El Observador November 19th, 2021 by Angelica Rossi

VOLUME 42 ISSUE 47 | WWW.EL-OBSERVADOR.COM | NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

COVER: PACO ROJAS PHOTO: WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS

OPINION

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PUBLISHER Angelica Rossi angelica@el-observador. com PUBLISHER EMERITUS Hilbert Morales hmorales@el-observador. com ADVERTISING & SALES DIRECTOR Angelica Rossi angelica@el-observador. com ADVERTISING SALES JOB & RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING Justin Rossi justin@el-observador.com MANAGING EDITOR Arturo Hilario arturo@el-observador.com spanish.editor@el-observador. com CONTRIBUTORS Justin Rossi Mario Jimenez Hector Curriel OP-ED Arturo Hilario Arturo@el-observador ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLES AND LEGAL NOTICES Angelica Rossi frontdesk@el-observador. com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Francisco Rojas fcorojas@el-observador. com ABOUT US El Observador was founded in 1980 to serve the informational needs of the Hispanic community in the San Francisco Bay Area with special focus on San Jose, the capital of Silicon Valley. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced by any form or by any means, this includes photo copying, recording or by any informational storage and retrevial systems, electronic or mechanical without express written consent of the publishers. Opinions expressed in El Observador by persons submitting articles are not necessarily the opinions of the publishers.

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NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

ESPAÑOL

ENGLISH

José López Zamorano La Red Hispana

On the rostrum, Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman spoke. After all, not only were the two parties crucial to approving the package, but the House of Representatives would not have been able to pass it without 13 Republicans joining the "Yes" column.

espués de permanecer durante años en las sombras, el espíritu del bipartidismo reapareció esta semana en una luminosa tarde otoñal en la capital de los Estados Unidos. Durante una ceremonia concurrida por republicanos y demócratas, el presidente Joel Biden promulgó el ambicioso paquete bipartidista de infraestructura física por más de 1 millón de millones de dólares, que permitirá crear millones de empleos y dar una nueva estancada en la ruta hacia una economía “verde”. En la tribuna habló la senadora demócrata de Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema y el senador republicano de Ohio, Rob Portman. Después de todo, no sólo fueron cruciales los dos partidos para aprobar el paquete, sino que en la cámara de representantes no hubiera sido posible aprobarlo sin que 13 republicanos se sumarán a la columna del “Sí”. El presidente Biden, cuya popularidad ha caído 12 puntos porcentuales desde su punto más alto durante su presidencia, Lucía explicablemente contento. El plan de infraestructura física es una de las dos joyas legislativas de su presidencia, y de su éxito probablemente dependa la posibilidad de que los demócratas retengan el control del congreso del próximo año. “Sé que están cansados de los dimes y diretes en Washington. Frustrados por la negatividad”, yo Biden dirigiéndose al público estadounidense. “Hoy quiero decirles que los escuchamos y los vemos. Esta ley…es prueba de que demócratas y republicanos podemos trabajar juntos”. El presidente tiene razón. La abrumadora mayoría de las iniciativas de ley de la era Trump fueron aprobadas sin apoyo de los demócratas. Y la mayor iniciativa de rescate por la pandemia, aprobada en el congreso en marzo pasado, pasó sin apoyo de los republicanos. El hecho de que el paquete de infraestructura física haya sido probado con el apoyo de los dos partidos, abre una ventana de esperanza de que es posible avanzar una agenda legislativa en beneficio del pueblo estadounidense. Y no es para menos. El paquete incluye 110 mil millones para carreteras, 66 mil millones para Internet de alta velocidad , 66 mil millones en trenes de pasajeros y carga, 65 mil millones para reconstruir la red eléctrica, 40 mil millones para reparación, reemplazo y rehabilitación de puentes, 39 mil millones para el sistema de transporte público, 25 mil millones para la modernización de aeropuerto, 17 mil millones en infraestructura portuaria y 7.5 mil millones para red nacional de cargadores de vehículos eléctricos. Sólo la asignación presupuestal para el transporte público, tan importante para la comunidad latina, ya está rindiendo

Photo Credit: La Red Hispana

beneficios, porque algunas localidades han decidido no subir los precios gracias al apoyo federal. Ojalá ese espíritu bipartidista reviviera nuevamente para lograr la aprobación de la segunda joya de la corona, la iniciativa de infraestructura social. La pandemia ha profundizado la brecha de desigualdad para las comunidades más vulnerables, que coincidentemente corresponden a los de los trabajadores esenciales. No se trata de un gasto, sino de una inversión a largo plazo, para que nadie se quede atrás.

José López Zamorano La Red Hispana

fter years in the shadows, the spirit of bipartisanship reappeared this week on a bright autumn afternoon in the United States capital.

During a ceremony attended by Republicans and Democrats, President Joel Biden enacted the ambitious bipartisan package of physical infrastructure for more than 1 trillion dollars, which will create millions of jobs Para más información visita www.lar- and give a new stalemate on the path to a “green economy.” edhispana.com.

President Biden, whose popularity has dropped 12 percentage points from his peak during his presidency, is understandably pleased. The physical infrastructure plan is one of the two legislative jewels of his presidency, and his success will probably depend on whether the Democrats will retain control of Congress next year. “I know you are tired of the bickering in Washington. Frustrated by negativity,” said Biden addressing the American public. “Today I want to tell you that we listen to you and we see you. This law ... is proof that Democrats and Republicans can work together." The president is right. The overwhelming majority of the Trumpera bills passed without Democratic support. And the largest rescue initiative for the pandemic, approved in Congress last March, passed without Republican support. The fact that the physical infrastructure package has been tested with the support of both parties opens a window of hope that it is possible to advance a legislative agenda for the benefit of the American people. And it is not for less. The package includes 110 billion for highways, 66 billion for high-speed Internet, 66 billion for passenger and freight trains, 65 billion for rebuilding the power grid, 40 billion for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation, 39 billion for the public transportation system, 25 billion for airport modernization, 17 billion for port infrastructure and 7.5 billion for the national network of electric vehicle chargers. The budget allocation for public transportation, so important to the Latino community, is already paying off, because some localities have decided not to raise transportation prices thanks to federal support. I wish that bipartisan spirit would revive again to win the approval of the second jewel in the crown, the social infrastructure initiative. The pandemic has deepened the inequality gap for the most vulnerable communities, which coincidentally correspond to those of essential workers. It is not an expense, but a long-term investment, so that no one is left behind. For more information visit www.laredhispana.com.

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

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ADVOCATES CALL FOR ELIMINATING GROUP HOMES FOR FOSTER KIDS ENGLISH

MAIN NEWS

LOS DEFENSORES PIDEN LA ELIMINACIÓN DE LOS HOGARES GRUPALES PARA NIÑOS DE CRIANZA ESPAÑOL

Suzanne Potter California News Service

ares a menudo es la mejor opción, siempre que se consulte al niño. "De hecho, preguntemos a los jóvenes con quién les gustaría ser ubicados", dijo Cancel. "Pidamos a la familia que dé un paso al frente. Todavía no estamos maximizando tías, tíos, primos, abuela, abuelo".

ACRAMENTO, Calif. - Group homes and large institutional foster-care settings should be phased out - that's the recommendation of a recent report that surveyed youths in foster care. The youths interviewed for the "Away from Home" report complained of feeling vulnerable to further abuse, with little privacy or personal connection.

California, que tiene 60,000 niños en cuidado de crianza, se ha estado alejando del cuidado colectivo durante años. La Asociación de Directores de Bienestar Social del Condado recomienda más fondos y que se dé prioridad al reclutamiento de nuevas familias de crianza.

Report co-author Sixto Cancel, founder and CEO of the nonprofit "Think of Us", said placement with relatives often is the best option, as long as the child is consulted.

El estado también comprometió $ 100 millones en el presupuesto más reciente para ayudar a los condados a construir instalaciones para jóvenes en crianza temporal con necesidades complejas de salud mental.

"Let's actually ask young people who they would like to be placed with," said Cancel. "Let's ask the family to step up. We are still not actually maximizing aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, grandpa." California, which has 60,000 children in foster care, has been moving away from congregate care for years. The County Welfare Directors' Association recommends more funding and that priority be given to recruiting new foster families. The state also committed $100 million in the most recent budget to help counties build facilities for foster youths with complex mental-health needs. Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez is vice president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Center for Systems Innovation. She applauded states like California, which have a dedicated ombudsman to handle

A report from the group "Listen to Us" finds that abused children too often are traumatized further while in foster care. Photo Credit: Wallyir / Morguefile

allegations of abuse or neglect within the foster system. "The young people who were brave enough to make themselves loud and clear through the Away from Home report are telling us that now really is the time to hear them," said Gasca-Gonzalez. "They want us to hear their truth, they want us to heed their wisdom, and they want us to help them heal." A 2020 study in the Journal of Children and Youth Services shows that an average of one in five foster-care kids in the state will end up in congregate living. And according to the Children's Law Center, only 53% graduate high school on time.

Vuelva de manera segura a la vida que ama. El condado de Santa Clara tiene muchas clínicas de vacunación sin cita previa con horarios los fines de semana, por la noche y de día para cubrir sus necesidades. Simplemente vaya cuando pueda o programe una cita que le convenga. Las vacunas del COVID-19 son gratuitas y seguras, y están disponibles para mayores de 12 años. Protéjase y proteja a sus seres queridos: ¡vacúnese hoy! Obtenga más información: scfhp.com/vacuna-covid19

Suzanne Potter California News Service

ACRAMENTO, Calif. - Los hogares grupales y los entornos de cuidado de crianza institucional grandes deben eliminarse gradualmente; esa es la recomendación de un informe reciente que encuestó a jóvenes en cuidado de crianza. Los jóvenes entrevistados para el informe "Away from Home" se quejaron de sentirse vulnerables a nuevos abusos, con poca privacidad o conexión personal. El coautor del informe, Sixto Cancel, fundador y director ejecutivo de la organización sin fines de lucro "Think of Us", dijo que la ubicación con famili-

Sandra Gasca-González es vicepresidenta del Centro de Innovación de Sistemas de la Fundación Annie E. Casey. Aplaudió a estados como California, que tienen un defensor del pueblo dedicado a manejar las denuncias de abuso o negligencia dentro del sistema de crianza. "Los jóvenes que fueron lo suficientemente valientes como para expresarse en voz alta y clara a través del informe Fuera de casa nos dicen que ahora es el momento de escucharlos", dijo GascaGonzález. "Quieren que escuchemos su verdad, quieren que prestemos atención a su sabiduría y quieren que los ayudemos a sanar". Un estudio de 2020 en el Journal of Children and Youth Services muestra que un promedio de uno de cada cinco niños en hogares de crianza en el estado terminará viviendo en congregación. Y según el Children's Law Center, solo el 53% se gradúa a tiempo de la escuela secundaria.

EDUCATION

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CA'S LATINX COLLEGE STUDENTS MAKE BIG GAINS, YET INEQUITIES PERSIST ENGLISH

ESTUDIANTES UNIVERSITARIOS LATINX DE CA LOGRAN GRANDES AVANCES, PERO PERSISTEN BRECHAS ESPAÑOL

Suzanne Potter California News Service

ACRAMENTO, Calif. - Latinx college students in California made significant gains pre-pandemic - with jumps in college attendance and completion - but a new report says big gaps remain between white and Latinx students, particularly men. The "2021 State of Education for Latinx in California" report found that in the California State University system, fouryear graduation rates for Latinx students have doubled over the past five years. However, Dr. Vikash Reddy, senior director of policy research with the Campaign for College Opportunity, which produced the report, noted that the percentages are still low. "But that is still fewer than one in five Latinos," he said, "and just 29% of Latinas, who are graduating in four years from the Cal State University." Only 14% of Latinx adults ages 18-64 hold a bachelor's degree or higher, but that number is likely to improve, since Latinx students make up 43% of public college undergrads in the state. The report also found 89% of Latinx 19-yearolds have a high school diploma or equivalent, but only 44% of Latinx high school graduates met the A through G requirements for UC and CSU. In higher-ed, 72% of Latinx undergraduate students attend community colleges, so the report said those institutions are key to improving outcomes. Long Beach City College President Mike Munoz said his team noticed low enrollment from two feeder high schools - so they visited the 12th-grade economics and government classes and had all students fill out an application. "We eliminated the college participation gap from these two high schools," he said. "We saw a 42% increase in enrollment from these focus schools at Long Beach City College."

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

A new study finds that after six years, fewer than one-third of Latinx community college students are supported to transfer to a four-year college or university. Photo Credit: Abraham / Adobe Stock

Nuevo estudio encuentra que después de seis años, menos de un tercio de los estudiantes de colegios comunitarios latinos reciben apoyo para transferirse a un colegio o universidad de cuatro años. Photo Credit: Windows / Unsplash

The report also recommends hiring Suzanne Potter California News Service more Latinx college faculty and expanding access to Pell grants for students ACRAMENTO, CA - Estudiantes universitarios Latinx en California who are part of the Deferred Action for lograron avances significativos Childhood Arrival program, known as antes de la pandemia, con saltos en la DACA. asistencia y finalización de la universidad, pero un nuevo informe dice que Support for this reporting was made persisten grandes brechas entre los possible by Lumina Foundation. estudiantes blancos y Latinx, particular-

TÚ PUEDES AYUDAR A DIBUJAR MAPAS DE REDISTRIBUCIÓN ELECTORAL QUE REPRESENTEN A TODAS LAS PERSONAS DE CALIFORNIA

Los límites de los distritos electorales que determinan quiénes son tus representantes electos se crean sólo cada diez años. En este momento, California está redeﬁniendo estos límites, y es fundamental hacerte escuchar en nombre de tu comunidad, para que tus intereses sean escuchados en el gobierno. Tu participación en este proceso ayuda a asegurar que tu voz sea tomada en cuenta por los líderes elegidos cuando se tomen decisiones sobre la ﬁnanciación de la educación de los niños y cuando se determinan las tasas de impuestos. Una herramienta en internet, de uso gratuito, está ahora disponible para todos los residentes de California, para que puedan dar su opinión durante este proceso. Los mapas de redistribución electoral justos son creados cuando personas como tú participan.

Visita www.wedrawthelinesca.org

para ver los nuevos mapas de redistribución electoral, hacer tus preguntas y compartir tus inquietudes.

mente los hombres. El informe Estado de la Educación para Latinx en California 2021 encontrado en el sistema de la Universidad Estatal de California, dice que la tasa de graduados de 4 años se ha duplicado en los últimos 5 años. Sin embargo, el Dr. Vikash Reddy, de Campana por Oportunidades Universitarias, organización que produjo el informe, señala que los porcentajes siguen siendo bajos. Todavía es menos de 1 de cada 5 latinos, y solo el 29% de las latinas se graduaran en 4 años de la Cal State University", agrego también el Dr. Reddy. Solo el 14% de los adultos latinos de entre 18 y 64 años tienen una licenciatura o un título superior, pero es probable que ese número mejore, ya que los estudiantes latinos representan el 43% de los estudiantes universitarios públicos en el estado. El informe también encontró que el 89% de los latinos de 19 años tienen un diploma de escuela secundaria o equivalente, pero solo el 44% de los graduados de la escuela secundaria cumplieron con los requisitos del A al G para la Universidad de California o la Universidad Estatal de California. En la educación superior, el 72% de los estudiantes latinos de bachelorados asisten a colegios comunitarios, por lo que el informe dice que esas instituciones son clave para mejorar los resultados. El presidente del Colegio de la Ciudad de Long Beach, Mike Munoz, dice que su equipo noto una baja inscripción en dos de las escuelas secundarias más afluentes, por lo que visitaron las clases de economía y gobierno del grado 12 e hicieron que todos los estudiantes llenaran una solicitud. "Nosotros eliminamos la brecha de participación universitaria de estas dos escuelas secundarias. Vimos un aumento del 42% en la inscripción de estas escuelas enfocadas en el Colegio de la Ciudad de Long Beach", comento además Munoz. El informe también recomienda contratar más profesores universitarios Latinx y ampliar el acceso a las becas Pell para los estudiantes que forman parte del programa de Acción Diferida para la Llegada durante la Infancia (DACA). La Fundación Lumina apoyo para este informe.

proporciono

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

GREEN LIVING

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com

EARTHTALK Q&A: HAND-WASH DISHES VS DISHWASHER

EARTHTALK Q&A: LAVAR LOS TRASTES A MANO VS LAVAVAJILLAS

Running a full load of dishes in the dishwasher is much greener when it comes to energy and water usage than handwashing the same amount of dishes. Photo Credit: Wendelin, Pexels.com

Encender una carga completa de trastes en el lavavajillas es mucho más ecológico en cuanto al uso de energía y agua que lavar a mano la misma cantidad de platos. Photo Credit: Catt Liu / Unsplash

ENGLISH

ESPAÑOL

Dear EarthTalk: My husband thinks it's better for the planet to hand-wash dishes in the sink, but it seems to me using the dishwasher is more eco-friendly. Can you settle this debate for us? -- Chris B., Bowie, MD

Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss EarthTalk

ands-down, the dishwasher is the way to go, not only from the standpoint of water waste and energy use but also to preserve your own sanity. Who needs to be scrubbing, rinsing and drying dishes all day when an efficient machine can do the work? Modern dishwashers use much less water and energy than their forebears, so you can clean up after your meals and snacks quickly and without guilt just by filling up the dishwasher and hitting the “start” button. It’s not surprising that many of us still think hand-washing is better, given that the dishwashers of yesteryear used 10-15 gallons of water per cycle. But dishwashers sold today in the United States can only use a maximum of five gallons per cycle per the mandate of the U.S. Department of Energy. And to qualify for one of the federal government’s EnergySTAR labels identifying especially efficient appliances, dishwashers must max out their water use at 3.5 gallons per cycle. Meanwhile, handwashing the same number of dishes, pots and pans as you can fit in the dishwasher typically “consumes” some 27 gallons of water, according to a study by researchers at Germany’s University of Bonn. (They also found that some people can handwash a load of dishes with as little as 8.7 gallons of water while others use as many as 116 gallons!) “The average kitchen faucet has a flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute, meaning that you’d only have two minutes to wash an entire dishwasher’s worth of dishes to match a dishwasher’s water efficiency,” reports Savannah Sher on BobVila.com. “It would be nearly impossible to use less than five gallons of water to hand wash a full load of dishes.”

And if you’re going to use the dishwasher anyway, save yourself even more hot water by skipping the sink pre-rinse and just loading those dirty dishes right into the bottom rack. “Scrape big chunks of leftover food into the trash, but pre-rinsing isn’t necessary with modern dishwashers because they have sensors that adjust the wash cycle based on how dirty the dishes are,” says Consumer Reports’ Perry Santanachote. In fact, unnecessary pre-rinsing can waste about 6,000 gallons of water per household per year. These efficiency gains only apply to running your dishwasher when it’s full. Rather than running the dishwasher with a halfload, wait until it fills up before hitting start. (Some units have a “rinse and hold” feature that pre-rinses what’s in there so it’s easier to clean when it does fill up later.) Of course, some items—cutting boards, silver flatware, cast iron cookware, nonstick pans—will still require handwashing, but you can always try to minimize your use of them accordingly. CONTACTS: A European Comparison of Cleaning Dishes by Hand, https://www. tempurl4.uni-bonn.de/forschung/haushaltstechnik/publikationen/eedal-manualdishwashing-ht1; Dishwasher vs. Hand Washing: When to Use Each Cleaning Method, https://www.bobvila.com/articles/dishwasher-vs-hand-washing/; 9 Tricks That Save Tons of Water, https:// www.nrdc.org/stories/9-tricks-savetons-water. EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at https://emagazine. com. To donate, visit https//earthtalk.org. Send questions to: question@earthtalk. org.

Querido EarthTalk: Mi esposo cree que es mejor para el planeta lavar los trastes a mano en el fregadero, pero me parece que usar el lavavajillas es más ecológico. ¿Puedes resolver este debate por nosotros? - Chris B., Bowie, MD

Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss EarthTalk

in duda, el lavavajillas es el camino a seguir, no solo desde el punto de vista del desperdicio de agua y el uso de energía, sino también para mantener tu propia cordura. ¿Quién necesita fregar, enjuagar y secar los trastes todo el día cuando una máquina eficiente puede hacer el trabajo? Los lavaplatos modernos usan mucho menos agua y energía que sus antepasados, por lo que puedes limpiar rápidamente después de tus comidas y botanas y sin sentirte culpable con solo llenar el lavaplatos y presionar el botón de “inicio”. No es sorprendente que muchos de nosotros sigamos pensando que lavar a mano es mejor, dado que los lavavajillas de antaño usaban de 10 a 15 galones de agua por ciclo. Pero los lavavajillas que se venden hoy en día en los Estados Unidos solo pueden usar un máximo de cinco galones por ciclo según el mandato del Departamento de Energía de los EE. UU. Y para calificar para una de las etiquetas EnergySTAR del gobierno federal que identifican electrodomésticos especialmente eficientes, los lavaplatos deben maximizar su uso de agua a 3.5 galones por ciclo. Mientras tanto, lavar a mano la misma cantidad de platos, ollas y sartenes que caben en el lavavajillas normalmente "consume" unos 27 galones de agua, según un estudio realizado por investigadores de la Universidad de Bonn en Alemania. (¡También descubrieron que algunas personas pueden lavar a mano una carga de trastes con tan solo 8.7 galones de agua, mientras que otras usan hasta 116 galones!) “La llave de cocina promedio tiene un índice de flujo de 2.2 galones por minuto, lo que significa que solo tendrías dos minutos para lavar los platos de un lavavajillas completo para igualar la eficiencia del agua de un lavavajillas ", informa Savannah Sher en BobVila.com. “Sería casi imposible usar menos de cinco galones de agua para lavar

a mano una carga completa de trastes". Y si va a usar el lavavajillas de todos modos, ahórrate aún más agua caliente omitiendo el enjuague previo en el fregadero y colocando los platos sucios directamente en la rejilla inferior. "Tira grandes trozos de sobras de comida a la basura, pero el enjuague previo no es necesario con los lavavajillas modernos porque tienen sensores que ajustan el ciclo de lavado dependiendo de qué tan sucios estén los platos", dice Perry Santanachote de Consumer Reports. De hecho, el enjuague previo innecesario puede desperdiciar alrededor de 6,000 galones de agua por hogar por año. Estas ganancias de eficiencia solo aplican si prendes tu lavavajillas cuando está lleno. En lugar de prender el lavavajillas con media carga, espera hasta que se llene antes de presionar el botón de encendido. (Algunas unidades tienen una función de "enjuagar y mantener" que enjuaga previamente lo que hay ahí para que sea más fácil de limpiar cuando se llena más tarde). Por supuesto, algunos artículos (tablas de cortar, cubiertos de plata, utensilios de cocina de hierro fundido, sartenes antiadherentes) aún requerirán lavarse a mano pero siempre puedes tratar de minimizar el uso de ellos adecuadamente. CONTACTOS: A European Comparison of Cleaning Dishes by Hand, https://www. tempurl4.uni-bonn.de/forschung/haushaltstechnik/publikationen/eedal-manualdishwashing-ht1; Dishwasher vs. Hand Washing: When to Use Each Cleaning Method, https://www.bobvila.com/articles/dishwasher-vs-hand-washing/; 9 Tricks That Save Tons of Water, https://www.nrdc.org/ stories/9-tricks-save-tons-water. EarthTalk® es producido por Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss para la organización sin fines de lucro 501 (c) 3 EarthTalk. Vea más en https://emagazine.com. Para donar, visite https // earthtalk.org. Envíe sus preguntas a: question@earthtalk.org.

COMMUNITY

CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING: FOUR KEY QUESTIONS

REDISTRIBUCIÓN DE DISTRITOS EN CALIFORNIA: CUATRO PREGUNTAS CLAVES

ENGLISH

ESPAÑOL

Sameea Kamal CalMatters

But Wednesday night, California’s independent redistricting commission reached a key milestone: Its first official maps are out.

The commission’s work is far from done, however. It acknowledges that these preliminary maps are far from perfect, and that it will need the six weeks before its Dec. 27 court-ordered deadline to fix them before adopting final districts for the next decade, starting with the 2022 elections. On its schedule: At least four public input meetings starting Nov. 17 and 14 linedrawing sessions between Nov. 30 and Dec. 19. “It’s messy. It’s very slow,” commissioner Linda Akutagawa said Wednesday evening just before the vote. “But I do believe that it is a process that has enabled as many people who seek to be engaged in this process to be engaged.” The commission is working toward “final maps that will best reflect everybody,” added Akutagawa, a no party preference voter from Huntington Beach who is president and CEO of Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics. Some key questions as the 14 commissioners start their next phase: How much could the maps change? A lot, commissioners concede. While they’re required to follow a specific set of criteria, with equal population numbers being the highest priority, there are different ways to achieve those goals. The draft maps that were approved Wednesday night are generally along the lines of the final round of “visualizations” that the commission worked on this week. They include reworked congressional districts in Northern California, the Central Valley and San Diego in response to public feedback. For example, the progressive city of Davis was moved from a U.S. House district with politically conservative, rural areas in Northern California in earlier maps into a more urban, liberal district that includes parts of Yolo, Solano and Contra Costa counties. To meet its self-imposed deadline so it could avoid meetings around Thanksgiving, the commission also put a pin in several areas that need further work, including congressional and legislative districts in Los Angeles. Who are some early winners and losers? The commission responded to concerns about earlier maps that combined two congressional districts represented by longtime African American representatives into one, and kept them separate in the latest maps. Commissioners were also able to keep the Hmong community united in congressional maps, and kept Native American tribes mostly united in Congressional and state Assembly maps. The commission also addressed concerns from community members in Orange County’s Little Saigon by ensuring they were in the same state Senate district. San Joaquin County community leaders who wanted less divided districts are also likely happy with the draft maps. Meanwhile, voters in and near Tracy who were disappointed with being grouped into a congressional district with the Bay Area were relieved to see their city placed back with the Central Valley. But other areas and advocacy groups are on the losing end so far. Inyo and Mono counties, where officials asked to be kept together, were split in congressional and Senate districts, as was the city of Santa Clarita in Senate maps. “Losers” also include voters in Sacramento County,

Sameea Kamal CalMatters

agrupados en un distrito del Congreso con el Área de la Bahía se sintieron aliviados al ver que su ciudad se ubicaba de nuevo con el Valle Central.

e necesitaron semanas de largas reuniones nocturnas llenas de debates torpes y dibujos digitales, así como de un poema haiku y al menos dos canciones como comentario público.

Pero otras áreas y grupos de defensa están perdiendo hasta ahora.

t took weeks of long, late-night meetings full of wonky debate and digital line drawing — as well as a haiku and at least two songs as public comment.

The citizen panel voted unanimously to release preliminary congressional, state Senate and state Assembly districts for public comment.

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Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / CalMatters; iStock which hasn’t been as vocal in the process and is in danger of being sliced into several congressional districts, according to Jeff Burdick, a political blogger and 2020 congressional candidate. And the uncertainty surrounding the districts is making it difficult for candidates and campaigns to get going for the June primary, some political professionals told Politico. Which incumbents should be most worried? House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, who hopes to become speaker after next year’s midterm election, argues that congressional Democrats who won by 16 percentage points or less in 2020 would be in competitive races in 2022. Democrats now hold 42 of California’s 53 U.S. House seats. The draft congressional map creates 39 Democratic-leaning districts, 7 Republican-leaning seats and 6 toss-up districts, according to FiveThirtyEight, a political website. One factor that could help tip the balance in favor of Republicans: voter concerns about the economy. A poll released this week by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that majorities in the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego are more pessimistic about the economy. And those are areas where some seats are already closely contested. The preliminary congressional districts could make reelection more difficult for Democratic Reps. John Garamendi of Walnut Grove, Josh Harder of Turlock and Lucille Roybal-Allard of Los Angeles, as well as GOP Reps. Mike Garcia of northern Los Angeles County and Devin Nunes of Tulare. What are outside observers concerned about? Transparency, or the lack thereof, has been a recurring complaint during the process so far. Some experts have raised concerns that one data set — known as the Racially Polarized Voting Analysis — is not made public. It drives much of the decisionmaking around Voting Rights Act districts — ones where minorities make up more than 50% of the voting-age population — but those conversations happen in closed session. Despite the advances in technology the commission is able to use, such as a public line-drawing tool, the panel didn’t post its preliminary maps until hours before voting, giving the public less time to review them. And the ones it posted, as with some earlier maps, were not easy to decipher. Commission spokesperson Fredy Ceja responded that the commission posted maps as soon as possible and that with the draft maps approved, “the public will be able to use our map viewer on the website to zoom in and out of districts.” In addition, some complained about the lack of a clear schedule — specifically, when public comment would be allowed. For some, that meant waiting on the phone for hours to speak, though the commission issued frequent reminders that comments submitted online were also reviewed. Ceja said that while the commission tried to start with an agenda, things changed “quickly and constantly.” “We communicated changes as they arose,” he said via email. But, at times, even some commissioners have been exasperated. During the Nov. 7 meeting, Sara Sadhwani tweeted only an emoji: the face screaming in fear.

Pero finalmente el miércoles 10 de noviembre por la noche, la comisión de redistribución de distritos independiente de California alcanzó un hito clave: sus primeros mapas oficiales están publicados en https:// www.wedrawthelinesca.org/draft_maps. El panel de ciudadanos votó por unanimidad para liberar los distritos preliminares del Congreso, Senado estatal y Asamblea del Estado para comentarios públicos. Sin embargo, el trabajo de la comisión está lejos de terminar. Reconoce que estos mapas preliminares están lejos de ser perfectos, y que necesitará seis semanas antes de la fecha límite del 27 de diciembre ordenada por la corte para corregirlos antes de adoptar distritos definitivos para la próxima década, comenzando con las elecciones de 2022. Según su cronograma: habrá al menos cuatro reuniones de opinión pública a partir del 17 de noviembre y 14 sesiones de dibujo de líneas entre el 30 de noviembre y el 19 de diciembre. “Está desordenado. Es muy lento”, dijo la comisionada Linda Akutagawa el miércoles por la noche justo antes de la votación. “Pero sí creo que es un proceso que ha permitido que se involucren tantas personas que buscan participar en este proceso”. La comisión está trabajando para lograr “mapas finales que reflejen mejor a todos”, agregó Akutagawa, un votante sin preferencias partidistas de Huntington Beach que es presidente y director ejecutivo de Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics. Algunas preguntas clave cuando los 14 comisionados comienzan su próxima fase: ¿Cuánto podrían cambiar los mapas? Mucho, afirman los comisionados. Si bien se les exige que sigan un conjunto específico de criterios, siendo la mayor prioridad el mismo número de habitantes, existen diferentes formas de lograr esos objetivos. Los borradores de mapas que fueron aprobados el miércoles por la noche están generalmente en la línea de la ronda final de “visualizaciones” en las que la comisión trabajó esta semana. Incluyen distritos electorales reelaborados en el norte de California, el Valle Central y San Diego en respuesta a los comentarios del público. Por ejemplo, la ciudad progresista de Davis fue trasladada de un distrito de la Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos con áreas rurales políticamente conservadoras en el norte de California en mapas anteriores a un distrito más urbano y liberal que incluye partes de los condados de Yolo, Solano y Contra Costa. Para cumplir con su fecha límite autoimpuesta para evitar reuniones alrededor del Día de Acción de Gracias, la comisión también colocó un alfiler de revisión en varias áreas que necesitan más trabajo, incluidos los distritos legislativos y del Congreso en Los Ángeles. ¿Quiénes son algunos de los primeros ganadores y perdedores? La comisión respondió a las preocupaciones sobre mapas anteriores que combinaban dos distritos del Congreso representados por representantes afroamericanos desde hace mucho tiempo en uno, y los mantenían separados en los mapas más recientes. Los comisionados también pudieron mantener unida a la comunidad Hmong en los mapas del Congreso y mantuvieron unidas a las tribus nativas americanas en su mayoría en los mapas del Congreso y de la Asamblea estatal. La comisión también abordó las preocupaciones de los miembros de la comunidad en Little Saigon del condado de Orange asegurándose de que estuvieran en el mismo distrito del Senado estatal. Los líderes de la comunidad del condado de San Joaquín que querían distritos menos divididos también probablemente estén contentos con los mapas preliminares. Mientras tanto, los votantes de Tracy y sus alrededores que estaban decepcionados de haber sido

Los condados de Inyo y Mono, donde los funcionarios pidieron mantenerse unidos, se dividieron en distritos del Congreso y del Senado, al igual que la ciudad de Santa Clarita en los mapas del Senado. Los “perdedores” también incluyen a los votantes en el condado de Sacramento, que no ha sido tan vocal en el proceso y está en peligro de ser dividido en varios distritos del Congreso, según Jeff Burdick, un bloguero político y candidato al Congreso de 2020. Y la incertidumbre que rodea a los distritos dificulta que los candidatos y las campañas se pongan en marcha para las primarias de junio, dijeron algunos profesionales políticos a la revista Politico. ¿Qué funcionarios deberían estar más preocupados? El líder republicano de la Cámara de Representantes Kevin McCarthy de Bakersfield, quien espera convertirse en presidente de la Cámara de Representantes después de las elecciones de mitad de período del próximo año, argumenta que los demócratas del Congreso que ganaron por 16 puntos porcentuales o menos en 2020 estarían en contiendas competitivas en 2022. Un factor que podría ayudar a inclinar la balanza a favor de los republicanos: las preocupaciones de los votantes sobre la economía. Una encuesta publicada esta semana por el Instituto de Políticas Públicas de California mostró que la mayoría en el Valle Central, Inland Empire, el condado de Orange y San Diego son más pesimistas sobre la economía. Y esas son áreas donde algunos escaños ya están muy disputados. Los distritos electorales preliminares podrían dificultar la reelección de los representantes demócratas John Garamendi de Walnut Grove, Josh Harder de Turlock y Lucille Roybal-Allard de Los Ángeles, así como de los representantes republicanos Mike García del norte del condado de Los Ángeles y Devin Nunes de Tulare. ¿Qué les preocupa a los observadores externos? La transparencia, o la falta de ella, ha sido una queja recurrente durante el proceso hasta el momento. Algunos expertos han expresado su preocupación de que un conjunto de datos, conocido como Análisis de Votación Racialmente Polarizado, no se haga público. Impulsa gran parte de la toma de decisiones en torno a los distritos de la Ley de Derechos Electorales, aquellos en los que las minorías representan más del 50% de la población en edad de votar, pero esas conversaciones ocurren en sesiones cerradas. A pesar de los avances en tecnología que la comisión puede utilizar, como una herramienta pública de dibujo de líneas, el panel no publicó sus mapas preliminares hasta horas antes de la votación, lo que le dio al público menos tiempo para revisarlos. Y los que publicó, al igual que con algunos mapas anteriores, no fueron fáciles de descifrar. El portavoz de la Comisión, Fredy Ceja, respondió que la comisión publicó mapas lo antes posible y que con los mapas en borrador aprobados, “el público podrá usar nuestro visor de mapas en el sitio web para acercar y alejar los distritos”. Además, algunos se quejaron de la falta de un calendario claro, específicamente, cuándo se permitirían los comentarios del público. Para algunos, eso significó esperar en el teléfono durante horas para hablar, aunque la comisión emitió recordatorios frecuentes de que los comentarios enviados en línea también fueron revisados. Ceja dijo que si bien la comisión trató de comenzar con una agenda, las cosas cambiaron “rápida y constantemente”. “Comunicamos los cambios a medida que surgían”, dijo por correo electrónico. Pero, en ocasiones, incluso algunos comisionados se han exasperado. Durante la reunión del 7 de noviembre, Sara Sadhwani tuiteó solo una imagen de ‘emoji’: la cara gritando de miedo. Para el registro: una versión anterior de esta historia incluía referencias obsoletas a un mapa preliminar anterior que afectaba a la representante demócrata Ami Bera de Elk Grove.

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UNA ALADA ADVERTENCIA: LAS AVES MIGRATORIAS ESTÁN SIENDO MUCHO MÁS AFECTADAS POR LA SEQUÍA DE CALIFORNIA DE LO QUE SE CREÍA

Julie Cart CalMatters

ice algo sobre la complejidad de la crisis del agua de California que hay tantos actores en las guerras del agua en el estado, todos clamando por más. La naturaleza, por sí sola, guarda silencio en esta lucha, confiando en que otros hablen en nombre del bienestar de la vida silvestre y las vías fluviales. En todo el estado, biólogos, agricultores y cazadores están ayudando a la naturaleza. A veces es una intervención extrema: transportar salmones jóvenes cuando la sequía reduce los ríos. Pero este año estos salvavidas no son suficientes. Las aves migratorias, protegidas por leyes estatales y nacionales y un tratado internacional, están sufriendo mucho durante esta sequía, incluso más rápido que durante la última gran sequía, que duró cinco años y terminó a principios de 2017. California es el eslabón más crítico en la Ruta de vuelo del Pacífico de 4.000 millas de largo, una ruta a lo largo de la costa oeste donde millones de aves se desplazan entre sus hogares de verano e invierno. Es un viaje arduo, saliendo de los humedales y vías fluviales, lo que permite a las aves descansar y repostar, reforzando las fuerzas para su viaje. Los expertos en vida silvestre dicen que la severa sequía de este año ha desacoplado esa conectividad. Las rutas normales, grabadas durante mucho tiempo en los sistemas de navegación de las aves migratorias, se han vuelto locas. La gran sequedad ha eliminado muchas de las paradas de descanso de la ruta migratoria en California, particularmente en la región del extremo norte de Klamath, lo que ha obligado a patos, gansos, águilas, garzas y otras aves que viajan a permanecer en el aire y seguir buscando. Los biólogos del norte de California y Oregón dicen que están rastreando bandadas que se desvían de las rutas de vuelo establecidas, buscando agua donde hay poca. Los expertos dicen que ya está surgiendo evidencia después de un año de esta sequía de que su laborioso viaje está debilitando y estresando a las aves que luchan por encontrar humedales a lo largo de su viaje para descansar y alimentarse.

sos Hídricos del estado invirtió $ 8 millones este otoño. En el extremo norte del Valle Central, las tierras agrícolas se inundan y gestionan como hábitat de aves migratorias para los agotados viajeros anuales que llegan desde lugares tan lejanos como Alaska y Rusia.

desaparecido para el desarrollo y la agricultura, por lo que las aves migratorias son especialmente vulnerables a las sequías prolongadas. “El viaje, desde la perspectiva humana, es enorme”, dijo Andrew Farnsworth, quien investiga la migración de aves en el Laboratorio de Ornitología de Cornell. “Requiere mucha energía. Algunos comienzan en Alaska. Los vuelos de 4.000 millas son absolutamente habituales y volarán sin escalas durante unos días. Tener los recursos que necesitan es de vital importancia”. Melanie Weaver, coordinadora de aves acuáticas del Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre del estado, confía en la capacidad de adaptación de las aves migratorias y dice que “los patos y los gansos están preparados para pasar por la sequía. No caen del cielo. Tienen alas, se mueven dónde está la comida y el agua”. Pero la naturaleza generalizada de esta sequía en todo Occidente, y su gravedad y duración potencial, pueden desafiar incluso a la vida silvestre más resistente. “Me preocupa que no vayamos a ver que las poblaciones regresen”, dijo Weaver. “Esta sequía es mala. Las probabilidades están en nuestra contra”. Incluso las tormentas invernales recientes, que arrojaron lluvia en el norte y el centro del estado e hicieron crecer algunos ríos y arroyos, no hicieron mella para aliviar la sequía de California, la pérdida de humedales o la escasez de agua. “Me preocupa que no vayamos a ver que las poblaciones regresen. Esta sequía está muy mal. Las probabilidades están en nuestra contra”. -MELANIE WEAVER, DEPARTAMENTO DE PESCA Y VIDA SILVESTRE DEL ESTADO Resiliente pero aun luchando Los lugares de descanso y alimentación en los refugios de vida silvestre están superpoblados este año, lo que puede fomentar picos en las enfermedades infecciosas o transmitidas por el agua que se propagan de cerca. El botulismo aviar y el cólera, presentes incluso

El complejo del Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre del Río Sacramento recibió el 75% de sus asignaciones de agua este año. Photo Credit: Nina Riggio / CalMatters en años húmedos, aumentan en épocas áridas. Un brote de botulismo en la cuenca baja de Klamath el año pasado mató a unas 60.000 aves, probablemente muchas más.

la tercera semana de octubre del año pasado, el recuento aproximado de aves acuáticas fue de casi 800.000 aves. Este año fueron 600.000.

Hasta ahora, los refugios de Klamath no han experimentado un brote de enfermedad grave como el que tuvo lugar el año pasado. “Pero durante la primavera podría ser una historia diferente si las aves abandonan el Valle Central temprano y regresan al Klamath, donde hay poco o ningún hábitat disponible”, dijo Sawyer.

Y, para ilustrar cómo la intensidad de esta sequía llega antes que la anterior: la población de gansos del refugio hoy es menos de la mitad que en el mismo mes de 2015, que fue el peor año de la región durante la última sequía.

Las marismas, arroyos y pastizales de Klamath proporcionan paradas vitales durante los largos viajes de las aves: más del 80% de las aves migratorias en la ruta migratoria del Pacífico las utilizan como escala en primavera y otoño. Pero la región ha sido una de las más afectadas por la sequía estatal de este año. Los casos de aves jóvenes “varadas” se amplifican durante la sequía. Los patos zambullidores, que incluyen ánades reales, anidan en las tierras altas y deben caminar hasta las fuentes de agua. Durante los períodos secos, esas marchas pueden ser demasiado largas para las aves jóvenes que no tienen plumas de vuelo, por lo que no pueden sobrevivir. Los biólogos dicen que esto sucede en todo el estado, incluso en años normales, pero es más común durante la sequía. Si bien la región de Klamath es la más afectada, los humedales más al sur de la ruta migratoria también están en mal estado. En el Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre del Río Sacramento, el conteo de aves de octubre no es alentador. Para

Los biólogos hablan sobre la capacidad de recuperación de las aves, programadas para seguir adelante, pero ahora hay pocas buenas noticias y menos aún para el futuro cercano. La Sociedad Nacional Audubon estima que dos tercios de las aves de América del Norte corren un riesgo creciente de extinción debido al cambio climático. Esa vulnerabilidad se repite en todo el mundo: solo el 9% de las aves migratorias del planeta tienen áreas protegidas a lo largo de sus rutas, y la pérdida de hábitat y el cambio climático es “un factor que contribuye a la disminución de más de la mitad de las especies de aves migratorias en las principales rutas migratorias en los últimos 30 años”. Las aves migratorias, que hace un siglo llenaban el cielo y tapaban el sol durante los viajes a lo largo de la larga columna vertebral de California, necesitan ayuda. Para hacer que el estado sea más hospitalario con las aves migratorias durante la sequía, los programas estatales y federales están pagando a los agricultores para que mantengan el agua en sus campos. El Departamento de Recur-

Pero la cantidad de agua de ríos y lagos asignada para refugios de vida silvestre se ha reducido sustancialmente este año. El Refugio del Bajo Klamath ha estado operando con la mitad de sus asignaciones de agua de ríos y arroyos desde 2006, pero este año ha sido devastador: recibió menos del 1% de sus asignaciones. Con la pérdida de más del 99% de sus humedales, este año nacieron pocos polluelos en el refugio. La mayoría de las aves no se molestaron en detenerse allí para anidar, sino que se mudaron a refugios en el área de Sacramento, que recibió el 75% de su asignación habitual de agua. “El verano pasado hubo una reproducción de aves acuáticas extremadamente reducida en el refugio (de Klamath) debido al hábitat disponible muy limitado”, dijo Sawyer. Diagnóstico: sequía El águila real juvenil, marcada con el número 2-21-0824, yacía boca arriba sobre una mesa de necropsia de acero inoxidable en el Laboratorio de Salud de Vida Silvestre del estado al norte de Sacramento. Lo habían descubierto muerto en Bakersfield, en el suelo y demacrado, y llevado a una organización de rescate de vida silvestre. Su cadáver fue colocado en una bolsa de basura negra, congelado y enviado por FedEx a Krysta Rogers, jefa de investigaciones de aves de la agencia estatal de peces y vida silvestre. El trabajo de Rogers es descubrir qué causó la muerte del pichón. Ella seleccionó unas tijeras de podar grandes, del tipo que los jardineros podrían usar para cortar una gran rama de árbol. Con un fuerte crujido, rompió el fémur del pájaro, dejando a un lado una sección de hueso para un análisis más detallado. Al examinar metódicamente el cadáver, Rogers supo que el ave no estaba entre los animales no contados que sucumbieron a cau-

Este año es el más seco registrado en la cuenca del Bajo Klamath, una exuberante región de pantanos y arroyos que se extiende a ambos lados de la frontera entre Oregón y California. Los refugios están “casi completamente secos”, dijo la portavoz del Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Estados Unidos, Susan Sawyer.

sas relacionadas con la sequía. En cambio, la muerte del pichón fue un caso de mala limpieza. Es probable que los padres del águila llevaran a casa comidas de ardillas especialmente gordas, dijo Rogers. La grasa cubrió las alas del pájaro, dejándolo incapaz de volar. En un golpe final, es posible que su compañero de nido lo empujara fuera de la casa familiar para guardar la comida para sí mismo. Atribuir una muerte a la sequía es un rompecabezas complejo de resolver, cuando la naturaleza ofrece tantas formas de morir. “No suele ser algo directo y causal”, dijo Rogers, todavía encorvado sobre el pájaro. “Pero podemos decir que en algunos casos (la sequía) es un factor que contribuye” a la muerte de aves. Lo que hace la sequía es hacer que la ya precaria existencia de la vida silvestre sea aún más peligrosa. Cuando los patrones climáticos normales están fuera de lugar, incluso en pequeña medida, el impacto en las aves y su entorno puede ser profundo. Las aves pueden morir durante los eventos de calor extremo que a veces acompañan a la sequía. Eso sucedió esta primavera y verano, con lechuzas jóvenes muriendo de estrés por calor al refugiarse en cajas nido que la gente construyó en sus patios en los condados de Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Diego, Stanislaus, Yolo y Los Ángeles. Los problemas de calidad del agua pueden ocurrir cuando personas bien intencionadas mantienen baños para pájaros en el patio trasero con agua estancada que no circula, lo que acelera la propagación de parásitos. La enfermedad se puede propagar cuando las aves rapaces u otros animales se alimentan de aves enfermas. “Los arroyos y riachuelos no funcionan como normalmente lo harían”, dijo Rogers. “Las aves y otros animales dependen más de fuentes artificiales de agua y alimentos. Espero ver brotes de enfermedades en comederos para pájaros y fuentes artificiales de agua, como baños y fuentes para pájaros”. Los funcionarios estatales de vida silvestre no pueden decir con certeza que las poblaciones de aves migratorias han disminuido; Casi dos años de COVID-19 han dejado en tierra los vuelos de reconocimiento de aves y la migración invernal de este año tiene meses para el final. Pero tienen que pasar la última sequía, y eso sugiere que las aves migratorias están en problemas. Los científicos esperan que los datos actuales reflejen las disminuciones durante el apogeo de la última sequía. Población de cría de patos en 2015 en California cayó un 30% en comparación con 2014, de acuerdo con un Departamento de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Estados Unidos estudio.

Como resultado, casi todos los patos desaparecieron. Un reconocimiento aéreo reciente del vasto refugio mostró alrededor de 34.000 patos este año en comparación con 1,5 millones en 1948; El cercano refugio del lago Tule tenía solo unos 30.000 patos en la encuesta, frente a los 3,5 millones.

“Eso no nos sorprendió”, dijo Weaver, de la agencia estatal de vida silvestre, quien también forma parte del Consejo de la ruta migratoria del Pacífico. “¿Por qué criar cuando tu hábitat no está ahí? Disminuyen las poblaciones locales. Se recuperan cuando las condiciones mejoran”.

En el lapso de unas pocas generaciones humanas, incluso en años de abundantes lluvias, el 90% de los humedales de California han

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Aun así, dijo, los ciclos interminables de sequía en todo Occidente, combinados con la drástica pérdida de humedales, podrían significar que las poblaciones de aves migratorias nunca volverán a cifras históricas.

2014, “esta sequía es mucho peor”, dijo Kelsey. Los productores de arroz “le dirán que la situación del agua es algo que no han visto desde la sequía de finales de los 70”.

Campos inundados de pájaros

Paul Buttner, director ejecutivo de la Fundación Ricelands Waterbird de California, calificó el panorama como “realmente, realmente deprimente”.

En años normales, cuando el agua es abundante y asequible, unos 270.000 acres de campos de arroz de invierno en el Valle de Sacramento se inundan ligeramente y están disponibles para recibir aves playeras invernales, como ibis cara blanca, garzas azules y muchas variedades de gansos y patos. El Valle Central, con su abundancia habitual de comida y espacio, alberga al 30% de las aves playeras y al 60% de los patos y gansos en toda la ruta migratoria del Pacífico, casi 3 millones de patos, 1 millón de gansos y medio millón de aves playeras que hibernan anualmente. Dadas las severas condiciones de sequía y la escasez de agua disponible, hay sustancialmente menos hábitat para esas bandadas este año. Luke Matthews, biólogo de la Comisión del Arroz de California, dijo que su grupo estima que este año solo hay 60.000 acres de tierra de arroz inundada. Agregar la superficie apoyada por varios programas de conservación estatales y privados eleva el hábitat agrícola invernal total a poco más de 100,000 acres, dijo Matthews. Aun así, desde la perspectiva de las aves migratorias hambrientas y exhaustas, el Valle de Sacramento debe parecer desde el aire como un refugio de spa con un buffet libre de todo lo que pueda comer. Una vez asentadas, las aves obtendrán el 50% de su dieta del arroz que queda en el suelo después de la cosecha de otoño. Hasta 300 libras de arroz por acre están disponibles para las aves después de la cosecha. Las tierras agrícolas han resultado críticas para llenar los vacíos causados por la pérdida de humedales de California. El suelo denso y arcilloso es casi impermeable: un recipiente de agua poco profundo ideal para cultivar arroz y albergar aves. Dado que las preocupaciones por la contaminación del aire casi terminaron con la práctica de quemar la paja de arroz después de la cosecha, las inundaciones de los campos cosechados benefician tanto a los agricultores como a las aves: mientras se alimentan en los campos, las patas de los pájaros diminutos y los gansos pisando fuerte agitan y airean los suelos, lo que ayuda a que la paja del arroz se descomponga, preparando la tierra para la cosecha de la próxima temporada. Una colección dispar de agencias y grupos privados está financiando “humedales emergentes”. Los agricultores están levantando cada vez más la mano para albergar humedales, viendo un beneficio doble: para los productores de arroz, las inundaciones invernales tienen sentido financiero pero también atraen a aquellos con una mentalidad conservacionista. “Cultivamos dos cultivos: cultivamos arroz y cultivamos aves”, dijo Nicole Montna Van Vleck, presidenta de Montna Farms en Yuba City. Los campos inundados en la extensa granja de 5,000 acres de Montna Van Vleck parecen piscinas para niños poco profundas. Algunos potreros son oscuros con miles de aves descansando, con plumas blancas de la temporada de muda acumuladas alrededor de los bordes como un anillo de bañera. “Para mí, cada estación es asombrosa”, dijo, inspeccionando la extensión plana de agua y pájaros. “Casi puedes imaginar cómo era cuando esto era una llanura natural aluvial, cuando sales aquí y ves cómo funcionan estos arrozales. Hemos creado este ecosistema para ellos. Hay mucha comida para ellos. Nunca me canso de eso”. Un programa de conservación, llamado BirdReturns, fue lanzado durante la última sequía y es operado en parte por Audubon California, Nature Conservancy y Point Blue Conservation Science. Crea un mercado para que los propietarios privados proporcionen inundaciones poco profundas, principalmente para las aves playeras. Un programa similar, llamado Bid4Birds, operado por la California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation, alienta a los productores de arroz a participar en un mercado donde son compensados por el costo de dejar agua en su tierra para las aves migratorias. Paul Buttner, director ejecutivo de la Fundación Ricelands Waterbird de California, calificó el panorama como “realmente, realmente deprimente”. El programa El BirdReturns tiene el objetivo de crear 100,000 acres adicionales de hábitat disponibles cada año, dijo Rodd Kelsey, científico principal de The Nature Conservancy en el proyecto. A pesar de los avances logrados desde su inicio en

La gravedad de la última sequía llevó a las partes que alguna vez estuvieron en disputa a la resolución colaborativa de problemas. La sequía fue una “dura e impactante llamada de atención”, lo que llevó a grupos de aves, granjeros, clubes de caza de patos y administradores de vida silvestre estatales y federales a iniciar conversaciones, dijo Meghan Hertel, directora de conservación de tierras y agua de Audubon California. Más de la mitad de los humedales del Valle de Sacramento son de propiedad privada, operados por clubes de patos establecidos para la caza de aves. Los administradores de tierras se llamaban regularmente entre sí para rastrear aves en movimiento, dijo Hertel. “Ellos decían, ‘Oye, tengo 100,000 gansos de nieve viniendo hacia ti, agárrate al agua”. Un lugar de refugio Conduciendo una camioneta a través de la luz inclinada de la tarde en el Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre del Río Sacramento, Craig Isola tiene un par de binoculares a mano. Como subdirectora, Isola está tratando de saber cómo podría desarrollarse esta sequía. Las aves, dijo, están llegando al refugio hambrientas ya que no pudieron encontrar humedales o comida durante su viaje hacia el sur. “Estamos viendo que las aves aparecen más temprano aquí debido a la falta de agua en el norte, en la cuenca de Klamath”, dijo. “Históricamente, las aves actuarán y aguantarán en el valle de Klamath antes de volar a Sacramento. Pero cuando no hay nada en el norte, se mueven hacia el sur. Los pájaros están llegando hambrientos”. “Estamos viendo que las aves aparecen más temprano aquí debido a la falta de agua en el norte … Las aves están llegando hambrientas”. -CRAIG ISOLA, REFUGIO NACIONAL DE VIDA SILVESTRE DEL RÍO SACRAMENTO El Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre de Sacramento, operado por el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de EE. UU., Es una cadena de cinco humedales administrados, piscinas estacionales y arroyos repartidos en 39,000 acres aproximadamente a una hora en automóvil al norte de Sacramento. Establecido en 1937, el refugio proporciona un hábitat de invernada fundamental para las aves de la ruta migratoria del Pacífico. Ya en octubre, decenas de miles de aves estaban esparcidas por el Refugio del Río Sacramento de 10,000 acres, que está recibiendo agua del lago Shasta, a través de la Oficina de Reclamación de EE. UU., En las marismas hambrientas de lluvia para acomodar a los que llegaron temprano. El refugio está operando con el 75% de su asignación habitual de agua, una cantidad generosa en comparación con menos del 1% en el refugio del Bajo Klamath y el 16% en el Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Tule Lake de la región de Klamath. El pasto acuático y la hierba inteligente del refugio proporcionan proteínas y grasas para aumentar los carbohidratos que las aves obtienen de las granjas de arroz cercanas. Los rebaños holgazanean en el refugio durante el día y por la noche se abren paso para recoger entre los campos, donde la mayor parte del arroz ya está cosechado. Es el momento del día en que resuena el distante boom-boom de los cañones, disparados por los cultivadores para ahuyentar a las aves de las granjas que aún no han cosechado. Los pájaros recién llegados están nerviosos, dijo Isola, aún no se han asentado en su entorno. El anochecer es un momento inquieto en el refugio, con una banda sonora constante de chirridos y chirridos. Incluso un indicio de una rapaz deslizándose por encima de su cabeza provoca una explosión de alas y agua cuando las bandadas se elevan por los aires. Las águilas calvas y los halcones peregrinos no atacarán a las aves migratorias mientras vuelan. Los administradores de vida silvestre tienen la obligación de apoyar a las aves migratorias en virtud de la Ley del Tratado de Aves Migratorias y, en algunos casos, las leyes estatales y federales sobre especies en peligro de extinción. Más allá de ese cargo legal, la salud de los animales es una ventana a la administración ambiental de California. “La vida silvestre es el indicador definitivo de cómo le está yendo a esta tierra”, dijo Isola. “Representan la idea de mantener la biodiversidad y la capacidad de evolucionar hacia el futuro, para todos nosotros”.

ENGLISH

WINGED WARNING: MIGRATING BIRDS HIT HARD BY CALIFORNIA’S DROUGHT Julie Cart CalMatters

“I’m concerned that we are not going to see the populations come back,” Weaver said. “This drought is bad. The odds are against us.”

t says something about the complexity of California’s water crisis that there are so many actors in the state’s water wars, all clamoring for more. Nature, alone, is silent in this fight, relying on others to speak on behalf of the welfare of wildlife and waterways.

Even recent winter storms — which dumped rain across the north and central parts of the state and swelled some rivers and streams — made no dent to ease California’s drought, wetlands loss or water shortage.

Across the state, biologists, farmers and hunters are lending nature a helping hand. It’s sometimes an extreme intervention: trucking young salmon when drought shrinks rivers. But this year these lifelines aren’t enough. Migratory birds — protected by state and national laws and an international treaty — are suffering mightily during this drought, even more quickly than they did during the last major dry spell, which lasted five years and ended in early 2017. California is the most critical link in the 4,000-milelong Pacific Flyway, a route along the West Coast where millions of birds shuttle between their summer and winter homes. It’s an arduous journey, hopscotching from wetlands and waterways, allowing birds to rest and refuel, shoring up strength for their trip. Wildlife experts say this year’s severe drought has uncoupled that connectivity. Normal routes — long imprinted in migrating birds’ navigation systems — have gone haywire. The great dryness has eliminated many of the flyway’s rest stops in California — particularly in the far north Klamath region — forcing ducks, geese, eagles, herons and other traveling birds to stay aloft and keep looking. Biologists in Northern California and Oregon say they are tracking flocks deviating far off established flight paths, seeking water where there is little. Experts say evidence is already emerging a year into this drought that their labored journey is weakening and stressing birds that struggle to find wetlands along their journey to rest and feed. This year is the driest on record in the Lower Klamath Basin, a lush region of marshes and streams that straddles the Oregon-California border. The refuges there are “almost completely dry,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Susan Sawyer. As a result, nearly all of the ducks have vanished. A recent aerial survey of the vast refuge showed about 34,000 ducks this year compared to 1.5 million in 1948; nearby Tule Lake refuge had only about 30,000 ducks in the survey, down from 3.5 million. In the span of a few human generations, even in years of plentiful rain, 90% of California’s wetlands have disappeared to development and agriculture, so migrating birds are especially vulnerable to prolonged droughts. “The journey, from the human perspective, is enormous,” said Andrew Farnsworth, who researches bird migration at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “It requires a lot of energy. Some start in Alaska. Flights of 4,000 miles are absolutely quite common, and they will fly nonstop for a few days. Having the resources they need is critically important.” Melanie Weaver, waterfowl coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, has confidence in the ability of migrating birds to adapt, saying “ducks and geese are wired to go through drought. They don’t fall out of the sky. They have wings, they move where food and water is.” But the widespread nature of this drought throughout the West, and its severity and potential duration, may challenge even the most resilient wildlife.

“I’m concerned that we are not going to see the populations come back. This drought is bad. The odds are against us.” -MELANIE WEAVER, STATE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE Resilient but still struggling Resting and feeding spots at wildlife refuges are overcrowded this year, which can foster spikes in the infectious or water-borne illnesses spread by close quarters. Avian botulism and cholera, present even in wet years, spike in arid times. A botulism outbreak in the lower Klamath Basin last year killed an estimated 60,000 birds, likely many more. So far the Klamath refuges have not experienced a severe disease outbreak like the one that took place last year. “But the spring could be a different story if birds leave the Central Valley early and return to the Klamath where there is little to no available habitat,” Sawyer said. Klamath’s marshes, streams and grasslands provide vital stops during birds’ long journeys — more than 80% of migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway use them as a stopover in spring and fall. But the region has been one of the hardest hit in this year’s statewide drought. Instances of young birds being “stranded” are amplified during drought. Dabbling ducks, which includes mallards and pintails, nest in upland areas and must walk to water sources. During dry periods those marches can be too long for young birds that have no flight feathers so they can’t survive. Biologists say this happens all over the state, even in normal years, but is more common during drought. While the Klamath region is the hardest hit, wetlands farther south on the flyway are in bad shape, too. At the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, the October bird count is not encouraging. By the third week in October last year, the rough waterfowl count was nearly 800,000 birds. This year, it was 600,000. And, to illustrate how the intensity of this drought is coming sooner than the last: The refuge’s geese population today is less than half than it was for the same month in 2015, which was the region’s worst year during the last drought. Biologists talk about the resilience of birds, hardwired to just keep pushing on, but there is little good news now and even less for the near future. The National Audubon Society estimates that two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction because of climate change. That vulnerability is repeated around the world: Only 9% of the planet’s migratory birds have protected areas along their routes, and loss of habitat and climate change is “a contributing factor to the decline of more than half of the migratory bird species across all major flyways in the last 30 years.” Migrating birds, which a century ago filled the sky and blotted out the sun during trips along California’s long spine, need help. To make the state more hospitable to migrating birds during the drought, state and federal programs are paying farmers to keep water on their fields. The state Department of Water

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ENGLISH Resources invested $8 million this fall. In the northern end of the Central Valley, agricultural land is flooded and managed as migratory bird habitat for exhausted annual travelers flapping in from as far away as Alaska and Russia.

The severity of the last drought drove once-bickering sides into collaborative problem-solving. The drought was a “stark and shocking wakeup call,” prompting bird groups, farmers, duck hunting clubs and state and federal wildlife managers to begin conversations, said Meghan Hertel, Audubon California’s director of land and water conservation.

But the amount of water from rivers and lakes allocated for wildlife refuges has been cut back substantially this year. The Lower Klamath Refuge has been operating with half its water allocations from rivers and streams since 2006, but this year has been devastating: It received less than 1% of its allocations.

More than half of the wetlands in the Sacramento Valley are privately owned, operated by duck clubs established for bird hunting. Land managers regularly called each other to track birds on the move, Hertel said. “They’d say, ‘Hey I’ve got 100,000 snow geese coming your way, hold on to your water.”

With the loss of more than 99% of its wetlands, few chicks were born in the refuge this year. Most birds didn’t bother stopping there to nest, moving instead to refuges the Sacramento area, which received 75% of their usual water allocation.

A place of refuge Steering an SUV through the slanting afternoon light at the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, Craig Isola keeps a pair of binoculars handy. As deputy manager, Isola is trying to get a fix on how this drought might play out there.

“This past summer there was extremely reduced waterfowl reproduction on the (Klamath) refuge due to the very limited available habitat,” Sawyer said. Diagnosis: drought The juvenile golden eagle, tagged as No. 2-210824, lay splayed on his back on a stainless-steel necropsy table at the state Wildlife Health Laboratory north of Sacramento. He had been discovered dead in Bakersfield, on the ground and emaciated, and taken to a wildlife rescue organization. His carcass was placed in a black trash bag, frozen and sent by FedEx to Krysta Rogers, head of avian investigations for the state fish and wildlife agency. Rogers’ job is to discover what caused the young bird’s death. She selected large pruning shears, the sort gardeners might use to lop off a large tree branch. With a loud crack, she snapped the bird’s femur, setting aside a section of bone for further analysis. Methodically examining the carcass, Rogers knew that the bird was not among the uncounted animals to succumb to drought-related causes. Instead, the young bird’s death was a case of bad housekeeping. It’s likely that the eagle’s parents brought home meals of especially fatty squirrels, Rogers said. The fat coated the bird’s wings, rendering it unable to fly. In a final blow, it’s possible that his nest-mate pushed him out of the family home to keep the food to itself. Ascribing a death to drought is a complex puzzle to solve, when nature offers so many ways to die. “It’s not often a direct, causative thing,” Rogers said, still hunched over the bird. “But we can say that in some cases it (drought) is a contributing factor” to bird deaths. What drought does is render the already precarious existence for wildlife all the more dicey. When normal weather patterns are off kilter, even in a small way, the impact on birds and their environment can be profound. Birds can die during extreme heat events that sometimes accompany drought. That happened this spring and summer, with young barn owls dying of heat stress when sheltering in nesting boxes that people built in their yards in Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Diego, Stanislaus, Yolo and Los Angeles counties. Water quality problems can occur when wellmeaning people maintain backyard bird baths with stagnant, non-circulating water that speeds the spread of parasites. Disease can be spread when raptors or other animals prey on sick birds. “Streams and creeks are not running like they typically would,” Rogers said. “Birds and other animals rely more heavily on artificial sources of water and food. I expect to see disease outbreaks at bird feeders and artificial sources of water such as bird baths and fountains.” State wildlife officials can’t say with assurance that populations of migratory birds have declined; nearly two years of COVID-19 has grounded bird

Snow geese fly over the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge complex in Willows on Oct. 6, 2021. Photo Credit: Nina Riggio / CalMatters

survey flights and this year’s winter migration has months to go. But they have the last drought to go by, and that suggests migrating birds are in for trouble. Scientists expect current data to mirror the declines during the height of the last drought. California’s population of breeding ducks in 2015 fell 30% compared to 2014, according to a U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife survey. “That didn’t surprise us,” said Weaver, of the state wildlife agency, who also sits on the Pacific Flyway Council. “Why breed when your habitat isn’t there? Local populations decline. They recover when conditions improve.” Still, she said, the endless cycles of drought throughout the West, combined with drastic wetlands loss, could mean that migratory bird populations may not ever return to historic numbers. Fields flooded for birds In normal years, when water is plentiful and affordable, some 270,000 acres of winter rice fields in the Sacramento Valley are lightly flooded and available to receive wintering shorebirds, such as white faced ibis, great blue herons and many varieties of geese and ducks. The Central Valley, with its usual bounty of food and space, supports 30% of the shorebirds and 60% of the ducks and geese in the entire Pacific Flyway, nearly 3 million ducks, 1 million geese and a half-million shorebirds overwintering annually. Given the severe drought conditions and paucity of available water, there is substantially less habitat for those flocks this year. Luke Matthews, a biologist with the California Rice Commission, said his group estimates there are only 60,000 acres of flooded rice land this year. Adding the acreage supported by various state and private conservation programs brings the total agricultural winter habitat to just over 100,000 acres, Matthews said. “We grow two crops: We grow rice and we grow birds.” -NICOLE MONTNA VAN VLECK, MONTNA FARMS IN YUBA CITY Still, from the perspective of hungry, exhausted migratory birds, the Sacramento Valley must appear from the air like a spa retreat featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet. Once settled, the birds will derive 50% of their diet from rice left on the ground after the fall harvest. As much as 300 pounds of rice per acre is available to birds after the crop is harvested.

Agricultural lands have proved critical for filling in the gaps from California’s wetlands loss. Dense, clay soil is nearly impermeable – a shallow vessel of water ideal for growing rice and hosting birds. Since air pollution concerns almost ended the practice of burning off rice straw after harvest, flooding harvested fields benefit both farmer and bird: While feeding in the fields, tiny bird feet and stomping geese churn and aerate soils, helping rice straw decompose, preparing the land for the next season’s crop. A disparate collection of agencies and private groups is funding “pop-up wetlands.”Farmers are increasingly raising their hands to host wetlands, seeing a dual benefit: For rice farmers, winter flooding makes financial sense but also appeals to those with a conservation mindset. “We grow two crops: We grow rice and we grow birds,” said Nicole Montna Van Vleck, president of Montna Farms in Yuba City. Flooded fields on Montna Van Vleck’s sprawling 5,000-acre farm look like shallow kiddie pools. Some paddocks are dark with thousands of resting birds, with white molting-season feathers collected around the edges like a bathtub ring. “Every season for me is awe-inspiring,” she said, surveying the flat expanse of water and birds. “You can almost imagine what it was like when this was a natural floodplain, when you get out here and see these ricelands work. We’ve created this ecosystem for them. There’s plenty of food for them. I never get tired of it.” One conservation program, called BirdReturns, was launched during the last drought and is operated in part by Audubon California, the Nature Conservancy and Point Blue Conservation Science. It creates a marketplace for private landowners to provide shallow flooding, mostly for shorebirds. A similar program, called Bid4Birds, operated by the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation, encourages rice farmers to participate in a marketplace where they are compensated for the cost of leaving water on their land for migratory birds. The BirdReturns program has a goal of creating an additional 100,000 acres of habitat available every year, said Rodd Kelsey, The Nature Conservancy’s lead scientist on the project. Despite the gains made since its inception in 2014, “this drought is much worse,” Kelsey said. Rice farmers “will tell you that the water situation is something they have not seen since the late 70s drought.” Paul Buttner, California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation’s executive director, called the outlook “really, really dismal.”

The birds, he said, are arriving at the refuge hungry as they couldn’t find wetlands or food during their journey south. “We are seeing birds show up earlier here because of lack of water in the north, in the Klamath Basin,” he said. “Historically birds will stage and hold up in the Klamath Valley before flying down to Sacramento. But when there’s nothing to the north, they move south. The birds are coming in hungry.” “We are seeing birds show up earlier here because of lack of water in the north…The birds are coming in hungry.” -CRAIG ISOLA, SACRAMENTO RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a string of five managed wetlands, seasonal pools and streams spread over 39,000 acres about an hour’s drive north of Sacramento. Established in 1937, the refuge provides critical wintering habitat for the Pacific Flyway’s birds. Already, in October, tens of thousands of birds were scattered across the 10,000-acre Sacramento River Refuge, which is receiving water from Lake Shasta, via the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, into the rain-starved marshes to accommodate the early arrivals. The refuge is operating on 75% of its usual water allocation, a generous amount compared to less than 1% at the Lower Klamath refuge and 16% at the Klamath region’s Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge’s water grass and smartweed provide protein and fats to augment the carbohydrates birds get from the nearby rice farms. The flocks loaf in the refuge during the day and in the evening make their way to pick through the fields, where most of the rice is already harvested. It’s the time of day when the distant boom-boom of cannons echoes, fired off by growers to scare birds away from farms that have yet to harvest. The newly arrived birds are jumpy, Isola said, not yet settled into their surroundings. Dusk is a restless time at the refuge, with a constant soundtrack of chittering and squeaking. Even a hint of a raptor gliding overhead causes an explosion of wings and water as flocks take to the air. Bald eagles and peregrine Falcons won’t attack migratory birds while they are flying. Wildlife managers have an obligation to support migrating birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and in some cases state and federal endangered species laws. Beyond that legal charge, the animals’ health is a window into California’s environmental stewardship. “Wildlife are the ultimate indicators on how this land is doing,” Isola said. “They represent the idea of maintaining biodiversity and the ability to evolve into the future, for all of us.”

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Q&A: THE GROOVY AND THE INSPIRATIONAL “HAIRSPRAY” Actor Brandon G. Stallings Takes Us behind the Scenes of the 60’s-Inspired Musical with Heart

Arturo Hilario El Observador

randon G. Stallings is an actor originally from the South Side of Chicago, who from the age of four joined in singing in his local church choir and eventually found himself immersed in music, dancing and acting. Recently we had an opportunity to speak to the talent behind the character of Seaweed J. Stubbs in the national touring production of “Hairspray”, which is coming to San Jose Center for the Performing Arts from November 23-28, 2021. Originally a John Waters movie from 1988 (with a remake in 2007 with John Travolta), the movie and Broadway show center around 1960’s Baltimore and the main character of Tracy Turnblad, a 16-year-old who is desperate to fulfill her dream of showing off her moves in the most popular dance party television show around. Not only that, but she also wants to desegregate the all-white dance show and bring people of all colors and backgrounds together who just want to just dance. Filled with energetic original songs and dancing to spare, the cult classic film eventually wound up becoming the stage production that has won universal praise and eight Tony Awards since its inception in 2002. Even now, the themes of the show dealing with racial segregation and the turmoil that came from it, and the positivity it chooses to unify the story despite the circumstances feels much needed in this postpandemic era. Continue reading to hear directly from actor Brandon G. Stallings about his journey to the stage, his role as Seaweed J. Stubbs, and how “Hairspray” emits love and good feelings. Hi Brandon. To start off, I wanted to know a little bit about your background and how you became interested in the performing arts and essentially, what were those stepping stones to help you achieve getting there? Yeah, definitely. My background started when I was four years old and I joined the choir at my Church in the South Side of Chicago. So I grew up in Chicago, and I was in the choir up until I moved to the suburbs and started middle school. I then joined the choir there. Music has always kind of been just a big, deeply rooted thing in my life, music and dancing, too. I started doing my first musical, my first play when I was in 7th grade, and after that, it just kind of soared into College, where I went for musical theater, and then I switched my major over to acting [and] I graduated with a BFA in acting, which was really good. I love music and blending that with theater as well. It fuels my drive for it. You know, it changes people. People go into the movies to see theatrical experiences and everything. You walk out of theater and you're like, "Oh, my gosh, that just affected me. I can still feel it." That's been my journey, and it's just me calm and thankful. I have a lot of gratitude every time I do theater, and every time I do theater, every time I'm in a show or write a song or play on the guitar a little bit. It brings me bliss, the energy of that. Thank you very much. Could you set the stage for me in terms of the story in "Hairspray" and your interpretation of what the show is about? Yeah, definitely. I believe that this show is about a group of human beings on stage that all are wanting their end result to be loved or have love or have love across the board in so many different forms and how one person can kind of create a ripple effect among so many people and so many different ideas and how a culture and the differences between cultures can come together and live harmoniously. And I think that's what drives the initial beat. From that very first downbeat at the beginning of the musical, it's a bass and it's giving you the heartbeat of a town. So that's what I think the show means to me, it's a call to action, it's a call to love. Could you describe your character of Seaweed J. Stubbs?

Brandon G. Stallings, who plays Seaweed J. Stubbs in “Hairspray”, which will be at San Jose Center for the Performing Arts from November 23-28, 2021. Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel

I play Seaweed J. Stubbs; you see him rocking his nice bright greens. He loves his green. He also loves to dance; he loves to move his hips and feel the rhythm of the music [but] he feels that heartbeat. He's sly, he's smooth but he's also a little quirky, and he likes quirky. And I see a lot of myself in this character, because he is young and naive but he's also big hearted and bright eyed. I think he's still growing every single day and I think his character in particular definitely fuels the story in bringing people together. This is someone that accepts everyone, from the beginning. I've been lucky enough to play this role three times in my life, and this is the third time that I’ve done it. I did it my sophomore year of high school, onto my sophomore year of college, and now I'm two years out of college and I'm doing this role again. So it's a very beautiful story to me, it moves me in ways that I never thought before. Do you have a favorite number in this show? My favorite number to watch is "Welcome to the 60’s", because it's actually a number that I am not in, but almost the entire cast shows up on stage for this number, and I think that is such a beautiful thing, to have almost an entire company all on stage together. I have a different perspective from the backstage that the audience has from out there, but the magic is still so real still backstage, so you can feel their presence and their energy filling the entire stage. And not only just coming out to the audience, it's also being received backstage, and I watch that number every single night. It's very inspirational. My Number two, which I perform in is "Run And Tell That" for sure, because I get all of my people, the Motormouth kids, they all just rush the stage and we fill the stage with so much energy together, and it's so heartwarming for me to be around people that look like me and that have similar experiences in their lifetime as me. To be able to share space together and break bread with them on stage. That is very beautiful and meaningful. Thanks Brandon. So from my last question, what do you hope that audiences take away from the show? And why would you recommend the show to people that may not be familiar with it? I hope that people take away that there can be love everywhere, this world can receive so much love and feel safe and protected. This show has a beautiful message of just coming together and standing with the community. For people that don't know about this show, I would say to come experience what we can achieve today, on a smaller scale. This is something that is so historical and so good, and imagine if the world just felt that? So yeah, come and see some love happen on stage, come and see a magical story unfold of allencompassing love.

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VOTING RIGHTS IS THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME Advocates press for national standards

Mark Hedin Ethnic Media Services

currently 50 Republican senators, two Independents and 48 Democrats. But 51 votes would be enough to change that filibuster rule, for example, by making an exception for voting laws, similar to the exception made for Supreme Court nominations in 2017.

t’s the “civil rights issue of our time,” voting rights advocates say, but three different proposals to strengthen and create nationwide standards on voting are all stalled in Congress.

“All eyes are on Congress and the Senate,” MoralesDoyle said.

“Democracy is facing challenges unlike any we have seen in modern time,” said Wade Henderson, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, at a press briefing hosted by Ethnic Media Services and LCCR on Nov. 5.

Meanwhile, in Indian Country, change is long overdue. DeLeon described how some reservations have no polling places at all, forcing impoverished voters to drive 100 miles on dirt roads into sometimes inhospitable, racist border towns to exercise their voting rights.

Already this year, in 19 states, legislators have passed 33 laws that will make it harder to vote. In all, 425 new voting rules have been proposed in 49 states. Generally, where it’s been challenging to vote, the new laws have made it harder, Henderson noted. In Florida and Georgia, for example, giving water or snacks to people waiting in lines to vote is now a crime.

Lousy mail service, too, can make registration and absentee voting difficult-to-impossible, she said.

This “torrent” of new rules (https://tinyurl.com/New2021VotingRules) on voting across the country is due to two recent Supreme Court decisions gutting the 1965 Voter Rights Act, combined with the “Big Lie” frenzy stoked by former president Trump, still trying to overturn the 2020 election.

“We need to get away from the framing that the voting rights is a Democratic ask,” she concluded. “This is about protecting American citizens from racist abuse and denying them their right to participate in the American political process.”

“Natives vote if they’re provided a fair opportunity, but they’re too often not given that fair chance.”

Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels

“We still have tools available to us, but fewer than we once did,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, of Brennan Center’s Democracy Project.

On Nov. 3, Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, was the 51st “yes” vote for discussing the proposed John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

And even in those two recent rulings that gutted the Voting Rights Act – 2013’s Shelby v. Holder and July 2021’s Brnovich v. DNC -- the Supreme Court acknowledged Congress’ ultimate responsibility for setting federal voting standards, Morales-Doyle pointed out.

Jacqueline DeLeon, of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), noted that Murkowski was elected, in part, thanks to native Alaskan voters traveling long distances to get to polling places to vote in the pitchblack dark in the snow after learning how to spell her name to support her write-in election in 2012.

“We actually do have two pieces of legislation that would help us get us past this moment,” MoralesDoyle pointed out. “The Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.”

But filibuster rules in the Senate meant that 51 of 100 possible votes was not enough. Because of the filibuster, it takes 60 votes to do most things. There are

John C. Yang, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, also emphasized the nonpartisan importance of seeing that everyone’s voice is heard. “Then we have an argument on the values, on the issues. We try to persuade the voters that our policies make sense. That’s the beauty of democracy.” “Our community is quite diverse,” he said. Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country. “We have individuals of all different political stripes.” “For us, it is about making sure that every citizen that has the right to vote has the opportunity to do so in a most efficient and effective manner.”

He described how voter-ID laws sometimes run afoul of language barriers. And once a person has secured their right to vote, having multi-lingual voting materials and mail-in voting is also important. “It is about having communities not feeling that they are less of a citizen because of their immigrant status or because they have limited English proficiency, or because they have different socio-economic means that don’t allow them to vote during a 9-5 period.” Henderson pointed out how 13 of the same senators who stopped the Lewis Act last week, such as John Conryn of Texas, had all previously voted in favor of continuing the VRA. “We have to take the fight to them,” he said. “This is a right and we should demand it and we should generate the political heat necessary to obtain it.” The Leadership Conference has prepared 14 reports documenting the state of voting rights in 13 states (tinyurl.com/Votingreports) across the country: Alabama (second Alabama report), Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. “The way forward is through Congress, and Congress needs to be told that over and over and over again,” Morales-Doyle said. In the meantime, he and other voting rights advocates are using what tools they still have to take the battle to the courts. The Justice Department recently joined a suit by the Brennan Center, Mexican American Defense and Educational Fund and others against new rules in Texas. “None of the work stops while we’re waiting for Congress to act, but we still need Congress to act,” Morales-Doyle said. “Apart from suing, we need to keep up the work to change the public narrative on this. And people DO want an expansive democracy!”

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Actualmente, Union Bank suministra divulgaciones, acuerdos de cuenta, estados de cuenta, notificaciones y otras comunicaciones para clientes únicamente en inglés. Si necesita asistencia con el inglés, favor de incluir a alguien que entienda ambos idiomas y que pueda asistirlo cuando se comunique con nosotros. Los préstamos están sujetos a aprobación de crédito y colaterales. No todos los programas de préstamos están disponibles en todos los Estados para todos los montos de préstamo. Aplican restricciones. Los términos y condiciones pueden cambiar. Union Bank NMLS ID #539249. ©2021 MUFG Union Bank, N.A. Todos los derechos reservados. Miembro del FDIC. Union Bank es una marca registrada y nombre de marca de MUFG Union Bank, N.A. unionbank.com

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EL DERECHO AL VOTO ES EL PROBLEMA DE LOS DERECHOS CIVILES DE NUESTRO TIEMPO Los defensores insisten en estándares nacionales

Mark Hedin Ethnic Media Services

cación de votantes a veces chocan con las barreras del idioma. Y una vez que una persona ha asegurado su derecho al voto, también es importante tener materiales de votación en varios idiomas y votar por correo.

s el "tema de los derechos civiles de nuestro tiempo", dicen los defensores del derecho al voto, pero tres propuestas diferentes para fortalecer y crear estándares a nivel nacional sobre la votación están estancadas en el Congreso. “La democracia se enfrenta a desafíos nunca antes vistos en los tiempos modernos”, dijo Wade Henderson, director ejecutivo de la Conferencia de Liderazgo en Derechos Civiles y Humanos, en una conferencia de prensa organizada por Ethnic Media Services y LCCR el 5 de noviembre. Ya este año, en 19 estados, los legisladores han aprobado 33 leyes que dificultarán la votación. En total, se han propuesto 425 nuevas reglas de votación en 49 estados. Generalmente, donde ha sido un desafío votar, las nuevas leyes lo han hecho más difícil, señaló Henderson. En Florida y Georgia, por ejemplo, dar agua o bocadillos a las personas esperando en la fila para votar ahora es un delito. Este "torrente" de nuevas reglas (https:// tinyurl.com/New-2021VotingRules) sobre la votación en todo el país se debe a dos decisiones recientes de la Corte Suprema que destruyeron la Ley de Derechos del Votante de 1965, combinada con el frenesí de la "Gran Mentira" avivado por el expresidente Trump, todavía tratando de revertir las elecciones de 2020. "Todavía tenemos herramientas disponibles, pero menos de las que teníamos antes", dijo Sean Morales-Doyle, del Brennan Center Democracy Project. E incluso en esos dos fallos recientes que anularon la Ley de Derechos Electorales - Shelby v. Holder de 2013 y Brnovich v. DNC de julio de 2021 - la Corte Suprema reconoció la responsabilidad última del Congreso de establecer los estándares federales de votación, señaló Morales-Doyle. “De hecho, tenemos dos leyes que nos ayudarían a superar este momento”, señaló Morales-Doyle. ""La Ley de Libertad de Voto y la Ley de Promoción del Derecho al Voto de John Lewis".

“Se trata de que las comunidades no se sientan como ciudadanos inferiores por su estatus migratorio o porque tienen un dominio limitado del inglés, o porque tienen diferentes medios socioeconómicos que no les permiten votar durante un horario de 9-5."

Photo Credit: cottonbro / Pexels

El 3 de noviembre, la senadora republicana de Alaska Lisa Murkowski fue el 51º voto "sí" para discutir la propuesta de Ley de Promoción de los Derechos Electorales John Lewis.

sus derechos de voto.

Jacqueline DeLeon, del Fondo de Derechos de los Nativos Americanos (NARF), señaló que Murkowski fue elegido, en parte, gracias a los votantes nativos de Alaska que viajaron largas distancias para llegar a los lugares de votación para votar en la oscuridad completa en la nieve después de aprender a deletrear su nombre para apoyar su elección por escrito en 2012.

"Los nativos votan si se les brinda una oportunidad justa, pero con demasiada frecuencia no se les da esa oportunidad justa".

Pero las reglas del "filibustero", en el Senado significaron que 51 de 100 votos posibles no eran suficientes. Debido al filibustero, se necesitan 60 votos para hacer la mayoría de las cosas. Actualmente hay 50 senadores republicanos, dos independientes y 48 demócratas. Pero 51 votos serían suficientes para cambiar esa regla del filibustero, por ejemplo, haciendo una excepción para las leyes de votación, similar a la excepción hecha para las nominaciones a la Corte Suprema en 2017. “Todos los ojos están sobre el Congreso y el Senado”, dijo Morales-Doyle. Mientras tanto, en Indian Country, el cambio está atrasado desde hace mucho tiempo. DeLeon describió cómo algunas reservas no tienen ningún lugar de votación, lo que obliga a los votantes empobrecidos a conducir 100 millas por caminos de tierra hacia pueblos fronterizos a veces inhóspitos y racistas para ejercer

Un pésimo servicio de correo también puede hacer que el registro y el voto en ausencia sean difíciles o imposibles, dijo.

“Necesitamos alejarnos de la idea de que el derecho al voto es una petición demócrata”, concluyó. "Esto se trata de proteger a los ciudadanos estadounidenses del abuso racista y de negarles su derecho a participar en el proceso político estadounidense". John C. Yang, de Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, también enfatizó la importancia no partidista de asegurarnos que se escuche la voz de todos. “Entonces tenemos una discusión sobre los valores, sobre los problemas. Intentamos persuadir a los votantes de que nuestras políticas tienen sentido. Esa es la belleza de la democracia". “Nuestra comunidad es bastante diversa”, dijo. Los estadounidenses de origen asiático se han convertido en el grupo étnico de más rápido crecimiento en el país. "Tenemos individuos de diferentes colores político". “Para nosotros, se trata de asegurarnos de que todos los ciudadanos que tienen derecho a votar tengan la oportunidad de hacerlo de la manera más eficiente”. Describió cómo las leyes de identifi-

Henderson señaló cómo 13 de los mismos senadores que detuvieron la Ley Lewis la semana pasada, como John Conryn de Texas, habían votado previamente a favor de continuar con la VRA. "Tenemos que llevarles la pelea", dijo. “Este es un derecho y debemos exigirlo y debemos generar el calor político necesario para obtenerlo”. La Conferencia de Liderazgo ha preparado 14 informes que documentan el estado de los derechos de voto en 13 estados (tinyurl.com/Votingreports) en todo el país: Alabama (segundo informe de Alabama), Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nueva York , Carolina del Norte, Carolina del Sur, Texas y Virginia. “El camino a seguir es a través del Congreso, y al Congreso hay que decirle eso una y otra vez”, dijo Morales-Doyle. Mientras tanto, él y otros defensores del derecho al voto están utilizando las herramientas que aún tienen para llevar la batalla a los tribunales. El Departamento de Justicia se unió recientemente a una demanda presentada por el Centro Brennan, el Fondo Educativo y de Defensa México-Estadounidense y otros contra las nuevas reglas en Texas. “Ninguno de los trabajos se detiene mientras esperamos que el Congreso actúe, pero aún necesitamos que el Congreso actúe”, dijo Morales-Doyle. “Además de demandar, tenemos que seguir trabajando para cambiar la narrativa pública sobre esto. ¡Y la gente SÍ quiere una democracia expansiva! "

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ADVOCATES CALL BUILD BACK BETTER DEFENSORES DICEN QUE BUILD BACK BETTER ES ESENCIAL PARA LA JUSTICIA AMBIENTAL ESSENTIAL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ENGLISH

Trimmel Gomes Public News Service

electos para asegurarse de que suceda." La Casa Blanca y la presidenta de la Camara de Representantes, Nancy Pelosi, expresaron su confianza en que el proyecto de ley sea aprobado por la Camara esta semana. Si lo hace, se espera que enfrente cambios en el Senado dividido en partes iguales con la oposición republicana y la resistencia de los demócratas moderados.

RLANDO, Fla. - Advocates are calling on Florida's leaders to keep the momentum going after the U.N. Climate Change Summit by thinking of ways to Build Back Better in the Sunshine State. As Congress debates President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan, which supporters say would benefit millions of Floridians with investments in children, health care and education, claim it also will advance the bipartisan infrastructure deal with more investments to reduce climate-change impacts. Maria Revelles is the state director of Florida CHISPA, a group that works on building the power of communities of color to protect the environment. She said those communities are on the front lines. "In the Black and Latino communities in this country," said Revelles, "I think Build Back Better is important and there has to be a sense of urgency of educating, activating and organizing our elected officials to make sure that it happens." The White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed confidence the bill with pass the House this week. If it does, it is expected to face changes in the evenly split 50-50 Senate with Republican opposition and resistance from moderate Democrats. Revelles said state leaders should be making sure coastal communities they are writing policies for will still exist for them to implement. She said she thinks they should move forward with Build Back

Numerous studies, including from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows disproportionate impacts of climate change on socially vulnerable populations in the United States. Photo Credit: Brian McGowan / Unsplash

Numerosos estudios, incluidos los de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental de EE. UU., Muestran impactos desproporcionados del cambio climático en las poblaciones socialmente vulnerables en los Estados Unidos. Photo Credit: Pixabay

Better.

Trimmel Gomes Public News Service

"It is predicted that everything that is three feet to the level of the sea will be down under in the next 30 years," said Revelles. "That means for us Floridians that we are going to lose the Keys, we're going to lose Miami, we're going to lose all the cities in the coast of Tampa Bay."

RLANDO, Fla.-- Defensores están pidiendo a los lideres de Florida que mantengan el impulso después de la Cumbre del Cambio Climático de la ONU al pensar en formas de reconstruir mejor en el estado del sol.

According to the White House, the Build Back Better framework will set the United States on course to meet its climate targets - a 50% to 52% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030 - in a way that creates goodpaying union jobs, grows domestic industries, and advances environmental justice.

Mientras el Congreso debate el plan Build Back Better del presidente Joe Biden, el cual dicen los partidarios que beneficiaria a millones de floridanos con inversiones en niños, atención médica y educación, afirman que también avanzara el acuerdo de infraestructura bipartidista con inversiones para reducir los impactos del cambio climático.

The plan also reduces housing costs and helps the nearly one in four Florida tenants not caught up on rent by increasing the number of affordable rental units.

Maria Revelles esta con Florida CHISPA, un grupo que trabaja en desarrollar el poder de las comunidades de color para proteger el medio ambiente. Ella dice que esas comunidades estan en primera línea.

It provided four weeks of paid family and medical leave, benefiting fully 79% of Florida's workers, as 10.75” well as adding protections to immigrant Florid10.5” ians.

"En las comunidades negras y latinas de este país," dice Revelles, "creo que Build Back Better es importante y tiene que haber un sentido de urgencia en educar, activar y organizar a nuestros funcionarios

9.5”

Revelles dice que los lideres estatales deben asegurarse de que las comunidades costeras, para las que estan redactando políticas, sigan existiendo para que sean llevadas acabo. Ella cree que deberían seguir adelante con Build Back Better. "Se predice que todo lo que este a un metro del nivel del mar se hundirá en los próximos 30 años," dice Revelles. "Eso significa para nosotros los floridanos que vamos a perder Keys, vamos a perder Miami, vamos a perder todas las ciudades en la costa de Tampa Bay." Según la Casa Blanca, la estructura de Build Back Better pondrá a los Estados Unidos en el camino correcto para cumplir sus objetivos climáticos: una reducción del 50 al 52 por ciento en las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero por debajo de los niveles de 2005 para 2030, de una manera que genere trabajos sindicales bien pagados, haga crecer las industrias nacionales y promueva la justicia ambiental. El plan también reduce los costos de vivienda y ayuda a casi uno de cada cuatro inquilinos de Florida a que se regularicen con sus rentas al aumentar la cantidad de unidades de alquiler accesibles. Proporciona cuatro semanas de licencia familiar y medica pagada, beneficiando completamente al 79 por ciento de los trabajadores de Florida, además de agregar protecciones a los floridanos migrantes.

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Almaden Lake Apartments, a 144-unit affordable community in San Jose is opening up its waitlist on November 8, 2021! This property offers affordable 1-, 2- & 3-bedroom apartments with rents from $1,044-$1,434 per month. Pre-applications for the waitlist will be distributed and accepted starting Monday, November 8, 2021 at 9 AM. Preapplications will be available starting Nov. 8th by phone request, contactless pick-up at the property, or on-line at bridgehousing.com/properties/almaden-lake/. The office is located at 978 Almaden Lake Dr. in San Jose. Office hours are Mon-Thur. from 9 AM-5 PM. Amenities include community room with kitchen, laundry facilities, Swimming pool and outdoor play areas. For more information call us at (408) 323-8020. Income and other restrictions apply. Section-8 welcome. EHO.

Se buscan Conductores de tiempo parcial (Gane $25 - $30 por hora) Entrega de alimentos de 10 a.m - 2 p.m., de lunes a viernes. Debe ser un no-fumador, hablar inglés con fluidez (ESL está bien), tener un teléfono inteligente Aplique en: Waiter.com/jobs

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 680351 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Calistros Tree Service, 4950 Dickinson Dr, San Jose, CA 95111, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Francisco Javier Calistro Ramirez, 4950 Dickinson Dr, San Jose, CA 95111. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 09/30/2020. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Francisco Calistro This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 11/16/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 680351 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 STATEMENT OF

ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME The following person(s) has / have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name(s): JustinIT, 4247 Leigh Avenue, San Jose CA, 95124. Filed in Santa Clara County on 11/30/20 under file no. FBN670425. Justice Lammers, 4247 Leigh Avenue, San Jose CA, 95124. This business was conducted by: An Individual. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Justice Lammers This statement was filed with the Co. Clerk Recorder of Santa Clara County on 11/01/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 680021 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV390442 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Makeba Mautwana

Buscamos contratar de inmediato a trabajadores de almacén en un almacén de alimentos secos en Fremont, California. Póngase en contacto con Gayathri@ fyvelements.com. Teléfono: 917 328 3331. 1 año de experiencia en manejo de almacén, levantando pesos pesados y montacargas. Idiomas: Inglés/Español Id-Deen. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Makeba Mautwana Id-Deen has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Makeba Mautwana Benson to Makeba Mautwana Id-Deen 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/22/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks

prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 17, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV390402 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Hiep P. CA. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Hiep P. CA has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Hiep Phuoc CA to Helen Phuoc CA 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

Almaden Lake Apartments, comunidad de 144 unidades para familias, ubicada en San Jose abrirá su lista de espera el 8 de Nov. del 2021. Propiedad ofrece vivienda asequible con rentas de $1,044-$1,434 por mes, para unidades 1-, 2- y 3-habitaciones. Las comodidades incluyen una sala comunitaria con cocina, lavandería en el lugar, piscina y gestión profesional en el lugar. Las Pre-Solicitudes para la lista de espera estarán disponibles a partir del Lunes 8 de Nov. 2021 a las 9 AM. Podrá obtener la Pre-Solicitud sin contacto en la propiedad o solicitar la por teléfono o en internet en bridgehousing.com/properties/almadenlake/. La dirección es 978 Almaden Lake Dr. en San Jose y su horario es de Lunes a Jueves de 9 AM a 5 PM. La oficina está cerrada al público durante COVID-19. Para más información llámanos al (408) 323-8020. Se aplican restricciones de ingresos y otras. Se acepta Sec-8.

Immediately looking to hire warehouse workers in a dry food stuff warehouse in Fremont, California. Contact Gayathri@ fyvelements.com. Phone no. 917 328 3331. 1 year experience in handling warehouse, lifting heavy weight, and riding forklift. Languages – English/Spanish two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/22/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 17, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV386042 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Amanda Ivett Muñoz. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Amanda Ivett Muñoz has filed a petition for Change of

Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Midai MaryJane Farias Muñoz to Midai MaryJane Muñoz 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 01/11/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 16, 2021

Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV387025 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Victoria Tavares & Gerardo Lopez Munoz. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Victoria Tavares & Gerardo Lopez Munoz has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Camila Andrea Tavares Lozano to Camila Andrea Lopez b. Gerardo Lozano Jr to Gerardo Lopez Jr c. Valeria Nancy Lozano to Valeria Nancy Lopez 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the

petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 01/04/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Sep 24, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV390105 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Ernie & Veronica Balerrama. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Ernie & Veronica Balderrama has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Lilliana Elvia Vivas Sanchez to Lilliana Kristina Balderrama 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com

Contratando Agentes de Seguridad Responsable de realizar los servicios de seguridad según se define en las órdenes postales específicas del sitio y según las indicaciones de la gestión de seguridad. Observa atentamente las irregularidades, como infracciones de seguridad, peligros en las instalaciones y la seguridad, y situaciones de emergencia; se comunica con los servicios de emergencia, como la policía, los bomberos y / o el personal de ambulancias, según sea necesario. Todos los turnos disponibles: tiempo completo y tiempo parcial La compensación es de $ 24 por hora El personal asignado proporcionará servicios que no se limitan a los siguientes: Realizar patrullas de seguridad continuas para proporcionar una presencia visible y disuadir el vandalismo y la entrada no autorizada. Hacer cumplir los procedimientos de control de acceso a las piscinas y las áreas de lavandería fuera del horario de atención. Responder rápida y adecuadamente a todos los problemas relacionados con la seguridad. Proporcionar informes electrónicos diarios Hacer cumplir la política de estacionamiento Excelente oportunidad para aquellos que buscan tener una carrera en la aplicación de la ley. Requisitos Debe ser bilingüe, tanto verbal como escrito (español / inglés) Debe tener una tarjeta de guardia de CA válida Debe tener una licencia de conducir de CA válida Debe tener un certificado de la PTA Ofrecemos beneficios como médicos, dentales, de la vista y 401k. Envíe su currículum a egarcia@genesissecurity.org

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Solon James Vecchio has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Solon James Vecchio AKA Gary James Vecchio to Solon James Cisneros 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/22/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition

in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 10, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV390296 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: NHUT MINH BUI and THI THIEN ANH TRUONG. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) NHUT MINH BUI and THI THIEN ANH TRUONG has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. ANH KHOI BUI to LOUIS KHOI BUI 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for

the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/22/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 15, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389107 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Duong Thai Tran. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Duong Thai Tran has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Duong Thai Tran to Katherine Tran 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hear-

ing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/02/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 25, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 NOTICE OF DEATH OF ALICE VYFVINKEL To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of ALICE VYFVINKEL, who was a resident of Santa Clara County, State of California, and died on September 7, 2021, in the City of Sunnyvale, County of Santa Clara, State of California. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim within four months from the date of first publication with the DERMER LAW FIRM, 15720 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 395-5111 Joseph D. Dermer, Esq. DERMER LAW FIRM 15720 Winchester Blvd., Ste 200 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Tel (408) 395-5111 Fax (408) 354-2797 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 NOTICE OF DEATH OF SILVIO VERCELLINO To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of SILVIO VERCELLINO, who was a resident of Santa Clara County, State of California, and died on September 1, 2021, in the

JOBS / CLASSIFIEDS / LEGALS

City of San Jose, County of Santa Clara, State of California. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim within four months from the date of first publication with the DERMER LAW FIRM, 15720 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 395-5111 Joseph D. Dermer, Esq. DERMER LAW FIRM 15720 Winchester Blvd., Ste 200 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Tel (408) 395-5111 Fax (408) 354-2797 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 NOTICE OF DEATH OF AL MARVIN WILSON To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of Al Marvin Wilson, who was a resident of Santa Clara County, State of California, and died on September 15, 2021, in the City of San Mateo, County of San Mateo, State of California. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim within four months from the date of first publication with the DERMER LAW FIRM, 15720 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 395-5111 Joseph D. Dermer, Esq. DERMER LAW FIRM 15720 Winchester Blvd., Ste 200 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Tel (408) 395-5111 Fax (408) 354-2797 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 NOTICE OF DEATH OF CAROL JEAN TERRANOVA To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of Carol Jean Terranova, who

was a resident of Santa Clara County, State of California, and died on September 3, 2021, in the City of Santa Clara, County of Santa Clara, State of California. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim within four months from the date of first publication with the DERMER LAW FIRM, 15720 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 395-5111 Joseph D. Dermer, Esq. DERMER LAW FIRM 15720 Winchester Blvd., Ste 200 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Tel (408) 395-5111 Fax (408) 354-2797 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 NOTICE OF DEATH OF William August Moershel To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of William August Moershel, who was a resident of Santa Clara County, State of California, and died on July 16, 2021, in the City of San Jose, County of Santa Clara, State of California. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim within four months from the date of first publication with the DERMER LAW FIRM, 15720 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 200, Los Gatos, California 95030 (408) 395-5111 Joseph D. Dermer, Esq. DERMER LAW FIRM 15720 Winchester Blvd., Ste 200 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Tel (408) 395-5111 Fax (408) 354-2797 November 19, 26, December 3, 10, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679551 The following person(s) is (are) doing business

as: MILAGROS AUTO SALES, 3107 Monterey Rd, San Jose, CA 95111, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): AISHA & JASMIN INC, 3107 Monterey Rd, San Jose, CA 95111. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 10/12/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ ILYAS EBRAHIMI AISHA & JASMIN INC CEO Article/Reg#: C4771416 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/12/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Sandy Chanthasy, Deputy File No. FBN 679551 November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 680155 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Essential Auto Glass Specialist, 1298 Shortridge Ave Unit B, San Jose, CA 95116, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Jose Arteaga, 1298 Shortridge Ave Unit B, San Jose, CA 95116. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 11/01/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Jose Arteaga This statement was filed with the Co. Clerk-

CLASSIFIEDS / LEGALS

Recorder of Santa Clara County on 11/04/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Sandy Chanthasy, Deputy File No. FBN 680155 November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 680202 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Las Cazuelas Restaurant, 55 Race St, San Jose, CA 95126, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Las Cazuelas Taqueria, Inc, 55 Race St, San Jose, CA 95126. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 11/20/2006. This filing is a Refile [No Change(s) in facts form previous filing]. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Graciela Armas Las Cazuelas Taqueria, Inc Owner Article/Reg#: C3301948 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 11/08/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Nina Khamphilath, Deputy File No. FBN 680202 November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV386964 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Angela Jossette Vivas. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Angela Jossette Vivas has filed a petition for Change of

Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Angela Jossette Vivas to Angela Jossette Delhonte 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 12/21/2021 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Sep 23, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV387027 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Seyed Abdollah Banitaba. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Seyed Abdollah Banitaba has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Seyed Abdollah Banitaba to Seyed Banitaba 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 1/18/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Aug 09, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV385677 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Raul Ortega Mora and Raul Mora Jr. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Raul Ortega Mora and Raul Mora Jr have filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Raul Ortega Mora to Raul Mora Ortega b. Raul Mora Jr to Raul Jr Junior Mora 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to

the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 1/18/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 09, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV390161 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Thu Ngoc Anh Nguyen. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Thu Ngoc Anh Nguyen has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Thu Ngoc Anh Nguyen to Phoebe Anh Thu Nguyen 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the

petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/15/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 09, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389652 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Maria Cruz Guillen. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Fraire, Maria Cruz has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Fraire, Maria Cruz to Guillen, Maria Cruz b. Fraire Gonzalez, Ma Cruz to Guillen, Maria Cruz c. Fraire de Guillen, Maria Cruz to Guillen, Maria Cruz 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hear-

ing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/08/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 01, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV378377 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Joana Perez. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Joana Perez has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Issac Perez to Ashley Perez 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 11/23/2021 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021 prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 21, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV386901 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Rosario Ginny BritoHerrera. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Rosario Ginny Brito-Herrera has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Daniel Joseph HerreraDuran to Daniel Joseph Herrera 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 12/21/2021 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Sep 22, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior

Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389626 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Robabeh Panahy. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Robabeh Panahy has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Robabeh Panahy to Sima Panahy 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/08/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 01, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389605 Superior Court of California, County of

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021 Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Zohreh MohammadiCorrea. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Zohreh Mohammadi-Correa has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Zohreh MohammadiCorrea to Zohreh Mohammadi b. Zohreh Mohammadi Correa to Zohreh Mohammadi 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/08/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 29, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV390088 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Shu-Chen Chih. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Shu-Chen Chih has filed

a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Shu-Chen Chih to Jane Shu-Chen Chih 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/15/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 08, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389653 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Kaileen Y. Yen. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Kaileen Y. Yen has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Kaileen Y. Yen to Kaileen Yen Barnacastle 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 02/08/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 01, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 680101 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Northern California Technical Sales, Inc., 101 S. Santa Cruz Avenue, #1363, Los Gatos, CA 95030, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TECHNICAL SALES, INC. 101 S. Santa Cruz Avenue, #1363, Los Gatos, CA 95030. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 1/4/1994. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.)

/s/ Asif Subedar NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TECHNICAL SALES, INC. President/CEO Article/Reg#: C3234958 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 11/3/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Corinne Vasquez, Deputy File No. FBN 680101 November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679705 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Twinkle Twinkle Home Daycare, 1571 Nuthatch Ln, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Maria Rebeca Esquivel Villanueva, 1571 Nuthatch Ln, Sunnyvale, CA 94087. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 10/06/2021. This filing is a refile [Change(s) in facts form previous filing] of previous file #: . “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Maria Rebeca Esquivel Villanueva This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/18/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 679705 November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679868 The following person(s) is (are) doing business

as: Anago of Northern California, 1460 Koll Circle, Ste B, San Jose, CA 95112, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): TOFF, INC., 1460 Koll Circle, Ste B, San Jose, CA 95112. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Matthew J. Sole TOFF, Inc. President Article/Reg#: C2815273 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/22/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Nina Khamphilath, Deputy File No. FBN 679868 November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679924 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: MAA KA KHANA, 326 Commercial St, San Jose, CA 95112, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Married Couple. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Piyushkumar Shah, 138 Marylinn Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035. Priti Shah, 138 Marylinn Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 10/25/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Piyushkumar Shah This statement was filed with the Co. Clerk-

Recorder of Santa Clara County on 10/26/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 679924 November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389397 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Ricardo Javier Seminario. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Ricardo Javier Seminario has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Ezio Rowee Almacen to Ezio Rowee Seminario Almacen 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 2/01/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 27, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26,

CLASSIFIEDS / LEGALS 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389626 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Robabeh Panahy. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Robabeh Panahy has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Robabeh Panahy to Sima Panahy 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 2/08/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 01, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV387307 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Cara Lee Ayala. TO ALL IN-

TERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Cara Lee Ayala has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Cara Lee Ayala to Cara Lee DiMaria Ayala 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 1/11/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 05, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389810 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Hanson Yip & Le Truc My Tran. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Hanson Yip & Le Truc My Tran has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Uy Tan Diep to Wayland Leo Yip 2. THE COURT

CLASSIFIEDS / LEGALS

ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 2/15/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 04, 2021; 10:19AM Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389804 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Pin Ting & Hsiuju Tsai. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Pin Ting & Hsiuju Tsai has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Wei Ting to Sheena Wei Ting b. Yu Ting to Yulissa Yu Ting 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting

to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 2/15/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Sep 29, 2021; 8:51PM Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389747 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Vikash Ruhil & Jyoti Rani. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Vikash Ruhil & Jyoti Rani has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Vikash Ruhil to Ranveer Singh b. Jyoti Rani to Isha Rani 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 2/08/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 02, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV389914 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Mahboobeh Farhani. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Mahboobeh Farhani has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Mahboobeh Farhani to Sophia Farahani. 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 2/08/2022 at

8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Nov 04, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court November 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 Notice of Petition to Administer Estate of  GLORIA G. MARQUEZ Case No. 21PR191019 1.To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Gloria G. Marquez, Gloria Marquez. 2. A Petition for Probate has been filed by Nicholas Marquez in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. 3.The Petition for Probate requests that by Nicholas Marquez be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. 5. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administer of Estate Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take any actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consent to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person Files and objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. 6. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: December 8, 2021, at 9:01am, Dept. 5, located at 191 North First Street,

San Jose, CA 95113. 7. If you object to the granting of this petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. 8. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either: 1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or 2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. 9. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.    10. Attorney for Petitioner:   Shahram Miri 80 Gilman Avenue, Suite 27 Campbell, CA 95008 (408)866-8382 November 5, 12, 19, 2021 Notice of Petition to Administer Estate of  LINDA STUART Case No. 21PR191018 1.To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Linda Stuart, Linda Darnell Stuart, Linda D.

Stuart, Linda Granada. 2. A Petition for Probate has been filed by George Granada in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. 3.The Petition for Probate requests that by George Granada be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. 5. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administer of Estate Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take any actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consent to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person Files and objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. 6. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: December 8, 2021, at 9:01am, Dept. 5, located at 191 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 7. If you object to the granting of this petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. 8. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either: 1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or 2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021 affect your rights as a creditor. 9. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.    10. Attorney for Petitioner:   Shahram Miri 80 Gilman Avenue, Suite 27 Campbell, CA 95008 (408)866-8382 November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 678977 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Grocery Outlet of Gilroy, 333 E 10th Street, Gilroy, CA 95020, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Limited Liability Company. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Hum Char LLC, 333 E 10th Street, Gilroy, CA 95020. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This filing is a refile [Change(s) in facts form previous filing] of previous file #: FBN582272. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Aaron McGinley Hum Char LLC Corporate Officer Article/Reg#: 202124610581 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 09/22/2021. Regina Alcomendras,

County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 678977 October 15, 22, 29 and November 5, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679809 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: SELECTIVE DENTAL, 3151 S. White Rd., Suite 203, San Jose, CA 95148, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Victoria L. K. Vuong, DDS., Inc, 3151 S. White Rd., Suite 203, San Jose, CA 95148. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Brandon Ho Victoria L. K. Vuong, DDS., Inc Secretary Article/Reg#: 4770680 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/21/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Corinne Vasquez, Deputy File No. FBN 679809 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679889 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: DORELEX, 1515 Emperor Way, Sunnyvale, CA 94087, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a General Partnership. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Amos Dor, 1515 Emperor, Sunnyvale, CA 94087. Daphna Dor, 1515 Emperor, Sunnyvale, CA

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021 94087. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 9/01/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Amos Dor This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/25/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Sandy Chanthasy, Deputy File No. FBN 679889 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679200 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: La Fonda Michoacana, 1309 Vine St, San Jose, CA 95110, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Miguel Tello Lara, 1309 Vine St, San Jose, CA 95110. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 09/01/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Miguel Tello Lara This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 9/29/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 679200 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679853 The following person(s)

is (are) doing business as: Montana Janitorial, 1495 Bluebonnet Wy, Morgan Hill, CA 95037, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Jose Jesus Ortiz, 1495 Bluebonnet Wy, Morgan Hill, CA 95037. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 11/17/2018. This filing is a refile [Change(s) in facts from previous filing] of previous file #: FBN656668. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Jose Jesus Ortiz This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/22/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 679853 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679930 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Economical Employee Benefits, 208 S 1st St, Campbell, CA 95008, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): David Ernesto Juarez, 208 S 1st St, Campbell, CA 95008. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 10/25/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ David Ernesto Juarez This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com County on 10/26/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 679930 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679096 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: ARTACBD, 1901 South Bascom Ave, Ste 1410, Campbell, CA 95008, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): GREENEDGE TECH, 1901 South Bascom Ave, Ste 1410, Campbell, CA 95008. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 05/19/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Orang Kamkar GREENEDGE TECH CEO Article/Reg#: C4735686 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 09/28/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy File No. FBN 679096 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679753 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: SPECTRUM DYNAMICS, 4666 Tango Way, San Jose, CA 95111, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by a Limited Liability Company. The name and residence address of the registrant(s)

is (are): SPECTRUM DYNAMICS L.L.C., 4666 Tango Way, San Jose, CA 95111. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 09/30/2021. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Michael Valenzuela SPECTRUM DYNAMICS L.L.C. Member Article/Reg#: 202128010031 Above entity was formed in the state of CA This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/19/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Nina Khamphilath, Deputy File No. FBN 679753 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 679962 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Friendship House, 1511 Princeton Dr, San Jose, CA 95118, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by an Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is (are): Elizabeth Solorio, 1511 Princeton Dr, San Jose, CA 95118. The registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 01/01/2013. This filing is a first filing. “I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.” (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) /s/ Elizabeth Solorio This statement was filed with the Co. ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on 10/27/2021. Regina Alcomendras, County Clerk Recorder By: /s/ Elaine Fader, Deputy

File No. FBN 679962 October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV388811 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Sandra Jo Smith. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Sandra Jo Smith has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Sandra Jo Smith to Sandra Jo O’Donnell Martell 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 1/25/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 21, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 AMENDED ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV384345

Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Kum Soon Cho. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Kum Soon Cho has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Kum Soon Cho to Kum Christina Soon Cho 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 12/01/2021 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 25, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV386814 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: John Seañez. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) John Seañez has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of

CLASSIFIEDS / LEGALS this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. John Anthony Seañez to Angie Veronica Seañez 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 12/21/2021 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Sep 20, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME NO. 21CV388796 Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara-In the matter of the application of: Enrique Arturo Sanchez Gonzalez. TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: 1. Petitioner(s) Enrique Arturo Sanchez Gonzalez has filed a petition for Change of Name with the clerk of this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Enrique Arturo Sanchez Gonzalez to Henry Arturo Sanchez 2. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter

appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 1/25/2022 at 8:45 am, Probate Dept., located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113. 3. A copy of the Order to Show cause shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in El Observador, a newspaper of general circulation, printed in the county of Santa Clara. Oct 21, 2021 Julie A. Emede Judge of the Superior Court October 29, November 5, 12, 19, 2021

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com ENGLISH

ENTERING THE “ENCANTO”

Behind the Scenes with the Creators of Walt Disney Animation’s 60th Film, a Magical Realism Story Set In the Beauty of Colombia’s Wilderness

Arturo Hilario El Observador

movie. It's really mind blowing. Now in terms of directing, was there anything challenging on the animation side or any new technical challenges on which you can speak?

alt Disney Animation Studios released its first full-length film in 1937 with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. That first Disney Animated film began a cultural phenomenon of entertainment and storytelling style that continues to grow and diversify 84 years later.

Howard

Now the studios 60th film, “Encanto”, a vibrant ‘magical realism’ tale set in Colombia with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will release in theaters November 24th. To put in some perspective, in the time between “Snow White” and their latest feature, there was a world war, 15 American Presidents and that whole thing where humanity reached space.

Oh, yeah. I think the scope of what we were asking the crew to do was kind of mind boggling. They were very kind to us. I'm sure they were daunted by the scope of this. As you first pitch it, you got a family and a house that seems pretty simple, but the house has worlds inside the rooms. The family is enormous. The town that they live in has hundreds of people. It is Columbia in a certain period of time decades ago, which had certain costuming, all of which has, like, fabric complexity.

Speaking of magical realism, it is a literary term that was used to describe the Latin-American authors of the mid-20th century like Jose Martí and Gabriel García Marquez, whose work portrayed supernatural or fantastical elements within realistic fiction. Politics were also sometimes interwoven into these stories, which served not so much as fantasy fables but more of a depiction of real-world settings, struggles, and criticisms of the elite in Latin America.

There's a massive amount of dance in the movie, in a great way, more choreography and more dancing than I think we've done in any other Disney film. And then we also have our very specific ethnicity throughout the town and also in the family itself, where we have natural Afro-Colombian hair, which is very different even from family member to family member. All of that takes amazing technology and geniuses to make it happen and bring it to the screen.

Although Disney isn’t delving too deeply into the trenches of the human condition like those authors with “Encanto”, it is instilling the basic fundamentals of magical realism into the family friendly film: a story blending grounded reality and emotions, and which also happens to feature fantasy elements. “Encanto” features a diverse extended family, the Madrigals, who reside in a hidden village called ‘The Encanto’, nestled in the hills of picturesque Colombia. The family lives within a sentient and everexpanding magical home that awakens powerful gifts within all of the members of the Madrigal clan - minus the teenage protagonist Maribel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). Despite not having mystic abilities of her own, it is Maribel who might be the only one able to figure out how to stop a lurking danger to The Encanto. With this film, it just so happens to be that Walt Disney Animation’s history of magic storytelling and Latin-American’s magical realism seem like the perfect marriage of a narrative and the fantastical, and leading the charge to craft the whole thing was Disney mainstays Jared Bush and Byron Howard, and newcomer to film animation Charise Castro Smith. The three served as both writers and directors, and were helped along the way by a Colombian Cultural Trust to be sure to guide the film in an accurate portrayal of the people and traditions of Colombia. Bush and Howard have worked together before on films such as “Zootopia” and have individually been part of bringing “Tangled” and “Moana” to life, while Castro Smith is originally a playwright who has had success in the television world, being a producer and writer on Starz’s New York City drama “Sweetbitter” and Netflix’s horror drama, “The Haunting of Hill House”. In the following interview, Bush, Howard and Castro Smith give us a look behind “Encanto’s” moving frames and detail how they helped write and build this magical world within Colombia that is at its core grounded in a universal story of family, and the complexities of being part of one. Thank you, for taking the time to talk about “Encanto”. To start off I was wondering how early in the planning phase was the idea settled on the main story arc and it being set in Columbia? Jared Bush I'd say, right from the get-go, Byron and I were finishing up on “Zootopia”, and we knew we wanted to do a musical next. We love musicals. We're like, "we have to do it." And I had just been working with Lin-Manuel Miranda on "Moana". And so it was sort of this confluence of, "oh, we can get everybody together!" But we had to find something that we all had common ground on. And as we all talked, family, extended families, the joy of family, the complexities of family, the challenge of family was something that we all really related to.

Photo Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios And so having that from the onset, knowing we want to tell a story about family. We want to spend time with this family. We wanted to get to know every member of this family was something that we knew that we wanted to do from the very beginning. It's really, really hard. Then the notion of Colombia came in as we started talking to Lin, he definitely wanted to do a movie set in Latin America.

every one of those 60 films up to "Encanto", and looking at the pedigree and the legacy of this place, it can be very intimidating honestly, as you're starting a new film. We always want to do our absolute best and the thing is that I think because we love what Disney films represent, Disney Animation is not only pertinent when the films come out, but these films are generational.

We actually didn't know exactly where it would be set. So we spent months actually trying to figure out what type of place would make sense in this movie that's really about perspective and seeing people differently, and all these different points of view. Columbia, which is a place of such a crossroads where so many different types of people are there, where there's this amazing crossroads of music and art and dance and architecture, are sort of all coming together. It felt like a very natural place to have all of this diversity that we both wanted for the family of our story, but also thematically to talk about.

They get shared for generations into the future. And so we're very aware of that. And having that core of great storytelling, a huge amount of heart pathos is super important. And that for us was another reason to lean into the grounding that magical realism inspired storytelling gives you, really linking this magic in this world, not just to arbitrary gifts from somewhere other than Earth, but just really kind of saying like, "emotion is magic and experience is magic, and family is magic. It's everywhere if you know where to look for it."

The term ‘magical realism’ has been used to describe the fantastical elements in "Encanto". How is that incorporated within the film? Charise Castro Smith We were taking inspiration from magical realism from a really early point in the film. Even when we started kind of thinking about these characters and who they were, it was really important for all the elements of this film to be able to work just sort of in a grounded, non-magical way, so that when they sort of grew and got bigger, the magic felt like it was tied to something visceral and emotional and relatable. So a good example of that is just even how we were thinking about the characters. So we really wanted there to be really archetypical family roles represented in this. A perfect example of this is Luisa, who is like the 'steady rock of the family child', the one who can sort of shoulder all the responsibility. And in this family, it just so happens that she has super strength and can lift five donkeys. So we really tried to use, as a guiding principle for the magic in this movie, that it was all kind of sprung from some actual fact, either about the person or an actual emotion or a real need that the character had. So all the magic was sort of coming from the characters and coming from the people in this town. So another thing that has been highlighted with “Encanto” is that it happens to be the 60th Walt Disney Animation Studios film. Working within Walt Disney Animation, I was wondering if there's an ethos that is still followed today from the original Walt Disney Animation film and how that is incorporated into "Encanto"? Byron Howard 100%. It's interesting to look back because we even have [a] sizzle piece that represents all the titles of

So there's something about that that's really good. But I think I'm hugely proud of the fact that we get to wear that moniker of being the 60th animated film, especially just on the cusp of this whole studio celebrating its Centennial in just a few years, which is just another incredible milestone that we're looking forward to. Bush There's also, like a great quote from Walt Disney, where he said, "If you want to make a great musical, make sure there's a song that Carlos Vives sings on." And so for this movie we really took that to heart. And we're glad to finally fulfill that dream. [Everyone laughs] Charise, I know you've worked as a playwright, you've worked on TV, on the stage, so I was wondering what it was like to move into your first feature film and whether there were any growing pains? And how that experience was in general? Castro Smith It was wild. It was my first time working in features, my first time working in animation, and it's a really vastly different process than making a TV show or writing a play. But the thing that has been just the most mind blowing to me on a daily basis is collaborating with, honestly, some of the best visual artists in the world, and just seeing the things that our Visual Development Department came up with in terms of the look of this movie, the character designers; seeing these characters that we had in our head come to life like all the animators, the riggers, all the departments just working together to create something just magical and beautiful. I have so much appreciation for having been through this process now because I feel like I can look at a frame of this movie and just know the amount of love and creativity and heart and passion that goes into literally every single frame of this

But I have to say this last year for the three of us has been one week after the next of just being amazed at what people have been producing over the last four years. Just brilliant technology, brilliant artistry, amazingly inspired animation, incredibly subtle. There's even a new eye shader that we're using on this film for the first time. And it's such a film where we have intensely emotional scenes where the eyes are all about connecting with the audience. It made an incredible, incredible difference. But everyone pushing the envelope on every level has been the case in this movie. Thanks again, Jared, Byron, Charise. For my last question, I wanted to ask all of you, what is one takeaway that you've brought from the experience of working on "Encanto"? Bush Oh, man, I would say that I don't know my family at all is my takeaway. I think that one of the things we learned, we researched our own families, and I was stunned by what I didn't know. Not just generations back, but among my siblings, my parents, my grandparents. It was really humbling, to be honest. And I think that to me, the biggest takeaway is that we really don't know each other that well, and we don't always present the truth to people. There's a lot that we hide. But, man, if you try to understand it even a little bit, you really understand people better. You make different connections. You realize that you're not alone as you think you are. And so to me, that's the number one thing. Get to know your family. It's worth it. Castro Smith Oh, my goodness. The biggest takeaway from the last three years, I think for me, it's just appreciation for the collaborative nature of this art form. The deep, profound collaboration of making an animated movie is just my biggest takeaway from this amazing last three years. Howard And I would say off of that, I'm so impressed with our crew and our consultants and the team that made the film and people really thinking about storytelling on every level. We've seen that with our lighters, with our cinematographers, with the choreographers, with our animators. And just as a celebration of the miracle that Columbia is and our friends Juan and Natalie [Juan Rendón and Natalie Osma of the Colombian Cultural Trust], who have been partners with us on this whole journey. It's very emotional for us, I think, because it's a big period of our lives, and I think to see it all come together in such a beautiful way has just been so rewarding. And I feel like I've learned so much that I didn't know four years ago. I appreciate these stories so much more.

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ESPAÑOL

ENTRANDO AL “ENCANTO”

Detrás de cámaras con los creadores de la película número 60 de Walt Disney Animation, una historia de realismo mágico ambientada en la bella naturaleza salvaje de Colombia

Arturo Hilario El Observador

ahora porque siento que puedo mirar un fotograma de esta película y saber la cantidad de amor, creatividad, corazón y pasión que hay literalmente en cada fotograma de esta película. Es realmente alucinante.

alt Disney Animation Studios estrenó su primera pelicula completa en 1937 con "Blancanieves y los siete enanitos". Esa primera película animada de Disney inició un fenómeno cultural de entretenimiento y estilo narrativo que continúa creciendo y diversificándose 84 años después.

Ahora, con respecto a la dirección, ¿hubo algo desafiante en el lado de la animación o algún desafío técnico nuevo sobre el que puedas hablar? Howard Oh, sí. Creo que la magnitud de lo que estábamos pidiendo al equipo que hiciera era algo alucinante. Fueron muy amables con nosotros. Estoy seguro de que se sintieron intimidados por la magnitud de esto. Cuando lo plantas por primera vez, tienes una familia y una casa que parece bastante simple, pero la casa tiene mundos dentro de las habitaciones. La familia es enorme. La ciudad en la que viven tiene cientos de personas. Es Colombia en un cierto período de tiempo hace décadas, con una cierta vestimenta, la cual tiene una complejidad de tejido.

Ahora la película número 60 del estudio: "Encanto", una historia vibrante de "realismo mágico" ambientada en Colombia con música de Lin-Manuel Miranda, se estrenará en los cines el 24 de noviembre. Para poner algo de perspectiva, en el tiempo entre "Blancanieves" y su última película, hubo una guerra mundial, 15 presidentes estadounidenses y hasta la humanidad llegó al espacio. Hablando del realismo mágico, es un término literario que se utilizaba para describir a los autores latinoamericanos de mediados del siglo XX como José Martí y Gabriel García Márquez, cuyo trabajo retrató elementos sobrenaturales o fantásticos dentro de la ficción realista. La política también a veces se entrelazó en estas historias, que no servían tanto como fábulas de fantasía sino más bien como una descripción de escenarios del mundo real, luchas y críticas de la élite en América Latina. Aunque Disney no se está adentrando demasiado con "Encanto", en las trincheras de la condición humana como los mencionados autores, está inculcando los fundamentos básicos del realismo mágico en la película familiar: una historia que mezcla la realidad fundamentada y las emociones, y que también presenta elementos de fantasía. "Encanto" presenta a una familia diversa y extensa, los Madrigales, que residen en un pueblo escondido llamado "El Encanto", ubicado en las colinas de la pintoresca Colombia. La familia vive dentro de un hogar mágico sensible y en constante expansión que despierta poderosos dones dentro de todos los miembros del clan Madrigal – menos con la protagonista adolescente Maribel (con la voz de Stephanie Beatriz). A pesar de no tener habilidades místicas propias, es Maribel quien podría ser la única capaz de descubrir cómo detener un peligro que acecha a El Encanto. Con esta película, la historia de la narración mágica de Walt Disney Animation y el realismo mágico de América Latina parecen el matrimonio perfecto entre la narrativa y lo fantástico, y quienes lideraron la carga para crear todo fueron los pilares de Disney, Jared Bush y Byron Howard, y la recién llegada a la animación cinematográfica Charise Castro Smith. Los tres se desempeñaron como escritores y directores, y recibieron asistencia durante el proceso por una Fundación Cultural Colombiana para asegurarse de guiar la película en una descripción precisa de la gente y las tradiciones de Colombia. Bush y Howard han trabajado juntos antes en películas como "Zootopia" y han sido parte de dar vida a "Enredados" y "Moana", mientras que Castro Smith es originalmente un dramaturgo que ha tenido éxito en el mundo de la televisión, siendo productor y escritor del drama de Starz en la ciudad de Nueva York "Sweetbitter" y del drama de terror de Netflix, "The Haunting of Hill House". En la siguiente entrevista, Bush, Howard y Castro Smith nos dan una mirada detrás de los cuadros en movimiento de "Encanto" y detallan cómo ayudaron a escribir y construir este mundo mágico dentro de Colombia que se basa esencialmente en una historia universal de familia y las complejidades de ser parte de una. Gracias por tomarte el tiempo para hablar sobre “Encanto”. Para empezar, ¿me gustaría saber qué tan temprano en la fase de planificación se estableció la idea de que el arco de la historia principal se estableciera en Colombia?

Photo Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios algo en lo que todos tuviéramos puntos en común. Y mientras todos hablábamos, la familia, las familias extensas, la alegría de la familia, las complejidades de la familia, el desafío de la familia era algo con lo que todos realmente nos identificamos. Y así teniendo eso desde el principio, sabiendo que queremos contar una historia sobre la familia. Queremos pasar tiempo con esta familia. Queríamos conocer a cada miembro ella, era algo que sabíamos que queríamos hacer desde el principio. Es muy, muy difícil. Luego vino la noción de Colombia cuando comenzamos a hablar con Lin, él definitivamente quería hacer una película ambientada en América Latina. De hecho, no sabíamos exactamente dónde se realizaría. Así que pasamos meses tratando de averiguar qué tipo de lugar tendría sentido en esta película que realmente trata sobre la perspectiva y ver a las personas de manera diferente, y todos estos puntos de vista diferentes. Colombia, que es un lugar de tal encrucijada donde hay tantos tipos diferentes de personas, donde está esta increíble encrucijada de música, arte, danza y arquitectura uniéndose. Se sintió como un lugar muy natural tener toda esta diversidad que ambos queríamos para la familia de nuestra historia, pero también temáticamente para hablar. El término "realismo mágico" se ha utilizado para describir los elementos fantásticos de "Encanto". ¿Cómo se incorpora eso a la película? Charise Castro Smith Nos estábamos inspirando en el realismo mágico desde un punto muy temprano de la película. Incluso cuando empezamos a pensar en estos personajes y quiénes eran, era realmente importante que todos los elementos de esta película pudieran funcionar de una forma no mágica y enraizada, así que cuando crecieron y se hicieron más grandes, la magia se sintió como si estuviera ligada a algo visceral, emocional y relacionable. Así que un buen ejemplo de eso es incluso cómo pensamos sobre los personajes. Queríamos que hubiera roles familiares realmente arquetípicos representados en esto. Un ejemplo perfecto de esto es Luisa, que es como la 'roca firme de la niña de la familia', la que puede asumir toda la responsabilidad. Y en esta familia, da la casualidad de que tiene mucha fuerza y puede levantar cinco burros. Así que realmente intentamos usar, como principio rector para la magia de esta película, que todo surgió de algún hecho real, ya sea sobre la persona o una emoción real o una necesidad real que tenía el personaje.

Jared Bush

Así que toda la magia venía de los personajes y de la gente de esta ciudad.

Diría que, desde el principio, Byron y yo estábamos terminando “Zootopia”, y sabíamos que queríamos hacer un musical a continuación. Nos encantan los musicales. Dijimos, "tenemos que hacerlo". Y acababa de trabajar con Lin-Manuel Miranda en "Moana". Y así fue una especie de confluencia de," ¡Oh, podemos reunir a todos!" Pero teníamos que encontrar

Entonces, otra cosa que se ha destacado con “Encanto” es que resulta ser la película número 60 de Walt Disney Animation Studios. Trabajando dentro de Walt Disney Animation, me preguntaba si hay un ethos que todavía se sigue hoy en día de la película original de Walt Disney Animation y cómo se incorpora a "Encanto".

Byron Howard 100%. Es interesante mirar hacia atrás porque incluso tenemos [una] pieza chisporroteante que representa todos los títulos de cada una de esas 60 películas hasta "Encanto", y al observar el pedigrí y el legado de este lugar, puede ser muy intimidante, honestamente, cundo estás comenzando una nueva película. Siempre queremos hacer lo mejor y la cosa es que creo que porque amamos lo que representan las películas de Disney, Disney Animation no solo es pertinente cuando salen las películas, sino que estas películas son generacionales. Se comparten durante generaciones en el futuro. Y por eso somos muy conscientes de eso. Tener ese núcleo de la gran narración, una gran cantidad de pathos de corazón es muy importante. Y eso para nosotros fue otra razón para apoyarnos en la base que te da la narración inspirada en el realismo mágico, realmente vinculando esta magia en el mundo, no solo con regalos arbitrarios de algún otro lugar que no sea la Tierra, sino simplemente diciendo, "la emoción es magia y la experiencia es magia y la familia es magia. Está en todas partes si sabes dónde buscarlo". Así que hay algo en eso que es realmente bueno. Pero creo que estoy muy orgulloso del hecho de que podamos usar ese apodo de ser la 60a película animada, especialmente justo en la cúspide de todo este estudio que celebrará su centenario en unos pocos años, que es solo otro logro increíble que estamos esperando con ansias. Bush También hay una gran cita de Walt Disney, donde dijo: "Si quieres hacer un gran musical, asegúrate de que haya una canción que cante Carlos Vives". Así que para esta película nos lo tomamos muy en serio. Y estamos contentos de finalmente cumplir ese sueño. [Todos se ríen] Charise, sé que has trabajado como dramaturgo, en la televisión, en el escenario, así que me preguntaba ¿Cómo fue pasar a tu primer película completa y hubo problemas de crecimiento? ¿Y cómo fue esa experiencia en general? Castro Smith Fue salvaje. Era la primera vez que trabajaba en funciones, la primera vez que trabajaba en animación y es un proceso muy diferente al de hacer un programa de televisión o escribir una obra de teatro. Pero lo que más me ha sorprendido a diario es colaborar, honestamente, con algunos de los mejores artistas visuales del mundo, y simplemente ver las cosas que se le ocurrieron a nuestro Departamento de Desarrollo Visual en términos del aspecto de esta película, los diseñadores de personajes; ver a estos personajes que teníamos en nuestra cabeza cobrar vida, cómo todos los animadores, los instaladores, todos los departamentos trabajando juntos para crear algo simplemente mágico y hermoso. Aprecio mucho haber pasado por este proceso

Hay una gran cantidad de baile en la película, de una manera genial, más coreografía y más baile de lo que hemos hecho en cualquier otra película de Disney. Y luego también tenemos nuestra etnia muy específica en toda la ciudad y también en la familia misma, donde tenemos cabello afrocolombiano natural, que es muy diferente incluso de un familiar a otro. Todo eso requiere una tecnología asombrosa , genios para hacer que suceda y llevarlo a la pantalla. Pero debo decir que este último año para los tres ha sido una semana tras otra de asombrarnos por lo que la gente ha estado produciendo durante los últimos cuatro años. Simplemente tecnología brillante, arte brillante, animación increíblemente inspirada, increíblemente sutil. Incluso hay una nueva tecnología de ojos que estamos usando en esta película por primera vez. Y es una película en la que tenemos escenas intensamente emocionales en las que los ojos se tratan de conectar con el público. Hizo una diferencia increíble, increíble. Pero todo el mundo empujando el sobre en todos los niveles ha sido el caso en esta película. Gracias de nuevo, Jared, Byron, Charise. Para mi última pregunta, quería preguntarles a todos ustedes, ¿cuál es una conclusión que han traído de la experiencia de trabajar en "Encanto"? Bush Oh, hombre, diría que no conozco a mi familia para nada, es mi conclusión. Creo que una de las cosas que aprendimos, investigamos a nuestras propias familias y me sorprendió lo que no sabía. No solo generaciones atrás, sino entre mis hermanos, mis padres, mis abuelos. Fue realmente humillante, para ser honesto. Y creo que, para mí, lo más importante es que realmente no nos conocemos tan bien, y no siempre presentamos la verdad a la gente. Hay mucho que escondemos. Pero, hombre, si intentas entenderlo aunque sea un poquito, realmente entenderás mejor a la gente. Haces diferentes conexiones. Te das cuenta de que no estás tan solo como crees. Y para mí, eso es el número uno. Conozcan a su familia. Vale la pena. Castro Smith Oh Dios mío. Creo que la lección más importante de los últimos tres años es el aprecio por la naturaleza colaborativa de esta forma de arte. La profunda colaboración de hacer una película animada es mi mayor conclusión de estos increíbles últimos tres años. Howard Diría que estoy muy impresionado con nuestro equipo, nuestros consultores, el equipo que hizo la película y la gente realmente está pensando en la narración de historias en todos los niveles. Lo hemos visto con nuestro equipo de iluminación, con nuestros directores de fotografía, con los coreógrafos, con nuestros animadores. Y solo como una celebración del milagro que es Colombia y nuestros amigos Juan y Natalie [Juan Rendón y Natalie Osma del Fideicomiso Cultural Colombiano], quienes han sido socios con nosotros en todo este viaje. Es muy emocional para nosotros, creo, porque es un gran período de nuestras vidas, y creo que verlo todo junto de una manera tan hermosa ha sido muy gratificante. Y siento que he aprendido tanto que no sabía hace cuatro años. Aprecio mucho más estas historias.

VIBRAS

NOV 19 - NOV 25, 2021

EL OBSERVADOR | www.el-observador.com

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LA DEVOCIÓN A SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMÁN

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anto Domingo es un santo muy aclamado dentro de la comunidad de creyentes, durante siglos se le ha considerado como un ángel y santo piadoso. Concede favores y milagros en casos de angustia, habladurías, calumnias, y se dice que cura enfermedades físicas y emocionales. Su historia está llena de heroísmo y bondad. Con él dio inicio la fe en el Santo Rosario. Los padres de Santo Domingo eran nobles, parientes cercanos de los reyes de Castilla, León, Aragón, Navarra y Portugal. El Santo nació en Caleruega el año 1170 y desde niño, sus padres le inculcaron una fe infinita en el poder de Dios. Fue un joven muy estudioso, era sobresaliente en artes, letras, teología y filosofía. En el año 1194 se ordenó como sacerdote. Siempre contó con el apoyo y protección del rey Alfonso VIII de Castilla, quien lo nombró embajador especial y le envió a Dinamarca para finalizar los detalles de la boda de su hijo. De regreso de su viaje, observó como la herejía, se había apoderado de gran parte de la población francesa, por ello decidió quedarse predicando en Francia. Abdicó a obispados y otros nombramientos, todo para predicar la palabra de Dios. En el año 1215 establece la primera casa de su orden de los Predicadores, u “Orden de los Frailes Dominicos". Después en 1216 recibe del Papa Honorio III, la confirmación de su orden de “Los Frailes Predicadores”. El hecho más sorprendente que le ocurrió en vida a Santo Domingo, fue aquel en el que la Santísima Virgen María, se le apareció, le entregó el Santo Rosario y le enseñó a rezarlo. Su vida la dedicó enteramente a predicar la palabra de Dios, convirtió a muchos herejes, algunos de ellos hasta abrazaron la vida religiosa. Tuvo el gran placer espiritual de ver crecer su Orden de Frailes Predicadores. Siempre permanecía atareado y descansaba muy poco, consagró su vida en el

nombre de la religión. En julio de 1221, contrae una enfermedad que se prolonga por varias semanas, la que finalmente le causó la muerte el 6 de agosto de ese mismo año. Fue declarado Santo en el año 1234. Es el Patrón de los astrónomos, los científicos y de la República Dominicana. Su fecha de celebración es el día 8 de agosto. Peticiones: Se le ruega para incrementar la fe, hacer prevalecer la justicia y para hacer prevalecer la verdad cuando se sufre una calumnia. Oración a Santo Domingo de Guzmán Ilustre Padre mío Santo Domingo, elegido de Dios para sus grandes designios en el mundo, predilecto de la Reina de los cielos, cuyas glorias y amor publicasteis y difundisteis, obtenednos nuevamente el triunfo de la verdad sobre el error y apartad el brazo vengador de la Divina justicia sobre los insensatos. Vos, que fuisteis columna de la Iglesia, alcanzad para ella eficaces y oportunos auxilios, gran fervor y espíritu apostólico a sus ministros y piedad, y pureza de costumbres al pueblo cristiano. Oh modelo de santidad y penitencia, hijo fiel y amante de María, que merecisteis que esta gran Señora cobijara en el cielo bajo su manto amoroso a vuestros hijos, obtenednos de ella que sostenga nuestra debilidad para no apartarnos en la tierra de las enseñanzas del Evangelio. Bendecid, Padre querido, a nuestra Orden, sus casas religiosas, sus misiones, predicadores, cofradías, patronatos, asilos, colegios y universidades. Y ya que en la tierra fuisteis poderoso en obras y doctrinas, sea también eficaz en el cielo vuestra intercesión para alcanzarnos santa vida y dichosa transición hacia la divinidad. Amén.