del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, we celebrate the mexica new year, danza azteca here on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with the plea to get more people to join the civil grand jury in santa clara county. it's an honorable position. and with me here on "comunidad del valle" is the presiding judge of santa clara county, rise jones pichon. welcome to the show. rise jones pichon: thank you very much. damian: well, tell us about the civil grand jury process because it really is an honorable position. and for those of us who like to maybe sometimes complain about how things are, this is a way to make change. rise: this is a good way to make change with our local government. so, every year about this time, the superior court judges are out looking for qualified citizens to serve as our grand jurors. they serve for one year, and they are selected by

the judges of the superior court. their job is to oversee our local government, to make suggestions for change, and to make our community better. damian: and there have been changes made in some of our local agencies after these grand jury--these grand jury reports come out. rise: absolutely. the grand jury does an investigation after they select the topics, and then they write reports. those reports go out to the agencies about whom the reports are written, and then they write responses. and they tell us whether or not they've made the changes, or whether or not they agree with the changes. damian: and you work as a committee, you work as a grand jury. what is the time commitment for those who might be interested? rise: the time commitment is one year, it's the fiscal year, so they begin on june 23. so, they will begin this year june 23, 2016, and they will serve for 1 year. damian: and how often are we meeting and discussing the issues and whatnot? it's often as possible. what's the average? rise: well, they meet two to three times a week, often longer. we tell them 20 to 25 hours when we interview them, but they tell

me that's incorrect, so it's a lot longer than that, and they do work very hard. damian: and a lot of their questions can be asked, you're going to be having some informational meetings at different libraries throughout santa clara county beginning on february 9th at morgan hill library. you had one this past week on february 3rd already in gilroy, and then february 23rd also at the milpitas library, march 1st at the saratoga library, and march 21st at los altos library. rise: yes, we work very hard to recruit qualified citizens of our community. we want them to reflect the diversity of the community, and we also want them to represent the supervisory districts also. so, we work very hard to bring in qualified people. and the best way to do that is to be everywhere, to give the most information that we can. so, i really appreciate the opportunity to be here. damian: now, i know the court is always diligent in making sure that there is that representation of the community. why is that vital, why is that important in selecting the civil grand jury?

rise: well, because the grand jury should reflect the diversity of the community, the diversity of the thought, the diversity of culture. because the thought processes are important in what you do with the investigation, and with the research, and with the writing, and with the reporting. everybody, all their views should be reflected, and so we should have a cross-section of our community. damian: and i know that, again, you're looking at issues in the jail, you look at the social services agency, even city hall if need be. you don't discriminate. you're going after whatever complaints come in. rise: yes, it's local government, so that includes the county, the cities, all of our school districts, and the special districts. so, that could be fire, health and safety, mental health, all of our community agencies. damian: and are you sworn in--are you sworn to secrecy also, or what is the process? rise: they are. it is a secret process. it is a violation of the law for them to reveal anything that they've discussed during their proceedings. they receive training at the local level that's at the superior court.

and they also receive training from the california grand jurors association. damian: how does that look on your resume, let's say? i know that the time commitment is a lot when you're talking about 20-some hours a week, but if you're, you know, a young age or middle-aged, how does that look on your resume to serve on the grand jury? rise: well, it's something that you should be very proud of having done. i know that when i see the grand jurors, they say, "well, you know, i talked to my friends, and i want to tell them what i'm doing because i'm so proud of it, but i'm not able to because of the secrecy." the most they can say is they serve on the civil grand jury, but nothing else. when their reports come out at the end of the year, then everybody will know what they've done, but they have to wait until then before anything is released. but anything outside of the report they cannot say. damian: all right. well, if you are interested, again, we mentioned several of the workshops. you can log onto that website for more information, and also call that phone number and find out more about how maybe you can serve on the civil grand jury. describe your role as the presiding judge of santa clara county. you're kind of--you don't take any cases on, obviously.

you're there to kind of administrate the courts. rise: yes. well, like i said, i do select the criminal grand jury four times a year. now, they meet alone. they are very confidential. but when they have legal issues that can't be resolved, then i'm called into the courtroom to resolve them. but i don't resolve them with the grand jury sitting in the courtroom. usually, there are legal issues that i work out with the district attorney. and if there are any defense counsel at that point, i can work it out with the lawyers. but only the da and the grand jurors are present. now, that's the criminal grand jury. the civil grand jury, we do like we're doing now, this is our recruitment process to bring in citizens who are qualified to be civil grand jurors. they will submit an application, and the application is screened. and once they get past paper screening, then i interview each and every one of them. so, if we have 100 people apply and they're all qualified, then i will interview all 100 people. so, a lot of my time does go there for a short time of the year. now, i will select, along with my director,

we will select 30 qualified individuals. and then those people will be sent to the full bench. so, all of the judges will vote to recommend them for--to be a civil grand juror. now, once they are nominated by the full court, we'll have the day when they're sworn in. and on that day, those 30 names are placed into a hopper, you know, like when you play bingo. and 19 names are selected from the hopper. and those will be the 19 grand jurors. now, for the remainder of the 30, they are selected individually, but they will be the alternates. damian: got it. well, what an opportunity to serve on a civil grand jury in any community. but here in santa clara county, we are recruiting more folks to participate. there is, again, the website for more information and the number to call for more information. any final thoughts before we let you go? rise: well, we really need qualified individuals, and we need a number of people to apply so that we have a good

cross-section of our community. diversity is very important. we really hope that you will apply. damian: all right, thank you for stopping by. rise: thank you. damian: thank you. so, you can become a member of the civil grand jury. up next here on "comunidad del valle," celebrating the mexica new year. it's always worth remembering... that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. here in vineland, home of progresso, we love all kinds of chicken soups... but just one kind of chicken. white breast meat chicken every time. so if you're not going to make your own chicken soup tonight, do what we do...make it progresso.

"comunidad del valle." with me back on "comunidad del valle" is tamara mozahuani alvarado. did i say that right? tamara alvarado: you sure did. damian: all right, well, welcome back to the show. we have some great video of last year's festivities there at emma prusch park. i mean, talk about feeling proud and showcasing your cultura. and you're among the crowd here. talk about what this was like for you. tamara: well, this is a--i really have to talk about where this started for me with my family. when i was just a little kid, my mom and dad would take us to chicano park in san diego. damian: under the coronado bridge. tamara: yes, to see the aztec dance ceremonies. so, this really started for us as a family, where my mom and dad said, "our culture matters.

we're going to expose you to it," and really planted that seed. so, when we're looking at this, i'm really looking at a source of pride for us here in san jose and in the bay area. it's about our culture, it's beautiful, it's welcoming, it's free to the public. we work really hard to bring this magic, you know, to life. damian: you--and somewhere along this video, there's either drone footage or something, but it looks spectacular from the sky. i mean, talk about the circle aspect of the formation. tamara: sure. this is ceremonial mexica aztec traditional dance. and so, this type of dance is always done in a circle. and that way, there's always room for somebody else to join the circle. we have the drums in the middle. we also have something called a momosli in the center that the public can actually come and look at in advance, the day of or on sunday. and it's not an altar per se, but it's really a representation of the day on the aztec calendar. so if it's--for example, if it's cuauhtli, aguila, eagle, then

there will be representations of that. so, this year coming up, we'll actually have a representation of tecpatl, flint, which will be the representation there in this beautiful center that everyone can come and see. damian: for those of us who aren't educated, talk about the calendar, and how it works, and why we're celebrating the new year on that day. tamara: well, one of the great things about the calendar is that, well, first of all, we live in the bay area, so we have lunar new year, we have chinese new year, we have vietnamese new year, we have tet, right? and you also now have, for the past several years, 18 years, the celebration of the aztec new year. and so, this is a true calendar count. there's actually 20 days in the kind of month, so to speak. and there are concepts, if you will, that go with each day. and you have eagle, you'll have tecpatl, you have crocodile. every single day has a number associated with it. and then also, for example, it may be an animal like crocodile, like i said, or tecpatl, which is flint, a mineral so to speak.

so, what are those things that we like to do for calpullito nalequeh is to promote this knowledge to the community to say, "we too in the mexica aztec latino mexicano community, we have a calendar too. and it's actually very rich in terms of its historical significance and present-day usage." damian: and it's based on like an astrology, like everything else? tamara: not so much astrology so much as it is definitely a count. it was used by the aztec empire, so to speak. it was used as a calendar to mark time. and it was also used in terms of agriculture, when to plant, when is the rainy season. we're just coming out of the rainy season. i know it doesn't always rain here in california, but go with me. work with me on this. damian: wow, that's fascinating. tamara: yeah, so it tells you something about who you are. you know, for example, my name is derived from the day i was born. i was born on 13 ocelotl, so 13 jaguar, so to speak.

and so, there's a number of different pieces of information around that that really help guide me in terms of my work. damian: i want to talk about that in our next segment. but if you're interested in celebrating the mexica aztec new year, it's happening march 12th and 13th at emma prusch park in san jose. you can call that number for more information. we'll talk more about this aztec new year when we continue here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us. [music] (singing) i just can't wait to meet you,

sweet child you're on the way, i'm filled with expectation, and you're growing everyday... (instrumental)

here on "comunidad del valle." now, talk about you have to go through a special ceremony tambien to--i don't want to say acquire-- tamara: to receive your name. damian: okay, tell us about that. tamara: sure, sure, the siembra de nombre. so, it's literally when you sow the seeds of your name. and so, traditionally, we do the ceremony locally every 2 years or so. and we bring a maestro, visiting maestro, ocelocoatl ramirez, to really direct that ceremony. and it's really special because it's everything from babies to people who are senior citizens, who come and who have done their

research, and understand what day they were born on, and what are the concepts that go along with that day. and they want to go through a ceremony. and so, it's a dance ceremony. there's aztec dance and there's multiple offerings to the center, and it's reflective of that. but it's really to focus in. you know, we're all given our names at birth, right? and we're--of course, you know, we love our names. our parents gave those to us. but this is also sort of--like for example, my name, mozahuani, which means basically "she who merits all her accomplishments," which means i can't complain about the work because i merit that work, right? damian: but you don't choose a name, right? tamara: you have options. you actually are given about--our maestro gives us about six different options to choose from. it could be very literal. i could have actually chosen the day i was born. but i really actually chose a name that was a little more difficult for me to actually accept, the one that said your work is actually for you to take on, and don't complain about it. so, i tried to live that, my name, mozahuani, that you know,

when i want to complain, like, "gosh, there's so much going on. i have so much work." and then i remember, "well, what's my name? my name is mozahuani," so i accept that work. damian: and this was a family tradition for you growing up, and it continues to be a family tradition with your immediate family. tamara: yes, absolutely. all of our kids, we're out there. my husband pedro as well, who has his mexica name, aquila, as well. so, this is really something that we're saying, hey, we have lots of traditions within our latino community, right? we're not just one monolithic entity, we get that. but this is one tradition that's very important to us. this is not about a religion. this is about culture, about the dissemination of our culture that is actually very much a living, breathing thing. and so, it really adds to the richness of a family's life and to a community. and that's why we work so hard to bring it to more children and more families in san jose. we've always had it as a free event, always. damian: and we're looking at the aerial shot. i mean, this is spectacular. look at this here. tamara: isn't that amazing? yeah, this is drone footage, which was a little bit odd for us at first.

you know, when drones kind of came out, it's something that you hear about in the media and you don't really expect that at an aztec dance ceremony. but when you look at it and just appreciate how much energy and enthusiasm people bring into it and generate. damian: and there's booths there, so a lot of different activities? tamara: we have amazing--an amazing set of vendors that come from all over. last year, i met some people who came from mexico city to come and vend at our event. it was fantastic, very--some wonderful handmade goods. you can find everything from shoes to t-shirts to purses to turtle shells. domestic, not endangered. damian: is there an exam that i have to take in order to change my name or to acquire the name that-- tamara: no, absolutely not. what it really takes is curiosity. you know, curiosity. do you have curiosity? are you looking to--you know, some people said, "well, you know, have you legally changed your name?" and no, i didn't legally change my name. some people do choose to do that, and that's fantastic.

but what we're really looking for as a community when somebody takes on their name is to live that name. so, if you choose to take a name, for example like aquila, like my husband's name, which is really about the essence of water and it's really about patience, but it's also about the force of water, of being strong and forceful when you need to be. so, it's that going back and forth. so, you know, some people might call it mumbo jumbo, but we really look to bring out the most positive elements of your naming ceremony into your work moving forward with your family, with your community. so, when you're out there as a member of our community--i won't speak just of our calpulli, but of our community. and you have this name that you went through in ceremony. and you need to carry yourself in a certain way. damian: see, that was going to be my next question is, what kind of responsibility now do you think you have? it's not just about acquiring your name and then going out and saying ese es mi nombre, "here's my business card. i have an aztec name." is there an added responsibility once you do that? tamara: yes, absolutely. there's an expectation that you're going to take your name,

carry it, hold it with responsibility, with honor. and then you also reflect our community, our broader mexica aztec community. so, that we have respect for the environment, right? a love of family, a love of organizing. you know, within a calpulli, the unit known as the calpulli, you work together. it's about working--el tequio, tequio means communal work. and so, when you carry forward that name, that means that you're a believer in these concepts of communal work, for the good of the order. damian: now, you're also the head of the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza. i'm assuming you also carry those beliefs into your job there and the programs that you offer there. tamara: absolutely. you know, you've been following this story, and you've been a supporter for many more years than before the organization existed, so you know that there were challenges at the plaza. and you know that we've been at it for the last four and a half years. and yeah, sometimes there's some difficult moments. and that's when we get to say, "okay, this is when we knuckle up." and of course, you know, personally for me, it's to say

again, "this is the work that i need to do. you know, this is the work that i've been given." and it's something that, when i reflect on that time when i chose my name, which was before the school even opened up, and you know, for example, before my son was born type of thing, it's to say, "wow, you know, sometimes you can look at things as a struggle, or you can look at it as this is my destiny. this is what i was born to do. so, let's do the work and let's be joyful about it." so, it absolutely gives me a lot of strength. damian: all right, well, it's the mexica new year celebration, aztec new year, happening weekend of march 12th and 13th at emma prusch park in san jose. there's the number to call for more information. any final thoughts? tamara: i would just invite everyone, everyone in the entire bay area, all of your viewership to please come out. come early. there is great parking, and we're working with pal, which is going to be great. but to please come out either saturday or sunday, and support this fantastic family-focused event. damian: all right, thank you for bringing cultura into the show.

tamara: thank you. damian: and we'll have a calpullito nalequeh dance for us, up next here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us.

nidad on que pasa. [music] [music] [music]

[music] [music] damian: well, i'm hearing some great reviews on "valley of the heart," that played by luis valdez. you might want to check it out at the san jose stage company. now, our saludos to those celebrating a special day. felicidades. [music] damian: and here is our address for next week's saludos. you can also pick up a copy of el observador newspaper, and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. you can watch us every saturday at 5:30 p.m., "comunidad del valle" in espanol on telemundo

channel 48 every saturday at 5:30 p.m. celebrating the mexica new year, we'll leave you now with calpullito nalequeh. buenos tardes. [music] [music] [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language]

[speaking in foreign language] female: the direction of the sun--star that holds near, the giver of life and light. [music] [music] male: [speaking in foreign language] male: [speaking in foreign language]

female: [speaking in foreign language]. thanks to our mother earth, that mother who takes care of us. one day, we will return to you, to return back to nature, to the earth. [music] [music] [music] [music] male: [speaking in foreign language]

female: [speaking in foreign language] thanks to our mother earth, that mother who takes care of us. one day, we will return to you, to return back to nature, to the earth. [music] [music] male: [speaking in foreign language]

male: [speaking in foreign language] female: of the east, of the west, of the north and the south, the four directions of life, the four elements, the four stations, the four seasons. to give thanks for the creation. [music] cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com

good evening, we start with breaking news out of hayward this evening. police there say that they have found the body of a missing san jose woman. 22-year-old stacy aguilar was last seen leaving a party in hayward last weekend. investigators say they found they are body around noon yesterday. coroners bureau will conduct an autopsy. policing are treating the case a as a homicide. we spoke to the family who says they were frustrated by police who asked them not to search fore