damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and, today, one of the newest leaders in silicon valley, latino, on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ damian: and we begin today with a free concert featuring malo, a free car show, including the impala car club, and much, much more. let's bring in now dr. pastor sonny lara, on "comunidad del valle," once again, and also mark delgado, who's the manager of malo. folks, welcome to the show. dr. sonny lara: thank you for having us. mark delgado: gracias. damian: all right, well, let me start with you, if you don't mind, mark. we just celebrated the 50th anniversary

of the founding of malo. tell us about that legacy and how it's going strong still. mark: ya tiene como 50 años con el grupo malo. damian: you could--we could do--nbc, we're doing english first, then we can go to spanish, so go ahead and give us your thoughts. mark: sounds great. well, we're excited to be celebrating 50 years of malo and malo music, which was, of course, established in the mission district of san francisco. so it's been really an exciting time for us to celebrate 50 years with the song of "suavecito," and the band, and it's been great to be with along with the commodores, los lobos, war, many groups that we have performed with over the years and over the decades, so it's really exciting to be able to come to this event in san francisco as it's important for us, as a group, to tap into the community and start where the fan base began and where it all began within the mission district of san francisco. damian: yeah, we're lookin' at a video right now. some of the original members of malo and some who have played along the way.

there is, of course, the late and great jorge santana on your screen. richard bean is also there, the author or the songwriter of "suavecito." again, manzo is there on the screen you're watching there, so we're gonna play that throughout this interview. dr. pastor sonny, how did you pull this off? this is a great event, and it's free. dr. sonny: yup, and it's free 'cause it's time to give back some love back to the community. that pandemic has just freaked people out, and we wanna come back and let 'em know, man, life goes on. it happened. it's behind us, so we wanna create something that--bring your family, bring your friends to a free concert that's gonna blow their minds. they're gonna enjoy it. damian: talk about the end result that you wanna see, pastor sonny. this is about the youth, right, and gettin' them straight and getting them on the right path and getting them to where they need to be. dr. sonny: yes, it's for the youth and young adults. a lot of 'em have grown up. we work with an agency called united playaz that--right on in the mission district.

actually, they're making such an impact that they just changed the name of the street howard street--says united playaz way. it takes the hood to save the hood, and they go out there, and they provide programs, job training, all these to get 'em off the streets, man, so you know what i mean? crime was high in that area for a while, but since they've been doing there, we're taking it down one day at a time, one young man or woman at a time. damian: and, mark, you know, when you talk about the heart and soul of chicano rock, of latin rock, right straight from the mission, as you mentioned, you can't get any better than malo. mark: absolutely not. i mean, it's just wonderful to be able to see how many different groups have come out of the san francisco bay area, you know, from journey, to malo, to lots of other things, and so what's really exciting is the new music that the bay area is about to hear, comin' soon. damian: now you're teasing us. any previews you're gonna give us? mark: well, there's a lot of collaboration with some of the

gentlemen from war, of course, richard bean, oscar estrella, who wrote some songs with richard bean and jorge santana during the time of the jorge santana band and sapo. so, aki starr, of course, and we've got a great lew of talent around us, and we're just lookin' forward to bringin' that out to the bay area. as i was speakin' to a representative from capitol records and ted mason of universal music, they're excited to hear what's comin' out as well. damian: what's been the magic? i mean, we mentioned 50 years, and they're not slowin' down. i mean, you know, the band members come and go, like any other band, but you talk about the beatles and the rolling stones, and those who have gone on and on and on, and they don't skip a beat. mark: absolutely, and i think one of the things is that building legacy and establishing yourself in the community and not forgetting where you came from. that's really important, and with an event such as this that's going to happen, that's what malo's been about since the inception of it and since the creation of the group with

jorge, pablo, abel zarate, you know, arcelio garcia, and richard bean. they were all part of one area, one district, and as the legacy continues, they'll continue to be rooted and part of it, and, of course, rest in peace for arcelio and jorge, and those that have lost over the year, and tony menjivar. damian: yeah, and, you know, it's such a great event that you're bringin' together, but it takes a--it's kind of like a no-brainer, right, when you're talkin' about what this means. this means supporting san francisco, the mission district supporting the youth, and that's what malo's been about. they supported the farm workers for such a long time, and so that's what malo's been about. mark: yes, absolutely. damian: all right, well, we're gonna--let's share some information with you about this fabulous, great event. this is happening on april 1, at pier 35, in san francisco, with malo. this is to help hope california. a free car show, i'm told, by the impala car club and several others. we'll hear more specifics about this show when we continue here on "comunidad del valle."

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covered california, this way to health insurance. enrollment ends january 31st. go to coveredca.com. damian: we're back here on "comunidad del valle" with dr. sonny lara and mark delgado, the manager for malo. dr. sonny lara is putting on ethis great, free event.31st. tell us more specifics about pier 35, april 1. anything goes you can tell us, dr. sonny? dr. sonny: it's gonna be exciting. like you said, the word "free," that's the magic word. where are you gonna get a free concert with malo, with aki starr, with comedian dennis gaxiola, martin cantu, a lot of rap artists. ab1 will be there and some other rap artists, and, man, the people gravitate to this. and all those beautiful cars by the impalas. those rides are amazing, and, you know, you're gonna see 100 to over 150, maybe 200 cars there, so it's gonna be an amazing--it's gonna make an impact. we're firehouse. i'm an agency in san jose, and i co-labor with united playaz, so

we're in between helping every young man and woman how they can change their lives. damian: and the--when you're bringin' this event here, we went back to--let me go back to the no-brainer part for malo, mark, because it's one of those things that you know that it's impactful for community betterment, right? and that's what malo has been touting for a long time. mark: absolutely, you know, it's about putting your hands to the plow. and even though, in the music industry, many of us, who are musicians or part of the back office and the corporate part, have experienced some, you know, life-altering things, whether it's addiction, whether it's depression, all kinds of great things--and a band is not about one person but a team and unity, and so since--i've always said, "there's a thing about a hand. when you spread your fingers, somebody can reach out and break that finger, but when the fingers come together, there's power behind that in the fist," and that's what the togetherness

is with the community, with dr. sonny, and everyone else that's involved, is that power to change, to impart hope, and to bring resources to a community that's in need of it. damian: that's awesome. mark talked about hope. dr. sonny, where are we? what is the state of the streets, if you will, because you do walk the streets. what is the state of the streets? what's the mood like? the rivalries and the animosity, are things getting better, or are they--will they ever get better? dr. sonny: they're getting better, but the drugs are--man, that fentanyl is taking out teenagers, crazy, at alarming numbers. i don't care where you're at. it's there. then there's the ghost guns that were illegal at one time. they have flooded our streets, and all our little--all our teenager guys, when they get caught, they usually have a ghost gun, and a ghost gun is an untraceable gun. you know what i mean? and we need to go out and reach them because we're burying them too young now. too young. and i did an article on a 13-year-old girl that overdosed

on fentanyl in the bay area, and when they went in the room, they found 100 bags of fentanyl. there was a 14-year-old out in the seven trees area. she died. the next day, her cousin died, that was 28. two funerals in one week because of that fentanyl that's out there. we need to educate them more. i mean, schools, every school--it's called narcan. they're giving 'em narcan. that thing is so potent, they had a police dog die, sniffing the bushes, so that narcan is what's helped, saving their lives. we need to get back there and educate our young people that, you know, that one time can be your last time. damian: well said. and, again, that's the whole premise of having this free event, to get people out there and get 'em a little more educated. any final words, mark, before we let you go? mark: we just look forward to having everybody there. we look forward to continuing the legacy. one of the exciting things about the guys in malo right now, with

richard bean and those who are--been in this for decades, is handing the torch over to the young generation of today, musically, so that the legacy continues with the songs that malo has come out with and the newer songs as they bring 'em forth. so we look forward to being a part of the community, diggin' our roots in and makin' a change happen. damian: oh, i can't wait. thank you, mark, for that, for making this possible. dr. sonny, any final thoughts? dr. sonny: yeah, if there's anybody out there, we're gonna have pop tents. if you have stuff that you would like to sell, you could rent a spot to sell whatever you have to offer. we're looking for vendors to come on out and, you know, get a spot and get out there. i'm working because i like to use hammer & lewis because they have everything from old school to the new school, and when people come, they just flock that place. they've been around forever. they're a part of us growing up. you know, everyone goes to--i mean, this hat's hammer & lewis. so, i mean, people-- "where do you get your hats at?" hammer & lewis.

damian: yeah, no, i have a couple of lids i bought at hammer & lewis, so that's the place to be. thank you, folks, so much, for putting this together for, again, for our youth and the betterment of our community. we'll see you there at the car show. mark: happy to be there. damian: all right, thank you, and for more information again, this is happening on april 1, at pier 35, in san francisco, a free concert with malo, the impalas car club, and many, many more. up next here on "comunidad del valle," one new san jose city council member. you don't wanna miss it. stay with us.

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damian: he is one of the newest council members for the city of san jose. we're joined here on "comunidad del valle" now by the honorable omar torres. and, omar, welcome to the show. councilman omar torres: hello. thank you for having me here today, damian. damian: well, how does it feel to be called honorable, you know? you know, let's put it this way: i've known you for a long time, councilman. you were a youth leader in the washington district, just trying to better your community, and look at where you're at now. do some reflection for me on the ride that you've been on.

councilman torres: you know, it's been a very, very long journey, but as my mom always says is that we need to stay humble, and we need to stay committed and stay committed to our communities and our neighborhoods, and, you know, it is very strange to be sitting in an office as your council member for district 3, our beautiful downtown san jose, but, for me, my office will and has always been to be out in our neighborhoods and communities, so i feel super-excited that i'm gonna be able to represent our gente on the san jose city council, but, for me, i continue to be "boots on the ground," making sure to serve our beautiful city of san jose on the san jose city council. damian: all right, well, we're gonna do two segments with you. we'll save the second segment, councilman, for policy issues, but let's talk about you in this first segment.

and, you know, you and i lost a friend, maria marcelo, a strong community leader there, and she said she would hold your feet to the fire, right, because she would not--she'd let you--she'd "make you keep your word." councilman torres: absolutely, absolutely, damian, and for neighborhoods like washington, it is very important for elected officials to not only listen to concerns but also address those concerns as well. we--although we are a mostly immigrant neighborhood, we are very, very powerful, and we are very, very loud in a very good way, good trouble, and so, for me, it is very important to rate--to be committed to our neighborhoods, and maria marcelo was always a person who will hold anyone accountable. whether you are a police chief or a reporter or a neighborhood

leader, she will hold you accountable. when you would explain something and promise something, she would make sure to say, "hey, do you remember you promised this? remember you said this?" and she wouldn't forget that, and i miss her very much. she was a strong presence in our neighborhood, and she will continue to be a strong presence whether she's here or not physically. damian: and you shared with me something she told you on election night when you won your seat is that "don't forget where you came from," and i don't think she had to say it to you, but it kind of shows--it kind of reminds you, right, what your true responsibilities are? councilman torres: absolutely, and i cannot forget where i came from. going out and-- the neighborhood is the residents of that neighborhood put me here, and i'm here to represent them. damian: and, you know, so, you're representing a huge conglomerate. downtown is big. it's a lot different than the washington district. what is your--and i know you're committed to the downtown

businesses and whatnot, but what is your commitment to that washington district and communities like it that are grassroots, that are low income, that are relying on you to speak up for them? councilman torres: great, so, i think, first and foremost is making sure that our youth have opportunities to succeed, that our youth have tools and resources to get a laptop, to get an education, not buy a gun, not get a knife or join a gang. those are the type of programs that i wanna bring in as a city council member is to make sure that we have a strong presence in creating opportunities for our at-most vulnerable teens in the city of san jose, and when we talk about public safety, the number one deterrent of crime is making sure that we are developing our youth into better human beings. damian: oh, and you've been saying that for a long time, so it's good to hear that--

councilman torres: i'm a product. i went to washington united youth center. i used the biblioteca latinoamericana to check out books 'cause my parents couldn't afford books. i'd check out, you know, big, expensive laptops that they had back then or even used the typewriters when they were still goin', so i'm a product of city services, and i wanna make sure that those city services will never go away. damian: all right, and you were right when you said that you're barely getting used to your office, right? i don't see any pictures behind you. i don't see--looks like all the shelves are empty still. you're still getting used to this, ha-ha-ha. councilman torres: just two pictures of my family, heh-heh, heh-heh, yeah. damian: that says a lot though, no, right, about you said that your office is really out in the community, and that--not on the 18th floor of city hall. councilman torres: no, and i'm gonna be a council member that's gonna bring city hall into our neighborhoods. i'm gonna make sure that everyone out there knows who their district 3 team is. my team is your team.

my team is here to deal with many of the concerns that we have here in the city of san jose, and i remain committed to go door-to-door. i remain committed to have cafecitos. i remain committed to have community events and town halls to make sure that city hall is coming into our neighborhoods and our communities. damian: all right, well, our listening and talking to councilman omar torres, a new--one of the newest council members in the city of san jose. we'll have another segment with him, but if you wanna get ahold of his office, he's on the 18th floor of city hall when he's not out pounding the pavement in his community. there is the web address for the city of san jose if you'd like more information. we'll be back with councilman omar torres when we continue. stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: and we're back with councilman omar torres, one of the newest council members in the city of san jose. now we'll talk policy now, and a big concern in the south bay has

been the huge number of traffic fatalities, whether it's pedestrian or just traffic related. talk about your assessment of the crisis we're in and maybe how we can start addressing that. councilman torres: so, my neighborhood is a product of what is wrong with pedestrian safety in the city of san jose, unfortunately, so we just lost a major leader in our neighborhood because of a traffic fatality, and so my priority as a council member is to make sure that vision zero is really working here in our city of san jose to keep our pedestrians safe. my role as a community organizer, growing up, was making sure that children and folks of all walks of life can walk in their neighborhood to go to school, to use public facilities, to visit their friends, and we worked hard to

get crosswalks, stop signs, traffic lights in the neighborhood that didn't have any, by the way, that didn't have any. i had to cross vine street and almaden avenue just to get to school, washington elementary school. those are expressways in the morning and in the afternoon, and so that should not be tolerated. everyone deserves to have a walkable and safe neighborhood, and that, for me, is gonna be top priority, damian. damian: all right, and i don't doubt that for a second. let's talk about other issues. we had before what was self-proclaimed, the hispanic caucus, in city hall, which was half of the council members, excluding the mayor, were latino. now you're one of three latinos. i don't know if you can call that a caucus. maybe you can, but talk about how big of a blow it is to lose that caucus and maybe how we can fill in some of the gaps.

councilman torres: well, what's important for also an elected official, like me, is that many of the residents that look like me and speak like me have been displaced because how unaffordable this area is, and so, when we talk about a latino caucus, when we talk about representation of our gente and latino folks, right, we know that we have to serve everyone, and we have to serve everyone with the same passion that we serve our latino community, but we just give that extra love to our latino community because we are the ones that are the most unhoused. we are the ones that are the most renters. we are the ones that are being most displaced in this valley, and it's very unfortunate, right? we still have a high dropout rate. it's mostly latinos, right? juvenile hall is mostly latinos. and so, when we talk about representation, we're not just

sitting behind a desk or a dais, saying that "only the latino community should get this." no, everyone deserves a voice and a seat at the table that effectively keeps getting shorter every single minute, every single year, and so, yes, it's a big blow, but i know that working with councilmember peter ortiz and councilmember sergio jimenez, we're gonna make sure that our latino community and our families don't continue to be displaced or go further into homelessness here in the city of san jose. damian: it's not like you want a bigger piece of the pie. you want the same piece of the pie that everybody else is getting. councilman torres: absolutely, absolutely, damian. damian: all right, though, good point. and so, and, again, in the election time, every single city council member endorsed--did not endorse the current mayor, matt mahan. what is your commitment?

is there any rift at city hall that you sense? i know you've only been there a few days. what is your commitment to collaboration with the mayor and the rest of the council members? councilman torres: well, the city of san jose faces dire challenges, damian, and we, as a city council, and the mayor, we have to work together to make sure that these challenges are being heard, that we are working on these challenges, and so, for example, in downtown san jose, right, the mayor and myself are cochairing a downtown task force to make sure that we are creating economic development opportunities for everyone in the city of san jose. if we do not address our economic or lack of economic opportunities here in the city of san jose, then we cannot continue to be silicon valley, and so i am looking forward in working with the mayor on fostering and creating economic

opportunities, for everyone, especially immigrant small businesses. they're gonna be at the table, so am i, and so is the mayor. damian: all right, we appreciate your time. i know you're getting used to the ropes there at city hall. any final thoughts, councilmember, before i let you go? no, it's just i am--i wanna thank the voters of district 3, and folks who not only believed in me but believed in our message. i'm gonna be a very proactive council member, and i'm gonna deal with everyone's constituent concerns, whether you voted for me or not or like me or not. i am here to serve you and the city of san jose. damian: well, you were groomed by the streets, the nice streets of the washington district, and i can see 'cause it groomed you well. congratulations, and we look forward to workin' with you. councilman torres: thank you ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ laaah, ah-ah-aaah. ♪ ♪ la, la, laaah, ah-ah-aaah. ♪ ♪ laaah, ah-ah-aaah. ♪

i'm sara gore, and this is open house. this week we are inside homes on the east and the west coast that celebrate light, style, comfort, and luxury, including this modern renovation

of a classic townhouse and an upper west side duplex steps from riverside park. plus how this architect designed a home to celebrate its natural surroundings. but first, we are inside this inviting pied-á-terre. the challenge of this project wasn't to just create a place that was beautiful but somewhere where the entire family, including three grown children, really wanted to be. [intro music]