♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today we're going to look into the latino voter turnout of the 2022 primaries and how embarrassing that turnout was. initially, it was reported that only 10% of california latinos went out and voted. it was later upgraded to 15%, still, an embarrassing turnout. what does that mean? we're gonna start the program with the former vice mayor of the city of san jose, the first latina elected to the san jose city council, the honorable blanca alvarado.

damian: blanca, on june 7, of 2022, it was the primaries, and only 10% of latinos in california voted. what's your reaction? honorable blanca alvarado: i'm appalled, and i'm disheartened, but i'm also seriously alarmed because, when latinos don't vote or when other so-called "marginalized groups" don't vote, there are others, other voters intended on maintaining the status quo, who are the ones that are creating laws and making decisions for me that do not align with my values and that, oftentimes, are very hurtful to me and to my family and to our communities. it is a process of not only exercising that constitutional right to a free democracy of voting and selecting your leaders, but it is also a citizen taking responsibility

for the ways and the means by which this country evolves and becomes better or worse. and, you know, for people to not vote is to not only shirk their responsibility but to let somebody else be in charge of their lives. i think that's shameful. damian: somebody--they decide by not voting to allow someone else to vote people in or vote people out, to approve legislation or to not approve legislation that might affect them. blanca: well, you know, an example, this june the 7th, not only did we have important constitutional state elections to vote on, but we had some local matters that were really important as well. one of them was measure a, which should have been defeated, in my opinion, by the voters, and yet the lack of knowledge about what measure a called for allowed that measure to be passed, unfortunately, but in california, in june, the

election in june was full of constitutional office holders to be elected or re-elected or not elected at all, but in november of this year, not only do we have a confirmation of the winners in the primaries, but we've got huge propositions coming forward, really, really big issues to decide at the polls, and if people do not engage in these elections, do not try to understand what they mean and how they affect their lives, we're gonna have propositions that will pass or will fail, and we don't know if that's good or if that's bad, but we know that another low turnout is going to have devastating effects on the results. damian: and your magnet that you have in your hands, that says it all. tell us what it says. blanca: you know, i've had this magnet for years, and i remind myself of it frequently because, as someone who has been

in politics all my life, i do believe that bad politicians are elected by good people who do not vote. on the other hand, today, voting is so easy. it takes a matter of hours to go through your pamphlet and recognize who the candidates are and what the issues are and to do it with a family or to do it alone but to do it with--conscientiously. the other problem, however, is that, if people don't vote, we--our voices are not being held as they should be in a democracy. the worst part about the low-voter latino-voter turnout is that i question what the voter turnout was for 18-year-olds, how many 18-year-olds are registered to vote and how many of them exercised. their future is in the hands of the voters, and if they don't go

out and register and vote, it is alarming. it is disheartening. i've said that before, but to be able to buy an ar-15 gun at 18 and not to vote at 18 or to register is shameful to say the least. i don't know. i get pretty passionate about it because, as someone who has lived politics all my life, i know that huge benefits can accrue from having our voices in the public arena. i know that much can be accomplished because an elected representative, especially at the local level, has the eyes and the ears of the community, and things that are done, policies that are passed, projects that are approved or disapproved have a direct benefit or disbenefit to the voters of our community. nationally, to know that we are part of this huge, huge gift, called "electioneering," is our ability to say, "that guy, that

woman is a person that i want to lead my country because they reflect the values of the constitution, the values of what this country was founded on, which was equality, freedom, liberty, justice for all. damian: you, in your decades of public service, you tore down a lot of walls, and you mentioned disheartening. this has gotta be disheartening to see people not willing to walk through that wall. they don't have to climb over it 'cause you did that heavy lifting already. they can just walk through it, and they're not walking through it. blanca: yeah, well, the thing about my achievement in electoral politics, having been on the city council for 14 years and then 14 years on the board of supervisors is that, prior to my election, there was a lot of political activism in the east side, in the latino community. we were a small community, but we were vocal.

we were active. and one of the things that i mention frequently is the fact that the farmworker movement and cesar chavez and dolores huerta united us for a cause that we followed gladly because we knew that it was the right thing to do, but it also bonded the community together, and i think that, despite the many, many ways of staying connected, we are more disconnected today than ever because, too often, we spend more of our time on our phones, too much of our time on talking to people or scrolling through the internet and not enough time connecting with each other and working with each other and defining "what it is in this community that needs my gift to be vocal about." there's a group that i have recently encountered that i'm just really, really proud of. it's called mothers out front, and they are tackling climate

change in santa clara county, and they have surrounded themselves, connected themselves, bonded with other environmental groups to advocate at the city council. there are certain climate-changing changes need to be made, but there is an example of a community-wide effort to address an issue that is threatening all of us, but it is finding common cause with one another is how we build a stronger democracy and a stronger, stronger place for pluralism which is why san jose and santa clara county are so unique. we are so multicultural. we have people from all over the world that have recited and have given of their talents and their gifts to making this a place for the present but a place for the future as well. so i just say there is no excuse for not getting involved because

there are multiple, multiple issues that affect us all that we could be engaged in trying to improve to better or to change. damian: good insights from blanca alvarado. we'll have more with the honorable alvarado when we continue. stay with us. ♪♪♪ it's time for the biggest sale of the year, on the sleep number 360 smart bed. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? because proven quality sleep is vital to our health and wellness, only the sleep number 360 smart bed keeps you cool, then senses and effortlessly adjusts for your best sleep. and tells you exactly how well you slept. your sleepiq score. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. so, you can be your best for yourself and those you care about most. don't miss our weekend special. all smart beds are on sale.

♪♪♪ damian: and now back to our program with the honorable blanca alvarado. damian: is it gonna take the somos mayfair, the community groups in the mission district? is it gonna take that latino coalition of silicon valley to save 50% on the sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. ends monday. mobilize and go back to the grassroots effort to get people out to the polls, or is it back to the drawing board? blanca: well, it has always been movements led by people that had been responsible for change, movements fueled by people, and in the last three years, in particular, despite

covid and our insulation from one another, well, we have seen the emergence of zoom, where people have remained connected and had advocated for certain issues on behalf or against certain issues, and i have also seen, with gre communities coming together more in recent times, in particular, protesting against sexual predators, protesting against lies like are being propagated by certain elements of society. we are seeing people armed and not--i don't wanna use the word "army," but really rebelling against the gun epidemic that is causing so much pain, suffering, and violence in this country. we are seeing groups emerge and emerge and emerge, and just as in the '70s, when the protests in the streets against the

vietnam war really began to hit at the heart of the elected officials, we will see that happen again because people are now fed up. we're scared, but we are not going to let our fear dwarf our need to stay active. i think there's movements afoot. i'm amazed. i'm really amazed and proud of those young students who testified from uvalde about this horrible tragedy that they were involved in, and, yet they are bringing voice to the things that concern us, that we're fearful of, but the things that we are hopeful for as well. so there is a cadre of a new generation of activists that are gonna be making--they will make a--we will make a difference. they will make a difference. we cannot give up. we cannot be somehow so numbed by everything that is affectin'

us that we lose hope, that we lose our fire in the belly. we will have to refuel that fire in the belly because the world demands our attention, demands our good works, demands us to be present and energetic. damian: so these community leaders need to come together and find out what went wrong and how we can fix it. blanca: yeah. damian: there is, you know, the old saying, back in the '80s and '90s, "the sleeping giant." we were the sleeping giant, and then the sleeping giant awoke for a few years because latinos started voting. it seems like the sleeping giant went back to sleep. blanca: well, you know, damian, i'm not persuaded by statistics, and by the analysis of some anchors. for example, they will say that latinos didn't vote, and, yet there are statistics that show in the 2020 election, elite

latinos were largely responsible because they voted in huge numbers to elect joe biden. so we keep hearing conflicting and different stories about the turnout. turnout in this election was pathetically low, but it wasn't limited to latinos. it was a lot of people who stayed home. so, not to blame latinos for the low voter turnout, i think it's important for us not to do that, but it is also important for us to recognize that there have been times and there will be times when latinos will manifest their voices at the polls, and there will be--we will be holding people accountable and electing the right folks. i think, though, sometimes, we are mislabeled as being indifferent, about not caring, about being inactive, about sleeping.

we are not asleep at the wheel. we are energetic because we do a lot of work that is not noticed in our own communities, with our own groups, and with our own families. we are an active people. we are a good-hearted people, and we care. damian: it's no time to quit the fight, and you've been fighting for decades. this, kind of, just, reinvigorate you to keep fighting more. blanca: well, you know, damian, i still think about dolores huerta too. you know, dolores huerta and i--contemporaries. i think she's a couple of years older than i am but not much older than i am, and, yet she hasn't given up the spirit either. she still is active and doing as much as she can to better conditions, and i try to do the same thing, and i know many people--we're all living longer and longer, and that's good because we're healthier, and we can be more productive even in

our elder years, but we need to be there to support and to mentor the young people, to encourage them, to support them, to tell them they're really fantastic because they are, and we need to applaud these young people for what they're doing and not be critical of what they're not doing. i would rather applaud them for what they're doing and say nothing about what they're not doing. damian: all right, any final thoughts, blanca? blanca: final thoughts? get ready. we have a big, big obligation in the next several weeks, several months, to get so pumped up about the november election that we'll make the right choices at the ballot box in november, not only for santa clara county but for the state of california. damian: thank you, blanca. some great insight from the former vice mayor of the city of san jose. up next on "comunidad del valle," we'll get reaction from the latina coalition of silicon valley.

damian: and joining me now is gabby chavez-lopez. she's the executive director of the latina coalition of silicon valley. and, gabby, welcome to the show. thank you for being on. gabby chavez-lopez: yeah, thank you for having me, damian. good to see you. damian: thank you. we're gonna split the show into a couple of segments. our first segment, we'll start with the bad news. i wanna end with the good news 'cause you have a lot of good news to share out of the elections, but, first, what's your reaction to the fact that, in california--it was upgraded, but in california, during the 2022 primaries, only 15% of latinos went to the polls. gabby: yeah, i mean, i think that's very disheartening news. it's not, you know, news that i wanna hear in that, but i, in some ways, was expecting, i think, engagement overall through, you know, through the pandemic has been challenging, even with our own efforts around organizing and getting advocates out to, you know, really speak and advocate for different

issues that are important to them. it's been a challenge, and i think we're competing with, obviously, a lot of things going on in the world, you know, people wanting to reunite with family members and friends now that, you know, things have opened up a little bit after the--you know, being--going through the pandemic, and so i don't know that voting was a number one priority or top of mine, so, me, even in my own personal experience, i see the challenges and the barriers to get into the voting box, and so, yeah, i mean, i definitely empathize with folks that weren't able to make it out to the polls. obviously, not super-surprising, but it's not--we don't like to see low-voter engagement 'cause that means people are, you know, not excited or not really listening to what the issues might be or how it impacts their lives, and so, you know, it's

not something that we like to hear. damian: yeah, and, you know, and california has made it so easy for voters where you get your ballot in the mail three weeks before the election. fill it out. put a--don't even put a stamp on it. just put it in the mailbox. sign it, and then ship it back. i mean, it's just so easy. it's just a little baffling, to me, that, in three weeks to a month, we couldn't really fill out a ballot. that affects a lot of us. gabby: yeah, yeah. no, i would agree. i think we've definitely taken steps as a state to meet voters where they're at, but, additionally, i think people are still disheartened, and i think people actively didn't vote because, you know, they had certain feelings about the way, you know, their lives felt at the moment, especially going through the collective trauma that we did together as a community, our latino community being most disproportionately

impacted by the pandemic, and so i think there was a lot of disengagement, but it was also an active disengagement and even a statement in and of itself, and so, sometimes, saying nothing is saying a lot. damian: that's a good way to look at it, and i'm gonna go with that because it's just been--it's been depressing in looking at the numbers, and so, well, tell us about, first, about the latina coalition of silicon valley 'cause you guys have been around for a while. you're the first executive director that they've had there, and one of the emphases is creating those latino leaders. gabby: yes, so our organization's mission is really to develop and strengthen the power of latinas to advance our collective success as a society through sisterhood, civic engagement, and leadership and, so, civic engagement being a very important pillar that we instill in the women's lives

that we get to--we have the privilege of intersecting with and working with. and so, one of our, you know, main goals and objectives is really to get latinas excited about the civic process, excited about engaging, feeling like they have a place and a space to share their voice and give that lens to the work, whatever issue area they may choose, whether it be parks and rec or, you know, land use and planning, education, whatever that, you know, issue area is, that they have an opportunity to engage in that civic discourse, and so, you know, one of the things that we focused on with the primaries was making latinas, particularly latinas, aware of some of these really important ballot measures and that there was some incredible latina candidates that were running for office and putting their hat in the ring,

and so i think that it was really an exciting time for us, as the organization, doing what we're doing to really be actively engaged in the primary and in around certain measures that would increase the latina voter turnout a significant amount. damian: gabby chavez-lopez is the executive director of the latina coalition of silicon valley, a powerhouse agency here in the south bay. we'll have more with gabby when we continue here on "comunidad del valle."

damian: and we're back with gabby chavez-lopez, the executive director of the latina coalition of silicon valley. you kind of touched on the good news there in the previous segment, but i tweeted the earlier that this might be the year of the latina, and you kind of explained why. i mean, you name it, and latinas were on top of the polls when the results came out. gabby: well, there is this saying, "when latinas run, they win," so we put a lot of hard work into any campaign that i've

seen a latina run, and so we really did see the outcomes around that. you know, district 1, rosemary kamei won outright in that district. we have district 5, with nora campos, representing eastside san jose, the number one vote-getter there. district 7, maya esparza held onto her seat and has been doing great work in that community. and then, you know, we have at the county level, we have sylvia arenas, who came in and, you know, was the number one vote-getter at the county level, super--visorial district 1. and then, cindy chavez, obviously, with the city of san jose, for the mayor's seat, coming in at number one as well in the primary, so a lot of great outcomes. yes, i would call it a latina sweep, but more importantly, again, these are women, these are mothers in many

cases--actually, yes, i think in all cases they are mothers, and so they are representing a lot of different communities and a lot of different intersections, and i think that just seeing what the numbers look like, the final tally was really exciting. even when you look at latinx representation as a whole, district 3, downtown, omar torres, who also represents the lgbtq+ community, and seeing that intersection represented is really exciting, and i think it's really important as we think about a covid recovery that we center those most impacted, and those most impacted have been women, have been particularly latinas with loss of income, loss of job, and, obviously, increased caregiving responsibilities, so i'm excited to have women like this at the helm of our city and at these really important decision-making seats to think

about how do we recover as a community because they intrinsically have experienced it themselves, and so, yes, there is a silver lining to all of this, and we're really excited, and i hope that we can get more people to come out and voice their support of all of these very dynamic candidates that are running in our area. damian: yeah, all right, latina power. gabby chavez-lopez, thank you so much. latina coalition of silicon valley. thank you for educating us on this very important topic. gabby: and thank you, damian, for always providing the space. really appreciate it. damian: thank you. and thank you for joining us here on "comunidad del valle." we'll see you once again here next week, and we hope that you go out and vote when the opportunity arises. thank you. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

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