mineta san jose airport and to two other spots to the south. >> it's gonna take probably three years to five years to get that system in place. we're looking at moving this as quickly as possible. >> and it could be seven years before the purified water percolates into the ground and eventually is drawn into the drinking-water supply. because of the long timeline, a major focus now is on lawn removal and replanting with drought-tolerant plants. valley water district pays $2 per square foot, which covers from 20% to 66% of the cost. >> as i showed earlier, we'd only done 160,000 square feet before the drought. since then, we've done 2 million square feet of lawn, and we need to do millions, millions more. >> and san jose water company is seeking approval to install high-tech water meters to give customers feedback on their conservation. >> they're gonna have instantaneous information as to their water use, very much like pg&e. you know, one example i saw was you're gonna know when you flush your toilet. it gets down to that kind of granularity. >> that plan is awaiting state regulatory approval. in san jose, david louie -- abc7 news. >> so many things to think about. a prominent expert on water issues is here with us in the studio right now -- dr. david sedlak. he's a professor of civil and environmental engineering at uc berkeley and deputy director of the national science foundation's research center for re-inventing the nation's urban water infrastructure, and that's called renuwit? >> renuwit. that's right. yeah. >> that little acronym. so, we're watching, david. so, is it a long timeline to get that happening, to get that water into the aquifers? >> well, that's the way civil engineering projects go. if you think how long it took us to build the bay bridge, it takes a long time to build these massive projects because there's time to design and finance and build and test before they can be opened up to the public. >> but we're in a crisis right now because -- and, actually, this has been going on for awhile. this drought's been going on for so long. >> yeah, it usually takes people awhile before they get serious about taking action. so, right now, we're in the phase where the main thing we can do is conserve water, but if we get a few more dry years, we're gonna need to have projects like this in the pipeline, ready to be used. >> in your book -- you've written a book called "water 4.0," and i want to show it to the people at home. this talks about all the things that we want to talk about today -- using reclaimed wastewater, desalination. which of those two do you think are the most critical? >> well, for california, the first thing that we're gonna do is reclaim wastewater. so this is the last untapped water stream in california, and it's one that we've already been using for a number of years and has a lot of potential to take us through the drought without resorting to seawater desalination. >> i think a lot of folks are going, "wastewater? ew!" but it's actually -- you talk about this -- it's already in use. >> well, we've been doing this for over 40 years, so if you've ever been to disneyland in orange county and had a glass of tap water, you may have been drinking recycled water because that's one of the communities that's been using recycled water for over four decades. >> and nobody's complaining about it now because they have the water resource. >> they're pretty happy that they made these investments, and they're continuing to invest in this kind of technology. >> you talked about desalinization -- desalination -- i got to get that right -- and it's been in other countries. it's very controversial here, though. >> well, is controversial here, but it's finally coming. so this year, we're opening a 50-million-gallon-a-day seawater-desalination plant north of san diego, so we'll have our first major seawater-desalination plant on the west coast just in time for this summer's drought. >> the desalination, why is that controversial? >> the main reason it's controversial is that historically desalination has just used a lot of energy, and that emits a lot of greenhouse gases, and so people are very concerned about any way of producing water that uses a lot of energy and costs a lot of money. >> and the salt residue from that, is that a problem? >> well, if you're on the coast, those salts are released back into the sea, and provided that you have a way to mix the brine that result from the treatment process back into the ocean, it tends not to be a problem. >> and so other countries who do this have not had any fallout from that? >> you can look around the world -- you can look at australia, you can look at israel, spain, a lot of the middle eastern and caribbean countries -- and they do this without damaging the ocean. >> okay, so that's one potential resource, but we have a lot more to talk about. dr. sedlak is going to be with us for another segment, talking about the drought, using seawater, and all sorts of other ways that we can save water while we're in this big drought. we'll be right back. while we're in this big drought. we'll be right back. stay with us. you're 9 hours and 45 minutes into your quest. and the silver sword of garmúz is finally within reach. but now the one who needs an energy-orb is you. well good news. because jack in the box now delivers through doordash. so you can get all your favorites delivered right to your door. like my sriracha curly fry burger, with two tacos, halvsies and a drink. all in a munchie meal. saving the universe is hard. which is why i make ordering late night easy. delivery through the doordash app. new from jack in the box. sweetie, you know what we're craving right now? crispy chicken and fried egg with bacon-like brunch. brunch? but it's 8pm-and it's tuesday- huh, i wonder if my mother would like to stay with us... here's what i'm thinking-brunch. all day, every day. should we get started? who wants coffee? introducing my new brunchfast menu. with 10 delicious items like my bacon and egg chicken sandwich, southwest scrambler plate, a sparkling blood orange cooler, and homestyle potatoes. served all day, every day. only at jack in the box. this is the new comfort food. and it starts with foster farms simply raised chicken. california grown with no antibiotics ever. let's get comfortable with our food again. >> welcome back to our program on california's drought and the critical need for water conservation. the debate continues about how to deal with the crisis. some local communities already have an action plan. drought wasn't on anybody's mind in 2003, but a decision to build a small desalination plant in the east bay is actually turning out to be a big help as water districts scramble to find new water sources. abc7 news reporter david louie shows us how the newark plant came to be and how it's helping now. >> this desalination plant is proving to be a major benefit during the drought, but the drought wasn't the reason it was built. >> it helps to mitigate or offset some of the supplies during a drought, and it is actually a cost savings for us, as well. we're saving about $4 million a year in that we don't have to purchase more expensive water supplies. >> it was built 12 years ago because of saltwater incursion into the groundwater basins that supply the cities of fremont, newark, and union city. area creeks and runoff feed into quarry lakes. the water percolates into the ground, but salt water from san francisco bay has mixed in. without desalination, the water is undrinkable. >> there was historic pumping issues here in this local area that drew the groundwater basin down, and so it drew water from the bay, actually, in toward our groundwater basin. and we have an active recharge program to continue pushing that water out towards the bay, and the water in this area still tends to be a little bit brackish. >> the desalination plant puts the brackish water through reverse osmosis using a microscopic membrane to filter out salt crystals and other minerals. the water that comes out of this plant then is blended with some well water for taste and then is distributed right through the pipes to residences and businesses in fremont, newark, and union city. and it tastes just like regular tap water. the 10 million gallons of water produced each day gives the district flexibility in its water supply. 40% comes from local sources, while 60% is imported. in newark, david louie -- abc7 news. >> i'm happy to say david is still with us today even after drinking [chuckling] that recycled water. all right, dr. david sedlak is with us again. he wrote this book called "water 4.0." he is a professor at uc berkeley, and we just saw david's report. we talked about desalination and how that is something that we absolutely have to consider, but you also talk about recapturing stormwater, so if we ever have rain again, that's one way to consider. >> sure, i mean, it seems like a tragedy that all this water that falls on our cities just runs into flood canals and back out into the ocean. so if we could capture that and make it part of our water supply, we'd be a lot better off. >> well, i heard reports that there might be rain eventually, so i was thinking about going and getting a big container and taking off my drain from the roof, and is that not a good idea? >> it would be a great idea if you lived in seattle, where it rains a little bit every day. but think about it -- we only had two big rainstorms last winter. your roof barrel would've filled up right away, and then the first week that you needed it for gardening, it would've been all gone. what we need to do is we need to build massive rainwater-capture systems and get that water underground into our drinking-water aquifers if we want to get serious about this. >> i think that one of the -- you started to talk earlier about conservation, and there's a percentage that we've been asked to do -- 25% to 30%. is that reasonable? >> it depends where you live. if you live in a suburban area, it's quite possible that half or more of your water use happens outdoors, and in that case, cutting back 25% to 30% really just means letting your lawn go brown and not starting a garden or doing something like that. if you live in san francisco or a densely populated city, then it's gonna be a lot harder to cut back by 25%, especially if you've already installed things like front-loading washing machines and low-flow fixtures, shower heads, and toilets. that would be a tough go. >> and, also, how is that going to affect our sewer system if there's not that much liquid flowing through there? >> oh, gosh, at some point, the sewers don't work the way they were designed. that is, they were designed back in the days when people were using 75 or 100 gallons per person, per day, indoors -- the amount that we use outdoors now -- and that assured that all the stuff we put in the sewer kept moving. when we put in these water-saving conservation devices, the material stops moving and the sewers stop functioning the way they were designed. >> so that's not a good thing. [ laughs ] >> that's definitely not a good thing. >> what about the use of -- there were times when i was able to use my graywater from my washing machine just to keep my lawn alive when the drought was really bad several years ago. is it a little risky? >> well, no, there's nothing dangerous about it, and it's something we certainly can do. it has the problem of not putting the water in the sewer system to flush the solids, but the other thing is it's really only those us who are really dedicated who are gonna follow through with that. so i can't imagine more than a small percentage of people in the state actually using the graywater from their showers and their washing machines on the lawn all the time. >> it's a lot of work 'cause i had buckets everywhere. >> yeah, and i think one might lose the enthusiasm for it after a year or two. >> so, i know that, in your book, you call for a water revolution. are we ready for that psychologically? >> revolutions happen when technologies become obsolete and when new technological innovations are there, ready to be taken up, and i think we're primed for a water revolution. and, in fact, you can even see outlines of that revolution here in california. so my prediction is, if we come back in 10 years, we're gonna see a drastically different water system that's gonna help us survive future droughts. >> so, final call to action from you -- what we can do right now? you talked about some of those things. >> yeah, it's not really a question of what you do in your home. it's what you do with elected officials being members and being active in your local utility and your city council and advocate not for what we had in the past, but the water system that we need to get us through the future. >> and we should be prepared for our water bills to go up. >> hey, they're going up one way or another. they might as well buy something that's gonna get us through the 21st century. >> all right. dr. david sedlak, author of the book "water 4.0" -- i want to thank him so much for being here today, and you can find information about him on our website -- abc7news.com. now, when we come back, you're going to see how and why a bay area women's college is reaching out around the world to raise awareness about water issues. stay with us. we'll be right back. >> welcome back to "beyond the headlines." i'm cheryl jennings, and today we're talking about california's water shortage and what to do about it. mills college in oakland recently held a international conference on water issues with emerging female leaders from several countries, and i had the great privilege of hosting one of the classes to show them how to use the media and social media to get their messages out to the communities. and the woman who led that conference is with me in the studio right now -- alecia decoudreaux, the president of mills college. and thank you for being here today, doctor. i really appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. >> that conference was so inspiring, getting to meet all those young women who are so passionate about wanting to do something for the world and this whole water situation. so, what inspired you to hold that conference? how did that come about? >> well, our students inspire me to do just about everything that we do. but mills college joined the women in public service project a number of years ago. you may know that it was started by secretary of state hillary rodham clinton in conjunction with the state department and women's colleges across the country. when mills joined, we decided that we would hold an institute to focus on water, recognizing how important water is in general and particularly to women. so our conference was titled "women, water, and the world: how women can help solve the world's water crisis," and it was truly inspiring to have 25 women representing 22 countries at this conference, all of whom are in early to mid career level and all of whom are very involved in water issues in their countries. and our students had the opportunity to interact with them for 10 days, to learn from them, to be inspired by them, and to learn from others in our local community, as well. because we spent a day at stanford, we spent some time here in san francisco working with a number of government officials here, and it was just an incredible opportunity for our entire community. >> so, now that it's been awhile since the conference, what was the feedback from both sides -- the emerging leaders and from your own students? >> well, i'll start with the emerging leaders and say that we're still hearing from them. they are still telling us what an extraordinary experience it was, how much they learned, how excited they were to not only learn from the speakers we had lined up for the conference, but to learn from each other, as well. and they are very excited about now having this incredible network of other women who are involved in public service in various parts of the world that they can turn to on a regular basis. they've been in touch with us several times, as well, and continuing to reach out to mills college, so that's a real plus. one of the things that i was very excited about is that many of them said they wanted to come to mills to go to school -- they wanted to go back to school. and most of them recognized that that wasn't necessarily a possibility, and so they said they would definitely be sending some potential students to us, so that was exciting. from the standpoint of our students, they learned so much from the delegates. because we had such an extraordinary group of delegates, our students had women who were doing incredible work all over the world, who they could talk to about issues that are very, very much on their minds. our students are very committed to social responsibility. they're very committed to environmental responsibility. they talk about sustainability all the time, and more importantly, they live sustainably. >> so, how do you do that on campus? 'cause that's a big campus. >> it is a big campus. one of the things that our students do is that they recycle regularly. they reuse as much as they possibly can. they also engage in contests, so our residence halls will have contests to see who can generate the most compost and who can recycle the most. and so they really do try to make it fun, but they're very committed to it. we also have opportunities from time to time for students to come and work on the campus. we have been out there digging up plants that require too much water and replanting with drought-resistant plants, and the students participate in that. we, of course, have done the other things that we can do, such as putting in low-flow toilets and making sure that we've got the shower heads such that we're conserving water. so we do as much as we possibly can, and much of it is led by our students. >> that has got to be so exciting for you as a leader to see how they're taking this to the next level. >> yes. i've learned a lot since i came to mills college. i'm doing more composting than i've ever done before. i am certainly paying much more attention to the amount of water that i personally use, and i think we all are, but i think it's our students who helped me to see how important that individual actions could be in the long run. >> all right, thank you so much for being here. thank you for that conference, and thank you for inviting me to be a part of it, too. >> our pleasure. >> all right. and we do have to take a short break. we're gonna be right back, though, to continue our discussion on the power of women in dealing with the world's water emergency. so stay with us. we'll be right back. >> welcome back to "beyond the headlines." we are talking about the global concerns about water and the role of women in addressing water issues. mills college in oakland recently hosted a weeklong global conference on women and water rights, and i had the great pleasure of speaking with a few of the conference attendees. >> yeah, women suffer most especially coming from a country like kenya, which is water-scarce. so women are most affected by water because they are the ones that have to go out to provide water for their families, which takes up a lot of their productive time that would be used for income generation. >> if you train a man, then you will train that person. if you train a woman on, for example, how to build water infrastructure, then you build a nation. so women have an amazing capacity to...build and make countries grow. >> in the studio with me right now is gemma bulos. she is the director of the global women's water initiative. and, gemma, i'm looking at this big old yellow thing here. this is what women in countries overseas have to carry for water. >> yes, it would be carrying five gallons of water. it's called a "jerrican." and that full of water is 42 pounds. >> 42 pounds to carry this? so i can lift this easily now. you can see it's quite big, but very, very, heavy so -- >> that's like a seven-year-old child you'd be carrying. >> and on uneven terrain. >> on uneven terrain. women carry this on their back, their shoulders, their heads because they don't have other means to transport it. and oftentimes, women can take up to eight hours, especially in sub-saharan africa and water-stressed areas, up to eight hours just fetching water with their young girl children, as well. so what that means is women can't work, they can't be productive, and girls can't go to school. so you can imagine the kinds of social impacts, how it affects women and girls just not having access to water. >> and if you have to carry just that small amount of water for your food and for washing and everything else that one might need, it's horrible because you can't -- and plus you don't know whether the water is even clean. >> exactly. exactly. the united nations actually defines access to water as five gallons of water per person, per day, and less than a 15-minute walk. and so just that one gallon is only enough water to provide for one family member. can you imagine the 5 or the 6 or the 10 family members in that family? and you're right -- when it's dirty, it actually can even affect the women even more because they're the caretakers of the family. so when a family member gets sick, they have to spend monies on medicine, to take the sick person to the clinic. they lose more time because they have to do all of that stuff, so you can imagine. >> but tainted water also causes health problems for kids that are terrible and possibly even fatal. >> oh, very much so. diarrhea is probably one of the highest causes of mortality for children under five. >> mm. >> and 3 to 5 million people die of water-related disease every year. >> you have a great video on your website that shows some of the women who have to go and get the water and then bring it back, and you've been dealing with this issue, so what can we all do? how can the communities of the world help with this? >> so, because women are most affected by the lack of water -- and, actually, also, sanitation and hygiene, all of that is all connected. you can't have access to water and not have it be clean. you're still at risk of getting sick. same with sanitation -- if you have sanitation but you don't have good hygiene practices, you'll get sick. so a lot of it is awareness that this is not just an investment in a well. this is an investment in a community that can have access to water -- clean water -- sanitation, so toilets, as well as good hygiene practices. so how it affects women and girls is that they are the ones who lose out on all the opportunities because of the lack of access to water and sanitation. so our goal is to train women and girls how to build water and sanitation technologies that can help them so that they can have more opportunities. >> so it's not just about getting water -- it's about teaching them to be leaders. >> exactly. exactly. the united nations' food and agriculture organization found that the exclusion of women in water and sanitation projects was the cause of their high rate of failure. women were not included in an issue that affects them the most. so our goal was not just to have them be the recipients of failed water projects, but to be the actual implementers. so our women who we train, they know how to build rainwater-harvesting systems and water-storage tanks. they know how to build toilets. they know how to build water filters. they make soap, shampoo, reusable menstrual pads -- they make everything, and they make money doing it. >> oh, boy, i need to know more about this, but unfortunately, we have run out of time. gemma, thank you for what you're doing. i appreciate it very much. >> thank you for having me. >> and we have more information for you about today's programs and resources where you live. just go to our website -- abc7news.com/community. we're also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs. and please follow me on twitter -- cherylabc7. i'm cheryl jennings. have a great week. we will see you next time. thanks for joining us. >> abc7 presents "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings. >> welcome to "beyond the headlines." i'm cheryl jennings. we have a special round table edition today celebrating our hispanic community. the united states census reports that hispanics make up more than 54 million people in the country, or about 17%. california has the largest overall population of 14.7 million, or nearly 40%, and since 2000, births in the united states have been the primary driving force for the increase. abc7's lyanne melendez is here now with some local leaders to talk about some of the current issues in our bay area's hispanic communities. >> and thank you, cheryl. gracias. before we begin our discussion today, let's learn a little bit about a recent big shift in california's population. it's now official. latino residents have surpassed whites as california's largest racial or ethnic groups. now, demographers had expected the shift for decades. abc7 news reporter chris nguyen took a look at the shift throughout the state when the numbers were released in july. >> at the dia de pesca restaurant in san jose, xavier sanchez savors the chance to share his passion for food. >> i call it the path of the heart. you follow the path of the heart, and you know when you're doing right. you feel good in your heart. >> sanchez was born in whittier, but moved to san jose at the age of 4. he would eventually graduate from san jose state, go on to serve in the army, and later become one of san jose's first latino firefighters. he's proud of his heritage and was inspired to open his restaurant after growing up in his father's cantina. >> my father, i learned to work hard and to be honest. >> sanchez is one of the many who have contributed to the cultural fabric of the south bay. in fact, according to the most recent data available, the state now has approximately 14.99 million latinos compared to about 14.92 million non-hispanic whites. together the two groups make up nearly 80% of california's population. ron gonzales, the first hispanic to serve as mayor of san jose since statehood says it's all about perspective. >> just having sheer numbers doesn't matter if we're not engaged in all aspects of our society -- whether it's jobs, housing, politics, or civic engagement in general. >> gonzales is now president and c.e.o. of the hispanic foundation of silicon valley. he says latinos are a committed community, one that's worth investing in. >> there's a lot of needs within the hispanic community, but we have a lot of strengths, too. >> and regardless of what the numbers say... >> we're all americans now, and we should all help each other, and you don't necessarily have to have blue eyes to be an american. >> a reminder that the u.s. is a nation of immigrants. in san jose, chris nguyen, abc7 news. >> and joining me in the studio today are adriana lopez, the manager of programming, development, and community outreach at the mexican museum. rolando bonilla, principal partner of the public relations firm ford & bonilla, and stephanie bravo is the founder of studentmentor.org and is now the vice president of programs for strive for college. bienvenidos. >> gracias. >> thank you. >> well, you heard the report by our colleague, chris nguyen. let me ask you what the implications are. "we're already here. whoa! we made it." what are those implications? anybody want to start? rolando? >> i think this is a great political opportunity for the latino community because it gives us the understanding that although we're here in numbers, we still have to have a presence on the political front. yes, it's true the california latino legislative caucus is a very influential wing of our government within the legislature. yes, it's true that we have a lot more city council members throughout the state, but we also have to make sure that our voice is heard at the ballot box. just like our voices are now being heard at the consumer point of sale reference, on the political front, we have to make sure we have a presence at the ballot box, and on that front, although we've made tremendous strides, we still have a long ways to go before that really becomes a presence that's here long-term. >> so why aren't we voting in higher numbers? >> well, i think one of the reasons -- and feel free to jump in. one of the reasons that i see that as a political scientist is, candidly, we're working. not that everyone else isn't working, but the immigrant thinking and concept of getting to this country and getting the two, three jobs to sustain your family is such an overarching theme that anything that competes with that just doesn't have a chance of getting in. >> so, do we feel that we're not represented? >> i think so. i mean, just in terms of college completion and getting into college, we're some of the lowest minority groups that have attainment, and so i think we need to also make sure that not only are we working, but we're also in school, and so taking time out of classes, taking time away from our day to days is difficult for us to actually do, but we're making significant strides and significant jumps in getting a lot of our latino children not only out of high school and into college, but also getting through college, as well. >> so once we get into college, though, why are so many hispanics dropping out? >> well, a lot of it has to do with social support, and that's one of the reasons i founded an organization all around mentoring and am currently leading an organization all around virtual mentoring, as well, is social support is a huge need within our community, and those who are mentors as professionals or even college students themselves can go back and take up the next generation to really show them that it's possible to make it to college and to make it through college. >> well, how about financial support? are we not getting the financial support that we need? >> i was going to say i think it's also financial, and i think that there's wonderful organizations like the chicana latina foundation here in the bay area that are helping young latina students get through college, and i think more of us need to work towards that, as well, in our creation of nonprofits and foundations and start helping our latino students. >> what else is holding us back? >> i think at times the -- and this is again more from the political front -- at times, we are competing with so many socioeconomic issues that, from my own personal experience, there's so many socioeconomic issues getting in the way, that unless we as a community do a better job of coming together and providing resources, providing mentorship, it's very easy to sometimes see folks along the way who don't necessarily feel that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. you know, i used to joke around that my first exposure to lawyers was in the neighborhood. my first exposure to doctors was in the e.r. >> right. >> but there's a lot of truth to that -- not just for me, but for a lot of latinos. right? so how do you make those folks realistic and tangible? that's what changed my perspective in my life. at age 18, i was able to work at the city's health department -- >> and see people like yourself. it's what chief justice -- supreme court justice sonia sotomayor said about going to -- when she would go to the island of puerto rico, she would see people like her. she would see the lawyers, the doctors that she wouldn't see in the bronx. >> exactly. >> so how important is that -- to have those mentors, to see people like you? >> well, i was fortunate enough to spend my life going to venezuela very often, so i did get to see this incredible culture, professionals. my cousins were taking incredible classes and doing so well in the universities, and the art of venezuela i owe so much to seeing what latinos can achieve in the arts. so for me, that was really instrumental in pushing me forward. >> and it's a beautiful country. >> it is. >> and so how do we get people to understand that we have to invest in these kids now for the future of california? 15 seconds. >> sure. i think economics. giving a child an opportunity will not only change that child's future, it will change that family's economic forecast, period, and by extension, that community's forecast. so by extension, some of the sacrifices that have to be made through education will provide the long-term goal of economic strength for those families and those communities. >> let's awaken everybody out there. >> that's it. >> well, we need to take a short break. we'll be back, and we'll learn more about the important work that our guests are doing around the bay area. come back. ♪ >> and welcome back to "beyond d the headlines" with cheryl jennings. i am lyanne melendez sitting in for my colleague on this very special edition. we are discussing the bay area's vibrant hispanic communities. next we have a story about a man considered a gigante among giants in the entertainment world -- the iconic latin-american host don francisco presented his last show this year after 53 years on the air -- the longest-running television variety show in the history. wow. here's how it all started. >> [speaking spanish] don francisco! >> my real name is mario kreutzberger blumenfeld, and i used to work in a jewish club doing an impression of a huge guy that couldn't speak well the language in spanish. the name of this guy was don francisco. >> and so the name don francisco stuck. for the past 53 years, it has been a household name in just about every community in the united states and in the rest of latin america. he was born in chile. his father was a concentration camp survivor who fled from germany. in 1962, he started a tv show in his native chile so popular that, at times, 80% of the country tuned in. years later, the show was moved to miami and broadcasted on the spanish language network univision. the show's name? "sábado gigante" -- spanish for "giant saturday." it's often described as an entertainment, interview, and human-interest show three hours long. >> okay! >> he maintained the pride in our culture, and one of the things that was so important, and the reason why people loved him so much is that he was always very positive. >> at la palma mexica-tessen in san francisco's mission district, employees told us the 74-year-old don francisco has long been an icon in this community. >> lo admire y lo quiero. >> sara gomez says, "i admire him and love him" >> el carismo, los consejos que daba al public. >> ramiro quintana says he liked his charisma and the advice he offered viewers. >> i'm very honored and very proud of what we did these 53 years. we're closing that cycle. we're opening another one. >> don francisco has said he wants to leave with dignity. >> my parents loved him -- loved him. anyway, were any of you guys don francisco fans? >> mm-hmm. >> every weekend. >> yeah. >> every saturday night. >> could i just say what i loved about him? he would always say, "no matter" -- or i guess the message he conveyed -- "no matter what's going on, whatever they tell you, always be proud of who you are." is that not the message we have to send our kids? >> yeah. i think that's really important. i grew up in san jose. i'm born and bred in the bay area and my grandfather actually owned the taqueria that was down the road, so we grew up with this community of mentors, as well as being able to really bask in our heritage and understand that our roots were very important to us. and so that's what i brought forward when i went as a first-generation college student, and that's what i took with me. >> it also reminds me of like the univision presenter jorge ramos. he has been going head-to-head with donald trump on all these immigration issues. anybody care to comment about that? >> i think that's what has to happen. someone has to create that hard line and say, "enough is enough. we have a voice. we're not going to allow anyone to speak about our community that way," and i think that's the value of a jorge ramos. you look at the value of a don francisco beyond the show. let's talk about what he did every single saturday night. he brought families together. >> right. >> he allowed for the culture to transfer from one generation to another through a variety show every single saturday night. that was my memory. my grandmother, my parents, my siblings -- everything was happening together. that's what makes us strong. >> and of course honoring our traditions -- and let me talk a little bit about that with you, adriana. the mexican museum -- tell us a little bit about that. 40 years in the bay area. >> talk about pride. [ chuckles ] >> amen. >> i think one of the most beautiful ways to show a culture's pride is through the visual arts, and i think that that is exactly what the mexican museum has been doing for 40 years, and not just showing mexican arts, but the best of the best and what beauty can really -- and diversity and depth and richness. latino culture overall has -- i think the way that latinos are sometimes portrayed in television or in books, sometimes in the united states, they don't really portray latinos in that full way that we should be and have that more diverse view of our culture. >> we can be artists. we can be great. >> yes. >> tell us a little bit about the museum 'cause you're moving to a different location. well, you're building. >> exactly. i think that's what happens, you know, when your family starts to grow. you run out of room and you have to move somewhere bigger, and that's been the museum's goal for now 20 years, and it's finally happening, and i'm pretty young, but i see the love in the community's eyes and how excited they are for this move, and it makes me so proud, to use that word again, and it is such an exciting moment for the museum. we also are trying to pick up our outreach programs so that we can help teachers develop their curriculum and bring latino arts into the classroom and make sure that kids know the joys of rufino tamayo and gunther gerzso at an early age, and, you know, i was fortunate enough to see that. >> tell us about the director, 'cause he's been very influential in the hispanic community. >> sure. so, that's peter rodriguez, our founder, and i absolutely love that image of him. >> i love that picture. >> yeah. >> [ chuckles ] >> he is still painting at 89 years old, which is so incredible and we are so proud to be hosting an exhibition of his work opening on the 40th birthday of the museum. november 19th will be the grand opening of the exhibition, and peter has this very playful style where he will combine popular forms with a very abstract expressionist style. so you have these very traditional mexican themes in his work, but also presented in this completely new way. so that's sort of what the mexican museum tries to do overall with its mission. >> and can't wait to go again. now it's time for another break. next we'll talk about rolando bonilla's experiences -- i'm gonna put you on the spot -- in public service and as an entrepreneur when we return. ♪ >> and welcome back to "beyond the headlines" with cheryl jennings. i'm lyanne melendez sitting in for cheryl as we celebrate hispanic heritage month with a round table discussion with local community leaders. in honor of hispanic heritage month, coca-cola released an ad to celebrate the many hispanic family names. i'm melendez. the ad has been playing extensively on social media and now it's getting criticism from some in the hispanic community who call the marketing campaign -- listen to this -- "hispandering." >> garcia's my family name, and there's a legacy and heritage that comes with a name. >> i love the name rodriguez. when i consider my name, i think of my father. >> coca-cola made this short film to highlight a few hispanic families and the pride they share towards their last names. then a bright red coca-cola truck comes into the neighborhood handing out coke cans, each one displaying a hispanic last name. >> yeah, we call it "hispandering." >> hispanic groups like the online blog latino rebels say coke goes too far, linking pride to a soft drink during hispanic heritage month. >> more and more, it's turning into some extended cinco de mayo marketing free-for-all, and, you know, people see through that. >> ha ha! reyes! >> these particular coke cans used only in this ad also come with a temporary tattoo to be displayed anywhere on the body. >> i think it's kind of stereotypical to put the neck tattoo type of thing. >> years ago, tattoos on the neck were associated with gang members. coca-cola based out of atlanta didn't address the controversy, but said... we went around san francisco's mission district asking people to watch the ad and give us their opinion. >> as a latina, you know, there is a lot of sense of pride like i saw in the commercial, and why not? >> an excuse, a ploy to exploit. >> at the tail end of the ad, the company has a link for you to order bottles of coke with any hispanic last name for $5 each. >> i almost bought the melendez one. >> i get it. >> i'm joined again by adriana lopez from the mexican museum, rolando bonilla of the public relations firm ford & bonilla, and stephanie bravo from strive for college. so, bad move? good move? >> i think, although not necessarily the right message, definitely a move in the right direction. we recall that recently the ads that portrayed our community were extremely negative, weren't in any way attempting to show us in a positive light. what this tells me is that folks understand that the latino community's a very important consumer, and whether folks want to accept it or not, a major fabric of our community. but at the more micro level, what it tells me is that in that marketing room, we didn't have latinos in the room... >> right. >> ...right, to have that discussion, and that's where you see the disparity. we're great consumers, we're great voter blocks when we do get organized, but when it comes to the decision-making component of things, that's where we really have to fight to get in through those doors. >> right. >> stephanie, that's what i wanted to ask you. don't they have consultants? >> they should. >> didn't hire me. [ laughter ] >> exactly -- didn't hire him. i would think they would because, i mean, that was kind of, you know, not really something i would want to do. i mean, i love my last name. i would wear it anywhere. >> on the neck? >> but, yeah, probably not on my neck. i know my cousin has a big tat on his back with our last name, but at the same time, it was just not representative of who we are as a community, and i think they should hire consultants that are hispanic that could speak to the community and can actually talk about these issues. >> let's move on, rolando, as somebody who is in the business of public relations and the importance of being part of the community, of doing public service. >> mm-hmm. i think for me, it's always been -- my career started in public service, evolved into business when i left public service, but everything i do is driven with the understanding of understanding where i come from, having a strong pulse in terms of not only my community, but it's important to say other communities. we expect communities to learn about us, to be a part of our fabric. equally, we have to do the same to become a part of a larger fabric where we don't lose our sense of identity, but we share a sense of identity or are equally receptive. for me, that's been tremendously advantageous because it allows for me to go into any setting, any socioeconomic group, whether it's a c.e.o. of a major publicly traded company or someone in the neighborhood like the one i grew up in, and i can connect just fine. but that's a competitive advantage. my children all speak spanish. they're 3, 2 and 2. i think my boys are speaking spanish or making spanish-sounding noises, but the understanding being, we have to stay competitive by being true to ourselves and receptive to everyone else's point of view, as well, to make us stronger as we move forward. >> i can't let you go before asking you this. the pope was in town... >> he was. >> ...as we all know. please, if you will, fill in the blanks. the pope was meaningful to hispanics in which way? each one of you. adriana. >> i think just going back to that sense of feeling like we are together and

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