welcome to comunidad del valle. i'm damian trujillo. the needs of our community, what are those needs? housing, health care. that's the topic today. comunidad del valle. >> nbc bay area presents comunidad del valle. with damian trujillo. >> we begin with great things happening at city college of san francisco. with me is the chancellor of san francisco city college, dr. mark rocha, good for you. >> thank you very much, a pleasure. >> we were talking off camera. you've been a teacher, you went up the ladder from there? >> yeah. i started out -- i'm an english teacher by trade. i grew up in new york city. and after i got out of college, i came to los angeles.

started teaching english there. worked my way up the ladder. then i thought, well, okay. near the end of my career. i have one more mountain to climb, that's san francisco. so i'm here in san francisco, here in the bay area, and just really pleased to be at city college. >> how is that climb going? you've been here two years. give us an assessment what was you've been able to see and maybe fix if it needs to be fixed at city college. >> no, well first of all it's just been the time of my life. personally, the people of city college are great. we have a great board, great faculty, great staff. that college has been there since 1935. it's graduated 35,000 alumni. it's had a great reputation. so in the last couple of years, we've set our goals on three major things. number one, students. we need to be student centered

to make sure our students, most of whom are -- we're aajority minority campus college. need to graduate and move forward with their lives. want to grow the college wide receiver we think we have some capacity to grow. so that was one. and then the college has been there since 1935, so we have -- we wanted to rebuild it advicely. so we want to go out and do a construction program to give the people of the community the state of the art. >> took a bold step, city college did, when you considered it a sanctuary campus. talk about that step, what it means to you, what it means to the students you serve there. >> well, hsi is huge program matcally but it's probably even huger for city college symbolically. because it's the official announcement by the federal government, by the department of education, that you are now a

hispanic-serving institution. which means over 25% of our students are hispanic. we knew that. but it was important to announce that in terms of the history of the college. and it was bolstering. it was affirming. and it told all of us inside the college, this is what we're about. we are about serving students of color. serving students who are not affluent, coming up the line, giving them their share, their chance at the american dream. it will help our funding. we're working on a program, a grant right now, with the government for what we'll call financial education for latino students so that they can get through school more quickly without debt. without student debt. >> ah-ha. >> that's the key. >> the population that you're

serving, probably that's -- it's a big boost for them having that as a peace of mind, if you will. >> that's right. well, look. you know, and my mother and father did not finish high school. and so i know what it is to come up that way. and the finances are important. actually, our latino students, whether it's san francisco unified or they come from wherever they come in the bay area, are enormously talented. but in many cases they don't have the support and the resources. i always say, if you give a poor student the resources of a rich student, they act like a rich student and they get through school quickly. >> what do you hope your students or what have they been graduating with? what kind of tools? how empowered are they? in continuing education or to hit the workforce? >> we have two important tracks. one is most of our students come

to us because they want to get their general education and transfer to san francisco state, to transfer to san jose state, to cal state east bay. they want a degree transfer and get their bachelor's degree. then another large group of students what are we call workforce education. these are the nurses, the automotive technology, the construction trades. and we were very thrilled this week in that city college on its workforce programs, we even have an aircraft technicians program -- was ranked in the recent national rankings second in cifornia and 12th in the country for the quality of its career preparation programs. >> wow. i wish we had a lot more time. we have to bring it back at some point. there's a lot to expand on. there's the city college of san francisco. there's the web address and phone number for more information.

i want to give you the final say, any final thoughts that you might have. >> i want to thank you for your service to the community. >> thank you. >> the ability to, you know, get the word out to the community. but it's about the american dream. you know, it's all community colleges, not just city college, but city college especially has been a beacon. this is where you come to get quality higher education that takes you where you want to go. so i'm just very, very blessed to be doing this for a living. >> all right. good to have you here. good to have you back. appreciate it. >> thank you very much. up next on comunidad del valle, sacred heart community services. stay with us.

it's no secret. things are great for some in silicon valley, for others it's quite devastating. from sacred heart community services agency, rachel wright, the good news and the bad news. you've completed another study.

you're serving about 3,000 people. tell us what you did, what you found. >> so we surveyed about 3 think people who come to sacred heart for service realize wear found yet again, two years later that housing is still a major problem for them. 56% named it as a challenge. 39% said it was the number one biggest challenge that they're facing. >> at what point do you as a service provider kind of throw your hands in the air and say, i quit? you can't do that, right? >> never. never. never, never, never. >> you do so much work, and other agencies do. to see it's a recurring problem and there are victims of what's happening. >> yes. so one of the biggest issues in the bay area that is we haven't built enough housing. and the housing we build isn't affordable to working-class people. so what we're thinking, these are choices that we make as a community that our policymakers, our city council people, our county government, they decide how we use land, how we permit things, how tall buildings can be, how affordable they need to

be. they've made decisions that really haven't worked for the majority of us. so one of the things sacred heart does is we provide emergency rental assistance, for example, we provide food when people are using that last bit of money to pay their rent and don't have anything to eat. but we also do community organizing. and what that means is we're working together to pressure the policymakers and to pressure the decisionmakers to make better decisions that take the needs of our community into account. >> is that because they're making new decisions and they're at the table and y'all are not at the table? i mean, are they not including the stake holders in all of this when making these decisions? >> not all stakeholders are included. one of the things sacred heart is trying to do is help leaders in low-income communities share their experiences and share their voice and make demands, which is sometimes unusual when people are working two jobs or when people don't have a lot of experience in the policy world. but also our elected officials

are responding to the people who show up. a lot of those people are homeowners who maybe don't want an apartment building next to their house. and i think a lot of those people don't realize that when they're going against an affordable housing community or going against an apartment building what they're really saying is that they're okay with the homelessness we see. they're okay with 12 people living in a one-bedroom apartment. >> and some of the 12 people might be our area achers when you -- when you're considered low-income because you're making the salary of a teacher, what are we saying about the community we're building around us? >> yeah, the new research is showing that about 28% of people can't make ends meet without government or nonprofit assistance. that's over 1 in 4 people. these are your neighbors. you know these people. whether it's your teacher, your nanny, day care provider, your nurse. these are people who live in our community and are really important members of our community. >> so we have this data. what are we able to do with that

now? how are we able to push forward? is it that the community training that you're talking about? how do we make something out of the number that you have? >> so i think that the numbers are telling us things we know in a really visceral way. but one of the things we really wanted to share with the community is this opportunity to come to sacred heart, let us help you get what you need, but also join us in doing some of that organizing work. so what that looks like on the ground is relatively small groups of people, like 10 to 20 people, who listen to their friends, listen to their neighbors, listen to their co-workers about what's important, and come up with a strategy for making some widespread change. in 2012, students from san jose state, volunteers at sacred heart, and some other community groups got together and they said, we have to raise the minimum wage. this is really, really important. they brought it to city council. city council wouldn't pass it. we brought it to the ballot. and when you raise the minimum wage for an entire city, it

makes a huge difference. >> full disclosure, my wife is on the board of sacred heart. one of the reasons is because of the great work that you all do. also the fact that there's no shame in coming to ask for help. and you -- i think the agency does a great job in making sure that the clients don't feel ashamed by it. that they're protected. and that they're respected. >> thank you. yeah, that's something we really strive for. and something that's also really exciting is we now have one database where people who come and get services, people who volunteer, people who donate, are all in the same space. and what we're seeing is that there's a lot of overlap between those groups. so at one point someone might lose their job and come in for assistance. then they remember us. they come back and volunteer. >> that's awesome. >> we really are all one community. >> all right. well, if you want more information or if you can volunteer or provide some help or might need help, there is their address and web address.

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done! magic root cover up from l'oreal. available at walmart. we're back with sacred heart community services. the saying, you can lead a horse to water but can't force him to drink. it's an odd comparison but they're drinking the water. they're making -- they're taking in the services -- by them, your clients -- the as much ass that you're providing, and they're empowering themselves by the programs that you're offering. talk about that empowerment and how that maybe motivated people like you to say, we're doing something here? >> oh, yeah. i think that what's been really cool is that we find that when we ask people to be a part of it, they say yes. and when they say yes, they have an experience where we work together to build a program together, to decide what it should look like, why it should look like that. people get to make decisions that impact their whole community in positive ways. we have a really amazing

program, columbus saverde, people are granting gardens. at this point it's very, very light on staff. there's 50 to 60 volunteers who organize themselves to plan events, to plan workshops, to teach classes, to build gardens and plant gardens. it makes it a much more efficient way of doing business. but it also gives our -- it responds to what the community is asking for in a really strong way. another thing that's really difficult for people is testifying at city council or the county. and we see that once they do and once they can, they feel really powerful. because they're able to tell decisionmakers what they want and what they need. >> i witnessed that. just recently at the board of supervisors meeting, the impact that the testimony has, it's pretty incredible. they're not hearing it from you who helps them, they're hearing from it them themselves. >> yeah. >> theommuni support is

probably crucial also for the agency, the help that you get from donors and whatnot. >> yes, absolutely. and one of the things that we want people to know is we are really, really well known for the services that we provide. we've been providing those more than 50 years at this point. and we're less well known for the organizing work we do. but a couple of months ago, we were kind of comparing our programs in terms of their impact. and we realized that our organizing programs have just as widespread of an impact as our services. so we serve about 40,000 people with food annually. it's a lot of people. we see them every day. but then when you think about something like raising minimum wage, or making sure that santa clara county maintains its sanctuary laws, even improves them, which is what happened this year, that has -- that touches tens of thousands of lives as well. >> i've asked all the questions. i'm sure there's some points you want to get across. give us your -- >> yeah, well we're just super

grateful for the opportunity to be here, to share a little bit about our impact, and we want to invite people who care about social justice, who care about racial justice and economic justice, to come down to sacred heart, ask us what we're doing, join us and help us. >> what does it say about -- google has been on the news a lot because of what they're building here in san jose. but you do get silicon valley tech workers coming in also to volunteer and to help and pack boxes. >> absolutely. yeah, we try to reach out to the entire community. our vision is, community united, to ensure every child and adult is free of poverty. community united, we want everyone to be a part of it. we have so much support from people who come in and spend a workday in our pantry. we also have support from people, higher-income people, who serve as allies and do some of that policy work in support of the needs of lower income and working-class people.

>> real quickly, your crystal ball says what? are we ever going to level the playing field? >> i have to say yes. no, i think i'm really hopeful. i think that's one of the wonderful things about where i get to work is that i get to see how many people care and how many people want to make it better and help facilitate that. >> all right. well, it's sacred heart community services agency in san jose. there's their address. they take donations of any kind. any thoughts? >> thank you for having us. donate, but also come down, give your time, learn more about what social and economic justice means for our community. >> thank you for coming back. >> thank you. >> we'll have more when we continue on comunidad del valle.

here's what's happening in your comunidad.

>> for those celebrating a special day. >> here's our contact information. follow me on twitter. @newsdamian. also pick up a copy of the bilingual weeklies across the bay area. thanks for sharing part of your sunday with us. we leave you with another special interview. upcoming legacy revival of the oedipus el rey. with me is oedipus himself. welcome to the show. you're an east coast guy, what are you going to the west coast? >> coming out for this show for

the first time. >> tell us about your acting career and why this was an important role for you. >> yeah, well actually, my acting career started -- it was a mix-up. i originally wanted to be a dancer and singer. i saw "step up." i want to be a dancer, that's great, that's me! and i went to my high school for the academy of performing arts audition. there was a mix-up. i ended up in the acting audition. i found out in the audition, wait. something's not right here. but i just went with it, you know. the first time i was on the stage, i felt something i had never felt before. it was like i had to just continue doing it. >> wow. what do you think of the city? >> i love it, i love it. the weather's amazing. has been amazing recently. definitely flip-flops. but it's nice. >> let's talk about the oedipus el rey, greek mythology. >> very similar. >> kill your dad, marry your mom? >> yeah. >> whoa. >> it's a lot. >> tell us about the role.

>> it's our huge undertaking tort show in general. basically, luis has combined this heightened greek tragedy with contemporary life. it's a little more digestible for people nowadays and touching upon political top ins that are currently happening. it's amazing how he fuses the two worlds and that's also part of the challenge is finding out -- keeping that heightened greek drama while making it real. and while making it, you know, relatable to people today. because i don't know if anyone's really killing their father and marrying their mother nowadays, but yeah, it's a lot. >> is there any latino aspect to it? the title? >> yes, it's set in south central l.a. it's mainly chicano. so it's revolved around hispanic culture. >> when you're reading the script to see if you're become to get the part, you get the part, reading the script again, anything stand out?

what made you say, yeah, that's me? or that's not me but i can play that person? >> luis' writing is so beautiful. reading it, there was something that i related to immediately. and it's also just being able to tell the story as a person of color. i want to share, you know, cultural stories as much as i can. i want to be able to have a voice for people that don't necessarily have voices. so when i read this i was like, this is exactly what i want to be doing. this is exactly the kind of work i want to represent. this is exactly the kind of people i want to work with. it was like -- it was a ballpark all in one. it was amazing. and the team is just incredible. >> i don't know if the original oedipus has a message to get across. is there something here that the folks can go home with? or more just coming and -- >> typically -- well, typically there's a message. typically with theater there's a message. >> right. >> what luis does is he and loretta, you know, also dug into this as well, is there's no

answer. you don't leave the theater with an answer, you don't leave -- it's not like luis is really driving this one-sided idea. what he's doing is opens with a question, ends with a question. it's open ended. what is supposed to happen, you go home thinking about it. and you think about what you saw. you think about how you interpret what you saw. you think about the questions he asks you so that -- i mean, typically that's why we do theater. >> now i remember reading greek mythology, reading about oedipus in high school. what was your first association with the original oedipus? >> high school. >> was it? >> yeah, yeah, just about. it was a nice refresher. i had to read it again to get a little refresher. you know, it is important. there are a lot of similarities between this greek tragedy and the one that luis wrote. so it was important for me to know both of them pretty well. >> is it easy to -- those of us who know the original oedipus,

is it easy to see the fusion when it's mixed with chicano theme? >> yes, which is also part of the skill. if you know the story, you'll see similarities. it's different because oedipus -- luis' oedipus was raised in prison. so there's a completely different aspect when it comes to how he holds himself. as opposed to oedipus rex, who was pretty much born into royalty. >> right. >> and i think those two lifestyles are completely opposite. but what's interesting is how they both come to the same fate. >> you mentioned casting. how vital is it for you playing the lead role that your cocast members are up to it as well, and know their script, and are able to perform at the highest level? >> everyone that i'm working with right now is such a seasoned actor that i was learning a lot from them. and you would think, you know -- but no, i was unfortunate enough to be able to -- important

enough to be able to work with actors that are on it complete alreadiry the director too. i'm learning so much from loretta. it's incredible, really. >> well, it's call "owed pes el rey," adaptation by luis alfaro, magic theaters in san francisco. >> final thoughts? >> check out the show, it's going to be amazing. it's the kind of show that makes you think about some of the life choices you've made. you know, that's why we do theater. >> awesome. good to have you on. >> glad to be here, thank you so much for having me. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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visit att.com/accessnow, to learn more. the news starts right now. thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney. >> we begin with breaking news. crews are on the scene of a lumbar fire. >> and a lot of smoke. firefighters appear to be getting the upper hand on this. they have been battling it for a while. it broke out a couple hours ago on piedmont lumber company. this fire caused other spot fires. check out this video. a huge plume of smoke. a driver on highway four captured this video of the smoke and flames driving past it. quite a squary sight.