our len ramirez takes you inside a slice of new york in san jose where everybody gets a piece of the pie. >> reporter: there is something very different about this pizza place. it goes beyond their award winning pies. it's about the people. in fact, everyone in this kitchen owns an equal slice of the business. >> we're a worker co-op which means all the members and owners in the business work in the business. >> reporter: kurt vartan started the business 17 years ago. six years ago he turned it into a co-op by selling the business to his staff as a leverage buyout. >> the people here are the owners. they're directly incentivized how the business grows. >> reporter: the employee owners are now paying back a business loan with the profits of the company and they all run the shop as a board of directors. >> we create our first pto policy, vacation policy. we created a 401k plan for our team. we have a family leave plan. >> it's not just a job. it's our baby. we all run it. >> reporter: this was colin webster's first job when he turned 18 ten years ago. he now chairs the board. >> there'

as len ramirez reports, countless others are benefiting from one man's perseverance and commitment to help his community. >> armando rivera is 62 years old and a paraplegic. his upper body strength is probably better than most people half his age. he works out with his 83-year-old father ramon in the backyard of his san jose home five days a week. he has been pushing himself like this for decades. >> everyday i like to push and stay busy. >> reporter: that has been his lifelong philosophy, but it was all put to the test 44 years ago in 1979. armando was an up-and-coming horse race jockey when a terrible accident nearly ended his life. >> it was one of those freak accidents. i was working a horse and somehow or another we had two courses, another horse and me collided and i went down and i did not get out of the way and he rolled on top of me and gave me a fracture -- final spinal fracture. >> reporter: he was paralyzed from the chest down. >> when you were a jockey, you know that is the risk. you already know the risk of death and injury. >> reporter: he was treated at the santa clara

len ramirez reports. >> reporter: out for a sunday ride in the pedaled powered is the family from san jose, something they wouldn't normally try on the streets because of safety concerns but with wide open lanes it is easy and fun. >> it is easy to go through slower and see different businesses you didn't see before, it's fun to see everybody's spirit in costumes and all the kids. it's really great. >> reporter: tony and friends brought low rider bikes all the way from san francisco for a two wheel cruise down santa clara street. >> more safety than anything else. i think this is one of the best things ever. i really love it. >> the more people are likely to occasional walk and bike it makes them more empathetic when they drive a car and see others on the road. >> reporter: working for the transportation department, they launched slow down san jose. this is in response to the 65 traffic fatalities in 2022, an all time record. he says this is just one of the ways the city tried to cut down traffic deaths. >> asking people to slow down is the most important thing and also reminding peop

. >> as len ramirez reports, it is part of her ongoing recovery. >> i have been working on this picturef my healing journey. >> reporter: sophia ballenger wants to capture the child she was, happy, smiling with a cleft lip and palate. >> for a long time i did not want to look at pictures of myself or acknowledge that i had a cleft lip and palate, but now i am trying to accept that part of myself and except that baby version of me. >> reporter: sophia was one of about 1600 babies born with this condition in the u.s. every year, but her life changed about 28 years ago when her family found this man. >> i have rarely seen such a beautiful child with a cleft in my entire life. >> reporter: dr. berkowitz is a san jose surgeon who started treating sophia free of charge when she was just three months old. dr. berkowitz, also known as dr. b, had been treating hundreds of children born with cleft lip and palate for free for decades. on breaks from his regular practice, he would travel to developing countries to treat children and train local doctors, all out of his desire to improve kids' lives.

len ramirez, cbs news, san jose. >>> as more and more communities move to recycle plastic, cardboardconscious companies are taking it a step further. they're recycling clothes. joy benedict has the story. >> reporter: alicia riccardi goes through her dresser and her closet twice a year. >> i'll donate as much as i can. and if i can't i recycle it. >> reporter: that's right. recycle. she posted this video on social media, trading in her old clothes at h & m and madewell, getting coupons for her donation. >> i saw that years ago, that they were taking old jeans and you could turn them in and get $20 off a new pair there. >> reporter: madewell takes your unwearable denim and turns it into insulation for homes. h & m turns clothe part of push landfills. rachel wagner is the director of cal recycle. >> it's really interesting because people think about clothing as being biodegradable, but organic materials like cotton, they break down in the landfill as methane. methane is 84 times more potent in the environment than carbon dioxide. so it is a huge climate pollutant. >> reporter: instead

len ramirez takes us inside the slice of san jose where everyone will get a piece of the pie. >> reporter: there is something that is very different about this pizza place. and it goes beyond the award winning pies. it's it about the people. in fact, everyone in this kitchen, they own the equal slice of the. but >> we are a worker. which means all the members and the owners work in the business. >> reporter: and he started the business 17 years ago turning it into a coof as a leverage buyout. >> and they are incentivized. and that is how they grow. paying back a business loan with the profit of the company board of director. >> and we created a 401k plan for our team. we have a team leave plan. >> and it is not just a job, but our baby. >> this is his first job when he turned 18. he now chairs the board. >> there is a stigma against the people who work in this industry and like myself, i tell people, like no and i own the business, and i make sure some of my friends went to college. >> reporter: it is getting a lot more attention after the pandemic wiped out many small businesses. become

. >> len ramirez wonders of some of the stigmas have changed at all. >> reporter: as a young gay man in san francisco, brad wondered if the rules would allow him and others in his community to become blood donors. >> when we would have a blood drive in high school i would always donate. if i could, i would. >> reporter: the policy prevents men like brad from donating if they take medication to prevent hiv infection. >> folks like myself who could donate blood, who could give something that is medically necessary and life-saving unable to do it. >> reporter: the ban on gay and by mann donating blood dates back to the 1980s. a new policy was meant to take a science-based approach instead of blanket discrimination. >> in my opinion it was long overdue. >> reporter: this donation center provides leading scientific research and it was custer's work which helped the fda formulate a policy change. >> this is a major change in the way the blood donors are selected in the u.s. everybody will be treated equally when they come to donate. you will all be asked the same questions, and the answers

as len ramirez shows us, thousands of california school kids will get a special lesson from an underwater classroom. >> reporter: the team from state parks came here to point lobos on the monterey peninsula, one of the most beautiful spots in all of california, if not the world, for this special student broadcast to show them not only the importance of the ocean, but the beauty and the mystery of what lies beneath the surface. geared up and loaded down for an underwater adventure, scuba diving state parks employees and volunteers slipped into the chilly waters at whaler's cove. and even at just a few feet underwater, a strange and beautiful world is revealed. >> okay there. what's up? it's erica here. >> reporter: minutes later outreach coordinator erica delamar is live streaming 30 feet underwater. >> it's beautiful in this california marine protected area. >> reporter: this was a dress rehearsal for world oceans day thursday, when state parks will send this live stream to hundreds of classrooms and thousands of students around the state. it will be broadcast around the world on the stat

our len ramirez takes us into a slice of new york in san jose where everyone gets a slice of the pie. >> reporter: there is something very different about this pizza place. it goes beyond their award-winning pies. is the people. in fact, everyone in this kitchen owns an equal slice of the business. >> we are a worker co-op, which means all the owners and workers work. >> reporter: six years ago he turned this into a co-op by selling the business to his staff as a leveraged buyout. >> the people here are the owners and they are incentivized with how the business grows. >> reporter: the employee-owners are now paying back a business loan with the profits of the company and they all run the shop as a board of directors. >> we created our first pto policy, vacation policy, 401(k) plan. we have a family leave plan. >> it is not just a job. it is our baby. >> reporter: this was colin webster's first job. he now chairs the board. >> i tell people ness d i makemore money than some of my friends >> reporter: after the pandemic wiped out several small businesses, a bill to create a co-op hub pa

len ramirez shows us the new additions to little italy. >> reporter: in just the short number of years that little italy has tried to get established here in san jose, number of obstacles have been put in the way, including the pandemic. but through hard work and dedication, some of the major pieces are now falling into place. >> this will be our little italy museum and cultural center. >> reporter: joshua divincenzo -millander says that this home will serve as a reminder of the role that italian immigrants played in developing the city's agricultural roots. >> the city will tell our story for san jose. >> reporter: joshua says the little italy community has reached a milestone with the conversion of the house , the soon to be opened poorhouse bistro restaurant and this little bit of a hidden treasure down the basement. >> what we are trying to do is create a speakeasy vibe. >> reporter: an underground social club is coming together with old blue eyes above the bar, all designed to re-create an italian seller bar that was once part of san jose's original italian-american neighborhood.

but as len ramirez shows us, performers and their patrons in san jose are going stronger than ever. >> reporter: colorful and flamboyant downtown san jose. the drags performers from throughout the bay area including san francisco's own who serves as the mc. >> it fantastic being able to perform for an audience that keeps coming back. >> reporter: the event is put on by silicon valley pride and tracks a boisterous crowds. some places around the country are shielding children from it. several families brought their kids to this show including lonnie bassitt who does. >> this is the most fun thing to do on the planet. just expressing our love for life. >> reporter: marisa and jonas gonzalez consider the drag brunch their family activity. 18-year-old jonas is attracted to the drag community and could be a future performer. she enjoys having the support of her mom. >> being in this sort of scene will help me get used to the waters. >> reporter: even during the light hearted performance, there were a few moments to address some serious concerns. >> and this year, i think the focus should be

our len ramirez has more on the fire that spread panic, fear and even desperation from people who saw and heard it. >> reporter: the fire station is right across the street from the public storage building that blew up and caught fire, but in the short response time period the flames were so intense that there was little that firefighters could do to put out the flames. firefighters surrounded the public storage building on blossom hill road in caudle, spreading water from all sides and over the top, but the flames kept burning. a crowd gathered on the streets nearby, some of them storage customers like diane, who could barely watch their keepsakes go up in flames. >> three generations of family belongings, but the most important thing is it is my father's hole-in-one golf ball that is in there. >> reporter: the fire began with a powerful blast at 6: 30, rattling walls and windows blocks away. things continued to blow up inside as the evening set in. >> i was terrified. i was in my house and my whole house shook. i thought at first, the first thought that came to me was that we were h

she got it as a child in china, but as len ramirez reports, it is not holding her back from competingn athletics and rising through the ranks of the tech world. >> i will switch gear to be in the biking mode. >> reporter: leah myers is about to do what many considered to be impossible, something that her doctors, friends and even she thought she could not do. ride a bike. >> i will not be tangled with anything. let's see. this is a lightweight bike. >> reporter: her right leg is him was completely powerless after polio, yet somehow after numerous falls and getting up again, she trained herself how to peddle down the road and climb hills using only her left leg. >> my right leg is not giving me power. it is just tagging along. >> reporter: just tagging along for sometimes epic rides. a few years ago she completed a 200 mile loop that took her more than 11 hours, but she finished. >> i think everybody has so much potential in them. a lot of people underestimated their own potential. you have a lot in you. you have to dig deeper. >> reporter: libo has been digging deeper her entire life.

. >> our len ramirez takes us inside a slice of new york in san jose where everyone gets a piece of theie. >> reporter: there is something very different about this pizza place and it goes beyond their award winning pies. it's about the people. in fact, everyone in this kitchen owns an equal slice of the business. >> we're a worker co-op which means all the members and owners of the business work in the business. >> reporter: kirk vartan started the business 17 years ago. six years ago he turned it into a co-op by selling the business to his staff as a leveraged buyout. >> the people here are owners and incentivized by how the business grows. >> reporter: the employee/owners are paying back a business hope with the profits of the company and all run the shop as a board of directors. >> we create our first pto policy, vacation policy, a 401k plan for our team. we have a family leave plan. >> it's not just a job. it's our baby. >> reporter: this was colin webster's first job when he turned 18 ten years ago. he now chairs the board. >> there's a stigma against people that work in the servi

. >> len ramirez is about to show you thousands of california schoolchildren will get a special underwatera live stream broadcast from the california state parks department. >> reporter: the team from state parks came here to point lobos on the monterey peninsula, one of the most beautiful spots in all of california, if not the world, for this special student broadcast to show them not rtano thocean, but the beauty and mystery of what lies beneath the surface. geared up and loaded down for an underwater adventure, scuba diving state parks employees and volunteers slipped into the chilly waters at whaler's cove. and even at just a few feet underwater, a strange and beautiful world is revealed. >> okay there. what's up? it's erica here. >> reporter: minutes later outreach coordinator erica delamar is live streaming under 30 feet of water. >> it's protected by a california marine protected area. >> reporter: this was a dress rehearsal for world oceans day thursday when state parks will send this live stream to hundreds of classrooms and thousands of students around the state. it will also be

len ramirez spoke to people anxious to check out what's left. >> reporter: the managers here say the tenants won't be able to get inside to check on their things until some time next week. and that is because these many days later, the fire is still burning. firefighters sprayed water from an area ladder to try to put out stubborn hot spots, still flaring up from last wednesday night's fire. crews are being called by neighbors and passer-byes that see smoke. and crews are rotating in to put out hot spots. we're advising the public to stay out of this area. >> reporter: the fire department says this could still go on for days. >> this building has a lot of materials, and it began to smolder. there will be smoldering spots for quite a bit of time. >> reporter: frustrating for storage tenants like timothy thomas to see if he could retrieve his things. he was not allowed in, but he did find out his building did not take a direct hit from the explosion and fire. the fire began with a powerful blast wednesday evening rattling walls and windows for blocks. fireworks apparently stored in one

len ramirez takes us inside a slice of new york in san jose where everyone gets a piece of the pie. > something very different about this pizza place. it goes beyond the award winning pies. it's about the people. in fact, everyone in this kitchen owns an equal slice of the business. >> all the members and owners of the business work in the business. >> reporter: kirk started the business 17 years ago. six years ago he turned it into a co-op by selling the business to his staff as a leveraged buyout. >> the people are the owners. they are incentivized how the business grows. the employee owners are paying back a business loan with the profits of the company. they all run the shop as a board of directors. >> we create the first pto policy. we created a 401(k) plan for the team. we have a family leave plan. >> it's not just a job. it's our baby. >> reporter: this was colin webster's first job when he turned 18 10 years ago. he now chairs the board. >> i tell people, i own a business and i make more money than some of my friends that went to college. >> reporter: it's not a new business m

len ramirez with the story for us. >> reporter: out for a sunday ride in their pedal-powered surrey,ng they would no normally try on the streets because of safety concerns, but it was really fun. >> it's fun to see the businesses you didn't notice before, and it's fun to see everybody's spirit and costumes and all of the kids. it's reall great.♪ >> reporter: tony yepetz and hi friends bringing their low-ride bikes all the way from san francisco for the two-wheel cruise down santa clara street. >> the safety, but i think it's one of the best things ever, yo know? to me, i really love it. >> the more people are likely t occasionally walk and bike, it makes them empathetic when they see others on the road. >> reporter: collin works for the city's transportation department, and they just launched the campaign called slow down san jose in response to the 65 traffic fatalities in 2022, an all-time record. he says this is just one of the ways they are trying to cut dow on the deaths. >> we are also reminding people to put down distractions while driving. pay attention and r ot thing orter:

len ramirez reports it's causing some to wonder if the old stigmas have changed at all.s thankful that the food and drug administration changed rules to allow those in his community to become blood donors for the first time in decades. >> i donated blood every time they had a drive. i would always do it. if i can do it, i will. >> the new policy blocks people like brad who takes a medicine to provide hiv infection, reopening questions of medical discrimination against gay and bisexual men. >> folks like myself who could donate blood who could give something that is really medically necessary in life saving aren't able to do it. >> the ban on gay and bimen donating blood goes back to the aids crisis in the 1980s when patients received infected blood. although no one knows if the blood came from gay men, they were blocked nonetheless. the new policy was needed to keep pace with advancements from the blood screening to take the science based approach. >> in my opinion, it's long overdue. >> reporter: ryan custard is a scientist in san francisco, which operates blood donatio

as len ramirez reports, countless others are now benefiting from his perseverance. >> ready. >> reporter is 62 years old and a paraplegic. but his upper body strength is probably better than most people half his age. he works out with his 83-year-old father ramone in the backyard of their san jose home five days a week. >> there you go. >> reporter: he's been pushing himself like this for decades. >> every day, i like to work out. you like to push. every day, stay busy. >> reporter: that's been his life long philosophy, but it was all put to the test 44 years ago. in 1979, armando was an up and coming jockey when an accident nearly ended his life. >> it was a freak accident. i was working a horse, and somehow or another, we ended up having two horses, another horse and me collided. i went down, and i didn't get out of the way, and he rolled on top of me and gave me a spinal cord fracture. >> reporter: he was paralyzed from the chest down. >> when you become a jockey, you know, that was the risk. you already knew the risk of you know, death, injury. you already knew it, you know what i'm

len ramirez with the story for us. >> reporter: out for a sunday ride in their pedal-powered surrey, they would no normally try on the streets because of safety concerns, but with wide open lanes it was eas and fun. >> it's fun to go through the city slower and see the different businesses you didn't notice before, and it's fun to see everyone's spirit and costumes, and all of the kids, it's great. ♪ >> reporter: tony yapitz and hi friends bringing their low-ride bikes from san francisco for th two-wheel cruise down the street. >> safety for me, but i think it's one of the best things ever. to me, i really love it. >> the more people are likely t occasionally walk and bike, tha makes them more empathetic when they see others on the road. >> reporter: collin working for the city's transportation department. they just launched the major public service campaign called slow down san jose. it's in response to the 6 traffic fatalities in 2022 an all-time record. he says this i just one of the ways the city i trying to cut down on traffic deaths. >> asking people to slow down i the most imp

as len ramirez shows us, they are going better than ever. >> reporter: flame boy i don't want.s is the drag brunch held once a month in downtown san jose. it it attracts performers from throughout the area. >> it's fantastic being able to perform for an audience that keeps coming back. >> the event is put on by silicon valley pride. >> reporter: while some places around the country are banning drag shows and shielding children from it, several families brought their kids to this show including lonnie bassett who does social media for silicon valley pride. >> take my daughter, who loves seeing drag queens and thinks this is the most fun thing to do on the planet and just expressing our love for life. >> reporter: marissa and jonas gonzalez consider it a family activity. he is attracted to the drag community and could be a future performer and enjoys having the support of her mom. >> being in this sort of scene, i get used to the waters. >> reporter: even during the light hearted performance, a few moments to address some serious concerns. >> this year i think the focus should be

len ramirez reports. >> i have been working on this picture as part of my healing journey. >> reporternts it to capture the child she was. happy, smiling with a cleft lip and palate. >> for a long time i didn't really want to look at pictures of myself. or acknowledge that i had a cleft lip and palate. but now i am trying to accept that part of myself and accept the baby version of me. >> reporter: sophia was the one in about 1600 babies born with a cleft lip and palate in the u.s. every year. but her life changed forever 28 years ago, when her family found this man. >> i had rarely seen such a beautiful child with a cleft in my entire life. >> reporter: dr. lawrence we are koa wits is a san jose plastic surgeon who began treating her free of charge when she was just 3 months old. >> really a transformation for that little girl. >> reporter: the doctor also known as dr. b. had been treating hundreds of children born with cleft lip and palates for free for decades. on breaks from his regular practice, he traveled to developing countries to treat children and train local doctors. all out