eddie garcia here in our studios on your "comunidad del valle."e. ♪ damian: we begin today by the monthly visit of the consulate of mexico in san francisco. with me is guillermo reyes, the vice consul general there in the city. well, for the whole region in san francisco. welcome back to the show, it's been a long time. guillermo reyes: damian, thank you very much for having me here. it's a pleasure to start the year with you and your audience, of course. damian: thank you very much. well, today, we're talking about 2020, the year of mexico in san francisco. tell us what that all means. guillermo: i was telling you before starting, why not? this is the year of mexico, and the year of mexico in san francisco particularly because we are going to celebrate

not only the mexicans, but the contributions of the mexicans that they have done to the community. and what a better explanation of this situation that two main characters that has been part of our history, of our common history in the united states and mexico, i am talking about diego rivera and frida kahlo. so, we are talking about 2020, the year of mexico in san francisco. thank you to frida and diego. because you know, they leave a heritage for everybody. and now, we are going to honor them, we are going to remember them along the whole year. damian: so, they spent time in san francisco. guillermo: exactly, they lived here, as a matter of fact. and diego rivera in particular was working here, and there's some works from him around the city, for instance in the city college. we have a huge mural showing his work. damian: and where--do we know what--where he worked,

where he lived? people are going to want to know [speaking in foreign language] guillermo: exactly; well, you know, we have people, historians that has all this knowledge, and they are sharing with us these common traditions. so, we are going to have a couple of main events along the year that are going to be showcasing what does diego rivera and frida kahlo did. so, the first one perhaps is going to be very interesting for audience. it is called "appearances can be deceiving." this is going to be held on march 21 in the museo de young. damian: the de young museum. guillermo: exactly, and this is going to be very interesting because it is going to hold all the belongings of frida that she used to use in their works. very, very interesting. perhaps many people, many people of the audience has visited the frida kahlo's house, the blue house in mexico city. damian: in coyoacán.

guillermo: in coyoacán; so, this is going to be part of many of the issues that frida kahlo used to have in order to do his job--her job. damian: there was an exposition in san francisco about six years ago maybe, and every day was like this. can you--can you imagine if they realize the history that the time they spent in san francisco? guillermo: well, yes, because they were here for a year at least. they were traveling along the united states. frida was working also in new york. so, what we are going to do is to showcase what they were doing here. and we are going to talk about them because we are going to organize also conferences, expositions. and as a matter of fact, in the mexican consulate right now, we have two pieces showing their figures. so, you can go over there and take a picture with frida and diego in character, in some kind of toys.

damian: are you--when you first came to the consulate, do you find that there is a small piece of mexico here in san francisco, that something that makes you remember your homeland back home? guillermo: absolutely; not only because of the warm of the people, but also because of there is many mexicans around the area. and not only that, the culture. the culture has become universal. nowadays, we are citizens of the world, so the contributions that the migrants has done to this country is enormous. damian: all right; well, 2020 is the year of mexico at the--in san francisco. and there is a web address for the mexican consulate if you'd like to--if you'd like more information. we have about one minute. anything else that you want to add, consul? guillermo: the only thing additional is that there is going to be another exhibition, diego rivera america. and this is going to be on october 24, and this is going to be in the moma museum. so, everybody's invited, and they are invited also to visit

the page of the mexican consulate, in which we are going to showcase all the information that you need. damian: all right; well, we'll show you that web address if you'd like more information on the year of mexico again. there it is. log on to that web address there on your screen and make sure you find out when these exhibitions are taking place honoring frida kahlo and diego rivera, former residents of san francisco. gracias, thank you for bringing this to our attention, gracias. and up next on "comunidad del valle," the chief of police of san jose, stay with us.

the third largest city in california. with me is eddie garcia, the chief of police of san jose. how many years now the chief at the helm? eddie garcia: this is i'm starting my fifth year. damian: you started with a lot of downs when you took over the helm because the staffing was--it's still low, but it was still low. talk about your assessment of where you were back then and where you think you're headed now. eddie: well, obviously, you know, there were some dark times back then. we had officers leaving the police department. and you know, we finally as a city, quite frankly,

realized the reasons why they were leaving. weren't trying to blame it on the other issues, and the reality of it is the benefits and the pay just weren't comparable to what other cities were giving their officers. and once that was fixed, nothing beats the police work in san jose. and so, you know, going through those dark times of having meetings about how do we reduce this unit and how do we reduce that unit while still answering that 911 call for service, which is the most important thing, has now changed to having other, better problems. how do we build in having those conversations? so, we're definitely on the right track, right trajectory. we're not where we want to be just yet, but we're definitely moving in the right direction. damian: you've been honest and blunt to an extent when it comes to addressing the problems of your police force. you've been straight up with your officers. and how much has that helped, do you think, in making sure that you have that respect and you're the leader that you want to be when you're as honest and open about the issues that you

had before, maybe the issues that you have now? eddie: well, you know, i think the first thing that i always remember is that, you know, i'm a police officer. yes, i'm the police chief and there's some realizations and realities that go with that, but i'm a police officer first. and so, i remember and appreciate the work that my men and women do every single day, and to really try to stay true. i think oftentimes police chiefs, you know, will tend to, you know, tend to really think about the ramifications of different things. and maybe the right thing to do is the fact that, you know, it won't be a popular decision, but it's the right thing to do. and i like to think that even if it's not a popular decision, but i feel it's the right thing to do, and i'm going to support my men and women that i'm going to do that. damian: i emceed an event in redwood city for their police department, again about four or five years ago. it was a promotion and swearing in ceremony, and about half of those being sworn in were former san jose police officers.

and i made a joke that, you know, it's good to be here at the san jose police department because, you know, half of them were like that. but it wasn't funny back then because you were losing some good quality police officers. a lot of them have returned. what's brought them back? eddie: well, again, at that time, i was a bureau chief of administration, so i read many of the resignation letters. no one wanted to leave san jose. no one--you know, a lot of those officers--you know, most of those officers loved wearing this uniform and this patch, and it meant something to them. and i think once the major issues were fixed, they wanted to come back home, and we'll accept them with open arms. you know, but one thing that i will say and i say all the time, especially in light of friday's academy graduation, that the only reason we're afloat, and although i appreciate getting those officers back, are for the hundreds of officers that chose to stay here through those really dark times. they're the pillars that kept us together, kept us afloat. and without them, we would've been in really dire straits. and so, glad i got them back, but i cannot thank the men

and women that decided to stay here and stick this out, and i'm glad that we're at--where we're at now. damian: now, you and i exchanged text messages about well, the topics today, and these are not what was on there, so i appreciate you being open and honest about them. other departments, we won't mention any names, but they complained that they're not getting the amount of recruits that they--that they want, that they need, but you are. probably the same question, but why are you getting those recruits and maybe other departments are really not seeing that? eddie: you know, i'll be blunt about it. you know, and honestly, and i see things from a different perspective, but you know, if you honor the work--well, let me back up and say, you know, people still want to be police officers. this isn't just conversation here, but i'm really sick and tired of hearing how young people don't want to be cops. and you know, our academies, you know, i got 48 that are graduating, i got another 40--i got 46 that are graduating friday, another 48 that are in the academy, and i have 53 that start the academy in a few weeks. you're not going to tell me people

don't want to be a police officer. so, i think the answer that i give is, you know, support your men and women, honor the work they do, fairly hold them accountable, and they'll come. and i think myself and my command staff, we really strive to do that to send a message to honor their work, respect them, and fairly hold them accountable. and we haven't seen the drop. as a matter of fact, we've been in those dark times and i've seen. when i first took over as chief in 2016-- damian: you had five recruits-- eddie: i think i had seven in that academy class that graduated, to now where i'm in the mid to high 40s in every graduating class. so, i've seen those times. but you know, you really have to look internally to figure out why it is your numbers are low and fix that issue instead of, you know, making other excuses for not getting officers. damian: all right; well, if you want to be a part of san jose's finest, they are recruiting. well, recruiting nonstop. but there's the web address for more information. you can also follow them on twitter, instagram, and on facebook, they're all over the place. we'll be back with the chief of police, stay with us.

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the last day to get covered is january 31st. the chief of police of san jose. and i sat in on one of your academy classes a couple of weeks ago, it's a class called tactical spanish. talk about what the idea behind that is and why you think it's crucial. eddie: i think it's crucial in the city of san jose. we know, i know personally that we have a large population of the city that speaks spanish, some primarily spanish. it's imperative that we do as much as we can to be able to have a certain level of dialogue with our victims, our witnesses, and at times our suspects as well. you know, i recall i was a bilingual-speaking officer, i was 21 years old, and i remember rolling up on a call and someone requesting a spanish-speaking officer. and i get there, and the question was,

"ask him what his name is. or ask him where he lives," right? and it is funny 'cause you sit there going, "okay, we're better than this." you for--i mean, we could learn some basic things. damian: they pulled you off your beat to answer these very basic questions. eddie: yes, yes. "ask him if he's hurt. ask her if she's hurt. ask if they need an ambulance." i mean, those are questions that are crucial to save lives. "ask where the suspect went." i mean, just very basic things that i just felt that we can teach that. having experienced it, i try--i mean, a lot of the things is you sit back when you're a 21-year-old kid and you're driving around the streets and you go, "man, if i was chief, i would do this." and it's funny, i'm living my dream right now, but i mean, it's exactly that. it's like just beginning to teach some of those basic things that can save lives and help our officers catch crooks quicker. and it's important to us, and so i think it's important to the department, and we're going to continue to do that. damian: you have two tasks, you mention this all the time, one is getting the criminal element off the street. talk about what that is and how you were fulfilling that.

eddie: well, i'll tell you, i think one of the things that gets lost in law enforcement today is i think either some departments are looked--are seen as heavy-handed one way, and i mean that in both. they're heavy-handed on the criminal aspect and not--and not worrying about community relationships, or they're the other way, just worrying about the community relationships without remembering the fact that we became police officers to take the criminal element off the street and to keep our community safe. and what i tell them my rank and file, where i tell the academy, what i tell everybody is we have two jobs. it's to take the criminal element off the street and to build strong community ties. i have not--i'm not--as you know, i'm not a stay in the office kind of chief. and there's not been a neighborhood in san jose, regardless of language spoken or economic status, that doesn't want public safety, that doesn't want the criminal element off the street, that doesn't want more police officers in their neighborhoods. and i understand that. so, i tend not to listen to the outside noise and a lot of the rhetoric because i know the heart of my city,

and i know what my city wants. they want to be policed, but they want to be policed fairly. and those two things are not mutually exclusive, and so that's what i preach. damian: do you think that that approach and that being open and communicating with the people who you serve, your clients, that maybe that will make them like the badge a little more? because you know, there is an element that does not like the badge, they don't respect the badge, and there's a history of why that could be. do you think maybe that you're laying the groundwork in your outreach and communication efforts to change that a little bit? eddie: well, you know, the work will never stop, right? there will never be 100% trust in a police department, right? knowing that, you always--the goal line always moves. and so, you always have to strive to get to that goal line, knowing in your mind that you may not ever reach that. but you need to continue to work on building strong communities as you take the criminal element off the street. and so, yes, as long as you're transparent and you're putting out that message, i think it assists both. one, it assists the community in trusting the police department more because you're being out there and saying that building

strong communities is just as important as taking the criminal element off the street. but what we lose sight of time from time is i also serve my rank and file. and for your rank and file to hear them--to hear the words that you're basically saying is, "we're going to build strong communities, but we're also--i'm also going to support you in taking this criminal element off the street. and when you're right, you're right. and when you're wrong, you're wrong. but when you're right, i will defend you," i think that sends a strong message as well. and it makes officers want to buy in. you know, i have officers that one day, they'll be reading books at an elementary school. and that same night, they're arresting a criminal and taking a gun off the street. i mean, that's awesome stuff. and the officers have really bought in, i couldn't be prouder. damian: and at the same time, this is--we have only about a minute left, maybe we'll save some for the next segment. but it's not exclusive to san jose, violent crimes are up in the city. and i know that bothers you, that should bother every leader. eddie: oh, absolutely. you know, and i will say this, when we talk about our--the

crimes that have increased, i mean, there are some challenges. yeah, and you know, what we--our homicides went, we had 28 in 2018, and they jumped to 34. our sexual assaults went up about 9%, aggravated assault went about 14%. and those are challenges that we have. and i think as we grow as a department, we're going to be able to get a better handle on those. on the flip side, though, when we look at total ucr and serious violent and property crime, robberies went down 15% from the year prior. burglaries have gone down about 10% from the year prior. and actually, burglaries citywide have gone down about 40% in the last 5 years. so overall, when you combine violent and property crime, we went down about 1.5% from the year previous. now that's not--we're not going to do a touchdown dance. we need to do better and we need to do more. but as the department grows, we will get better. and ultimately, the message i say is san jose is still one of the largest, safest cities in this country. so, although we fluctuate at times with our crime and our violent crime, the rate at which we have those crimes

is far less than most major cities in the country. damian: yeah, the numbers are bigger in much smaller cities, so we should point that out as well. again, if you'd like to join the police department or maybe have any questions on something, can file, even file a police report, there is a web address for more information. we'll talk more with the chief of police of san jose, stay with us. ♪

we're talking--you're also on face--you, the department on facebook, twitter, and instagram. it seems like--and crime fighting takes place also on social media. talk about the use of your department of the social media avenues that maybe help you communicate better with the-- eddie: well, it's very important to us in a lot of different ways, right? when it comes to crime fighting and taking that criminal element off the street, it does two things. one, it allows my community to see the amazing work that the men and women are doing on a daily basis. and then you know what?

the men and women know that you're proud of them, and that you're supporting them, and that you're putting their work up for people to see, which is very, very important, and we've got a lot of positives. on the other hand, oftentimes, you know, you know, you'll see someone take a random picture of an officer playing basketball on duty with local kids, right? and will--and every once in a while will post something like that. and it's important because when those things happen, those things happen all the time. there are positive interactions with our community that happened every day. and i thank god we have social media 'cause we're able to advertise the fact that, hey, when you see these things on the news, when you see an officer buying shoes for a homeless individual, or you see an officer giving food to someone homeless, or you see an officer helping someone cross the street, those things happen every day. so, i'm just fortunate enough that we have social media that we can advertise and say, "hey, this is what your police department does all the time." it's important. damian: and i'll give the viewers a quick tip.

sometimes, you can get information as fast as we do in the media because sometimes if there is a massive incident going on, that police departments will direct you to get updates on twitter, on instagram. and so, that's where we're getting our information sometimes 'cause y'all are busy trying to solve whatever case it might be. so yeah, follow them on social media because you get a lot of information. whether it's san jose, or richmond, or oakland, or san francisco, they're all on it. you're talking about the academy that just graduated this past friday. eddie: they're graduating this friday. damian: they--there are 20 different languages that they speak. or i'm sorry, 20, they're from 20 different countries. eddie: there's 20 different countries represented in that group that speak 16 different languages. it's amazing. you know, and one of the things that we always said is we pushed--i did a recruiting trip, a recruiting efforts is, you know, we always strive with the adage that a police department should reflect the community it serves. and although you can't always achieve that, you know, i tell you with this academy class and what i'll tell them on friday is they are san jose. you know, they represent our city well. and i always--you know, i'd rather have 46 graduating

recruits that all look different and are different than having 60 that look the same 'cause that's not representative of our city. so, i'm proud of the efforts of our recruiting team, and i'm very proud for the graduating class. damian: and at the same time, though, you're not cherry picking them because they look a certain way or speak a certain language. they have to be--they have to show the qualities of being a good cop at the same time. eddie: yes, i mean, listen, if we have one of the high--we have some of the highest standards in this police department. and we've never changed, even through our dark times. when people wanted us to change, we never did. it would cheapen their accomplishment, it would cheapen the accomplishments of everyone that came before them. so, you can't cut it, you can't cut it regardless what you represent. we're just fortunate enough that our recruiting team was able to find so many capable individuals that represent the city well. damian: you learned a lesson a month ago about maybe explaining, if there's a change in policy,

explaining it better with the public. because communication, as you found out, can answer a lot of questions that might lead to frustration. you were denied the real id, but that's for a certain reason, now you want to make sure that people do ask the right questions and the right word gets out. eddie: absolutely, and you know, it's always communication is the key. and everyone talks about it, and it's almost cliche, but it's so important to explain to people why. you know, in the interim in these last few weeks, i've gotten several emails to my chief--to my chief email account from other puerto ricans in the bay area asking me how i went through the process because they don't know what to do. and you know, as i said to you at the time when we did the interview, you know, it's something for me. i have some contacts that helped me immediately, but what about someone who doesn't have, you know, a position where they have so many contacts? and i'm starting to find that out. and so, i mean, yes, i need to have some conversations with

dhs, i need to have some better conversations with dmv 'cause it's not about me anymore. i mean, they need to bring out this message loud and clear because october's going to be here soon. and they need to do a better--quite frankly, they need to do a better job because that story came out and i have yet to see anything from anywhere that explains the process. so, either it's falling on deaf ears or i just need to be louder. damian: and for those who didn't watch the story, you're born in puerto rico, it's a us territory, you're an american citizen. but because of some corrupt efforts in puerto rico, any birth certificate that is stamped after 2010 is not accepted in this country for any-- eddie: prior, prior to 2010. damian: prior to 2010 is not accepted for anything. the real id is one of them. so, just make sure that you get the word out and get a new birth certificate. eddie: absolutely, you know, there's a--and i'll put the website, there's a website that can assist you. the process, i just recently got my birth certificate stamped and certified via fedex after a $51 charge that i didn't know about.

so, but again, i'm using it all as a learning experience. i don't subscribe to victimology. it's a learning experience, and i think i will be a better leader for it. but again, for those that do need their real ids, they need to read the fine print. damian: all right, thank you so much. eddie: my pleasure. damian: all right, if you'd like more information on the san jose police department, there is their web address. again, follow them on twitter, instagram, and on facebook. and now here's what's happening in your comunidad on qué pasa. ♪ ♪ ♪

damian: and our saludos to those celebrating a special day, felicidades. ♪ ♪ damian: and here's our contact information, you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. you can also follow me on instagram, my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. 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. we'll see you once again here next week, buenos días. ♪ [singing in foreign language]

i'm sara gore, and this is "open house." this week, some of the biggest personalities in style and design show us around their homes. we tour a disco chic hell's kitchen property with owner and designer tracy stern. a designer's unique live work loft in the flower district. design and lifestyle maven jonathan adler shows us around his unique greenwich village abode. but first, carson kressley shows us around his park avenue pad. park avenue is right here at my feet, so hi guys. sure, yeah, keep it down. i'm making a tv program up here. neighbors. [theme music]