Chris Esparza always wanted to run a nightclub in his hometown of San Jose, friends and business partners told San José Spotlight — and not only did he make it happen, he went on to shape the city’s cultural image through decades of event organizing within the growing Mexican American community. Esparza, 57, died unexpectedly...
San Jose Latino leaders criticize Biden for border policy
Latino leaders across San Jose are saying President Joe Biden’s recent executive order closing the border to migrants is a step in the wrong direction for the nation’s immigration policy and immigrant communities. Those who work with asylum seekers fleeing violence such as San Jose nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe said migrants can’t wait years for...
Silicon Valley Latino icon Victor Garza leaves a lasting legacy
Victor Garza, founder of La Raza RoundTable and a Santa Clara County Latino community icon, died this morning, multiple community leaders confirmed to San José Spotlight. He was 86 years old according to his personal Facebook page. Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley executive director Gabriela Chavez-Lopez said she learned of Garza’s death during a Race...
Santa Clara County recognizes need for Latino health center
Santa Clara County leaders are moving forward with the idea of building a Latino health and wellness center. After an emotional budget debate on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved having county employees come back in June with options for how to proceed with a facility and whether there should be multiple locations. Supervisors...
Sarina Soriano reps East San Jose on Super Bowl Sunday
When the San Francisco 49ers take the field on Sunday for Super Bowl 58, Sarina Soriano will be nearby catching the action with a camera. Soriano, 29, is the first female senior producer for the 49ers and one of the first Latina cinematographers in the NFL. At 49ers Studios she creates content for its website...
San Jose nonprofit boards lack Latino leadership
When it comes to sitting on a San Jose nonprofit board, Hispanics and Latinos are still being ignored—even though they are more than a third of the city’s population. Data collected by Latinos LEAD highlights this disparity, showing that Latinos make up only 12.5% of nonprofit board members in the San Jose metro area, which...
Latino leaders who shaped Silicon Valley
Hispanic or Latino residents make up about 31% of San Jose’s population and 24.7% of Santa Clara County, according to U.S. Census data—and the impact of local leaders is visible across the region. Activists have worked for decades to give Latino residents equity, representation and access to services. The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican...
San Jose brings in-person translators to all council meetings
San Jose is launching language interpreter services at some public meetings after translation mishaps earlier this year. Starting today, there will be Spanish and Vietnamese translators in person and virtually at every San Jose City Council and council committee meeting. Prior to this change, people seeking in-person interpreters needed to submit a request ahead of...
‘Not enough representation’: Silicon Valley Latinas struggle to enter tech industry
Despite being raised in the shadow of tech giants like Apple and Google, Stephanie Valenzuela struggled to see how she fit into the industry. As a Latina, Valenzuela said she rarely saw herself represented. Valenzuela has worked as a tech recruiter as part of a small cohort of Latinas in the sector. She wants to...
On DACA’s 11th anniversary, San Jose recipients want acceptance
Immigrant rights advocates rallied in downtown San Jose on DACA’s 11th anniversary, calling for the program’s continuation as its future remains in limbo. Advocates with Amigos de Guadalupe, an immigration nonprofit, carried posters bearing phrases like “¡Actua ahora!” and chanted “Si Se Puede” outside the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on Second Street today. They want the...