think smoke pollution is only a concern during wildfire season. wood burning also creates unhealthy air inside and outside your home. protect the health of your family and neighbors by not burning wood. sign up for alerts and do your part to spare the air. recharge from the holidays with a new toyota at toyota. thought i have got a truckload of new toyotas out front. check them out. something i said yes. lisa. sporty corolla for 249 a month or an all hybrid damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle," i'm damian trujillo and today a one-on-one interview with former hud secretary and the new ceo of the latino community foundation on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ damian: and we're gonna spend the entire show here on "comunidad del valle" with julían castro, who's the former hud secretary and now the current ceo of the latino community foundation. mr. secretary, welcome to the show. julían castro: thank you, damian, for having me. damian: thank you, welcome to the bay area as well. i know you're spending your time in various parts of the country, but welcome to the bay area. let me ask you, sir, since we have you and it's very timely, what impact will the election results have do you think, not only latino communities across california but across the country? julían: well, the election is gonna have a wide-ranging impact on the latino community. let's just start with what donald trump has made clear. he wants mass deportation. that would mean up to 11 million people, many of them latinos and latinas who would be subject to deportation. this would be terrible for the community, it would rip apart families, it would decimate the american economy, and if history

is our judge based on the past and other operations like this, including operation wetback, which happened many decades ago, there are even legal residents and american citizens that could possibly get caught up in this kind of mass deportation action. on top of that, whether it's housing policy, education policy, trump has said that he's gonna eliminate the department of education. any number of ways, this election is gonna have tremendous consequences, and unfortunately, i believe negative consequences on the latino community. and whether it's philanthropy or people in elective office or the private sector, we have to be prepared to make sure that in the coming years that everybody in thihis countrhas an

opportunity to be treated with dignity, with respect, to feel safe and secure, and also to be able to fulfill their god-given potential. damian: and i think your agency kinda saw this coming, right? you did an extensive study and research on how california counties are voting and your agency targeted five different counties in southern california that might be the tipping point between who gets the majority in the house. and so, it looks like that may have been the case across the country. julían: in 2024 we commissioned three polls of voters focused on california, the last one was latino voters within the five competitive or swing districts in congress that it looks like are gonna make the difference between whether the republicans or the democrats control congress, and you know, we could tell in these different races that the latino community, it

generally leans democratic but it doesn't speak with one voice, right? it's a nuanced, multi-layered community, and the central valley is different from the bay area or the la area, so we saw in that polling and as we traveled out there and work with our partners who do organizing on the ground that, you know, people have different perspectives in different places. damian: yeah, i mean, just like the latino in florida is not the same as the latino in california, the latino in texas is not the same as a latino in california, and it seems like within california, latinos are not--it's been said before we're not monolithic, but there are some differences, wide differences even in our own state. julían: yeah, absolutely, you know, i grew up in texas, i'm still based out of texas. of course, texas latinos tend to be somewhat more conservative than latinos in california or arizona or colorado and so

forth, but as you say, even within the state of california, the central valley versus the bay area or la, i do think that there's some things that bring us together. i see our community as an aspirational community, as a very hard-working community, a community that believes in the american dream and that fundamentally wants people in elective office to treat the community with respect and also to do right by people who simply want to work hard, provide for their family, be able to be treated with dignity and to reach for their american dreams. and so, you know, my concern is that with the way that things are shaping up in congress and also in the oval office, i believe that there's a real threat to many latinos and latinas, and the community needs to be prepared for that. damian: well, it's great advice and some that we need to heed.

with us here on the show today is julían castro, the former hud secretary and current ceo of the latino community foundation. we're gonna share that information for the latino community foundation if you want to get more information on that. we are gonna talk about the foundation and the role that mr. castro has played with them, but there's just a lot of important issues to get to. there is a website on your screen. we'll be back with the secretary when we continue here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: and we're back with julían castro on "comunidad del valle." he's the former hud secretary and the current ceo of the latino community foundation. i guess the next question, mr. secretary, is now what? you know, we have two years until the midterms and four years until the next presidential elections, what do latinos do now? julían: i think latinos need to be prepared. that means if somebody in the community is undocumented, if

somebody is in a mixed-status household, meaning they may be documented but one of their relatives is undocumented, people need to know their rights. services organizations out there in the state.of the immigrant know your rights. you know, be willing to do what you can also in terms of the broader latino community to push back against things like mass deportation, against a return to the kind of cruelty that we saw with things like family separation in years past. i think latinos also, you know, we're gonna do what we always do, which is continue to work hard, and i hope also that we'll show up at the ballot box in the years to come starting in 2026 in even greater numbers. the latino community foundation is not a partisan organization,

we don't support republicans or democrats, what we do support is as many latinos who are eligible to vote being informed about their choices and getting out and making their voice heard. we believe that the more latinos express themselves at the ballot box, that means that more of those elected officials at the city, at the county, in the capitol, at the state, or in washington are gonna have to listen to the needs of the community and to respond to those needs. damian: you're welcome on the show every week, sir, and reemphasize that statement because we've been trying to reinforce that to our viewers week after week, just the importance of not only registering to vote but actually going to the polls on that day. and you being the former hud secretary, your specialty there was housing, sir. how does this impact housing? are you aware of any ways that the election results might impact the housing community within the united states? julían: well, the question now is whether the trump

administration really is gonna put any more resources into housing. it did not really focus on housing during the first trump administration or even during the campaign, and so to be honest, i'm not optimistic that the trump administration is gonna put many more resources, if any, into more housing they need to get more affordable housing out there, so it's gonna fall largely to the states and to the cities to do their part. there is one opportunity, which is that in 2025, the tax cuts that trump and congress passed in 2017 are gonna expire. that means that there's gonna be a lot of negotiation between democrats and the republicans about what the new tax law looks like. in that negotiation, there's an opopportunitperhaps for things like the low-income housing tax credit, which basically is a tax

incentive for people to build housing that is affordable to everyday working people, build more housing that's affordable to working people. perhaps something like that will be a part of the 2025 tax legislation that gets passed, we'll have to see. damian: yeah, we will have to welcome you back on and talk about that if in fact it does or doesn't occur. going back to perhaps family separation, the scary part, on the spanish version of this show, the consulate general of mexico and san francisco told us that families need to start planning for who they're going to leave their children with in the united states in case they are deported. so, it's a scary thought but it's a realistic thought. they have to start planning ahead in that way. am i taking my kids with me or am i gonna leave them here in the states and have somebody care for them while they get educated here? julían: i wish that i could disagree with the consulate general, but that's very wise. it's real, if people think that it's not possible, that the

government would not try and deport millions of people, that's happened before. and so, while i continue to hope that donald trump was just talking a lot, that it was a lot of bluster, families absolutely should be prepared to ensure that they know what's gonna happen if they are subject to deportation. my advice, in addition to being prepared that way, is that if you're worried to go find an immigration resource organization that can help you and give you legal advice. some of them provide actual legal representation and other resources to help make sure that you're safe and secure. we need those organizations more than ever right now. damian: that's a very good point, and just by coincidence, the consulate in san francisco will be holding all week long

legal workshops for just cases like these. our guest today is julían castro, the ceo of the latino community foundation, also former hud secretary. we're gonna show you the website for the latino community foundation if you want more information. we're gonna talk about their services in our next segment, but there is the site on your screen. we'll be back with julían castro here on "comunidad del valle." stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: and we're back with julían castro here on "comunidad del valle," the former hud secretary and current ceo of the latino community foundation. last question maybe on this topic, sir, do you think after stay with us. the election results, the democrats get it? did they get the message that maybe the country does not want to move in a certain direction, they want to move in a different direction?

julían: well, i think the democrats have received a message that they need to figure out ways to better connect with hard-working voters of every background, including latino voters who are concerned about high prices at the grocery store, they're concerned about inflation, they want a good economy, so they want healthcare access, they want better housing opportunities. i think democrats have heard that message and now it's about doing the work of, you know, refocusing efforts to do that, and i think that they can do that. i think that there are a lot of people in the democratic party that understand what has to be done to change and to make sure that latinos are not taken for granted or overlooked, and that they're reached out to enough to understand what they need.

they also, democrats, understand that latinos are not of one mind. you know, that as many people have said it's not a monolithic community, and so there's a respect there for the differences that do exist. damian: and what about for your foundation, sir? do things shift? do we go to a different gear because of where the needs might be, or is it full steam ahead with the great work that your foundation has been doing throughout the years? julían: well, we'll continue to do a lot of the great work that we're doing, but of course we feel a sense of urgency right now, especially to support organizations, nonprofits that are working with immigrant communities. for example, already we've approved six planning grants to support nonprofit organizations in different parts of california that serve immigrant communities directly and that seek to organize their local communities to support immigrants. we see this as a five-alarm fire, as an emergency for the

community, and we want to do everything that we can with the modest resources that we have as a community foundation to help support those efforts. damian: and briefly if you can, tell us about the foundation. y'all raise funds to give those funds to these nonprofits that in turn help different pockets throughout california. julían: the latino community foundation is the nation's largest latino-serving foundation. it started in 1989 as an offshoot of the united way of san francisco, and then in 2016 it became its own independent organization that is statewide. and so, over the years we have put dollars into, we've given money to organizations, hundreds of organizations that are latina or latino led that are doing work to inform voters, to register voters, to mobilize those voters, and on top of that, economic justice and opportunity work to make sure

that communities have better business opportunities, that they are able to fight for better wages and better working conditions, organizations that are working on all of that. and then, we also administer 17 different giving circles across the state of california. so, we're trying to create the largest network of latina and latino philanthropists in our nation, people who give to nonprofit organizations doing great work in their home communities. and we have those giving circles all over the state from the bay area down to our newest one in san diego. we're excited about all of that work, but again, we see this urgency right now around supporting the most vulnerable in our community. damian: does that mean you're doing your work as a ceo, going out and raising more money so you can in fact, in turn, give

more funds out? julían: yeah, you know, a big philanthropy, of the big philanthropic organizations, less than 2% of those dollars actually go into organizations that are led by a latino or latina. that's why it's so important to have something like the latino community foundation. we raise money and then we invest that money into those organizations that are working all over the state. during these last few months, i've been to so many different communities on the central coast of california, from salinas, watsonville, to the imperial valley, places like calexico, brawley, el centro, to the la area, to the inland empire, san bernardino, to any number of different places. the latino community foundation marshals the resources that we raise to boost the ability of latino-serving organizations to do their work and we're really proud of that and we see that as

the most special part of our mission. damian: i did see images of you in la paz and king county at the resting spot for cesar chavez a couple of months ago, so you are everywhere. again, our guest is julían castro, the former hud secretary and current ceo of the latino community foundation. we're gonna show you information once again, the website for the latino community foundation. maybe you're a donor, maybe you're someone in need of donations or whatnot. here is the website for more information. our last segment is coming up next with julían castro here on "comunidad del valle," stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: and we're back on "comunidad del valle" with our final segment with the former hud secretary and current ceo of the latino community foundation, julían castro. what advice then would you give, sir, people like your twin brother who's a congressman from texas and the other folks who might have an uphill battle in d.c. getting some of the legislion across that they want to

get across? julían: now is the time for fighting for the people that they represent and fighting especially for the most vulnerable people, fighting for the people who have been under attack, pushing back against the target that has been put on the backs of immigrants and of latinos. now is--i know that a lot of people are tired, that there's a fatigue, sometimes after an electioneople just wanna, you know, take a break and put it all away, but there's no opportunity to do that this time with donald trump that has promised mass deportation. donald trump, who if we believe him, will do things that will hurt our economy and will also hurt the latino community. so, i would encourage elected officials, i would encourage nonprofits, encourage people in philanthropy to take a stand now and make sure that we protect those vulnerable communities.

damian: there's no way to sugar coat it, right? you called it a five-alarm fire and that's exactly what it is and you gotta treat it as such. julían: yeah, we absolutely do. you can't take it for granted that this is just talk, you have to take it seriously. and i'll tell you something, that this time donald trump knows more about what he's doing because he was new at it last time as president in his first term. this time, he's had four more years to think about it, he understands the process, and he's appointing people to his administration that are yes men and yes women. they're simply gonna do what he says, even if those things turn out to be against the law. that's dangerous and that means that all of us have to be prepared for him trying to actually deport millions of people. damian: well, we wanted you on to talk about the latino community foundation. we kind of did, but we talked mostly about the consequences of what happened on november 5th. so, i wanna give you some time to have kind of the last word

and give us your thoughts on the foundation and what you want to get across, sir. julían: you know, i'm very proud of the latino community foundation. i've been leading it since january of 2024. the work that it does in partnership with so many nonprofits across the state is wonderful, and we see a role for the work that we do right now. we just re-urged or relaunched the latino power fund. we've set a goal of raising $10 million over the next year and a half through the latino o power nd at the lcf that we can then contribute to power building and support of latina and latino-led organizations all across the state of california, because we feel the urgency of now and we want to make sure that our communities have the resources that they need to push back and to protect the vulnerable. and i see a very bright future, i think, ahead if we can push back.

damian: how lucky are we, sir, as a community to have a former cabinet member lead an organization like this one in times like this? julían: well, i appreciate that, and you know, i grew up with a mom who was a chicana activist and who imparted on my twin brother, joaquin, and me the sense that it's not enough just for you to do well in life yourself, that you have to also try and make sure that other people are able to live up to their dreams, and i see the work at the latino community foundation through that lens. i'm trying to make sure, all of us are trying to make sure that the community can fulfill its dreams and continue to contribute to the forward progress of this beautiful nation that we live in. damian: all right, and what is it that lured you, sir, to the bay area? i mean, you're based out of texas, but you still spend a lot of time in california and the bay area and specifically the foundation. julían: oh, i love the bay area. i've enjoyed california for a long time. i came, joaquin and i both came to college at stanford in the

1990's, and then from time to time, you know, have come back for work and just to visit, and it's a beautiful community here in california. but also we know that there are a lot of needs, tremendous needs, and so i'm happy to play a part in trying to make sure that through our partnerships that we fulfill or we fill some of those gaps that still exist in the state. damian: well, there are some honorary tejanos here in california, i have my ropers shined and ready to go whenever we're ready for that, so we're all one. i appreciate you, sir. thank you so much. i'll let you have the final word, 30 seconds or so. julían: gracias, damian, thank you. and also during this time where i know a lot of people are feeling anxious and they're worrying, you know, ours is a community of strength, ours is a community of resolve.

we've contributed a lot over the generations to how great this country is and the community will continue to contribute a lot. damian: thank you, sir, thank you for your words and for your encouragement. thank you for being on the show. julían: thank you. damian: thank you, julían castro, the former hud secretary and current ceo of the powerful latino community foundation based out of here in the bay area. we're gonna show you their information if you want to get a hold of the latino community foundation. there is their website with their new ceo, actually almost a year now, julían castro, latinocf.org. if you want to get a hold of us on "comunidad del valle," you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo. there's also my email address on the screen, you can get a hold of us with any show suggestions, anything like that. just give us a buzz and we'd be happy to get you in touch with the right people or put you on the show and share the events happening in your community and here in the bay area. we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday. we'll see you once again here next week.

hopefully nbc sports will not preempt the show, but we will see you again here next week. [speaking spanish]. ♪♪♪

hanging surprises-- you didn't tell us that! [laughs] george oliphant: --transformations-- [chimes] --and reveals-- [screaming] - no! wow! george oliphant: --when families and communities come together-- [cheering] --anything is possible. [chimes] this is "george to the rescue." [audio logo] it's a wonderful day for a magical surprise. but instead of knocking on the door of the house, i'm at a one-of-a-kind castle. [sentimental music] children often come to make-a-wish new jersey's wishing place at a very frightening time in their life.