i'm damian trujillo, and today, new leadership at the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza. plus another music festival by sonido clash on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with the monthly visit of the mexican consulate in san jose. with me is consul general juan manuel calderon here on "comunidad del valle." he's back to fill us in about a very important topic that i'm actually interested in personally. welcome back to the show. juan manuel calderon: damian, thank you very much for your invitation. damian: so, the topic today is dual citizenship. my parents were both born in mexico, and because of that, i'm able to obtain dual citizenship. juan manuel: yes, of course, yes. the dual citizenship is very easy to get,

to get the mexican nationality. first, one or both parents, if they're a mexican national, they can get for the sons, for the children, they get the mexican nationality. in your case, especially in your case, i understand your father and your mother are mexican. damian: mm-hmm, yes. juan manuel: okay, we need to have some documents for make the register as a mexican for you. first, we need to have your birth certificate from california. you born in california? damian: yes sir. juan manuel: okay, i need a birth certificate, original certified copy of your birth certificate. i need the birth certificate from your father, from your mother, and also the marriage certificate. i understand that your father is now in-- damian: he passed away, correct. juan manuel: yes, i need these, that's the reason that i need the birth, the marriage certificate. and also, i need official identification for you and for your mother.

and also we have to have two witness. we need to have official identification for these two witness. in case that you have this witness, we check all documents. and as soon as we check all documents, if it's very okay, we-- damian: make an appointment. juan manuel: make an appointment for you with your mother, you, and your two witness. and in this moment, we issue the mexican birth certificate for you. and in this moment, you can get the mexican nationality. damian: let me--so, i am a proud american of mexican descent. like a lot of mexicans who come here and become us citizens, it pains them to swear allegiance to the country where they were not born. why should i, why should others who were born here, their parents born in mexico, why should we obtain this dual citizenship? what is the advantage of that?

juan manuel: well, it's very easy. you are going to mexico, you want to live in mexico, you go to mexico as a mexican. you get the--all the rights and also all the rights to be in mexico if you want to buy a property as a mexican. if you are foreign national, you have to have a special permit to be in mexico, and a special permit to get a property in mexico. for example, you want to study in mexico, you study as a mexican, you don't need anything just to prove you are a mexican. but you are in mexico as a foreign national, you have to have a student visa to be in mexico. damian: do you find that a lot of people are doing that nowadays? juan manuel: yes, of course. yes, we have many, many people in this--let me say in this moment, we are on july, we have--we register about 700

children in the--at the mexican consulate in san jose. and we have many people, mexican people, they want to get for their children the mexican citizenship. and also if you marry with a lady that she's from united states, but you are a mexican, you can get the mexican citizenship for your children. they have both nationality, the mexican and the american citizen. damian: let me ask you, how can i make you an american citizen and to get you dual citizenship tambien? juan manuel: for who? for me? damian: for you. juan manuel: well, if i am a resident in the united states, i can--i have two children, they are 34, 38, they are american citizen. if they apply for me as a resident and also-- damian: you're in. juan manuel: you can get the naturalization papers.

damian: well, you know, it's something to think about, the dual citizenship. it's something that it's taken me a couple of years to convince me i guess that i should do it. and a lot of benefits to it, not a down side that i can see. but if you want more information on dual citizenship, there is the phone number for more information, they're on enzo drive here in south san jose. any final thoughts, señor consul, before we let you go? juan manuel: well, if the people, the mexican people, they are interested to get the mexican citizenship for their children, please contact with this telephone number and we can help you. we have already almost more than 700 people, children, that they get their mexican citizenship. damian: wow, wow, good work. thank you so much for the update. thank you very much. and up next here on "comunidad del valle," sonido clash. stay with us.

[singing in foreign language]

[singing in foreign language] damian: well, there it is, it's time for another music festival by sonido clash at the mexican heritage plaza in san jose. with me is fernando perez, who is organizing this great event. welcome back to the show. fernando perez: gracias, thank you. damian: well, we saw some of the performers. talk about, i mean, the excitement. you're going to have it's like a full day of music and festivities and whatnot. fernando: once again, we're closing up the summer at the mexican heritage plaza, the school of arts and culture on the corner of alum rock and king road. what a better place to hold a cultural festival celebrating the east side of san jose. music from local artists, california artists, national artists, and international artists. damian: now, this is not the kind of music that i used to listen to.

this is obviously, you know, this is new age. how would you describe this type of music? i know suenatron uses--how do they describe themselves, the music that they play? fernando: popteño. damian: popteño. fernando: popteño, yeah. damian: did they invent that? i mean, is that--i've never heard that before. fernando: i think more and more the artists are pushing the boundaries of their music. they're able to fuse this sort of element of-- [speaking in foreign language] we're from here and we're playing the music from back home, and so they're able to have this sort of rnb almost like regional mix. i think they've been traveling the country, and it's lucky for us to have them here locally. and the sounds that you're going to hear is really generational, so you have artists that have performed for the last 40 years, you have artists that have performed, you know, around the last 20, 10 years. damian: the egyptian lover, now i can relate to that one. fernando: that's right. you'll be able to pop and lock and-- damian: how do you fuse those different genres if you will? fernando: for us, it's really just the representation of our community.

i think if you think about the last 30 years, san jose has gone through some transformations. so, this sort of--the ability to celebrate the '90s, the low rider culture, you know, the electronic music culture, the house music culture, the cumbia, culture, and sort of all these elements together, we're not afraid to, you know, push everything together in one pot-- [speaking in foreign language] and invite folks to, you know, celebrate with their grandparents, with their mom and dad, and even bring their children out to an event. damian: do you think you're onto something? because in some of the videos that i've seen, you're packing the house. that plaza can hold over 1,000 people. you're packing that in. fernando: this year, we're actually expanding from the previous two years. we have sort of a vision of being able to occupy the entire space from the theater, to the galleries, to even, like, the streets. but at this point right now, i think we're about three quarters there. we'll be utilizing the zocalo, the fountain, the gallery. we're mixing poetry, we're mixing artists, food.

and again, like three stages sort of combined under one day, and it's about a ten-hour celebration, so it'll be from 2 p.m. till about midnight. so, as the night goes, you know, a little bit darker, the sort of vibe and the--i think the sensations of people will be energized i think to stick with us. damian: you mentioned children and grandparents. is that the--is that the genre of music? it's multigenerational that you're bringing in? fernando: i'd hope so. you know, but it is really for youth. i think youth in san jose have generally no spaces to celebrate and to have fun. so, these artists are also right in that demographic of the young people who don't--who aren't able to, i think, go to a concert, afford a concert. this is over two dozen artists under one night. and i think it's really safe, it's a safe environment. there's going to be activities, there's going to be booths for, you know, resources, and i think there's just going to be a community vibe. so, it's just a perfect mix i think for the young people, but also for parents to not feel, you know, ashamed to let their

kids go and listen to some music while the parents are enjoying, you know, maybe a cold one, or some food, or you know, some art and some poetry. damian: is that the premise of sonido clash? i mean, i think that your title even says what you're all about. i mean, you're blending, you're mixing, and then you're clashing together. fernando: it's really an effort, i think, as we start seeing the evolution of the cultura everywhere, it's going mainstream. some people are sort of using it just for the profits and to be able to, you know, push a certain culture, but i think what we're able to do is allow people to express themselves however they feel. so, the clash is when you sort of learn, you're starting to learn about somebody that's designing t-shirts or hats, and somebody that's rapping in spanglish, and somebody that's mixing, you know, indigenous music with electronic music. damian: isn't that something? fernando: that's it, you know? damian: a couple of djs there? i saw a couple of djs and some high end techno and-- fernando: yeah. damian: if they even play that. fernando: dj irene. i mean, we're bringing the most famous dj i think

from the '90s, dj irene. she's a latina from los angeles. she's sort of famous for producing this house--hard house scene i think during the '90s and, you know, the 2000s. am i dating myself? there was a huge scene in california. the housers or the rebels, they would have their sort of their own--what do you call it? like niche culture in san jose and then in california. so, it's really i think an opportunity for folks to come out of the shadows and come out and enjoy something for them. damian: all right, we're going to not underground, but this is above ground. this is sonido clash's annual music festival at the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza, september 2. there's the number to call for more information. thanks for keeping that cultura alive, man. that's very exciting, thank you. fernando: gracias. damian: all right, and up next here on "comunidad del valle," speaking of the mexican heritage plaza, the new leadership. stay with us.

culture at the mexican heritage plaza in san jose. tamara alvarado is here on "comunidad del valle,"

she's back. she has left the school of arts and culture, and vanessa shieh has taken over the helm. welcome to the show. both: thank you. damian: welcome back. well, tamara, talk about where you went and why, and then we'll talk about the transition in that. tamara alvarado: great, well, first of all, i want to say that i was and am very, very happy with the school of arts and culture. so, i did not leave in a bad way. but i was recruited by the board of the shortino family foundation to apply for this position. and to be a woman of color, a latina woman running a small family foundation, is kind of a unique thing. and so, that was pretty exciting. damian: so, before you used to, as the head of school of arts and culture, go out and fundraise maybe and get grants. now, you're giving grants away. tamara: yeah, so i've been at the job for just a few weeks. and so, yes, that's definitely a part of the job is to go out and learn more about all the great work that's happening in san jose in terms of the arts and education. and it's been amazing to see. i've gone on about 12 site visits in two and a half weeks,

and it's been amazing. damian: have you heard of the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza? tamara: i think so. yeah, well, the school is a grantee of the shortino family foundation, which is how i know the foundation and the board and the staff. damian: how difficult, if it was, was it to leave? tamara: it was very difficult. the school of arts and culture was like my baby, our baby. and having an amazing team, amazing staff, and amazing board, and the community, the community partners, the si se puede collective, so many things that involved not just my professional life, calpulli tonalehqueh aztec dance, that's their--you know, that's our spiritual home, so to speak. so, i almost lived at the plaza, and i kind of still do. they kind of--when they see me, they're like, "you're still here?" damian: and you're not new, vanessa. you've been there-- vanessa shieh: i'm not. damian: you've helped--you've been at the side of tamara helping. vanessa: yeah, we've been working together for the past seven years. before i stepped into the interim executive director role, i was the associate director. damian: okay. big shoes to fill?

vanessa: definitely. tamara: size 11. vanessa: size 11, size 11 shoes. tamara is such a-- damian: those are big huaraches. vanessa: tamara is such a wonderful force in our community. so, absolutely there are big shoes to fill, a high bar to meet because tamara is so effective as a leader in our community. and i'm happy to say that all the activities and the good programs for which we are known continue, and they're accessible and quality programs. damian: that was going to be my next question. we have the video that's on your website of just of the many activities that you have there. what promises, if any, do you make the communities, especially the mayfair community, that it's a smooth transition and it's a status quo, and if not maybe improve things here and there? vanessa: we are improving things right now. we have sold out all of our summer camp spots. so, we are super excited that we continue to offer financial aid to every single student who wants to apply, and no child is turned away for lack of resources.

and that was a philosophy and a policy that was started under tamara's tenure and continues to this day. so, we remain quality, we remain accessible, and we promise great and fun activations at the plaza itself. damian: do we still have the acting interim part to the title, or where is that at this point? vanessa: i am still the interim executive director while the board conducts an executive search to replace tamara. damian: and i mean, when you see the smiles of the faces of these kids after the summer session, my children went to several of those sessions, is that as fulfilling as it gets knowing that your--it's your job, but at the same time you're helping out this great community? vanessa: it's fantastic. i think that the last few recitals we've had at the--for our summer camps have been so fulfilling because you just see the excitement that the students have in wanting to perform and show their parents and their grandparents and their siblings everything that they've learned during those last two weeks of summer camp. and in fact, on august 3 at 6:30, we'll have

our mariachi conservatory recital. damian: all right, but tamara, i know that maybe a baseball manager, let me put it in this perspective, when they retire, they've set up kind of a--when bill walsh retired, he knew that he had a football team, an organization that was going to not skip a step and take it to the next level, if that. how comfortable are you that you're the bill walsh, that you left it in comfortable hands, and that you're going to be marching the way you would be marching? tamara: yeah, well, i would not have left if i wasn't ready yet, if the team wasn't ready yet, the board wasn't ready yet. and while it sort of happened pretty quickly, like i said, i wasn't looking for a new job, i wasn't looking for a new gig, perfectly happy at the plaza with the school of arts and culture, the team, like i said, under vanessa's leadership now--i mean, the reality is vanessa's been our leader. you know, if you have a good associate director, you're just really the one that's, you know, managing the--putting in place the systems, supporting all the operations,

supporting all the staff. so yeah, sure, they've wheeled me out once in a while. but all jokes aside, the strength of the team and the strength of the board and the strength of the partnerships. you know, with somos mayfair, the grail with amigos de guadalupe, those pieces that weren't in place seven plus years ago are in place. and there's systems, there's community trust. i think that's the piece that's really important-- damian: i want to talk about-- tamara: the community trust is really important, where i'm very sensitive to the fact that let's say i had stepped out after being three years--there three years at the plaza. that probably would not have been good. damian: right, i want to talk about what happened seven years ago because a lot of changes for the fall for the positive. again, the school of arts and culture at the mexican heritage plaza, there is their web address for more information. we'll be back with this change in leadership when we continue. stay with us. ♪

mexican heritage plaza in san jose. so, seven years ago, tamara, when you arrived,

let's not mince words, it was in shambles. it was turning into an embarrassment, the organization was, because it was not fulfilling the dreams and wishes of the community that envisioned so much for it. then you came in, you brought in your group, you got the support of the city, the city took over running that operation, and look at where it's at now. but i'm assuming it wasn't easy for you. tamara: it wasn't easy for us. and you know, vanessa was there every step of the way as well. one of the first things that we had to establish was trust. and simply doing--having programs that repeated year after year or month after month was a new thing. and we had to make sure to let people know, "yes, señora--" [speaking in foreign language] this summer camp will happen again." i remember our second summer, we got phone calls from people saying, "is this going to happen again?" and i thought to myself, "wow, you know, this community has gotten used to this place not delivering consistently," to the degree where people didn't believe us, literally said, "meh, you know, we'll see."

or, "good luck with that." or, "eh, we're not going to come around." and so, it was really a process of winning hearts and minds one at a time, one at a time. and being consistent about how we staff, how we programmed, what partnerships we brought in. so yeah, it was some heavy lifting for the team, but we were up for it. i think that we didn't necessarily know the complexity, also the space, which was a good thing. i mean, you have a 500-seat theater. i mean, this is a profession theater and it's a gem. and it's truly one of a kind on the east side of san jose. east of the 101? this is the only theater of its size and capacity. damian: right, and i mean, you're--again, you're mobilizing. sonido clash was here, they're going to be putting on a big festival. i was at sabor del valle this past weekend, and it was sold out. and the next day, i'm driving by the heritage plaza and they're having another festival for i guess was columbian heritage or something. vanessa: columbian independence day. damian: i mean, what's going on? vanessa: so much is going on. i mean, i think that's part of the dream and sort of like

the realization of that original vision. that started with a 22-month-long process. about having this really be a community creative and cultural hub for san jose in general located in east san jose. so that, you know, as tamara had mentioned, the fact is that we have--we're at capacity for summer camps. we also have every single month from here on out, there is a big cultural celebration happening at the plaza. and we're super excited to be able to offer that to our community. damian: going back to the bill walsh analogy, george seifert took over and he took a lot of what bill walsh passed on to him, but then george seifert implemented some of his own ideas and it took the team to another super bowl. kind of the same thing, you learned from tamara, you took a few things there, and then implemented your own things. vanessa: absolutely. i think-- tamara: we want super bowl wins. vanessa: absolutely, i would say, you know, it's fantastic to even continue to work with tamara as a colleague. now that she's stepped into a funder role, it doesn't necessarily mean that she is not available to us as a colleague

at the school of arts and culture, which is fantastic. and i would also say that the organization recently completed a three-year strategic plan that the board finalized, so i've got a really wonderful guiding document that helps me put in perspective what my priorities should be in this interim period. damian: are you kind of emeritus, kind of advisor on the side here? tamara: yeah, they're like, "okay, so you get to be an advisor." and i think i have an official role with the multicultural arts leadership institute, which fernando from sonido clash, if not all of sonido clash, are all graduates of that program. so yeah, so they'll get to--you know, when they see me at the plaza, it's kind of like i've never left, like i said. my children take classes there. i'm a traditional aztec dancer, i practice there. all of the cultural festivals are things that interest me personally and professionally, so they're not rid of me yet. so, thank you for saying all the nice things, vanessa. damian: you touched on it a little bit, but i want to for 30 seconds or whatnot talk about your new role and exactly what you're doing for that. tamara: sure, so, this is the leo m. shortino family foundation.

and it's really--it's such a great--i've been telling people this is a san jose story because it's a story of an immigrant. mr. shortino, italian immigrant, valued the arts and education and was a jazz musician. and was funding, you know, writing his own checks up until he passed. this is my understanding, i'm receiving the lore from the board members and staff. and had a group of people supporting him in that role. elaine curren is the first and outgoing executive director, and she really established a lot of systems and put into place a lot of support for now over 70 grantees in santa clara county. so, i think when i think about our community, our mexicano-chicano, latinx community depending on what label you want to use, and i think about our immigrant work ethic and i think about the immigrant work ethic of mr. shortino, for me personally, i had a connection to that because of my parents and everything that they taught me. and then that connection of you know that my dad was a musician,

he was a trumpet player, and so there was that other piece too where i'm like, "wow." you know, that again this mix, that's very personal to me as well, being a child of immigrants. also growing up with the arts and music, and the value that my parents place on education. for me, i thought, "yeah, i would like to work for a place like this." damian: isn't that something? last question, vanessa, are you on a shortlist to lose the interim title, or should we be looking forward to some sort of-- vanessa: i'm looking forward to being back into an associate director role and in meeting the next latino/latina leader for the school of arts and culture. damian: all right, well, that's very diplomatic of you. and in all honesty, my wife was part of the group that did the groundbreaking and the ribbon cutting at the plaza, and i think we're all very proud of where you all have taken it. vanessa: aw, thank you. tamara: thank you. damian: thank you very much. the mexican heritage plaza school of arts and culture right here in san jose. there's a web address for more information. and now, here's what's happening in your comunidad on que pasa. ♪

♪ ♪ damian: and now our saludos to those celebrating a special day, felicidades. ♪ and there is our contact information. 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, watch us on telemundo canal 48. we'll see you once again here on "comunidad del valle" next week. pase usted, buenos días.

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visit att.com/accessnow to learn more. there's been a fourth victim identified as a result of the fire consuming a residence. right now on nbc bay area news, the death toll rises in redding as it carves a destructive path. we have an update and live report in moments. >> the fire fight continues in napa county as people return to their homes and find that they've lost everything. the news starts right now, thank you for joining us. >> crews say they are making progress on the field fire that's been burning for 24 hours now. we have breaking news on the ferguson fire. another