jillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, we celebrate the mexica new year on your "comunidad del valle." ♪ damian: we begin today with the youth ambassador with the american lung association. with me on "comunidad del valle" is fourth grader graciela navarro, and brandy is her mom. they're here to talk about a special program with the american lung association. welcome to the show. graciela navarro: thank you so much, it's an honor. damian: thank you. well, tell us what makes you an ambassador, what do you do as an ambassador? graciela: sure, so this is the first year that this program has formalized. so, and i'm team captain for the american lung association,

and also youth ambassador. so, it's just really fun, and you get to learn leadership, you get to experience like being part of the team. and my favorite part is that you get your word out into the public, like you could speak for what you believe in. damian: the name of your team is the tobacco free trailblazers. graciela: yes. damian: why that, why that name? graciela: so, actually my friend anna recommended it to me. and it's so tobacco-free because i'm anti-tobacco. trailblazers because, like, i want the trail to like blaze, you know? so, like i want to, like, make the path like clear, like yeah, i just want to blaze the path. damian: brandy, i would imagine that you have to stay on top of your game to keep up with your daughter. brandy navarro: i do. damian: she's so bright and intelligent. brandy: i do. graciela: thank you. damian: tell us about why this is important to the family, having her as an ambassador. brandy: for us, it's important to be able to see the youth be able to vocalize themselves against a platform or for

a platform, and be able to stand up and use their voice, and be a role model for other youth to be able to stand up for what they believe in. and specifically, graciela's really big on anti-vaping. so, be able to bring the topic to light and share with other children that, though it smells good and though it looks cool, it's really harmful. damian: it really is. my twins are in sixth grade and they come home saying, "so and so, and so and so were caught vaping in the bathroom." vaping, this is sixth grade. do you--do you talk about that as your school as well? graciela: so, actually we--i go to a private school, and one of the strict rules is no smoking in the grounds, no vaping in the grounds, and we are like kind of locked in. so, there's like gates, like, surrounding the boundaries of the school. and so, there was this party one day, i forgot for what cause,

but it was like this party, i think it was like the fifth-- damian: middle school dance? graciela: like 107th anniversary or something, but it was like a big event. and we saw all these little vaping tubes and smoky and cigarette packages and stuff. and my principal, actually she had a talk with everyone about the importance of not vaping. so, this was like in i believe third grade. but yeah, so we don't really get that--like that's like the only time i actually saw a cigarette on the ground. but yeah, but lithe was a lot of people smoking. damian: was it commercials that caught her eye or her attention to this topic, or was it just walking on the sidewalk and somebody smoking? what is it that kind of intrigued? brandy: it was actually walking on the sidewalk-- damian: that usually does it.

brandy: and smelling smoke that really smelled quite delicious. they have really engaging flavors, like fruit flavors and sweet flavors. and when she realized that's the equivalent of smoking a cigarette, she was shocked. she said, "really?" and so, when we talked about vaping, she was pretty offended at how the tobacco industry wanted to trick the youth into nicotine use and addictive practices, and there she went. damian: as the american--part of the american lung association, are you going to be climbing the steps as well? graciela: yes. damian: tell us about that. graciela: yeah, so it's--the address is 555 california. it used to be the old bank of america building. we are going to be climbing 52 flights of stairs, yep, and exactly i believe 1,197 steps. damian: i thought it was 96. are you sure it's 97? graciela: i believe so. damian: and how are you training, how are you preparing for this? what message do you want to send? graciela: yeah, so i want to tell kids that, you know, the tobacco industry obviously wants to trick kids into vaping and smoking.

i want kids to get their voice out, and i want people to know that we are smarter than that and that we can try to prevent this from happening as much as we can. and i really, really, really hope and i really, really believe in the cause of not smoking. and i really--like, so the american lung association's job is to try to get it nationwide. my goal is try to get it worldwide. damian: all right, think big. graciela: trying to join forces with the american lung association. yeah, and it's just really exciting, and i just love this opportunity. damian: and this step climbing is all part of our next segment, but the american lung association again is having this event. there is the web address and phone number or the--yeah, the phone number to call for more information. any final thoughts before we let you go? graciela: yeah, so like i said, just kids stick to what you believe in, and just don't let anyone, like,

take control over your life. tobacco, the industry, tobacco industry wants you to--specifically kids, they want them to get addicted at a young age so they can be a lifelong customer. damian: well, you're a great ambassador; thank you for-- graciela: thank you so much. damian: all right, thank you; we'll be back with the american lung association, stay with us. to give his money to charity, giving pledge when this californian walked away from his billion dollar company for good. he drives a chevy volt, flies commercial, and spends his days building grassroots campaigns for social and environmental justice. why? tom steyer believes every child deserves the same opportunities as his. a healthy planet. good schools. quality healthcare, living wage jobs, and life without fear of discrimination. tom: i'm tom steyer and i approve this message.

the american lung association. with me is carrie nash, the executive director. she's here to fill us in on what we're talking about. welcome to the show. carrie nash: thanks so much for having me, i'm excited to be here. damian: thank you; we heard from graciela, what a great ambassador you have to get this message out. carrie: yeah, she's amazing. she's very passionate about it, she speaks well about it, and we're very lucky to have her in the community sharing our mission. damian: all right, well, we have some video of what we're talking about when we're climbing these stairs. and there it is right--this is from one of-- somewhere around the country here. so, tell us what we're actually doing here on march 7. carrie: great, so the fight for air climb, this will be our 14th annual year. we have about 1,000 climbers, 1,000 to 1,200 that come out.

they come out for the day and they race up the stairwells of the 555 california building in san francisco. it's a fundraiser, everybody comes in. our goal this year is to raise around $300,000 for the programs that we do with the american lung association. damian: i would imagine that the message is that if you're a smoker or a vaper, you're not going to be able to climb these steps. carrie: it is; yes, it actually is meant to replicate what it's like to have lung disease. so, by climbing the stairs, you're gaining elevation rapidly. you're also in a confined space doing an extreme athletic event or extreme cardio, so it actually makes the lungs start to feel like they're closing in, and it gives people that sensation of if i had asthma, if i had copd, if i had lung cancer, this is what top, they have that appreciation for, again, the mission that they're fighting for. damian: as parents, you know, i was surprised when my kids

came home, and this was last year even in fifth grade, and they said there's vaping. and they go, they do it on campus, they do it off campus. how shocked are you? you probably hear stories like this all over. carrie: yeah, vaping really--as an organization, vaping took us for a run. we had done a lot of work over the last 115 years to basically make, especially california, almost smoke-free. and then vaping came in and really targeted the youth, and it fit all the loopholes. it found a way through all of the laws that were anti-tobacco, making associations like ours have to work extra hard to put new laws into place in order to prevent the marketing of those products to children. damian: and we were talking about addictions on the news and how it was becoming addictive. and i mean, the kids were that it's safer than smoking, smoking ten times plus more of the nicotine through a vape pen than they would if they were smoking cigarettes alone.

so, it's actually much, much more addictive. dami american lung association, what have we done as a society, as a community to curb this, to stop this, to slow it down if you can? carrie: the majority of the work that we're doing with the american lung association is targeted towards kids, and it's targeted towards policy work up at the capital in regards to not allowing these companies to market directly to children. for example, there are laws in place that they can't have vape products or tobacco products in low level shelving in convenience stores because that's at kids' eye level. there's cities that have actually banned the flavor of the vape so that it's not, again, marketed towards kids, and a lot of that is work that's been driven by our organization. damian: and some of them even look like school supplies, they look like a usb drive. carrie: a usb drive. yeah, an eraser. damian: i've taken up a lot of your time. tell us what you want to tell us about this climb or anything, the message that you want to get across today. carrie: i think one of the most important things

that i want everyone to know is that the fight for air climb is on march 7. it is an amazing event. the work that we're doing with the lung association is everything from the anti-tobacco and vaping to the california wildfires, which are a really huge issue for us right now. last year, san francisco had the worst air quality in the world for over two weeks. so, we are fighting to put programs in place and to help people that are affected by the wildfires as well as prevention. come out and join us, it's a lot of fun. damian: do you need climbers, or is it more the donations that you're asking for right now? carrie: we want all of it. we would love to have people come out and spend the day learning about our mission and experiencing it. but if you're not able to come, you can certainly make a donation as well. damian: and how do you--do you train for this? you can't just go up there and say, "i'm going to climb 1,600 steps," or however many it is on one day. do you have to train for it, or what do you-- carrie: well, you can, it just depends on how much you want it to hurt. now, we have children from the ages

of eight and above that climb. and our oldest climber is 87. damian: amazing; well, this climb is happening here in san francisco. there is the address at 555 california street, and there is the web address for more information. well, thank you so much for putting on this program and helping get the word out about vaping and the dangers of it. carrie: great, thanks for talking to us today. damian: thank you; and up next here on "comunidad del valle," one of the planning commissioners in san jose, stay with us. the most empoweringmike experiences that i've had.

it's important to talk to the people who know him personally. i worked for him for 8 years in city hall. i've been working for bloomberg for 27 years. 25 years. almost 30 years. there's nobody that i respect more, and felt more respected by. mike believes excellence is not defined by gender. mike builds a culture that advances women. i was the first woman ever appointed to be council to the mayor. he expects excellence out of everyone, but he also provides the kind of support that allows you to be that person. mike called to tell me, you should be proud of what you've done and your name should be on that project. he has faith in you, he believes in you. it was about always showing up and doing your best. i always knew that he had my back. he was raised by an extraordinary woman, she supported him all along the way and that's very much a part of who he is. mike supports women, he promotes women, and he respects women.

[ fast-paced drumming ] planning commission, and he's from the east side. rolando bonilla is back here on "comunidad del valle." one reason that we have you sit on the show is because of the height disparity, you know? we want to make sure that we see each other at eye level. welcome back to our show, rolando. rolando bonilla: thank you, thank you. damian: we have a video we want to show because it took a fight, and here's a part of that fight. it took a fight to get you on the commission. what was the whole escándalo about? rolando: you know, the east side of san jose for roughly over a decade has not had representation on the most

powerful commission in san jose, the planning commission. you know, we thought coming into this that it was pretty much a no-brainer that east san jose is a vital part to the city, and that we required to be at the table making these decisions. to our surprise, it was a lot more difficult than that. and luckily, the community recognized that this was a jose, but really for the city as a whole. damian: you make decisions that are crucial to the future structurally of the east side basically, to the city. rolando: to the city as a whole. and that was one of the things i said from the very beginning, this should never be an east side, west side thing. this should be a san jose thing. and if we're going to really be that metropolitan large american city, we have to make sure that every single corner of this city has equal access to services and opportunity, and equal access to sitting at the table. it shouldn't be that one side of the city decides the future for all parts of the city. that should actually make everyone upset,

and that's really what this fight was about. damian: what decisions do you make as a planning commission? rolando: well, the biggest one that we make is that we advise the city council on land use policy regarding the city moving forward. so, for example, what the skyline's going to look like one day, or something as simple as a permit to build on a piece of property in your community. in many ways, we impact and touch your day-to-day life, what you're going to see, the structures you're going to see, what your community is going to feel like. are we going to be close to public transportation or not? those are questions that come before our body. we obviously weigh in. we're a quasi-judicial entity, and then we send those recommendations up to the city council for their deliberation. damian: so, before you came in, the views of the willow glen neighborhood were the ones that were predominantly being listened to because that's where the representation came from. do you think the east side did not have a voice at the table? rolando: well, the east side absolutely did not have a voice at the table, which is why this--really what this candidacy was always about.

i'm proud to say that because of the noise that we made, we didn't get just one latino perspective on the planning commission. for the first time since 1981, we n perspectives on the san jose planning commission. that was a fight, that was a fight that should never have been a fight in the first place. but luckily, i stand on the shoulders of people, people like blanca alvarado, people that have really been here before that have had their own fights. and because of that, there was a path, there was a community infrastructure that allowed for this to happen. and without their support, east san jose wouldn't be represented. 'cause this has never been about me, this has always been about making sure that the east side had a voice in a broader city conversation. damian: so, what can we see as far as the future goes on the east side? rolando: well, i think one of the things that i'm fighting for on the east side is making sure that the same considerations that are given to other parts of the city are given to where we live. you know, east san jose has what's called form-based zoning, which has a lot of flexibility for the developing community.

although it's supposed to be in place throughout the city that hasn't really been the case yet. so, one of the first things i'm trying to do and i'm already doing is making sure that if you're going to develop in east san jose, you are going to ensure that the voice of the community is heard, that they've had the opportunity to really put their input, and that you're not just going to slap a project around and put it in there because it's going to be good for your bottom line. you have to take into account the aesthetic considerations, the cultural considerations, and how this particular project is going to add value to the community. if it's not adding value to the community, if it's just a quick way to make a couple of bucks that i could say unequivocally i've done already, that's just not something i'm going to stand for. and already, folks are seeing i'm reasonable, but i also want to build relationships, and i want my community to have the opportunity to build those relationships as well. damian: does it help that you're 6'5" and getting-- rolando: you know, it's funny, i have to do most of these things sitting down. but when i stand up, they think i'm charles barkley, so i'm not so sure. damian: all right, well, he's a member of the san jose planning

commission, and they do meet regularly, and they do advise the city council on land use issues. there is the number for the city, you can ask for the planning commission or google "the planning commission" final thoughts, rolando, before we let you go? rolando: no, i think i encourage you all to recognize that east san jose, west san jose, north san jose, we're all one san jose. and whatever issues impact every part of the city impact the other parts of the city. this is true for public safety, this is true for homelessness. we are better as a city when we recognize that we are one city with one objective, and that objective being to be the best city we can be so that our children, our families can grow and prosper in this city we love to call home. damian: all right, well, thank you for rolling down your sleeves. rolando: thank you. damian: up next here on "comunidad del valle," celebrating the mexica new year, stay with us.

grand now we have to deal withed us this.rs. climate change is an emergency. that's why i wrote the nation's most progressive climate law. and that's why i'm endorsing tom steyer. because when big oil tried to stop our clean air laws, he led us to victory. same with the keystone pipeline. when tom says we can save the world and do it together believe him. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. "comunidad del valle" with calpulli tonalehqueh. here on the show is corina cihuachimalli herrera-loera

and gerardo ixteyo herrera on "comunidad del valle." did i pronounce those correctly? gerardo herrera: you did. great job, damian. damian: thank you; well, the mexica new year, tell us about the festivities this year. corina cihuachimalli herrera-loera: so, we're going to be celebrating a weekend long. it actually falls on march 12, but we're going to be celebrating that weekend after, march 14 to 15. we're going to start off with the sunrise ceremony on saturday, where we invite all the elders, and we'll start off with a fire, and then we'll be dancing throughout saturday. it'll be also just a gathering of our community, our indigenous community. and that really relates, you know, to all of us. we all have indigenous blood inside of us. i'm a huichol myself, but it's really a moment to come together and celebrate our indigenous culture and celebrate our aztec new year with the community. damian: all right, and here we're looking at some of the old stock footage. this is calpulli tonalehqueh from way back when. it was a long time ago, but it still looks beautiful, the colors are just amazing.

gerardo, why is this celebration such a big deal? gerardo: well, this celebration is a big deal for a lot of different reasons. i think as far as our indigenous--urban indigenous community is concerned, any opportunity for us to come together to continue to celebrate our resiliency as a people is important. another reason why it's important, i think it's one of the few, maybe even the only major event that faces our community, people of color that isn't--that is absolutely drug and alcohol-free, family centered. we're going to have lots of activities around promoting positive cultural identity. and then finally, i think it's taking place on--in a historic place for chicano people within the city of san jose, on the corner of story and king road. as a little boy, i grew up riding in the back seat of my older brother's lowriders, you know? and i think today, reclaiming that space for us as a sacred space is something very important for us. damian: yeah, tell me about cihuachimalli, what it means

and how proud you are of that name. corina: so, cihuachimalli is my spiritual name, the essence that i was given when i was born. and it means--cihua means shield and chimalli means--cihua means woman and chimalli means shield. and together, it means woman warrior with a shield. and it's really that essence that i was given. you know, we all come with gifts that we were sent to this earth to share with others, and that's part of who i am, part of what i do, you know, every day at home, and in the community. you know, now sitting on the board of like the school district, just really protecting what is sacred, you know, to us, to our earth. so, that's who i am. damian: all right, what about ixteyo? gerardo: ixteyo, it's "rostro de alabastro." the profile, an alabaster profile. and so, as my lovely wife was mentioning, these names that we have are names that are associated with our birth time

and place in the universe. and so, specifically relating to the exact moment that we're born, there's a certain sets of names that you're able to be given. and so you--and you have some say in what that name would be. and so, for me, it really speaks to my ability to be fluid in different spaces and move about utilizing those spaces to their full potential. damian: excuse my naivety in this, but when you put on the's on what we see as the feathers and everything with with along with it? corina: it's definitely empowering, and we also all have numbers and colors that relate to us in our spirit and our person. so, it's also a part of protection, you know, when we go in to that. you know, we'll have anywhere from 500 to 1,000 aztec dancers. so, to carry the fire in a space like that, it is more of that spiritual protection 'cause we have it all and it's beautiful. and so, that paint for me is like presenting myself

to creator, here i am to do the work, the spiritual work, that spiritual "guerra florida" that we call it, you know, a flowered battle. 'cause life is like that, there's all the beauty and also the opposite. so, coming there to be the warrior on behalf of the people that are gathering. really spreading that beauty outside, right? 'cause for me, i know it was important to grow up knowing who i was. so, i didn't get involved with things like tobacco use, or, you know, alcohol abuse, and you know, things that were coming my way when i was young. to know who i was and to know my roots really helped me stay grounded and say no to many things growing up. so, i want to make sure that, you know, my daughter and other youth also have--know who they are and where they come from so that they know where they're going. damian: same thing, gerardo. when you're out there, do you think, "well, i can't do that or walk this direction because i'm ixteyo. there's something--i represent something that's

probably bigger than me"? gerardo: absolutely, i think just being part of the urban indigenous community, having the ability to bring people together, this is something that we actually do throughout the year every wednesday night at the school of arts and culture located at the mexican heritage plaza from 7 to 9:30. we not only have a step by step practice for the members of our group from--but from 8 to about 9:30, we actually hold ceremonial space for our community at large. and with that comes a responsibility. and so, having that visibility individually and collectively with my wife and with our calpulli definitely brings about a need to walk in a good way and really represent in the best way possible. damian: all right, anything else we should know about the festival that's coming up? gerardo: i think it's a really important for us to always acknowledge the ancestral--this space here that we are going to inhabit for that weekend. and that we continue to occupy really as being the ancestral homeland to the muwekma ohlone people. we're happy to, you know, out of respect and tradition, we always acknowledge the tribal peoples of the land.

we are a part of a much greater urban indigenous community, happy to work for the indian health center of santa clara valley, where we serve over 22,000 people. and of those 22,000, there's a little over 100 different tribes that are represented within that. so, we are a large community. we all get to stand side by side, continuing to bring forth the power of our ancestors, answering that ancestral call, and moving this work forward in a good way. damian: all right, well, there is the web address for more information. it's happening march 14 and 15 at the emma prusch park. calpulli tonalehqueh is putting on this mexica new year festival. we have about 15 seconds, anything you want to add? corina: make sure we get counted in the census. you know, we're all here, we're all present and very alive, yes. damian: all right, well, thank you so much, and we'll see you out there. all right, now here's what's happening in your comunidad on qué 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. on instagram, it 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 on "comunidad del valle." buenos días. ♪ ♪

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