Our goal is really to be the leader in how to do the census, not only in the region, in the state, but nationwide, and, you know, were working very hard to make that happen, but were excited to be here to talk to you about that. Damian thank you for being here. Nick, its gotta be quite a challenge for you because, i think, from week to week, we dont know what the census questionnaire is gonna look like. It changes almost daily. Nick kuwada yeah, and even the operations itself have changed since the beginning, and, you know, thats part of the reason why our office here is to provide reliable information to the public so they understand exactly what theyre getting themselves into and why its important for them to get involved. Damian and i know a couple of years ago, theres county workers, on their own time, theyre goin out, and theyre canvassing neighborhoods to see, okay, which neighborhoods are we gonna have to maybe visit twice . Which doors are we gonna have to knock on . Is there a granny unit that we need to knock on . David people dont know that the census actually starts, you know, way before, you know, it happens in 2020, but actually we started that work two years prior, and the county at santa clara already has invested more than 3 million to do this right, and two years ago we did a very extensive canvassing of we added about 73,000 addresses to the list of addresses that the census had, which is more than most jurisdictions. Damian and is that because you found the neighborhoods that david because we use satellite imagery, we use databases, and then actually sent people to, you know, the neighborhoods. You know, there are People Living in garages. The records may not show that, but you can actually see that someones living there, and we went, you know, doortodoor to do that, and so the county has been taking this very seriously from the beginning, and the mandate from the board of supervisors from the administration is lets be the leader here in Santa Clara County on how to count everyone who lives in our county. Damian whats been your biggest challenge so far . Nick i think the biggest challenge is the delays that the Census Bureau has been experiencing since the start. Partnership specialists. Were supposed these area census offices that were supposed to open up some time ago, and, you know, theyve run into a number of delays. And then, of course, the second biggest one, obviously, is these an exception for the census because, you know, this census is so important to funding for our community for safety net programs, as well as political power and political representation, so we only lose out by getting an undercount in the census. Damian and you know very well, david, the fear in our community is deep, and its there, and its hard to lose the fear. David i mean, lets be honest. I mean, i think the elephant in the room is that you have an administration at the federal level that has mounted a war on immigrants, and that war has created a great deal of anxiety from people, and when people are told, you know, you have the census, the federal census, you need to participate, people are terrified, and so we, as a county, understand that fear, but wed hey know that, as much as it is terrifying, that we in the county have done everything we can to protect you, and that you can trust that the county is gonna make sure that your interests are protected but that its important for you to participate because the thing, in many respects, that trump and some of those folks want is for people not to participate because, if people dont participate, it means california will not have as much representation. California will not have as much funding, if you will, and so were telling people, look, we know youre afraid, but you owe it to yourself, to your family, to your neighborhood, to your community to participate because, by participating, youre making sure that youre politically represented and also that you have the resources to fund the schools, to fund the hospitals. And so its a really important thing, but we need to take the time so that people feel comfortable and understand why ic damian you mentioned that your interests are protected. Does that mean that whatever i tell the questionnaire is taken to the vault . David well, lets take the first thing, right . Its, you know, the federal administration wanted to include in the census the question of citizenship. The county of santa clara fought that. You know, we actually filed a lawsuit to preventnship. That from happening. We were successful, right . But people may not now that, in fact, that question will not be asked, a damian so thats final . Its not gonna be asked . David exactly, its not gonna be asked, right . But a lot of people dont know that, and there is a lot of misinformation, as nick indicated, so we need to educate people to know that that question will not be asked. Your information, as far as we know, is protected by federal law, but we need to make sure that people understand how that works because there is so much anxiety, and the county is actually a trusted partner. And so we have in the county 22,000 employees, and the way were approaching it is that every one of those employees will be an ambassador so that, trusted partortath to participa. Damian all right, itsou well, its all over the nation, the local folks, and theres a website for more information. Stay with us. What would be your biggest weapon, nick . Is it the foot soldier, or is it the social media angle in getting the word out . Nick well, and it depends on the person, obviously, but, i mean, i personally feel, in my years of community engagement, that it comes down to trusted messengers, the persontoperson contact, so what were gonna be doing as a county will be giving these grants through a competitive process through a number of communitybased organizations to do that oneonone, to do that education, to do that outreach. Nick great question. Damian and do we have all year to fill o t no, unfortunately, there is a time limit. As. It will be mostly an online go to this url. , so you will be. This is your unique identifier. There is a time limit. As. What you canor if you dont wanna use it, you dont have to. Youll fill out the census as early as march 23, like i said, and you have until approximately about the end of april to fill it out. If you do not fill it out, you can expect a knock on your door, however, so if youre trying to avoid any sort of contact from individuals, i highly suggest you fill it out before. Damian but its a friendly contact . Its folks like you . Nick its definitely friendly contact. Damian and therell be help centers, you said, around the county . Nick thats correct, yes, so were gonna be also establishing questionnaire centers. We know that because its mostly digital this time around, that we wanna give access to individuals to be able to fill it out in trusted places like libraries and things like that, so were workin on it right now. Its still a work in progress. E campaign to educate people in different languages in a way that is culturally languages in santa clarae l0 david absolutely, you know, we have 40 of the population in Santa Clara County is foreignborn, and so we have to make sure that we go to them, that we speak to them in a way that makes sense, but, as nick said, its not just the county speaking. Its also members of the Community Talking to them, a are working with us so that its people in the neighborhoods, in those communities, saying to their neighbor, come, participate, you can trust us. Damian you cant emphasize enough the fact that some folks might think, well, its not gonna impact me directly, so im not gonna participate. It really does. David well, for everyyou know, the state of california has estimated that, for every person that is counted or not counted, we lose, as a state, 2,000 per person, per year, for ten years. So for a place like Santa Clara County, thats billions of dollars that, if people are not counted, we could lose, billions of dollars to keep schools open, billions of dollars to run our hospitals, to run our clinics, to provide the safety net that the county provides to its residents, so its very, very significant, and thats why, you know, we have to take the time so that people understand that, when theyre not counted, notthg the entire community. Damian i mean, congressional districts is another one. I mean, maybe we qualify for two Congress Members in a certain district, and we think we only have one. David well, california, theres an expectation that, if we dont do this count well, that california may lose one or two congressional districts. That means, you know, less representation in washington, d. C. , and if that happens, is that seat gonna come from santa clara or is it gonna come from another part of the state . You know, Santa Clara County is the ninthhardest county to count in the country, so we have an extra responsibility to do this right because, as much as our diversity is our strength, that diversity also creates a challenge in making sure that we communicate to people in a way that they understand. Damian would you describe the local effort as a herculean effort . Nick it doesnt have to be. It just seems like it. Damian i mean, the responsibility for both of you, the responsibility is huge. David but you know what . I think that whenour hope is that, when the history of what happened with the census is written, that theyre gonna say, you know what . Silicon valley, the place of innovation, did it right. Thats how you do it. And, you know, we know how to tackle difficult challenges, and the board is committed, the administration is committed, and we have already invested more than any other jurisdiction because we want to do this right. Damian any final thoughts that you might wanna nick no, i think that the message is still the same, you know. Ever since the beginning of this, i think theres been a lot of push around people to not participate, and whatever that push was, we really wanna make sure that people understand the reasoning behind why the census is important and how it impacts them as an individual, so, you know, come to our website, follow us on social media. Were gonna have more information coming directly from the Census Bureau that can be trusted and that we hope that individuals out there in the community will come to us and will find out the truth about what the census is and why they should participate. Damian trust is a big word. You have to earn it because trust is something that isnt handed to you. Do you think you have that trust, or is it still a work in progress . David well, actually, you , so we have been there. Were not just sayin. Its not a lately we decided to commit ourselves to this community. No, we have that track record, but more than that, you know, we need to make sure that people understand that its about empowering themselves because, as much as you can tell someone, do something, they have to feel a sense that its their responsibility and that its within their power to do it, and, you know, people in santa clara are people who are committed to their community, who are committed to our diversity. It is because of that commitment to that community, to that diversity, that we need to make sure that every one of us is counted. Damian all right, well, remember, this happens early in the spring, midspring next year. Youll be getting those questionnaires, and you do have a time limit to fill them out. There is a web address for more information. Otherwise, theyll be knocking on your door in their friendly way and get you to participate. We have about 30 seconds. Any final thoughts . David please make sure youre counted. Were only a few months away, and by being counted, youre. Damian all right, k i think well see you again here at a later date. David thank you. Nick thank you very much. Damian youre welcome. Anytime. And well have little joe of little joe y la familia up next. Stay with us. 6, 7, 8 big dreams start with small steps. But dedication can get you there. So just start small. Start saving. Easily set, track and control your goals right from the chase mobile® app. Because dennys brought back the super slam™. With eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage and buttermilk or pumpkin pancakes. All for just 6. 99. The 6. 99 super slam™ is back see you at dennys little joe y la familia, well, a few years ago, talkin about a variety of topics, and the first topic was his songs about the military. Joe like you, i never served, and i think, back in those days, there was one way to break the cycle of poverty. I read books about so many chicanos that would enlist, you know, just to get out of the fields and, you know, and wanted to serve their country. You know, they wanted to make a contribution. Since the iraq war broke, i started opening up the show with america the beautiful, which i still do today, and i said, ill do this till the war is over, but, you know, unfortunately, there will always be wars, so i just continue toand we need pay respect. We owe the veterans, all ofwe give the military, period, and their families, but we need to acknowledge the veterans, man, because theres no way to pay them what we owe them, you know . And, unfortunately, as rich as a country that we are, were not living up to our promises to them. And i love music, and, you know, i have fun with it. Im not musically trained. Formally, i didnt go to school for music, but maybe thats kind of what saved me. What is it called . Ignorance bliss. I do what i feel, and its wd damian at what point did it become texmex or tejano music . Was it known chicano music back there when you started . Joe well, thats what ive called it all along, but i reallythe latin labels, the Record Companies started using different terms for it, but, for me, it was always chicano music, and thats been 50 years now. Damian i know, but when you use the word chicano, you have to be able to back it up because thats one of those powerful words that you cant hey, some chicano no, what credentials do you have to say that you are a chicano . Joe well, yeah, youre so right. And in so many cases, you know, weve all been painted with hispanics are latinos with the same brush, which ishey, were all people. But, for me, chicano is a way to identify ourselves. You know, you get pulled over by the man, and, hey, you say, well, im hispanic, but you could be from argentina or a mexicanamerican, or you should know. So, you know, in that sense, thats an id, a way of me to identify myself, and then the music itself is what this mexicanamerican kid continues to work with and develop, and its bilingual, you know, bicultural a lot of times, by myself, if i dont do it right, but, you know, chicano is also a state of mind, but, really, its to identify mexicanamerican cause were all latinos, hispanics, which could be puerto rican, cuban, or, you know, were all hispanics. Damian you think theres less of us or fewer of us whob . Joe well, i think, back in the 70s, if you remember this, when the identity crisis and, you , did a lot of marching behu know, all the things that happened with schoolsand, unfortunately, a lot of people think thats a derogatory kind of, you know damian my mom didnt likemy mom didnt want us to use the word chicano, and it wasnt till i got to college that i realized, hey, i am a chicano. Joe yeah, i mean, whats wrong with knowing who we are, you know . You can call yourself whatever you want, but its better if you know who you are and be it, but i think a lot of people just really dont understand the word chicano, but we should be proud. I mean, its just like anybody else. We all should be proud of who we are and where we come from and what we do, you know . I just happen to be chicano, and like people to know that thats what i am. Doesnt make me better or worse or anything other than thats who i am. But thats a congratulations, and, you know, youre on because people love you and appreciate you. You have a big heart. You do great things for the public and for the community and the people, and we know and feel that, damian, god has blessed you, and by doing that, hes blessed us all, man, damian thank you very much. Joe thank you for the great work you do, man. Damian i appreciate it. Mira, im not a tejano. Im a california kid, but i love tejano music. What is it about it that kind of tugs at our hearts, those that are from chicano land here . I guess were all from chicano land. Well get into that in a little bit. Joe yeah, i think its the spirits that go along with the music. No, in my case, its just music. Its entertainment, and ive been real fortunate with what music has done for me. Its taken me around the world a couple of times and get to meet so many different people from so many different walks of life, many cultures, but the one thing, the common denominatormusic, you know . J. Up next, what happened to Dolores Huerta this past week . Stay with us. Damian and now a saludos for those celebrating a special day. Felicidades. Damian heres our contact information. You can follow me on twitter. My handle is newsdamian. Also pick up a copy of El Observador newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. We thank you for sharing a part of your sunday with us once again. Now, this past week in fresno county, Dolores Huerta was arrested. She was detained at the board of supervisors meeting for protesting. There was some action there. So at 89 years old, she remains a vibrance and invigorated by the actions of those who feel like they dont have justice, and so saludos to Dolores Huerta. Here is a song by abel sanchez and jorge santana. As i walk along this land, i wonder what well be. Will i be forever sledged and will my soul be free . As i walk along this land, i wonder what well be. Will my children reach the promise of equality . As i walk along this land, i wonder what ill see. See my brother strugglin, strugglin to be free . As i walk along thisla i wonder what well be. Will i be forever yearnin, will my soul be free . Cesar chavez all of us are looking for a place under the sun. By that, i mean, for a union, that we can belong as farmworkers, thats gonna be built by farmworkers, and its gonna be for farmworkers. Is it just an inspiration that im searchin for, like sailin across the ocean, seeking to explore . Like a neverending battle, battle of my mind, will i be forever yearnin what i seek to find . Abel sanchez as i walk this land, amazed at what i see, see my brother strugglin, strugglin to be free. As i walk this land, cries, equality. Is it just for privileged ones, but not for you and me . Oh, set me free. Ooh, set me free. Cesar were not afraid oh, set me free. Cesar a free and democratic union, and a good union for good people. Were willin to do it. Oh, set me free. Ooh, set me free. Oh, set me free. Ooh, set me free. Oh, set me free. Ooh, set me free. Oh, set me free. Oh, set me free. Robert handa hello, and welcome to Asian Pacific america. Im robert handa, your host for our show here on nbc bay area and cozi tv. We dive right in with two worldclass swimming sisters. Mitali and Anaya Khanzode do some mindboggling events in the ocean. In fact, the big alcatraz swim here in the bay area, no problem. Then we feature two more Outstanding Young people making their mark, the winners of the crystal bowl award given to people who do an outstanding job volunteering for the community, but these two winners are teenagers. And we wrap up with the return by one of our favorite artists. Bay area singer songwriter rosendale will talk about his