Vida de Oro June 15, 2012

Vida de Oro

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Connecting Communities, Promoting Excellence

Volume 2, Issue 1

SACRAMENTO EDITION

June 15, 2012

The Many Faces of Berman Obaldia IN THIS ISSUE: * Latino Peace Officer’s Association Scholarship Awards * NEW SECTION: America’s Channel, A Glimpse Into Online Video Productions * “The Met” a unique high school that promotes graduation first * Russian American Media’s “International Kid’s Festival”

WE’RE NOW CARRYING FASHIONS

By Rory Castillo

LOOK! Women’s Silk Fascinator Hats From Men’s Ties

Summer is the best time to buy or order your favorite handmade or handcrafted item! -- I am so excited to have nationally recognized fashion designer Rory Castillo displaying and selling his works in our new folk/fine art gallery. Rory’s work cannot be understated.

Having designed and dressed Rita Moreno and many other famous women makes it a privilege to have his work at our new location.

In addition, I’m displaying my Silk Fascinator Hats that I make from men’s ties and my collection of vintage ribbon.

Classes taught every Saturday...call us to reserve your spot at (916) 705-5129

Minaʼs Treasures 501 Arden Way Sacramento, CA 95815 minaperez@minastreasures.com www.minastreasures.com

Weʼre a Latina, Disabled, Woman owned small business

Photos by Olha Melokhina Russian American Media

Volume 2, Issue 1

SACRAMENTO EDITION

June 15, 2012

Editor’s Perspective...

It is tough to compete in different contests and get second place, since technically, there is no real prize for second place. Such was the case for local artist Roberto Valdez, whose work includes murals, pencil etchings, and other media, that conveys the history and struggles of Chicanos in the U.S. Roberto entered a national competition with several hundred other artist in the American Latino Museum’s annual competition. His piece, featuring a mosaic of American and Aztec images, was the only finalist chosen from California, the most populist state for Latinos. Yet, even with all the campaigning, Roberto came in second to a

design company out of Chicago. Was it a fair competition? Is American Idol fair?

In comparing the two pieces, it’s a bit frustrating since the winning piece really doesn’t represent anything Latino/Chicano.

I applaud the American Latino Museum for their efforts to involve Latinos across the U.S. in this competition. But, using the American Idol model to identify a winner leaves much to be desired. What ever happened to having judges?

A Sus Hordenes, Adrian Perez, Editor info@vidadeoro.com

You be the judge:

Winning Entry

Roberto’s Entry

About Vida de Oro Vida de Oro is published bi-monthly. For comments, information, or submit articles, write to: POP-9 Communications, 2213 Del Paso Blvd, #149, Sacramento, CA 95815 or email us at info@vidadeoro.com Vida de Oro is owned Mina’s Treasures, a private for-profit concern. Any article and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of Vida de Oro, POP-9 Communications, or Mina’s Treasures, but remain solely those of the author(s). Vida de Oro is copyrighted and its contents may not be copied or used without prior written consent by POP-9 Communications. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.

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Since 1972, the Silver Skillet restaurant has been preparing home-style cooking for locals, truckers, farmers and travelers pulling off Interstate 80 and 5 to the 49'er Travel Plaza.

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Volume 2, Issue 1

Cover Story

SACRAMENTO EDITION

June 15, 2012

The Many Faces of Berman Obaldia

Hollywood has been a tough nut-to-crack for Latino actors, especially in the last few decades where only a hand full have made some progress in representing the nation’s second largest population and soon to be California’s largest population.

The theme for Latino actors seems to be the same, they are either “too” Latino, or “not” Latino enough.

A frustrating catch-22 cycle that has lead some to create their own Youtube webisodes, or writing and starring in their own theatrical productions.

Unless, they have physical features and acting skills that transcend ethnic lines. Such is the case with Berman Obaldia, a political strategist with a growing resume of acting roles.

Not long ago, a Latino actor named Anthony Quinn, possessed the full package allowing him to star in films like his award winning “Zorba the Greek,” without regard for his ethnicity. The same can be said about Obaldia.

Born in the tropical country of Costa Rica, Obaldia grew up in East Los Angeles, attending schools with predominantly Mexican American students, where his active involvement in school lead to his getting elected as student class president, the precursor to getting into politics.

“I was elected Class President at Roosevelt High School,” says Obaldia, a government strategist for the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. “That was my first

exposure to politics and I really enjoyed it.”

Knowing he wanted to get into politics, he enrolled at California State University, Los Angeles majoring in Political Science. As it is typical with most college students, he needed a job and was encouraged by a friend to go to the studio lots in Hollywood and seek “extra” work, which paid well for any college student. His stature and looks helped, landing some stand-in roles for television programs and movies.

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SACRAMENTO EDITION

“It was a way to make money while attending college,” says Obaldia. “They would pay me $80 a-day to do some stand-in work or just to be an extra. It wasn’t bad for that time (early 1980s.)”

Enjoying what he was doing part-time, Obaldia decided to minor in Theater, while staying focused on his true passion, politics.

Like Hollywood is the place for actors, Sacramento is the place for politics. Recognizing this, Obaldia moved to the state’s Capitol, quickly learning the political ropes.

Obaldia was hired at the California State

June 15, 2012

Legislature soon after his arrival to Sacramento.

A common move for students and recent college graduates looking at getting into the “meat” of public policy.

“I worked for the Legislature until I landed a job as Chief Consultant for Education within Assembly Member (now Congressman) Joe Baca’s Office,” says Obaldia.

“Then I left the Legislature in 1995 to pursue a similar career in the private sector.

Upon leaving the state legislature, Obaldia worked as Government Relations Director for UST Public Relations for a few years.

Later, he went to work for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, conducting government relations work.

In 2009, he returned to California state civil service, as Director of Public Affairs and Policy Analysis for the California State Teachers Retirement System, the nation’s largest teacher retirement system.

It was during this time that Obaldia got a chance to act again, taking a bit part in a play entitled “We Don’t Got To Show You No Stinking Badges” by Sacramento’s legendary Director Manual Pickett.

“I love politics and acting equally,” says Obaldia, whose more recent acting stint was on a powerful docu-drama short film Mi Tierra.

“The topic of this film is very powerful (human trafficking) and it had to be made.”

The 35-minute film was shot in the Sacramento region using local actors by two students at the Sacramento Institute for the Arts.

The project was funded by local investors, but has caught the eye of several producers interested in expanding the film to feature level. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14...

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SACRAMENTO EDITION

June 15, 2012

Your guide to the best Latino Directed and Produced Webisodes in the Net...

u Talk show host Ylse navigates life as a Latin woman in the male dominated entertainment news industry in this quirky comedy.

Starring Ruth Livier, Marlene Forte and Alejandro de Hoyos; Guest Stars: Gabriel Romero and Martin Morales; Directed by Joe Camareno

u

LAS TUNDAS OF THE VALLEY A Latino web series about an immigrant Ecuadorian family who live in the U.S. The parents are struggling to make sure that their two children live proper lives and not ruin the opportunities that they will have in the U.S. The parents are very protective of their two daughters, not letting them venture too far away from the confines of the family...protecting the deep FAMILY SECRET that has plagued the whole family for a hundred years.

CAST: DawnMarie Ferrara, Lauren Delfs, Melissa Macedo, Karah Gita Michaels, Alejandra Morin, Vanessa Suarez, and Greg Haines.

u Los Americans is an eight-part series that focuses on a multigenerational, middle-income Latino family living in Los Angeles.

The Valenzuela family deals with many issues facing American families today, including: unemployment, cultural identity and alcoholism. The series features Latino-Americans in a realistic and complex manner seldom seen on television or the Internet.

CAST: Esai Morales, Lupe Ontiveros, Yvonne Delarosa, JC Gonzalez, Raymond Cruz, Ana Villafane, Jovan Armand, Valerie Rose Curiel, Bibiana Navas, Blaise Embry, Carrie Reichenbach, Derek DeChesne, Tony Plana, Douglas Dickerman, Candace Marie, Elle McLemore,

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June 15, 2012

Your guide to the best Latino Directed and Produced Webisodes in the Net...

u

Join Señor Loro, and his 3rd world puppets with a 6th grade education doing 8th grade comedy. "Los Titeres" means "The Puppets" in Spanish. Witness the His-panicky, diverse webisodes of LosTiteres.TV from your mobile phone. From an online puppet Telenovela, to a talking marijuana plant named Mary Juana ~ welcome to a world of Latinos for grown up puppets!

Created by Felix Pire.

Cookin with Consuela & Teresita

u

A comedy (in 6 parts) about two New Yoricans who get stranded in Iowa and discover their true talents.

Starring: Yeni Alvarez, Nicole Vasquez.

Chutes and Ladders is an 11 episode web series that follows the adventures of Alejandro (Leo G. Herra) and Olivia (Agnes Barrios-Laffitte) as they move from one time travel chute to the next. Aided by a mysterious figure from the future, Vikram (Datta Dave), they try to piece together the clues left for them. What they discover is something much bigger than they anticipated.

The chute brings them back to the day their mom died. Is Shannon (Norma Fontana) somehow connected to these chutes?

How much does their dad, Manny (Luca Rodrigues), really know?

u

Their adventures take them between past and present and lead them to confront themselves in more ways than they'd imagined.

How much control do they have to change the past and how much is already written?

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June 15, 2012

Latino Peace Officers holds annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony

By Andrew Cruz, Vida de Oro On April 27, 2012 the Sacramento NLPOA Chapter held its annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s Conference Center, in East Sacramento CA. This year the Sacramento Chapter was joined by the Sacramento Sheriff’s Toy Project, which matched all the financial NLPOA awards, presented to the students. Each scholarship recipient received two checks, one from each organization. Special thanks to Lt. Marchese, President of the Sacramento Sheriff's Toy Project for helping to provide substantial scholarships to eight deserving students who live or attend college in the Sacramento area. Providing scholarship has become a meaningful and an important part of the Sacramento Chapter, helping students who will be our future leaders.

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Restaurant & Bar Hours Monday thru Saturday: 11:00am to 2:00am - Lunch and Dinner with a Late Night Menu available - Full Service Bar Sunday: 3:00pm to 9:00pm - Silhouetting Gallo Center for the Arts Performances Tammy tammy@tresetti.com Paul (Wine Shop) wineshop@tresetti.com Kim (Office) kim@tresetti.com Mitchell mitchell@tresetti.com

Volume 2, Issue 1

SACRAMENTO EDITION

June 15, 2012

THE MET: A HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE DETERMINED

By Mariah Resendez, Vida de Oro

“The Met? Where is that? I'm not familiar with it.�

If you search the Met on your computer tool bar, the first thing that pops up is 'The Metropolitan Museum', not the Sacramento high school, which doesn't even pop up until later on down the page. Not many people that I have talked to even know that the Met exists. We aim to change that.

I came to The Met from a traditional style high school, C.K. McClatchy, in the second semester of last year. It was probably the best move that I ever made in my high school career.

Everyone, the staff, the students, and especially the principle, are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I have learned things in this school that I probably wouldn't have learned in a traditional setting.

The Met Sacramento is a charter school located in Midtown run by Allen Young. It has a wonderful program different from the style of that of a traditional high school, orchestrated by the staff. In this school we do not go from period to period studying from a book, not retaining all of the knowledge told to us, like in a traditional setting. Instead, we are all treated as an individual and we have the resources to learn what we need to learn, along side what we prefer to learn.

In this program we are each placed in an Advisory (similar to homeroom) that includes a number of students and a teacher that we will be shared for the 4 years of high school. Which, from personal experience, helps even new students feel comfortable in this new environment. During the week we go to workshops, which are our core classes, in which we are in a class learning the subject, without the need of books and c o n s t a n t studying. In fact we are allowed to do projects in place of some workshops, and those projects can range from

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doing a science project to writing a book. The students learn early on how to present and create formal presentations through what is aptly called, an Exhibition, in which we present what we have done during the quarter. We do this in place of final tests, and because of this we are more confident going out into the job market or having to present in front of people. It also allows us to be confident when we are applying for internships. A big part of our curriculum is helping and doing projects at our internships, which we attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For the application of internships we learn how to write good resumes as well as cover letters to send to our potential mentors.

In fact, I even have some of my friends, from McClatchy, come and ask me to help them write a superb resume. The view, however, of many of my friends when I told them I was transferring out of McClatchy was, “Your going to the Met? That stoner school?” At times I even chortle at the differences in the schools I used to attend and the school in which I attend now. At McClatchy I would have never been so ready to take on the job market, knowing my tools and ready to show off my skills. At McClatchy I did not feel like I was an individual, like I do at the Met. Veritably, at the Met we are still performing

June 15, 2012

at the same level of standardized test scores as McClatchy. The only difference is 5%, the discrepancy of a couple of students in our school.

With this kind of setting, students are more inclined to come to school because it is something they enjoy and they still get the same education that a student would get at a traditional school. We are all treated like an individual and allowed to follow our dreams. We learn to take responsibility for what we do within our school and community. We learn how to be responsible adults.

I will always love the decision I made to t r a n s f e r. I eminently love the principal, his quirky, funny, very friendly, sometimes s e r i o u s attitude is something that I have never seen in a principal before. “Goodbye, hop-along,” said with love and care by Allen Young, principal. - Vida 13

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June 15, 2012

(From page 6) In the film Obaldia plays a cartel leader who has expanded his business to include the luring and trapping of young women sold to foreign countries as sex slaves.

“I believe in this project and also believe it to be very socially important,” says Obaldia. “We screened the film to the Sacramento and California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, and state Chairman Roy Perez told us it was a very moving story.”

While acting and politics has been his love, Obaldia is also a loving and dedicated father of two daughters, one a sophomore in high school and the other in her first year of college.

“I love my lovely and intelligent daughters,” he says with a father’s gleam. “I try to spend as much time as I can with them, especially when the older one is here.”

With a 6’ frame and bellowing voice, Obaldia typically towers over other cast members and creates a very memorable character for theater and film audiences.

Moreover, his features allow him to play pretty much any role, similar to the late great Anythony Quinn.

“I tell directors that I work with that I am a blank canvas, and I become the person they want me to become,” adds Obaldia. “Once they give me what they want, I become that person.”

Whether in a suit and tie, a tee-shirt, or a tux, it is evident that Berman Obaldia is a man with many faces and can be seen in Ricard Falcon’s rendition of “Anna In the Tropics” presented by Teatro Nagual, Inc, which will begin its run June 15, 2012, at the Coloma Community Center. - VIDA

Cast and Crew of “Anna in the Tropics”

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Est. 1983 ...serving the freshest juices and licuados in town, nothing frozen or concentrated.

Our menu also includes sandwiches, salads, our famous quesadilla, fresh-ground coffee, mochas and other espresso drinks. A nice selection of beer and wine is also offered. Enjoy it all in the comfortable atmosphere of Luna's, one of this area's original cafe galleries.

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Breakfast is served Monday through Saturday. Featuring music and entertainment Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Dinner served starting at 5pm.

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Monday: 9am-4pm, and 6:30pm-10pm Tuesday: 9am-4pm Wednesday: 9am-4pm, and 6pm-10pm Thursday: 9am-4pm, and 6pm-11pm Friday: 9am-4pm*, and 6pm-Midnight Saturday: 6:30pm to Midnight Sunday: Closed * We are closed for most holidays and Furlough Fridays between 8am-4pm

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