when "comunidad vllo: hello anwelcome to, male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we do begin with our monthly visit of the mexican consulate in san jose, ambassador juan manuel calderon is my guest on, "comunidad del valle." he's also brought with him manuel herrera, who's the consul of economic affairs for the mexican consulate in san jose. welcome to the show. manuel herrera: thank you. juan manuel calderon: thank you, damian. damian: well, let's talk about that because you're here, sir, you're the expert on economic affairs. now, congress has not approved the deal yet,ces nafta. but what is the framework that you know of, and how do we benefit? manuel: well, the thing is that let's distinguish between this framework and the previous one.

the current one is a fr permanent framework,s thie and there's another big difference between this one, the current one, and the new one. the thing is that at the time they approved the previous nafta agreement, there were not many, many topics and agenda on economic affairs, meaning technology affairs and some other sort of legal, property rights affairs. so, we are trying to update this new agreement with all these new topics that entail the international trade. asming that you and others like you are still trying to look through the document and see, "okay, this affects us. this does not affect us." we still don't know everything probably that is

in that document. manuel: well, the thing is that the most affected sector of the economic dynamics is the auto motor sector, meaning that they will increase the rules of a region from 62% to 75%. in other words, most of the cars manufactured in north america have to be composed by inputs made in north america. but in the extreme case that those manufacturing sectors of the auto motor sector do not comply with the rules of origin, they still can export cars according to the wto framework, meaning 2.5% more or less of tariffs. damian: okay. are you glad you have an expert in your office who can answer those hard questions? juan: yes, of course. he's a very, very smart person, and he's in charge for this specific, specific topic.

we would like to say that the consul herrera is in charge for this work, and we would like to say that we are going to work very hard with our friends that to explain what is important for the three countries, the new nafta that they signed, the president signed the last november. damian: yeah. we're in silicon valley. how big of a role does silicon valley play in this new agreement? manuel: that's a very good question. in our days, the world economy is moving towards the economy of knowledge, meaning the economy of technology, the economy of the expertise, of the knowhow. in that regard, the silicon valley represents a lot for us. today, technology and trade cannot be divorced, they have to go hand in hand.

so, the silicon valley is an important, key element to promote more trade in the region. damian: and you are probably one of the top people that they want to tap because of the technology and the advancements that we have here in silicon valley. manuel: right, i mean yeah. there's a lot of hunch about-- hunch range of opportunities, so. damian: all right. well, you're in the right place here in silicon valley. the mexican consulate in san jose is there to answer any questions about how maybe folks feel they need-- they might be affected by this new trade agreement that again has not been signed by congress, but it's still in agreement between canada, mexico, and the united states. there is their information on the screen. we'll be back and speak more with the mexican consulate in san jose, stay with us. and because redfin.com is america's #1 brokerage site our agents get more eyes on your home

than the one next door. don't get stuck in the past. sell with a redfin agent. than the one next door. with the visit of--the monthly visit of the mexican consulate in san jose. this is not on our agenda to talk about, but you gave me this amazing calendar.

talk about who created this calendar and why-- juan: well, this beautiful calendar is made by the [speaking in foreign language] these are the paintings, the kids that we have the people, the children. damian: it's a contest. juan: it's a contest that they win. and there are 12 pictures for children around the world, the mexican children, or they have origin is mexican. and this picture belongs to these, the children, and they are going to be around the world, this contest. and if you see, for example, this picture belongs to the children, emma buvencacova, she lives in austria. damian: oh wow. juan: yes. damian: and you have some local kids tambien. juan: yes, we have a local kid, he's-- let me see where is-- damian: so, kids sign up for this competition and then

they draw, they make these amazing paintings and drawings, and then they're on the calendar. juan: yes. and in san jose, the children is jeritza, jeritza garcia. she wins, this is the picture. this is very small right here. damian: okay. okay, all right, eight years old. well, congratulations to those children. speaking of children, who doesn't need a role model? when i was growing up, when i was in college, i needed a role mode because i needed someone to guide me. juan: well, i think the forum, the latino role model is very important for all of us, for the latinos, the general-- for the mexican, the mexican community to know what's mean. the latino role model is a forum that you can go with your children and to know what happened there, what kind of opportunities or what kind of in education. if i want to go to the college, i want to go to the university,

what kind of service i can get in that role model. and also, we are going to have a special guest, special guest. and this year, it's going to be in march 9. damian: at cabrillo college. juan: yes, in cabrillo college. it's going to be between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and we are going to have the-- t's a mexican, origin in mexican, the astronaut. damian: oh, jose hernandez. juan: jose hernandez, he's going to be with us. he's going to explain to us how it's going to be astronaut, how he works very hard with his father, his family to be an astronaut. and also, we're going-- damian: he was a farm worker tambien in the salinas valley. juan: yes, that's okay. and also, we are going to have many forums about how can i get the help for education, what kind of service in education can i get for go to the university. and we're going to have many, many people interested

to explain to you about the education in united states, especially for the mexican community. damian: all right. well, this is latino role model conference happening at cabrillo college, march 9 did you say? juan: yes, march 9. damian: march 9. and the mexican consulate is one of the sponsors there, but any chavalitos out in that area that might-- juan: it's good, it's good-- [speaking in foreign language] damian: that's a good place to get educated a little bit more. one thing, you mentioned the astronaut, he told me a story that when he went up into space, he could see the world, the earth and it looked amazing to him without any borders. can you imagine this world without any borders? juan: yes, that's the reason that we invite him to explain to the children, to the young children what about this. how is this dream going to be reality for many people, for many young people, especially for latino, for the mexican community. damian: and that's-- to wrap it up, that's kind of like what this trade agreement is, right?

it's a trade agreement to make it a borderless transition. manuel: exactly, yeah. it's a matter of humankind, no borders. so, we want to foster the wellbeing of the entire region, the entire population, the entire world. so, we want to contribute with that. damian: well, thank you very much, very valuable information today by the mexican consulate in san jose. and there is their address and web address for more information. any final thoughts before we let you go? juan: just to tell that don't forget, march 9, cabrillo college, we're going to be there. go with your children if they are in high school to know what kind of education offer they are going to have. damian: all right, thank you so much, suerte. all right, and up next here on "comunidad del valle," some local news. stay with us.

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damian: it's just before the lunch hour n san jose. as customers file in, the owner has to advise them prices went up on the first of the year. male: the reason why it's coming up is 'cause it's getting passed on for the increase in minimum wage. damian: the owner says the minimum wage went up $3 in the last two years in san jose, so he felt forced to raise prices and cut the hours for some employees. other restaurants are adding a surcharge instead. at ike's sandwich shop, the surcharge is optional, meaning you can opt out when you order. you opt out now? male: yeah, definitely, no surcharge. damian: there was talk of implementing a surcharge areawide in the downtown district, but the merchants haven't agreed to it yet. male: most san joseans that i talked to are willing to pay another quarter or 50 cents for their burger to ensure that the people who have prepared that food for us can afford to live here and not on the street. male: it's good for the-- you know, small people. damian: even if you have to pay more for your meal? male: yeah, it's all right.

damian: chacho says they want their employees to earn the living wage for their hard work, but to stay open, the restaurant says it has to ask customers for help. it's hard to survive in silicon valley, where $117,000 a year for a family of four is considered low income. the government shutdown is over for now, but some irs workers and other federal workers are still worried that this might be prolonged. here's our report. damian: hundreds of silicon valley workers have been waiting for this announcement. and although they can all now go back to work, many like maria remain with a lot of uncertainty. donald trump: proud to announce today that we have reached a deal. damian: she watched the president with the worry of a mother who hasn't been sure how to pay the bills. just after 11 this morning, maria lasco finally heard the words she'd been waiting 35 days for. donald: to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government. maria lasco: i'm happy that i'm going back to work on monday. damian: maria says the last month has been unbearable.

her daughter used her college financial aid money to help pay the bills. maria called creditors begging for some leeway. maria: that awful stone feeling in the pit of your stomach. damian: and there was a painful reality that the family could lose all of this. maria: my husband and i have worked so hard to fulfill, you know, you know, our american dream, you know, owning our home. we have--we were able to buy it as newlyweds. damian: with today's announcement, the irs worker says she will breathe a ltl the current deal only runs for three weeks. maria: i feel like a yoyo because, you know, there-- you know, he's--i feel like i'm being played with, or we're being played with. damian: maria says she'll continue watching the news, hoping the nation's leaders reach a more permanent deal and give her family some peace of mind. maria went through her first government shutdown back in 1995.

she is set to retire next year. the irs worker says that year can't come soon enough. we're in san jose. i'm damien trujillo, nbc bay area news. damian: well, let's hope that solution is permanent now. some residents in east san jose recently had a flood control project completed right behind their homes, but now they say the pounding into the earth has caused their homes to shift and their walls to crack. repair crews are still at it on ridgemont drive in san jose. here, e reacing the brick pillars that they claim were damaged by the pounding tied to the flood control project along the silver creek. david williams: boom, boom, boom. damian: david williams says he heard it all day for three years in his backyard. crews with bothman construction were pile driving and drilling into the earth, dropping huge boulders as part david: i feel everything, and i'm bouncing across the floor. we have a lamp that goes like this and you're going to tell me

that, okay, that stuff can move, but the ground won't move? damian: the homeowners say sidewalks cracked, irrigation pipes shifted, and garage doors became uneven. female: things being destroyed, my-- the driveway is completely like cracked in half, and i don't know if that's even going to make its way into the garage. damian: the valley water district referred us to its contractor, bothman construction. bothman told me the issue remains an active investigation in the hands of its insurers, and that its assessors are looking into the homeowners' claims. but david williams shared this email with us. in it, bothman's insurance company says bothman is not at fault, yet they agree to pay him $1850. williams said no, and is demanding a full inspection and repairs from either the water district or the construction company. david: i have cracks in the-- in the ceiling now. and you know, doors don't close properly. we didn't--we didn't sign on for that.

nobody here did. damian: oh, let's hope they find a solution to that problem. we'll have some more here on, "comunidad del valle," stay with us. remember the way we used to do things? hey man... like connect with friends? dig it! or get in shape? or sell a house and pay a real estate agent a big commission. [crash] at redfin, we charge you a 1% listing fee. and because redfin.com is america's #1 brokerage site

our agents get more eyes on your home so you sell for thousands more than the one next door. don't get stuck in the past. sell with a redfin agent. than the one next door. in your comunidad on que pasa. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ damian: and our saludos to those celebrating a special day, felicidades.

and here's 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. we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us on super bowl sunday. we leave you now with another special interview, buenos tardes. it's out of the east bay, but it's helping folks all over the bay area and across the country. felix flores is the executive director, and mwapagha mkonu is also with the imentor program. welcome to the show. mwapagha mkonu: thanks for having us. damian: i hope i didn't butcher your name. mwapagha: no, you did a great job. damian: thank you very much. so, tell us about the imentor program, its purpose, who you're helping, and how successful-- felix flores: yeah, we're a national nonprofit to help students who are excited to be the first in their family to go to college by partnering them with professionals and college graduates to help them reach their ambitions. and so, the organization's been around for about 20 years, first in new york and then chicago,

and most recently we opened here in the bay three years ago. damian: so, i've been a mentor, but before that i was a mentee as well. and there is an intimidation factor because if you're coming from, like myself, coming from a small agricultural town to not have an idea what the word "mentor" even meant. so, there is a--i'm assuming you get a lot of kids who fall in the same category, that it's their first mentorship program. felix: for sure, yeah. and i would say and a lot of times, it's first exposure to any type of environments that are different than their own, excuse me. and so, i think we work really hard to have our students work on kind of what their ambitions and excitements are for their career post-graduation. and by understanding that, and we have an awesome staff that works them through that, we're able to find mentors, we're able to relate to our students. and so, about 30% or so of our mentors actually are first generation college graduates themselves, who are able to share and explain those experiences as well. and for those that are not, they see themselves as kind of supporters and cheerleaders for those students

to reach their ambitions. and so, that is where they can empathize pretty quickly. damian: and i'm assuming that the more mentors you have, the more students you are able to help. talk about the efforts to get more professionals out there to step into the mentorship program. mwapagha: yeah, again, thanks for having us here. we spent a lot of time really collaborating with a lot of the local corporate partners and organizations that engage their employees to become as mentors. so, my role in the organization is really build these partnerships in the community both here in the south bay and in the east bay, and get more companies involved to get the employees to become mentors. the work that we do is really helping those individuals come in. we provide them with trainings through our orientations that we host weekly on wednesdays. and through those orientations, we get to train them and show them about the program, and give the tools that they need to become great mentors. damian: how difficult or easy is it to recruit those mentors? there's a slight time commitment, but at the end,

the reward, the gifts that you're offering your students are immeasurable. mwapagha: yeah, no, it's a tough--it's tough. i think in the barrier, one of the challenges we face is recruiting male mentors because we match by identified gender. we match every student if they identify as female with a female mentor. if they identify as male, we match them male mentors. and so, we've had a tough time really recruiting more male mentors, especially male mentors of color has been the challenge. so, what we try to do is really, as we go out, really talk to the community. and our mentors themselves have been really great advocates for the program because they come in and they really see what we want to do, and they want to help us bring their friends, their colleagues, and their families to become mentors as well. damian: all right. do you--so, i'm assuming the model is you go into a high school and you adopt a high school and everybody there. it's like oprah, "you get a mentor. you get a mentor. you get a mentor." felix: yeah. and i would even go one step further and say it's less an adopt and more a partnership. so, we work with the schools to find out kind of who have

a college mindset, that want to see their students succeed, and figure out, all right, how can we do that? and i think our biggest platform is the power of relationships. how can we get the work to-- for students to be able to see that they can achieve the things they want and have a cheerleader along the way? i think kind of--when i think about the work that we have, there's four things that come to mind. one is that we have right now in california a ratio of 1,000 students per college counselor. and so, we know we have teachers that are working extremely hard to help their students succeed, but need that type of support. you have parents that want better for their kids, and they don't necessarily know what path to be able to direct their students to do that. and then lastly, what we've seen over years is that the college graduation, the bachelor's degree is a successful economic empowerment opportunity. damian: absolutely. felix: and so, when you find a school that's willing to kind of integrate us, you have parents that are supporting this type of work, and you've got teachers that are doing their best but would need some type of--somebody there to help them out with the work, imentor basically is there to partner

with that school to say, "okay, let's find a professional who's gone through it, who they can relate to the students and be able to help them guide through the process," to help with those things you mentioned earlier, that intimidation, that confidence, even just the exposure that some of this is normal, that not all of us have it all figured out right away, you know? that many of us changed our major, didn't know what school to go to, or have concerns about financial aid. all of those are very real things that our mentors have gone through that are able to explain that to our students. damian: and i'm sure that sometimes mentors learn a lot from the mentees as well. what is the time commitment for those who volunteer? mwapagha: yeah, so our time commitment is-- we match students starting the 11th grade year. so, mentors stay with the students for three years, work with them from 11th grade all the way through their first year of college. damian: and so, there is one saturday the month i think is when they meet or? mwapagha: yeah. so, to come in, we know we work with busy professionals, we understand that, but we want to make the program effective and also work with everyone's schedule.

so, the commitment works as most of the communication is happening online once a week. and we've created and built a platform that really helps to put through our curriculum that we're teaching the students, and the mentor's able to engage with the students like that way through the online platform. and then once a month, they meet in person. and that happens at the school location that they're mentoring. and i mentioned earlier we are supporting a school in san jose, which is james lick. and we're also working with a school in the east bay, which is lionel wilson. daine e impact that y'alnds u. there is their web address and phone number for more information. they are the imentor program located here in oakland, but they're helping folks all across the bay area. any final thnt to say, and i think mkonu mentioned this a little bit about our mentors, is that we have great communities that we're working with. our mentors are putting a lot of time and effort into this. and being it national mentor month this month, i think there's a great opportunity for people to get involved. so, we recommend that people sign up as soon as they can

to be able to help a student that's similar like them. damian: awesome, thank you for the work that you're doing. mwapagha: yeah, thanks for having us. felix: appreciate you. damian: thank you. ♪ ♪ [singing in foreign language] [singing in foreign language]

that leave therea lasting impression. like the feeling of movement as a new journey begins, or the sight of soft fur, warmed by the morning sun. you might remember new flavours, the sound of an old friend's laugh, or a view that defies all expectations. these are the memories that stay with you, long after the moments have passed.

involving a wron right now at 4:30. a deadly crash in san francisco involving a wrongway driver. new information we're learn tact tragic situation on 101 this morning. >> and president trump once again threatening to shut down the government. the latest from the white house two days before the state of the union. >> first a microclimate weather alert as a new storm rolls in. the news starts now. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> and i'm vicky nguyen. the wet and windy weather is not letting u. heavy raund of wet and strong winds moving into the area. >> over freemont, the storm clouds growing on the horizon ever so slowly. rob mayeda is tracking the conditions. >> right now n'jieing a break before the next