♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ damian trujillo: talk about the sacrifices that a family has to make. julie chavez rodriguez: yeah, well, one, my mother sits on my desk, and she's the first person that i bring into my office, no matter what office i occupy, so i miss her dearly, and i know that, you know, not a day goes by that i don't feel her presence 'cause i would not be here without her. and, you know, i think that my parents sacrificed so much,

growing up, first, my mom, you know, having grown up in some of those early days of the farmworker movement. i remember her and my aunt sylvia and others talking about having to go to school and being taunted or, you know, parents organizing, you know, mothers against chavez, and kids coming to school with buttons and how, you know, hard that was but also how hard working as a farmworker was and how important she knew it was to really be able to change those conditions and--thank you. and so i think, you know, really learning from-- learning from them and seeing those early sacrifices, i think, just, really, you know, enabled me to understand that, sometimes, with

great progress does come sacrifice, and that it's--you know, there is a--i should say, it's on behalf of a greater purpose. i think they clearly showed me early on that, you know, being a part of something bigger than one's self was worth it, but it wasn't necessarily easy, and it wasn't glamorous, and it wasn't something that, you know, that, frankly, that everybody can do but that it required a lot of commitment and a real deep-seated belief in the power of people to continue to, you know, to take agency of their own lives and to continue to improve their own conditions, and i can't think of better role models, you know, from the two of them, to my grandparents, to all the farmworkers that i got to see really standing up and

speaking out against the injustices that they were facing. damian: yeah, glamorous is not a word to describe your family at all. talk about the pride of having your grandfather, the bust of your grandfather in the oval office, and just the sacrifices that he went through to perhaps help get you to where you are now. julie: yeah, well, i was blown away that the president chose to put a bust of my grandfather in his office, and he oftentimes will share a story with people as he's coming in or as they're coming in, and he's talking about, you know, the importance of different pieces that he's put in the office, and he talks about how he supported my grandfather when he came to delaware and was organizing workers, and it wasn't the most popular thing for him to do at the time but that, you know, he understood, again, what my grandfather was fighting for, and, you know, president biden is one of the most pro-union

presidents i've ever seen, and he sees that commitment to workers across the board. it doesn't matter if you're construction workers or farmworkers or grocery workers, that, that belief that, you know, unions really are the backbone of the middle class in this country and that they have continued to help really ensure that workers have a voice and have power and have agency. and so, again, knowing and hearing that he was going to put a bust in the oval, i was really, you know, just overwhelmed, and i thought that it was also a testament to, you know, my grandfather's legacy and his living legacy, that it's not something that, you know, ended when he passed away, or it's not something that is also just confined to a certain period of our history in this country, that it's one that continues and that we need to continue to see an example in

and find inspiration in. damian: you know, i drive my pickup truck to work every day, and i do my job, and i go home, and that's humbling. you drive to work every day, and you come to the white house. are you as awestruck now about that fact as you were on the first day, or what's your thought process when you come to work? julie: yeah, no, definitely, and thank you, damian, so much for, you know, having me join you all. it's, you know, it's a real honor and privilege to be able to walk through--well, drive through the gates of, you know, the white house every day, and i remember, even in the last administration, when i first started working with then president obama and vice president biden, that they said, the moment that i take this role, this position, even that kind of daily, you know, action, for granted, then i no longer deserve to be here, and it's not that, you know, we need to

carry, kind of, the weight of it at all times, but there's such a sense of real responsibility, of deep-seated commitment to the work that we're entrusted with, as you know, helping to facilitate, kind of, the federal government and our administration's agenda, and so that, to me, is a tremendous honor and privilege and a huge responsibility that i don't take lightly and that, hopefully, you know, energizes me every day that i drive through those gates. ♪♪♪ male: hoy no más. ♪♪♪ ♪ desde tejas a california, campesinos están luchando. ♪ ♪ desde tejas a california, ♪ ♪ campesinos están luchando. ♪

♪ los rancheros a llore-llore, ♪ ♪ de la huelga ya están bien pandos. ♪ ♪ el picket sign, el picket sign. ♪ ♪ lo llevo por todo el día. ♪ ♪ el picket sign, el picket sign. ♪ ♪ conmigo toda la vida ♪♪

damian: well, we are celebrating women's history month here on "comunidad del valle," so we have a special guest today. a special treat with us is san mateo county sheriff christina corpus. sheriff, welcome to "comunidad del valle." thank you for being here. sheriff christina corpus: oh, thank you for having me, damian. damian: well, you're--it's appropriate that you're on as we initiate women's history month, because you made history not only in san mateo county but across the state. you're, i believe, one of three latinas elected sheriff statewide? sheriff corpus: that's correct. i think for the first time in california history, i believe that we have six female sheriffs in the state of california when

traditionally it's either been just one or two at a time, so, yeah, and our office was founded in 1856, and i was actually the first female candidate to ever run for san mateo county sheriff, so i'm proud that i can share that honor with the other sheriffs in this county. damian: well, congratulations, and, again, we're honored to have you. talk about election night or the morning after. were you surprised at the results, or was this expected, given your track record? sheriff corpus: well, you know, we had done some polling. i think i was--you know, i'm always very humble, right? so, the night of election night, when the numbers came out and it showed me quite a bit ahead of the incumbent, you know, i was very hopeful, and, you know, i knew in my heart that i had a good, really, good chance because i put a lot of work and a lot of grit, a lot of tenacity.

i was determined, and i fought hard, and, you know, i wanted to stand out to the voters, and i connected with the voters, so i wasn't surprised. i was obviously happy, but i was humble because it was--you know, there were still other numbers to be counted, but, you know, i was receiving phone calls from a lot of other elected officials within the county, congratulating me, at that point, and told me that the numbers looked really good and that they did not believe that the incumbent would be, you know, would be catching up to me at all. damian: yeah, well, we have video of your swearing-in ceremony. describe that moment for us. sheriff corpus: you know, it was--woo, all the hard work and, you know, all the challenges not only during the election but also during my entire career that i've faced

because i am a woman and, you know, i look--i'm feminine, and i'm not very big in stature, those challenges, you know, the no's that i was given throughout my career always were the fire for me to fight harder not only for myself, but you know, i wanted to inspire other women and girls that look like me that they can, you know, do whatever they want to, and their dreams can come true as long as they are determined and, you know, they do the right thing, and so i was so proud to be standing in front of everybody as the first female latina sheriff of this county, and it really gave me hope that, you know, we can make some positive changes in the way that we deliver our law enforcement services

to the county residents. damian: and you're--if you believe the quote-unquote "experts," you're not supposed to be there, right? you're a woman, you're a latina, and you're in a male-dominated role as sheriff. does that add more pressure, or is it one of those-- "bring it on"? sheriff corpus: well, it's kind of both, a little bit of both. you know, i will be scrutinized because i'm a woman, right? and i'm the first female sheriff of this county, so i will be scrutinized and, you know, questioned a lot more than any of my, you know, my predecessors wherever, but, you know, i think i say, you know, "bring it on," because, you know, i--you know, one of my platforms was about transparency, and, you know, i think, you know, my first month and a half in office, i faced a lot of adversity, and we had some really horrific things happen in our county, and so i say, "bring it on," because i,

you know, i stand by who i am, i stand by our mission, i stand by, you know, the profession, the noble profession of law enforcement and really showing people that we could deliver our law enforcement services with heart and compassion and passion. damian: yeah, we're celebrating women's history month here on "comunidad del valle." i wanna do get into your first month in office because it was a trial by fire, if you will, but it's been easy going, for the most part, so far, just getting acclimated to your role? sheriff corpus: you know, i grew up in this organization. i started out as a entry-level correctional officer, so i'm familiar with the organization. i have the historical knowledge of the organization, but no, there--i mean, every day, i don't have a day off. i'm on 24 hours a day, and, you know, there's a lot of work to be done, and sometimes, i run out of time during the day, but,

you know, i have the heart and the passion and the commitment, and i believe in what we do, and i will continue to work hard as long as, you know, i'm able to, and i am, you know, here to make a difference and to make the residents of this county proud that they voted for me. damian: all right, well, now she's a sheriff of san mateo county, christina corpus. again, the sheriff's office is in san mateo county. they'll show you the website. they are recruiting, i'm sure 'cause a lot of agencies are. there's the website for more information. we'll be back with sheriff corpus here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us.

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damian: we're joined today by sheriff of san mateo county, christina corpus, here on "comunidad del valle." national university. we're celebrating women's history month, and there is a gag order on what happened in half moon bay, the mass shooting there. you can't talk probably at all about that, but, in general, it was trial by fire for you because it was your first

month in office, and here you have one of the most horrific crimes that you're having to tackle. sheriff corpus: yeah, yeah, my first--well, even right before i was even sworn in to office, i-- you know, we were dealing with the storms and the flooding that we had on--i mean, on new year's eve, i was atgencoperae and planning on our response to help especially the coastal communities with all theoperae flooding and, you know, the damage as a result of the massive storms that we had. we had an international child abduction the first month. we had, you know, a shooting that actually happened, a gang-related shooting that happened in half moon bay, and then we had the horrific incident, the other horrific incident in half moon bay. so it was trial by--i mean, people say, "you were baptized by fire," but, you know, i was there, front and center, with

my--the people of our organization and, you know, to prove that we are committed to helping our communitmbers, and, you know, it's hard to see those kind of--i mean, one right after the other where, you know, torment and, you know, people--the loss of life. so, you know, i think being supportive for the community members and then also lessons learned and how we can enhance our services is really what i'm looking at doing and have some things in motion at this time to really, really improve all of our responses because, you know, we can only evolve if we look at how we perform. damian: i know what your answer is gonna be to my next question, but i'll ask it anyway. so, after that first month, was it "what did i get myself into?"

or was it "this is why i'm here, to take care of these problems"? sheriff corpus: i think, you know, being there for the people and having, you know, that face-to-face with those community members that were suffering, you know, just solidified to me why i went through all that turmoil of, you know, running for office and then being the sheriff. i was just, you know, amazed at, you know, how people helped one another and how we're all here for one another, so it made it all worth it, and it just really solidified to me that i made the right choice. damian: all right, let's talk about law enforcement a little bit. i know several police officers who say, "tell your kids not to become cops. have 'em become firefighters because everybody loves them." we know there's a blemish on the badge nationwide. how do you--how can you address that and make the communities

like redwood city and half moon bay and san mateo and brisbane and all the other ones--how can we make them be trusting of law enforcement, again, given everything that's happened across the country? sheriff corpus: yeah, so, obviously, there's problems, you know, in, you know, in different parts of our country with law enforcement, and, you know, people--we make mistakes, but acknowledging--i think, the first is acknowledging that we made a mistake but then also taking action and in figuring out ways to improve our services. and, you know, it starts with, you know, taking care of people and looking at ways of, you know, how we need to change, and in law enforcement, we've always been so traditional in the way that we do things, but does it make sense, and, you know, is it what our community is asking of us or demanding of us now? so, you know, we're looking at ways of how we deliver our law enforcement services, you know, with a more, you know, compassionate way and looking at ways of de-escalation.

we're looking at, you know, mental health calls for service. is it--does it make sense for a badge, you know, to respond to those calls for service? do we look at a co-response model, or, you know, do we have the clinicians go out and, kind of, be in the background in the event that they need us? so, you know, the great thing is that we are making changes, and a lot of times, it's cultural changes that we need to make those changes, and so you know, we're doing more implementation of, like i said, de-escalation, and we're gonna be bringing in--we've already sent some of our deputies to training, bringing in mixed martial arts so we have a different way of using our hands rather than having to, you know, reach for something that's on our gun belt, and looking at, you know, getting more involved in the community. you know, we have some trainings that we're gonna be doing that,

you know, how do we respond to people that are on the spectrum or that are suffering from dementia? so really looking at ways of responding to calls, having better outcomes, and, you know, i--fortunate enough that, you know, i was able to--we were able to open a behavioral health unit for people that are suffering from mental illness that are incarcerated. you know, our population has changed greatly, and our jails were not built to be a hospital for, you know, people that are suffering from mental health issues, and, you know, now we're pivoting, and we are going in a different direction, and we just opened a behavioral health unit for those individuals and looking at, you know, how do we prepare them to be successful when they rejoin our communities?

and so, you know, it just takes acknowledging that we need to change and then figuring out ways to pivot and make those changes for better outcomes. damian: i think that is the definition of police reform. you might be on the right track there. we're talkin' again with sheriff christina corpus, a sheriff of san mateo county, as we pay tribute to women's history month. again, the sheriff's office, we're gonna show you the website there real quick. they're in san mateo county. you can log on for recruitment or other purposes. we'll be back with sheriff corpus and wrap it up after these messages; stay with us.

damian: celebrating women's history month here on "comunidad del valle" with san mateo county sheriff christina corpus. and you shared a story with the--when the cameras were off, and i'd like to ask you, actually, if you can re-share that for our viewers. sheriff corpus: sure. damian: it's about community policing. sheriff corpus: it's about that "community policing," to me, is, you know, it's different to everybody, but, for me, when i was a deputy sheriff and i was assigned to the north fair oaks area, which is primarily an underserved community that we get a lot of immigrant families that come from méxico and then

from central america, and so i was assigned as a school resource officer to one of the schools there, and i had seen that a lot of the mothers were having challenges with some of their children as the kids were assimilating to, you know, the united states, and so i formed grupo de mamas, a mother's group, and worked on strategies and really worked with the moms, and, you know, we formed this, you know, bond where we were working with one another, and i would often get called by them and asked to help them and respond to their homes. so i was actually pregnant with my daughter and working still but in civilian clothing, and one of the mothers called me, and she said to me in spanish that, you know, "christina, [speaking in spanish]" which is "my son doesn't wanna go to school, can you come help?" and so i said, "no problem. i'll be right over." and as i drove up to the home, the house was decorated with

balloons and party streamers, and there was a cake, and there were gifts, and these women, who really struggle to put food on the table for their own families, all got together and threw me a surprise baby shower, and, you know, they had diapers and bottles and onesies, and, you know, that was the moment when i realized that i was accepted in their community. i was a part of their community. and, you know, i still keep in contact with those mothers. some of their children are now at college, and, you know, so proud that, you know, i've been able to form and really nurture those relationships and, you know, feel like i'm a part of that community, and, to me, that's what policing is all about. damian: yeah, and i'm sure your deputies now will follow suit.

what a beautiful story. we just have about a minute left. again, you mentioned what example you need to be for those young children. talk about that significance for you. sheriff corpus: yeah, i mean, i could share a story. i was at a festival after i won the election, and there was a police explorer who was latina, and she was probably about 16 years old, and she came up to me, and she said, "sheriff, can i take a picture with you?" and i said, "absolutely." so we took a picture, and then she asked me, "can i give you a hug?" and i said, "yes," and as she pulled away from me, she was crying, and i said, "are you okay?" and she said, "i just want you to know that you made me believe that my dreams can come true." and, for me, that was, you know, if i can influence one person and inspire them to live out their dreams or to become a law enforcement officer, it was all worth it, and, you know, i think we all have an ability to change somebody, and it just takes us

that one time to meet somebody and to have that positive, you know, leave that positive image with them about how we can change them. damian: well, you did a big no-no on the show. you can't make the host get choked up, and you did that a couple of times today. thank you so much, sheriff christina corpus, for what you're doing there. we wish you the best of luck. it's a tough job, but we can all tell you're up for it. thank you so much. sheriff corpus: thank you so much for having me on the show. thank you. damian: thank you so much as we celebrate the women's history month, san mateo county sheriff christina corpus. their website there is on the screen for more information, for recruitment purposes, or community services. if you wanna get ahold of us on "comunidad del valle," you can follow me on instagram and on twitter, and we thank you for sharing a part of your sunday with us on "comunidad del valle. there's the web addresses. we'll see you again here next week on "comunidad del valle."

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