"comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo. and today, back to school help, plus the taco fest, on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with the effort to "clear the shelters," and michelle suarez is with the humane society silicon valley, and she brought trix. michelle suarez: i did. this is trix, our 6-month-old bunny who is available at the humane society silicon valley, milpitas. say hi, trix. damian: tell us about--you were saying that bunnies--for some reason, you have an over-abundance of bunnies. michelle: yeah, people have been looking over bunnies this year, and so we have a lot more of them in the shelters these days. they forget that they actually can make very good first time pets. they're easy to take care of. they're very cute and cuddly.

they're playful. so, if you're still not sure what you wanna adopt, a bunny can be a very good first pet to have. damian: indoors. michelle: indoors, yes. keeping them indoors, yeah. and they're easy. again, they're easy to confine. they don't really destroy your house. you can keep them in an expen and then let them run around. they love puzzle toys. they like to eat carrots. and they're also really cuddly. they just like to be social with people. damian: so, if i go to work throughout the day, i can come back and-- michelle: yep, you can leave 'em home for as long as you need. just leave them with their food, their water, and their litter box, and they're good to go. damian: all right, well, the humane society, once again, is teaming up with nbc bay area and telemundo for "clear the shelters." tell us about the event. michelle: so, we've done this event in the past and we've been very successful in finding over 170 pets a home on that day. it's a free adoption day, so you can adopt a dog, a cat, a bunny, and the adoption is free. so, our goal this year is to try to beat our previous goal from

previous year and adopt out 185 animals. we have four locations. we have petco in san jose, petco in sunnyvale, and then petsmart in mountain view, in addition to our main facility in milpitas. so, you can come down anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to adopt a pet for your family. damian: talk about the generosity of the folks in the past and what they've done. michelle: in the past, people have been very generous. again, we waive the adoption fee, but a lot of times people realize that we've invested in helping take care of the animal, make sure that the vet has made sure they're in good health, we've alternated--altered them, vaccinated them. so, we've done some medical care for them as well, so people have donated money, even though the adoption fee has been waived, in order to take care of future animals that we're gonna bring into our organization to try and save. damian: not to scare us straight, but scare us straight if you will.

what happens if we don't show up in numbers on that day? michelle: so, our organization thrives on being able to find homes for these animals so that way we can go and pull animals into our shelter that are being euthanized because there's not enough space or enough homes coming in to adopt them. damian: are those facilities packed right now? michelle: yes, a lot of--especially right now, this time of the year, there's a lot of kittens, in addition to a lot of bunnies, in the shelter. it is kitten season, so in may, we had about 600 kittens walk through our door alone. so, there's a lot of kittens being born our there right now this time of the year, and so we need to find them homes so that we can keep saving the kittens that are gonna continue walking through our doors. damian: and somebody found trix hopping around? michelle: yes, so trix was hopping around in the city of sunnyvale, just hanging out, and someone brought him in so we could find him a home. damian: all right, well, again, it's "clear the shelters." it's an effort by the humane society silicon valley, telemundo, and nbc bay area.

august 19, all day. you can log on to both websites there, nbc bay area and the humane society, for more information. any final thoughts before we let you go? michelle: just make sure you mark down the day, august 19. come and adopt a new family member. damian: all right, thank you and trix for coming today. michelle: yay! damian: all right, and up next here on "comunidad del valle," a fiesta with a purpose. stay with us.

shop with a cop foundation. with me on "comunidad del valle" is darrell cortez and also assistant chief danny acosta with the foothill de anza community college district. welcome to the show. good morning, damian. damian: all right, well, we were talking offline about the cost of buying materials for your kids so they can go to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. i mean, it's getting astronomical and you've got these families who can barely afford it, darrell. darrell cortez: yes, in this bifurcated economy, people are struggling here. in one of the richest valleys in the country there, we still have a lot of poverty here, believe it or not. and that's where our work takes us into areas that are economically challenged, and low-income children,

and it's part of our focus of working. damian: tell us about that, the fiesta with a purpose. darrell: well, on august 26, we'll be celebrating a decade of giving back to the community, representing the officers in uniform, the men and women in blue. we're trying to humanize the people who wear the badge, and we're gonna be giving our story and having some testimonials of people and families that we have helped along the way in these past 10 years. and since we're ethnically-led, 100% volunteer-driven, our membership is comprised of law enforcement officers, probation officers, and community members, and it's about giving back. and we're celebrating our 10 years of being here as a foundation. damian: you know, chief acosta, i know that sometimes we tell our kids, "portate bien or i'm gonna call the cops on you," so you become the bad guys. i don't want the cops to come to my house. it's a bad idea, right? i mean, you want cops to be your friend so that you can trust them in case something is-- danny acosta: absolutely, it's very true that you say that. and most of us were raised that way too,

and that's exactly what we viewed, and we're trying to change that attitude. if there's problems, there's trouble, there's a need for somebody, they should be able to go to an officer, uniform or not. they should be able to identify one and be able to go without any fear. damian: and darrell mentioned this is a way to humanize y'all, if you will, that there is a human being behind that badge. danny: yeah, that's a difficult part that we play. we play a role, a worker role, and when we're working, we're thinking one way. but we are coaches, we are dads, we are tios, tias. we're everything that everybody else is too, and we try to show that too. with shop with a cop, the kids actually get to know us, and by the end of the events that we do, they see another person, not just the uniform. damian: and then this is a fundraising event, though, for y'all, so you can be able to keep these things going. darrell: yes, if i can piggyback what danny said, and chief eddie garcia coined it the best.

he said, "we are much more than the uniform we wear," and the work we're doing, especially given these current unprecedented times across this country where the trust seems to be eroding between police officers and the community, we have to be more visible out there. we have to show these children and their families that we are good people here and we wanna give back in a myriad of ways, and our projects take us into those communities where some of those people still don't trust the police. so, we're breaking those barriers down. i like to say that we build bridges and not walls. we're calming fears and rebuilding a trust on the programs that we promote. damian: talk about the look in the eye of those children, chief, when you see them and they realize that, "hey, i can approach him," or "i can approach her. they're friendly. they can be my friends." danny: oh, it's magic. it's really neat to see the change. they're very timid at the beginning. we usually have a breakfast before, and when we're talking with them, and they're very timid and hold back a lot. by the end, they're asking for everything, they're smiling, they're telling you everything about their

lives, and they're asking all kinds of questions. so, it's really magic to see that, and that's exactly what we want. we want to be able to communicate, and again, bridge together the need of law enforcement and first responders with the need that the community has. they're not pleasant, but we'll try to make 'em as pleasant as possible. damian: and i've shared this story before. when you take 'em shopping at target with $100 gift card, the one child who decided that, instead of getting toys, and games, and gloves, he was putting laundry detergent. darrell: well, those officers who support us throughout the year, last year we had 21 bay area law enforcement agencies come into the target store, and they each get $150 gift card. and that's why it's so critical for us to raise these funds at this fundraiser we're having. it carries on into 2017 and then into 2018. and the children create this bond with this police officer that will forever leave an indelible positive image on their mind, just saying, "wow, the officers helped me and my family." and we had--the officers walk away very humbled and they have

a different perspective. they see the need. of course the officers are out there each and every day, and they know. and when it comes to children, officers pull out all the stops. and so, at our fundraiser, we're gonna showcase what we've been doing these past 10 years, moving forward, be around another 10 years, and just giving back and helping those families that are really struggling economically, socially, educationally with our education programs too, with our readers and leaders summer reading camp that we just finished, very successful. so, promoting education in communities of color. damian: all right, and i mean, latin heat, or who's playing there? darrell: oh, we have one of the bay area's greatest bands of salsa, latin heat, and a deputy, julian quinonez, who goes by the name of dj julian q, will be performing. live auction, premium tequila tasting, beer and wine. and i just want the viewers to come out and support a great cause and support the men in blue. they really need your support nowadays. damian: man, that's--julian is old school. i was djing at san jose state when he was already a veteran of djing. darrell: he can still spin tunes.

damian: yes, he can. well, this event is happening over at the scottish rite temple in san jose. there is a number for more information, and make sure that you're there on august 26, with shop with a cop silicon valley and the fiesta with a purpose. thank you guys so much for what you're doing. darrell: thank you very much. damian: all right, and now, up next on "comunidad del valle," navigating through the public school system as school begins. stay with us.

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canada's rocky mountains await. call your travel agent or rocky mountaineer for special offers now. with me from the santa clara county office of education here on "comunidad del valle" are edilma roulette and also summer reeves to share more about what we're talking about here. now, a quick story for y'all. i was doing a story this past week, a news story, and this parent approached me asking where the clinic was, the washington's clinic. but that's one of the things he had to do in order to get his child registered. talk about how easy we need to make it for families and parents to make sure that they're on board and learning the ins and outs of the public school. summer reeves: actually, you know,

we've put together a publication called, "navigating public schools," and we wanna try to help families because there's a lot of rules and regulations, like vaccinations if you hit a certain age. a lot of families don't know that there are free services available in santa clara county. if you wanna register your child, how do you enroll your child into that school? and that's what we've been putting together to try to help families to be able to find those resources and to know where they need to go in order to answer the--get the answers to those questions. damian: because edilma, it's not as easy signing your name and your child's name, y se acabo, right? there are a whole list of things you need to know to make your child's experience successful. edilma roulette: yes, there are several steps families need to take in order to register a child. and this time, also this is the second time that we are publishing the "navigating public schools" guide, and we added two or three more topics important to parents,

like truancy, how do you enroll a child in special education, alternative schools when children have problems, like, with the law. so, there are other options. so, what else do we have new? we have parent involvement, a new segment, you know, parent involvement. so, it's a little--it's better. it's a better version this time. damian: all right, expand on parent involvement, because it's not just about dropping your kid off, closing your door, going to work, coming home, or coming back to school, picking your child up, and going home. i mean, your child's education entails more than that. summer: it certainly does. i always say that parents are a child's first teacher, and it's really important that parents take an active involvement in their child's education, that they know what their homework is, that they talk to the teacher, they find out what's happening, particularly now with the new laws that are passed, the lcap, which is a local control funding program. with that they want--schools are gonna be assessed by how

involved the parents are, and parents are there to make decisions of how money's getting spent in districts. so, there's a lot of programs for parents. sometimes parents can't come directly after school, sometimes there's back to school nights, the teachers have open houses. each district kinda has their own things. they have parent engagement workshops sometimes, classes for the parents to kinda learn how to work with their kids, which is really cool. there's a lot of things that each district within the santa clara county is doing to try to get the parent back into the education process, because studies have shown that parents that are involved with their child's academics, the child achieves better. they perform better in the schools, so. damian: all right, are these--is this guide in spanish, as well in other languages? talk about that effort and why that's needed as well. edilma: yes, it's in spanish and vietnamese. it's already translated, so it will be published in the three languages.

those are the three main languages here in the valley. and it will be available online, on our website. damian: okay, and it's called, "navigating public schools," because i mean, that's, in essence, what you're doing, right? i mean, you're trying to find the right resources and the right tools to make sure, again, that your child is getting that quality education. summer: definitely, we're trying to be that signpost for the parents so they know that these are the types of questions that you ask the district. and letting them know that those resources are out there for them, because a lot of times, parents aren't aware that, you know, that there's these programs for them, that there is a special education, and how do you go about it. so, we're kind of acting as a signpost to help the family member that may have just arrived to santa clara county, they may not speak a lot of english, but we wanna help them out, and try to point them in the correct direction, and let them know what type of conversations they should be having with their child's district. damian: and this might save them a trip, maybe, to their district office, if not the county office of education, because maybe they have a basic question and the

answer's right there. summer: it is, yeah. and we're trying to also--we have links on our pages, as well, to help those parents out. if there's some kind of medical need that they have, we have resources for them too. damian: did you find that, that there was that need, people were--a lot of parents were coming in? edilma: yes, being hispanic involved with the hispanic community, all my jobs have been, you know, involved with the hispanic community, i know that that is very important. one area that i definitely love to have in the "navigating public school" guide is the truancy part, 'cause there is--parents really don't know, like, the big consequences that, you know, having a child being absent from school can be, you know? it can be really, really detrimental for students and parents. so, we added also, you know, the truancy part, and that's gonna be really helpful. damian: all right, looking forward to that.

again, this is with the county office of education. if you'd like more information, there is their web address. again, it's "navigating public schools" as we get ready for this next school year. well, thank you all so much for the work that you're doing. summer: sure, thank you, too, damian. damian: thank you. and up next here on "comunidad del valle," the taco fest. stay with us.

jorge sanchez is the owner of chacho's restaurant and the one who's been throwing this huge pachanga in downtown san jose for quite some time now. welcome to the show, jorge. jorge sanchez: thank you. damian: well, tell us about this bash, 'cause it kind of is a bash. there's a taco eating contest, there's music, there's entertainment. there's a lot of things happening. jorge: yeah, it's an amazing event. it's going on for now 3 years. we changed it from the chacho's taco festival now to the silicon valley music and taco festival. so, we've expanded from a 1-day event to a 2-day event. we also teamed up with the international federation of competitive eating, better known as the mle. those are the guys that do the nathan's hot dog eating contest. so, we have some phenomenal bands.

we have super diamond on saturday, and then we have la misa negra on sunday headlining. so, we got some really great things happening. damian: now, how can joey chestnut eat all of those tacos at once? jorge: well, actually it's matt stonie that has the record. damian: oh, that's right. jorge: yeah, it's matt stonie that has the record with us, which is 103 tacos in 8 minutes. damian: i think you might have some challengers. jorge: well, let's stop there. joey chestnut beat that this year already. he has 127 tacos in 8 minutes. so, it's the first time that both eaters are meeting up at our event, and somebody hopefully will break that record. damian: put some tajin, see if he eats that many the next time. jorge: oh yeah, some tapatio. damian: [laughing] one thing that i admire you, jorge, and your restaurant, is that whenever there's some sort of community event, whether it's a fundraiser or whatnot, "hey, can chacho's cater?" and the answer's rarely no. i mean, you're always there. talk about that effort, that philanthropic wing of what you're doing. jorge: well, that whole aspect of chacho's and myself is

just the culmination of my upbringing, my family. you know, damian, actually before we aired this, we were talking about my grandfather, and my aunts, and uncles. so, they're all community involved in one form or another, and so it's just how i was raised. you know, it's about lifting each other up, regardless of your stature, or what community you belong in, or nationality. it's all about helping the community and that's what chacho's is about. it's about community. damian: and now, you've kinda revived that little strip area on san fernando street in downtown san jose. i mean, you're kinda taking over that whole block, and people are coming. jorge: well, you know, it's about creating communities. and so, you know, you're absolutely right. we've taken over a couple locations, and now we've made that part of san fernando a destination block, same as other areas have been doing in the area. so, we're very excited for what downtown is becoming. damian: all right, now, for those people who maybe have not gone to the taco fest, what are we missing out on? jorge: you're--it's a great time,

family, a little bit of mayhem. we have pro wrestlers out there. we have that, we have mariachis, we have ton of booths, food, tacos. we have a lot of local vendors, restaurant owners coming and participating. so, it's a lot of fun. you're gonna hear some great music. we have cashed out, which is a johnny cash band. we have an amy winehouse band. we have la misa negra from oakland. we have some phenomenal bands, and i think that we're really excited. and first time that's happening with us is we've teamed up with the downtown association, and on saturday night after the festival, we have a movie. so, we're doing "nacho libre" from dusk 'til whenever it is, like 11. so, we're really excited about now we've extended that to a movie night with the downtown association. so, it's an awesome thing. damian: that was my next question. the city and these organizations, they're kind of seeing what you're bringing in and they wanna join in, i would imagine. jorge: well, i mean, i think it's a community event, you know? it's a community event. we work really closely with the downtown association,

the san jose pd, the department of cultural affairs, parks and recs, and all the associations in that area. so, i mean, you have to bring everybody on board for it to be a really successful event. and again, it's about community. we don't wanna leave anybody out. damian: are we talking tripas, pastor, and asada there? jorge: we're talking everything. now, for the competitive eating, it's only a 2-ounce taco, just carne asada, tomato, and cilantro, no onion. damian: i mean, what happens if you do add, you know, a little spice to it, the way some of--i mean, you're not gonna be eating 120 tacos, i can guarantee you that. jorge: no, no, no, there's some guys that have jumped on board and they walk away eating five tacos, that's it. it's pretty intense. damian: does he dip it in water? jorge: yes. yeah, there's a lot of regulations and rules that the federation puts in place, but they all dip it in tacos. it's pretty amazing. damian: now, how were you able to coincide that? i mean, the hot dog eating contest, i mean, it's been going on for years and it's popular. how were you able to say, "hey, let's try that with tacos?"

and then they jump on board? jorge: well, you know, they are very open. they're very happy to work with us. i mean, i think tacos in this area is a no-brainer, now that we do have tacos and see how we can accelerate this event and get it going. you know, i've been traveling into mexico and there is no taco eating contest in mexico. so, maybe that's our next step. who knows, right? damian: now, i've spoken to, like, mariachi vargas who comes and says, "well, you know, the tacos here in san jose taste the same as the tacos in morelia," if you will. talk about the authenticity of the kind of food that we're selling and you're selling that we're seeing around restaurants and taquerias in the south bay. jorge: well, i think you're getting an authentic taco. obviously, authenticity depends in the area you're going to. obviously if you're in michoacan or df, it's completely different. it's the same thing with some tacos in la, and some tacos in san francisco, and some tacos in san jose. you know, everybody has their flavor and their sazon, you know? so, it all depends. damian: and you're right smack in the middle of

downtown, verdad? jorge: we are right down there. right down there. the event is at saint james park in the heart of downtown, like 2 blocks from chacho's. we're loving it. damian: all right, well, again, it's the annual taco festival coming to san jose. and again, chacho's does a great deal of philanthropic work, and--i don't wanna say this a lot 'cause then everybody's gonna be calling you, buddy--donates a lot of catering to some worthwhile organizations. there is the eventbrite website and number to call for more information. any final thoughts, jorge, before we let you go? jorge: no, just come on down, see the event, and enjoy the carnage. damian: thank you, jorge. all right, and now, here's what's happening in your comunidad on "que pasa." ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ damian: and our saludos for those celebrating a special day, felicidades. ♪

♪ damian: and here is our contact information. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. you can also pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. you can also watch us on telemundo canal 48, every sunday at 11 a.m. the next couple of weeks, it will be on at 6:30 a.m. for the rest of august, but our normal time slot is sundays at 11 a.m. your "comunidad del valle" in espanol on telemundo canal 48. we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us here on "comunidad del valle." we will see you once again here next week. pase usted. ♪

nbc sports, home of the olympic games. the fedexcup playoffs. the nhl. the nascar playoffs. and super bowl lii only on nbc. welcome to the honda nbc sportsdesk. hello, everyone. julie donaldson here. we'll get you to the ironman world championship in a moment. first, relief for the fans of the washington nationals. last night against the giant, all-star bryce harper slipped on a wet first base and grabbed his knee. it looked to be a serious injury. tests showed no ligament