tell us about that. raul: yeah, well, i think for anybody, you know, the first thing--it's like that you have to find that medium. either way, if we would have done norteño music, we would have had people, "oh, they're just trying to copy their dad." you know, you do something different, it's like, "why didn't they do what their dad did?" so, for us, we kinda see, you know, where both sides come from, and that's what the point was coming up with the sound called poteño. so, it was kinda like a happy medium between what people expected of us and what we wanted from ourselves also. us being born here in the united states, our story's different from our dad's, so a lot of people understand that now. and i think now, you know, from what we've learned and from what we've experienced over these past 10 years to the point where we got now is we realized that people now are just like us. the people who are growing up, they live like us. they were born here, they speak spanish, they speak english, and it's a sound for them. and i think now, when we go to mexico, we didn't expect that type of--how do you say "recibienton"?

mexia: expect them to receive us. raul: receive us with that much of open arms, you know? because you always hear--you see the selena story, and then you go to mexico, and you know, they criticize you 'cause you're spanish. and you know, but for us, you know, we go there and they were arms wide open. and it was like, wow, you know? our music's doing well over here. and we come here and it's the same. so, i said i think we're in that generation of the youth where now you listen to music on the internet, and it could be anything from reggaeton, to bachata, and then you're listening to rock, rap, alternative, and that's what our style is, you know? and i think at the end of the day, we found that. like my brother said, we found that perfect formula and we're going. we're riding this wave right now. damian: because you told me your dad's songs-- you talk to anybody and they say, esa música es tan perrona. do they say that about your songs? mexia: yeah, we've heard people tell us. yeah, 'cause the majority--like matt said, you know, the majority of the concerts we've been playing is, you know, regional concerts, you know? we've been playing with bands--with bandas,

other norteño groups, and we definitely stand out, you know? even the name suenatron is unique in its own, you know, which is a fusion of two words: "suena," de "suena fuerte," and "tron" of the electronic part. so, we put la parte electronica, you know, that we mesh with our music. so, even the name, you know, we don't dress--we don't wear the botas y tejana and everything. so, we definitely stand out amongst our peers, but i think we're definitely getting the respect from them as well. 'cause they're--you know, we even get some people coming up to us, other artists at the show, "you know what, i don't know what that's called, what that sound is, or what it is, but i love it. you guys are on the right track." it's a breath of fresh air to our genre, so it's definitely cool for us. damian: do you wanna throw on the botas sometimes? mexia: every now and again, yeah! [laughing] raul: the other day he rolled up to the practice place and he was blaring banda music, so i think it got to him already. damian: well, we're gonna roll to "caramelo." matt, tell us about "caramelo," or who's the right person to tell us about? matt: yeah, well, "caramelo" is a love ballad. it just talks about, "hey, i love you and i wanna--that's how i wanna see you. i wanna see you only and only you." damian: i wanna smother you with caramelo.

[laughing] matt: yeah, pretty much. damian: any final thoughts, guys, before i let you go and we play your video here? mexia: yeah, if you guys wanna find out more about us, you guys can visit suenatron.com, and you'll find all our social media sites there. and you know, like i said, we're very blessed to have this opportunity to be able to speak on platform like this, and we wanna thank you again for always inviting us and always supporting us. and like i said, for us, the most important part is to represent our community, our people, and every time we go out there, have a positive message. damian: do you get frustrated when they say, "somos hijos de los tigres del norte," or is that kind of a-- mexia: no, not at all. that kinda--it comes with the territory, you know? it kinda comes with it. but you know, the only thing--like our dad always instilled in us, you know, be innovative, do your own thing. como los tigres, no hay dos, you know? and so, we definitely keep that, you know, in our minds and in our hearts, but we are definitely trying to make our own way and our dad is definitely supportive of that. so, you know, if it was any other way, then i'd probably be like, "ah, okay." but no, our dad is definitely, you know, 100% behind us, just like our uncles are, and we're--you know, who better to learn from than them, you know?

because they're the best example. damian: well, i've been waiting 19 years to have them on the show, so what's another year to wait, right? well, there's information if you wanna get ahold of suenatron or listen to their music. suenatron.com. we'll be back and listen to "caramelo" when we continue here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us.

comunidad on "que pasa." [music] [music] damian: and to those celebrating a special day,

felicidades! [music] damian: and here's a way to get ahold of us for next week's saludos. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. also, pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. also, you can watch us on telemundo canal 48 every saturday at 5:30 p.m. your "comunidad del valle." we thank you once again for joining us on "comunidad del valle." we leave you now with the new song, "caramelo," and raul y mexia in suenatron. gracias. [speaking spanish] [speaking spanish]

[music] ♪ yo no me canso de admirara tu cuerpo. ♪ ♪ me has elevado de la tierra al cielo. ♪ ♪ enamorado por primera vez, ilusionado mas de ♪ ♪ lo que crees, cuando te veo. ♪ ♪ mueves el centro de mi corazón, ♪ ♪ haces que tiemble todo mi interior. ♪ ♪ eres mi obsesión mi complemento. ♪ ♪ me gustas me erizas el cuerpo. ♪

♪ eres caramelo que endulza ♪ mis sueños enciende el deseo. ♪ ♪ me gustas sin ti yo me muero y quiero ♪ ♪ que entiendas que esto es no es un juego. ♪ ♪ quiero acariciarte y jurarte amor eterno. ♪ ♪ yo no me canso de admirara tu cuerpo. ♪ ♪ me has elevado de la tierra al cielo. ♪ ♪ enamorado por primera vez, ilusionado mas ♪ ♪ de lo que crees, cuando te veo. ♪ ♪ mueves el centro de mi corazón, haces que ♪ ♪ tiemble todo mi interior. ♪ eres mi obsesión mi complemento. ♪

♪ me gustas me erizas el cuerpo. ♪ ♪ eres caramelo que endulza mis sueños ♪ ♪ enciende el deseo. ♪ me gustas sin ti yo me muero y quiero ♪ ♪ que entiendas que esto es no es un juego. ♪ ♪ quiero acariciarte y jurarte amor eterno. ♪ [music] [music] [music]

[music] ♪ discúlpame por ser romantico, ♪ ♪ un tipo humilde y melancólico. ♪ ♪ yo se que te has cansado ♪ ♪ de mi forma de ser. ♪ tu esperas un galán de televisión, ♪ ♪ un experto en la seducción ♪ que tenga un auto deportivo y bronceada la piel. ♪ ♪ pero ya ves no soy aquel. ♪ yo solo te puedo querer. ♪ sencillamente solo a ti y a nadie más porque ♪ ♪ jamas pondre a nadie en tu lugar. ♪

♪ yo no te puedo dar riquezas, tan solo tengo ♪ ♪ una promesa que si te quedas vas a ver ♪ ♪ lo que es amar. [music] ♪ discúlpame por ser tan típico, un tipo ♪ ♪ simple y algo tímido. ♪ mi pobreza ya lo se no te hace bien. ♪ ♪ tu vives en un mundo--

hi, everyone. welcome to "on the money." i'm becky quick. beating the big boys at their own game. the prices that could beat amazon and the more you buy, the more you save. but there is a b camp. are you ready for football? deflategate and keeping up with the time. how to tell if you need a money check-up. the doctor is in. and a taste of summer. offer some bubbly to the taste test. bargains to big bucks. "on the money" starts right now. >> this is "on the money," your money, your life, your future. now becky quick.