Mosaic Issue 2023

‘No sabo’ kids turn a slur into a game

By Iris Sanchez Mosaic staff writer

Sara De La Cerda remembers the day in a mariachi music class at San Jose High. The instructor asked for a translation from English to Spanish. The U.S.-born Mexican American confidently raised her hand and answered in her best Spanish.

“All the kids started laughing because it didn’t translate,” she said. “I was kinda teased in high school for like, not knowing how to speak Spanish.”

Today De La Cerda is considered a “no sabo kid” by fluent Spanish-speaking youths from Miami to San Jose. The term targets Americanized, English-dominant Latinos, young or old. It’s

as if the Spanish speakers are accusing them of abandoning their culture by assimilating totally into a dominant American environment.

The phrase carries a comedic undertone because “no sabo” is ungrammatical. The correct phrase would be no se, or I don’t know. The origin of the phrase isn’t clear. It could have been a Mexican American or Puerto Rican from New York, answering no sabo to a question in Spanish.

For De La Cerda, now a senior at San Jose State University, the ridicule still stings. As a Latina, the experience in high school made her feel disconnected from her Latinidad and mariachi music. No sabo has taken a place in Latino culture, making it much harder for Latinos who don’t

Food banks face increased demand after pandemic

By

Under the hot midday sun, families lined up last week at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose to receive an assortment of vegetables, poultry and canned foods from Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. High demand was evident in the length of the line, which stretched around two corners of the property.

One person standing in line was Maria Luz Alatorre, 82, who is a frequent patron of Second Harvest.

“I usually use my entire Social Security check to pay for food, but

coming here lets me keep a bit of pocket money to spend on other things,” she said. “It gives me a financial cushion.”

Alatorre is just one of nearly half a million people served by Second Harvest in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. According to its website, demand for Second Harvest’s services rose from 250,000 to 460,000 people per month during the COVID-19 pandemic, an 80% increase.

Other Bay Area food banks have experienced similar surges in demand. As a result, they have expanded their operations, but are struggling to find enough volunteers

to sort and distribute meals.

Although most people returned to their jobs post-pandemic, skyrocketing inflation has caused widespread financial difficulties.

Food prices rose 7.7% in the year up to April 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture. Many disadvantaged communities are still recovering from losing income during the pandemic, putting them in a particularly vulnerable position.

On top of that, a decrease in food assistance payments from the government is tightening budgets even further.

Artists harness AI as creative partner

By Julia Dang Mosaic staff writer

James Morgan began his creative journey into artificial intelligence as a joke. Now it is a significant part of his creative process, making him part of a now growing group of creatives who are using AI in their art in new and inventive ways.

Morgan, an artist and a professor of digital media at San Jose State University, has spent the past few years experimenting with AI in art. He first got into it, he said, when he “made a joke about wanting to make an opera.” A friend was creating software to make music, so Morgan was able to use it to generate melodies in the style of the great Giacomo Puccini. He wrote lyrics to be translated into Italian and eventually created Arido Taurajo, an operatic short taking place over a video game.

Morgan’s journey with AI continued when he spent a year during the pandemic doing photography in Michigan. He put almost every photo into a computer model just to see how the program might replicate his work, and looked closely at what it generated.

“I started falling in love with the aesthetic of it,” he said.

Struggling dad finds path to support

By Dominque Quintana Mosaic staff writer

When his son was still a baby, young father Nestor Garrido noticed something peculiar about the way the boy was behaving. Garrido was in a struggling relationship with the boy’s mother, and it was becoming apparent that the situation was going to get harder.

By the time his son was 2, Garrido found himself in an unimaginable position that terrified him — he became a single dad to a son who couldn’t talk. Yet, the determined father knew he wouldn’t stop fighting for his son.

Garrido, 31, is from a small town called Puebla-Cruz Colorada in Mexico. He lives in San Jose with

his son, now 5, who recently was diagnosed with autism. After facing many trials, Garrido’s son is finally receiving medical treatment with the help of Gardner Health Services in San Jose.

This South Bay agency is intertwined with neighboring hospitals and offers programs for women, provides screenings and assists people regardless of their legal status. Part of Gardner’s mission is to offer health care to low-income families.

With Gardner’s support, Garrido and his son, Zadkiel Garrido Lopez, are building a new routine. They wake up every day at 6 a.m., and Garrido gets them both ready before taking Zadkiel to his special school.

“Teachers find him very difficult

to deal with because he can’t talk but only reacts by ignoring instruction,” Garrido said in Spanish. “He is very hyperactive, and the teachers say they can’t do it alone.” Both the principal and teachers suggested he stay with Zadkiel throughout the class.

Before Zadkiel’s recent diagnosis, Garrido often would be called to leave work and go to school — and ultimately lost his job.

“Without a job, I am barely making ends meet,” he said. Constant worry filled the father, yet school for his son remained a priority. Getting medical care has also been challenging and difficult. “The

Ella Polak Mosaic staff writer

Nestor Garrido helps his son, Zadkiel Garrido Lopez, with the water fountain at O’Donnell Garden Park in San Jose on June 15. RASHEL NARANJO— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ConXion manager Cuauhcihuatl Trinidad stands in front of a Native American mural at the ConXion community center in San Jose on June 15. AMELIA TAI— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Second Harvest Food Bank volunteers sort tomatoes at a distribution center at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose. AMELIA TAI— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Shannon Ma is a rising junior at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose. She is 16 years old, born in Santa Clara but raised in San Jose. She participated in her school’s journalism class and was editor-inchief of its publication, the Warrior Times. She likes to play badminton. Once she gets to college, she would like to study abroad to expose herself to other cultures. Her favorite subject in school is English because it’s really engaging and deals with many societal topics. She plans to go to college or university and earn a degree to teach English.

— Nayeli Aileen Zuniga

Joshua Cedro never fails to share himself with his community. He is heavily involved in many programs, such as his school’s varsity boys golf team, boys basketball, journalism class and music. He always jumps at the chance for photography gigs, even without instruction, and he has captured various pieces that he is unafraid to share with other people. He is a diverse individual who aims to further improve his talents. Cedro hopes to open his own photography business or attend a film school outside of California. Cedro is a rising junior at Santa Clara High School.

— Lianne Carla Catbagan

J ulia Dang is a rising senior at Los Gatos High School. She enjoys hikes in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her “borderline rabid poodle,” Callie. She can often be found snacking on popcorn and expired microwaved tamales throughout her shift at a recycling facility. Although undecided on a career path, Dang dreams of attending UC Berkeley to take advantage of student discounts. An ex-member of her school’s robotics club, she also aspires to muster up the courage to try out for the cheer team. Dang looks forward to making big bucks at her job and hanging out with friends.

— Cuitlahuac Ramirez Borrego

YuneryRamon Reyes is a rising sophomore at Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School and part of her school’s journalism club. She is a youth advocate for her community and has gotten involved in local politics. Reyes’ greatest achievement was giving a speech to the San Jose City Council promoting undocumented immigrants’ right to vote. She hopes to study law at NYU and become a public defender. Reyes likes journalism because it allows her to explore different backgrounds and develop a deeper connection with people. While attending Mosaic, she wants to focus on human interest stories.

— Ella Polak

our summer 2023 journalists

Elizabeth Lucatero describes herself as being in tune with her Hispanic roots through music such as reggaeton and corridos. She enjoys spending time with family, swimming and running. Lucatero aspires to learn about psychology and explore medicine. Lucatero identifies as an introvert but will never shut down an opportunity to watch a Spider-Man movie with friends. A rising sophomore at Eastside College Preparatory in East Palo Alto, Lucatero has journalism experience from her freshman year of high school and looks forward to learning new skills with Mosaic.

— Dominque Quintana

C

uitlahuac Ramirez

Borrego is a recent graduate of Downtown College Prep Alum Rock in San Jose and a founding member of the school’s art and literature magazine, The Altoid. He is passionate about music and taught himself to play both keyboard and classical guitar. Known as “the People’s Valedictorian” for his academic ability and great sense of humor, he will be attending Santa Clara University this fall, where he is considering majoring in computer science. When he is not sleeping or pretending to work, you can find him watching “The Office.” He’s watched the show’s 201 episodes nine times.

— Julia Dang

RashelNaranjo, a rising sophomore at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, is a photographer for her school newspaper, The Eastside Panther. She takes action shots at sports games and hopes to be elected photo editor this fall. Naranjo also loves to run and is aiming to make the Central Coast Section Championships for cross-country next year. She trains by participating in 5K runs, which leaves her with little free time. On weekends and during the summer, Naranjo watches Netflix shows and goes out with friends. She is interested in criminology but hasn’t decided on a future career.

— Andrew Dong

Lianne Carla Catbagan, a rising junior at Evergreen Valley High School in San Jose, is intrigued by many things including political science, music and, recently, learning about other cultures around the world. She was also one of the bases of her school’s cheerleading team last year, a role that is vital to bringing the stunts to life. She plans to continue cheerleading next year. In the future, she wants to study in Barcelona and possibly attend college in New York. In her free time, she can be found caring for her two younger brothers, practicing for cheer and improving her stage performance skills.

— Joshua Cedro

Ella Polak is a 16-year-old rising junior at Leland High School in San Jose and in her school’s journalism club. She is also part of the California Native Garden Foundation and wants more youths to be involved with the nonprofit. Polak is proud of her growth in confidence and communication skills, and she says her greatest achievement is when a sponsor donated a lot of money after she shared her experience with the non-profit. During her time with the Mosaic program, she hopes to bring more media exposure to underserved communities.

— Yunery Ramon Reyes

Dominque

Quintana is an extroverted rising junior at Silver Creek High School in San Jose who lives in a bedroom decorated with sloths. She hopes to pursue a career as a psychologist. Watching crime shows has been her hobby since she was a child, whether they were about minor crimes or serial killers. It’s her dream to travel the world and visit Brazil to see sloths. Quintana also enjoys cheerleading and running. While participating in the Mosaic program, she looks forward to getting out of her comfort zone and interacting with people in person rather than relying on the internet.

— Elizabeth Lucatero

NayeliAileen Zuniga is a rising senior attending San Jose High School whose interests include photography, which Mosaic allows them to explore. However, their motivation for attending also stems from their long-term goal to push themselves socially, which they have already taken steps toward by becoming involved in school leadership positions for two years. As someone who is family-oriented, they have helped at their siblings’ baking business; after high school, they hope to use that experience to pursue their passion for baking by starting a bakery near home called “Tiny Desserts.”

— Shannon Ma

Aadyant Suresh, an only child, says he is always up to date on political issues and breaking news. A rising senior at Branham High School in San Jose, 17-yearold Suresh aspires to reach college just as his parents did and continue studying at a University of California school. He plans to take five Advanced Placement classes and also plays the violin and tennis. Suresh is part of the journalism class at his school, where he is the science and health editor. Born in India and raised in San Jose, Suresh tries to retain his native language Tamil and also enjoys Indian cuisine.

— Elda Alvarez

Iris Sanchez, a rising senior at Lincoln High School in San Jose, is a writer. While she has previous experience writing for the opinion section, Sanchez hopes to broaden her horizons during her time with Mosaic. She looks forward to professionalizing her work and gaining real-world ties while contributing to a community. Inspired by a love for romance novels, Sanchez aims to study creative writing in college, aspiring to compose a new kind of romance novel. She has participated in hip-hop, ballet, and other dance styles since age 5 and has recently joined her school’s cheer team.

E— Amelia Tai

lda Alvarez says her interest in journalism was inspired by her interest in English, writing essays and reading poetry. She is excited for Advanced Placement literature and Spanish literature classes, and she is also getting ready to be her class’ governor in the Associated Student Body. She looks forward to growing her business, fresabylafresita, selling chocolate-dipped strawberries. Alvarez will be the first in her family to head to college. A rising senior at Latino College Preparatory Academy in San Jose, she is aiming toward UC Riverside and the University of Redlands.

— Aadyant Suresh

Andrew Dong, a rising junior at Aragon High School in San Mateo, will be the sports editor this year for the Aragon Outlook. Besides his interest in journalism, he has dipped his toes in several sports, mainly focusing on swimming. Dong competed in swimming in his early years, joined his school’s swim team as a freshman, and he is considering swimming again during the next school year. He has belonged to the Boy Scouts for several years and enjoys hiking, camping and exploring. This year he took on the responsibilities of senior patrol leader in Troop 47.

— Rashel Naranjo

Tai, a

at Santa Clara High School, is going into her third year in her school journalism program, where she has made a shift from reporter to visual editor. She feels her interests are better aligned with the art of visual media and hopes to further enhance this focus in college. Tai has a great passion for design and performance through drawing and singing. Her favorite experience was playing Morticia in her school production of “The Addams Family,” and she aspires to enhance her interest in theater as publicist of her school drama department

The 30th annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop offered 16 high school students an intensive course in reporting, writing, photography and podcasting under the guidance of professional journalists. The three-week course was held in the Spartan Daily newsroom at San Jose State University.

Members of the 2023 Mosaic Journalism Workshop, for South Bay high school students, reported and photographed stories under the guidance of professional journalists. Back row: Rashel Naranjo, Elda Alvarez, Julia Dang, Cuitlahuac Ramirez Borrego, Aadyant Suresh and Joshua Cedro. Middle: Shannon Ma, Ella Polak, Lianne Catbagan, Amelia Tai, Andrew Dong and Dominque Quintana. Front: Iris Sanchez, Elizabeth Lucatero and Yunery Ramon. Missing from the photo is Nayeli Aileen Zuniga. PHOTO: JOSIE LEPE

A melia

rising senior

— Iris Sanchez

Families share homes to save money on rent

By Elizabeth Lucatero Mosaic staff writer

Suliquell Bautista and her family of four live in a two-bedroom house in San Jose with two other houses on the same property.

They have a family living next to them, one on their right side, and a family in front in the main house.

Both Bautista and her husband, Mario Quezada, have taken on two jobs each in order to afford rent. Bautista babysits Monday through Friday and works at a food truck on the weekends, while Quezada works construction jobs during the week and does landscaping on the weekend.

“The most difficult thing is the price of rent,” Bautista said of living in Silicon Valley. “Because one spends more time outside working than inside resting, because one has to earn money for rent.”

Some families in Silicon Valley, like Bautista’s, have to live with multiple families on one property or in one home because of the high cost of rent. It’s made life more difficult for some because of the noise, trouble finding parking and the cramped living spaces. In San Jose, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $2,600 — higher than the national average of $1,700 a month, according to Zumper.com.

The high cost of rent impacts other areas of Bautista’s family’s life, as well. Bautista said that when one parent gets home the other leaves for their job, making it difficult to spend time with each other. Her 14-yearold daughter, Shalik Quezada Bautista, has felt the impact of her parents always working.

“Sometimes we struggle because we don’t get to spend so much time as family, because my parents need to work to try to make money to pay

the rent,” Shalik said.

Misrayn Mendoza, a community navigator at the nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe, has recently seen the increased burden that high rent is having on families. Right now, he said residents are often looking for help paying their rent — one of the many services the nonprofit provides.

“We are in a very difficult situation with our home situation here in the Bay Area, especially San Jose,” Mendoza said. “And if we don’t do something, what will happen is that everyone will be displaced.”

In response to the housing crisis, Amigos de Guadalupe offers several housing programs including one called Casitas, which provides shelter to families experiencing homelessness, and an interim housing program that provides emergency shelter to families who immediately need a home. Amigos

de Guadalupe also has a rental assistance program for people needing help paying their rent in Santa Clara County.

Karla Acevedo and her family have also felt the effects of the housing crisis, having to cram multiple families into a twobedroom apartment in San Jose.

Acevedo’s sister, brother-in-law and niece live in one room, while Acevedo, her husband and her two

children, ages 8 and 13, live in the other. She works two to three days a week cleaning houses, and her husband works at a gym.

“I would like my children to have a room to themselves,” Acevedo said.

Despite those challenges, she’s unsure about leaving the Bay Area.

“Because the rent is very expensive, moving is not possible,” Acevedo said about hefty moving costs. “But I have thought about it.”

San Jose residents dealing with high prices turn to nonprofits for help with basics

By Andrew Dong Mosaic staff writer

Randy Camargo rode an abandoned bike he had found several miles to Lighthouse in San Jose on a recent Thursday, lining up to get free groceries offered at the nonprofit food distribution site.

“It’s tough, everything is so expensive,” Camargo, 57, said. “I’m going through a rough time right now. I’m trying to get back on housing or trying to get back to work.”

Camargo said he has been experiencing economic hardship for the past 10 years and became homeless about four months ago after going through a divorce and enduring physical abuse in a housing program.

With the high price of housing and goods in the South Bay, an increasing number of people and their families are in a similar situation as Camargo. They struggle to make ends meet and can’t afford luxury items like electronics and fancy furniture that many Silicon Valley residents with high-paying jobs take for granted.

According to data published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the average price of food increased 6.7% between May 2022 and May 2023. Specifically, the cost of menu items in restaurants went up by 8.3% in the same time, a larger increase than the previous year.

If someone makes the minimum wage in San Jose of $17 an hour and works 40 hours a week, this person would earn around $2,830 a month before taxes. With rent as high as $3,200 for a small apartment excluding utility costs, it can be difficult for many to afford to live here.

Despite being one of the wealthiest regions in the nation, Santa Clara County still grapples with serious poverty issues. The Silicon Valley Pain Index, an annual report written by professors and researchers at San Jose State University, illustrates the inequality in the area through statistics that provide concrete data on the economic challenges people face in the region.

According to the index, San Jose is ranked first

in the nation in youth homelessness and only 27% of people in Silicon Valley can afford a medianpriced home. Sociology Professor Scott MyersLipton, lead author of the Pain Index, believes that the households and corporations at the top of the socioeconomic pyramid, the wealthiest 0.01% and 0.001% of households, should be responsible for providing aid to the needy through donations.

“We don’t have a strong philanthropic tradition in Silicon Valley,” Myers-Lipton said. He urges his students and other young people to raise awareness around these issues, believing that there are solutions that can be implemented by those in charge to help solve this inequality.

Struggling with the high cost of living, recent immigrant Brayan Escobar was also in line at Lighthouse with his family of six, including younger children. Escobar, 25, moved to the area six months ago from Colombia and supplements his job income with resources like Lighthouse.

Despite his financial problems, Escobar feels

thankful to be able to live in Silicon Valley. He says his situation in San Jose is better than in Colombia, and he feels safer here with his family even under the current circumstances.

Camargo also feels optimistic about a better future because of the help available from nonprofits and other groups for those in need.

“We have lots of resources here in San Jose. Lighthouse is good. We have Second Harvest Food Bank. There’s all kinds of places: Salvation Army to help out the homeless and people in need,” Camargo said. “It’s wonderful. We’re very lucky to live here in San Jose. Santa Clara County has a good program for helping out.”

And there is another source of hope for folks struggling economically: each other. Camargo often obtains resources for neighbors who are also having a hard time.

“We help a lot of people to take extra food,” Camargo said. “They can’t get to places so we take care of them.”

Suliquell Bautista talks on June 20 about how she and her husband each work two jobs in order to make rent. There are two other houses on the San Jose property where she lives in a small two-bedroom house with her children and husband.

RASHEL NARANJO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Non-profits ensure that ability to pay doesn’t bar families from medical services

Local clinics close gap in health care

For some San Jose residents, accessing proper medical care is a difficult challenge. The Healthier Kids Foundation, Gardner

and the Vietnamese American Service Center are just a few organizations that strive to better the lives of children and adults. These organizations are focused on offering programs to those who stumble upon economic difficulties.

By Dominque Quintana Mosaic staff writer

Healthier Kids Foundation

The Healthier Kids Foundation aims to eliminate health barriers affecting today’s youth. Program Director Patricia Alonso said a variety of programs are offered for families such as 10 Steps to a Healthier You, as well as free pregnancy, dental, hearing and vision care.

“We also have a program that identifies uninsured families, and assists them through the application process,” she said.

The foundation screens children and follows up with them to provide care where they need it. Parent advocates assist foster parents in accessing timely medical and dental appointments. The Baby Gateway program enrolls newborns into Medi-Cal, offering parenting and health resources before being discharged from their hospital.

“Pre-pandemic, we supported the community in many different ways, one of them being through our diaper distribution program,” Alonso said.

The Healthier Kids Foundation has three main strategies: improving health care access and utilization, changing health behavior through education and advocating for health policy and systems change.

“Our main focus is the overall

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well-being of the child,” Alonso said. “We call parents and communicate with partnered clinics in order to carry out medical appointments necessary for the child’s well-being.”

Gardner Health Services

This center helps low-income families by supplying them with the resources needed at a minimal cost.

Santa Clara County and San Mateo County residents receive access to primary care, immunization, no- to low-cost pharmacy items, emergency and specialty care.

This organization also provides specialty behavioral programs, serves the unhoused population and provides aid to all regardless of legal status.

Dad finds path to support

pediatrician never picks up the phone, and it’s a continuous struggle to find someone who is available,” Garrido said. His son struggles to speak and only expresses himself through humming sounds.

The father and son bond through park outings, where Zadkiel enjoys running and riding his bike. During a recent trip to the park, Garrido joyfully asked Zadkiel to make certain animal noises, in hopes of hearing him speak. Zadkiel’s favorite noises to make are those of a little chick and a cow. Despite these small moments of joy, Gardido said, his son becomes stressed. “He is constantly having outbursts, and it is frustrating for him as he can’t communicate like others.”

When Zadkiel was 3½, the two were living in Hollister when a social worker referred Garrido to the First 5 earlycare program located there. The two then moved to San Jose, where he connected with Gardner. At first he met some resistance from a worker at the clinic and did not feel comfortable as a single Latino dad asking for help, but with the continued support of his social worker, he found someone to help him step by step.

During the pandemic, Garrido experienced many issues. He needed employment but taking care of a perceived “troubled” child required much more care and attention. Through Gardner, he

received help in applying for medical insurance and got an appointment to evaluate his son.

“Gardner helps with therapy for my son, appointments, evaluations, everything,” Garrido said. His very low income qualifies him for free care. Garrido’s persistence in finding support has paid off in other ways, too. “It’s difficult for me because I am a single dad. Nobody ever taught me how to change a diaper,” Garrido said. But then he was connected with Gardner’s programs. “They’ve helped me get into contact with parenting classes specialized for kids like him, also certain classes like nutrition, and physical health classes.” After Zadkiel was diagnosed in June, Garrido began another mission: Finding a job that allows him to be within reach of his son.

Gardner is also helping to look for after-school programs that would take Zadkiel after his language class earlier in the day. Garrido continues to juggle working and obtaining the necessary resources that will ensure his son gets all the care and attention possible.

Garrido is very grateful for the help he has received. “Everything I have done is thanks to Gardner,” he said.

“They are the only ones constantly checking in, every eight days, calling to make an appointment to see Zadkiel and to see his development continue.”

According to Director of Development Maribel Montanez, Gardner helps people without access to medical assistance, with a sliding scale fee based on how much a client makes.

“Accessing the Gardner Health Services comes with options,” Montanez said. “One can get into contact with one of our clinics, or contact one of the enrollment counselors.”

Additional resources include:

• Santa Clara County Information & Referral Services: Dial 2-1-1

• Blanca Alvarado Community Resource Center: 408-376-2000

• Community Health Partnership Health Coverage Line: 408579-6028

• Gardner Health Services’ Health Insurance Enrollment: 408-457-7100

Food banks face demand

Vietnamese American Service Center

The newly built Vietnamese American Service Center serves San Jose’s Vietnamese residents with medical assistance. VASC is a “one-stop shop,” said Senior Manager Liem Ly. The clinical staff helps with food and nutrition programs, and guides individuals through the Medi-Cal and Medicaid application process.

“VASC is a government program, free of charge, that includes laboratory services, a pharmacy, dental and behavioral health clinics,” Ly said. “We have a variety of different community-based organizations. Occasionally, we’ve worked with our team to provide services at no cost. Our main goal is to offer a one-stop shop program, so that our community does not have to visit multiple different places for vital safety net services that the county is providing.”

More information is available on the VASC website, vasc.sccgov.org, such as resources and information about health and human services like bilingual translation, health coverage enrollment and benefit assistance.

The California Department of Social Services reports that nearly 3 million Californians get CalFresh payments, which provide money to buy groceries. During the pandemic, program participants received an emergency increase of at least $95 each month, but those benefits ended in April.

“The reduction in CalFresh payments has really exacerbated people’s difficulties in getting food,” said Tina Gonzales, director of community partnerships at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. Gonzales said the food bank served 32,000 people a week before the pandemic. Now, it serves 55,000 people.

Many at the Mexican Heritage Plaza were getting food from Second Harvest for the first time, including Quant Tran, an electrical engineer from San Jose. Even at the height of the pandemic, he did not turn to food banks, but inflation has recently crunched his budget.

“Higher prices are making it difficult to cover basic expenses, especially for groceries,” Tran said.

As demand shoots up, many food banks are also struggling with a volunteer shortage. Second Harvest sent two emails last month to supporters, urging them to sign up. Other food banks, such as SF-Marin Food Bank, have also had to contend with low volunteer levels.“We expanded our warehouses and built up our operations significantly during the pandemic,” Gonzales said. “On average, we need 2,000 volunteers each week, and we’ve had more trouble filling that number lately.”

Maricela Apreciado, who oversees food distribution for Second Harvest at the Hank Lopez Community Center, has seen many changes while volunteering with them over the last 20 years. “Volunteer levels have gone down since the pandemic,” she said. “Some volunteers lost their jobs because of inflation, and many families that used to volunteer are now actually coming to get food from us.”

As high demand meets a lack of volunteers, food banks face a dilemma: scale down operations to maintain quality or meet the increased demand and risk running out of resources.

The impacts of higher demand are already evident. Apreciado said the quality and quantity of food provided by Second Harvest have dropped. “Some people complain because they say they get less food than before,” she said.

Despite the odds, Second Harvest Director of Communications Diane Baker Hayward is confident in the food bank’s continued success.

“Our mission is to provide nutritious food to anyone who needs it,” she said. “Food banks are incredibly efficient and resilient, and Second Harvest is no exception. We have always risen to meet the challenges facing us.”

Patricia Alonso, program director for the Healthier Kids Foundation, said the agency’s focus is on the health and well-being of children. RASHEL NARANJO— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

AMELIA TAI— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

South Bay Luna restaurants strive to make employees feel valuable

By Elda Alvarez Mosaic staff writer

Known for the authenticity of its food, Luna Mexican Kitchen is a small locally owned business that not only welcomes customers but also acknowledges workers by showing their appreciation.

Behind the scenes, co-owners John Lopez and his wife Jo LermaLopez have built a family culture at their restaurants — one on The Alameda in San Jose and the other in the Pruneyard in Campbell — with elaborate Christmas and Easter events, even bowling nights.

“They do not see the employees as machines. They see them as human beings,” said Jose Cerda, manager of the kitchen at the San Jose restaurant. “It’s important to the owners for us to be balanced between work and family.”

Bowling nights, held every three months to bring employees at both restaurants together, have become popular traditions, Cerda said.

On a recent afternoon at the Campbell restaurant, as food runners hustled to deliver orders and fire rose from the grill in the kitchen, Lerma-Lopez explained the husband-wife team’s philosophy.

“The kitchen is the heart and soul of a restaurant, and typically in restaurants the workers in the kitchen are treated horribly,” Lerma-Lopez said. “We

want to raise the bar for other restaurants. It’s all about creating an environment where you’re seen and heard and valued.”

Luna also has offered employees weekly English classes to help them with their language skills. These classes have taught employees conversational skills such as how to greet people and count money, said food runner Valentina Muñoz.

The owners’ favorite tradition is the annual Christmas party, which

Lopez said is like a high school prom. Employees dress formally and participate in a raffle that offers household items such as computers, televisions and air fryers.

At Christmas, the employees’ children also receive dolls, stuffed teddy bears and other toys. And at Easter time, there’s an egg hunt at Vasona Park in Los Gatos attended by about 400 people and featuring some 1,000 hidden eggs.

“It’s satisfying when you‘re taking

care of people that take care of you,” Lopez said. “It’s much better than a business just to make money.”

The restaurant on The Alameda opened in 2016, followed by the one in the Pruneyard in 2019.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Lopez refused to shut down, saying he wanted to be there for employees during the bad times. A skeleton staff of three workers kept the kitchen open for takeout.

Knowing that the employees were already living from paycheck to paycheck, the owners provided groceries on Wednesdays and 3-course meals on Sundays.

When the restaurants reopened in-house dining in summer 2021, every single employee returned, Lerma-Lopez said. The two restaurants currently employ around 200 workers.

Finding comfort in familiar Asian food

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From the decor to different flavors, both Asian fusion food and traditional dim sum can provide a feeling of comfort and acceptance.

Modern eatery Dumpling Time, which has several locations in the Bay Area, aims to bring good vibes to everybody, said Manager Nghia Nguyen, who runs the San Jose location at Santana Row.

Their mixed Asian cuisine and aesthetic have evolved in many ways. Nguyen said he chooses to take a slight turn from traditional dim sum, thought to originate in China’s southern Guangdong region. “You will see a restaurant like this — the neon sign, color theme, the dumpling logo, as well as the chair and table,” Nguyen said.

Other cultural foods are also on the menu, like Southeast Fried Rice Noodles “that are pretty much Singaporean noodles,” as well as Asian-Western-inspired chicken wings, shrimp toast and Japanese wakame salad.

Customers visiting the restaurant say they feel included. Taylor Brown, 25, of San Jose, said being a vegetarian can be a challenge, but not at Dumpling Time. “I think that the variety here is a lot better than what I’ve experienced, like more traditional dim sum.” She references green beans, cucumber salad and tofu squares. “It’s really nice that they have options. I’m not eating the bao, I’m not eating the gyoza, but I don’t feel like I’m really missing anything.”

Jade Cathay, a traditional Chinese dim sum restaurant in North San Jose, offers a more traditional take on everything from decor to ambience to food, but customer Linda Li, 50, from Marin County, said she’s willing to come to San Jose for her usual comfort foods. “In the North Bay, there’s less Asian culture. So I can eat maybe Asian fusion food there, plenty. But I want to try more traditional food when I leave that area. I will come to the South Bay or East Bay to try the dim sum.”

Not only does the taste differ between Asian fusion and traditional restaurants, but visual factors also play a role. Calvin Sokk, 20, a Stanford student and a customer at Dumpling Time, pointed out the different looks. Traditional dim sum, for example, has paper menus and less technology. But at a place like Dumpling Time,

“they have a QR code menu and then they also take our order on an iPad,” he said. “Also, the people working weren’t dressed formally.”

Li said traditional dim sum caters to those not only with an empty stomach but also homesickness for China. “That is a remedy for homesickness,” she said, “and dim sum comes with a lot of variety of food, which is hard to prepare at home by yourself.” It’s not fancy at all, she said, just good and authentic food.

Instead of looking at paper menus or searching maps to find a restaurant, many people often rely on social platforms, which use a ratings system. Li said her 16-year-old daughter’s food preferences are definitely impacted by social media, adding that younger generations are more interested in how the food looks than how authentic the taste is.

But Dumpling Time customer Karen Lyster, 50, who was with Brown for lunch, disagreed with the value of social media. “It comes down to the food and the taste,” Lyster said. Brown agreed, adding, “I don’t really care what it looks like. As long as it tastes good.”

Rebecca Jattan, 22, and lunch partner Sokk said they grew up with multiple Asian

cultures under one roof. Jattan said she’s lived internationally and is a student at Stanford, and the Bay Area’s mixed Asian community has made her feel welcome. “You can explore so many different cuisines, cultures, and so many different aspects,” she said. “I think that was something that drew me here.”

Sokk agreed. “I’m Southeast Asian, so Viet food or Cambodian food are generally preferred, very traditional,” he said. “But when I explore outside that range, I think fusion is more accessible and more of what I’m used to.”

The two were visiting Dumpling Time to celebrate finishing their studies. Being at an Asian fusion restaurant like Dumpling Time was a treat. “We’re just really looking for something, as Calvin says, to enjoy. Celebrate a little bit,” Jattan said after finishing colorful bao buns. Like Li’s remedy for homesickness at Jade Cathay, Jattan and Sokk said Dumpling Time is reminiscent of home.

“The food itself is very comforting,” Jattan said. “I guess I just love Asian food,” Sokk said. “Just because it feels more similar to mine, my own food. Like seeing soy sauce on the table –it’s just subconsciously familiar.”

Lianne Carla Catbagan Mosaic staff writer

Clockwise from top left, a bartender serves customers at Luna Mexican kitchen in Campbell on June 16. Servers meet with a department head at the Pruneyard restaurant. A plate of nachos is ready to be delivered to diners.

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Server Javier Beltran delivers orders to customers at Santana Row’s Dumpling Time in San Jose on June 14. The Asian fusion restaurant

Community school sites help feed families

With food insecurity lingering with the pandemic, familiar and convenient places provide needed help

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Ali Preston had been with HP Inc., formerly Hewlett Packard, for 10 years and her husband had an automotive job for 30 years when the COVID pandemic hit in 2020. Amid the waves of layoffs, they both lost their jobs.

“I never thought I’d be going to a food bank,” Preston said after picking up produce, dried goods and chicken at Branham High School in San Jose. “We were always the ones who donated.”

As the pandemic affected families and its aftermath continues to cause widespread food insecurity, schools have increasingly provided directly to families or invited outside food groups onto campus. Preston’s food came from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Silicon Valley.

Based on enrollment data from the 2019-20 school year, 3.9 million students in California public schools qualified for reduced-priced or free lunches. Students qualify if their families are below 185% of the federal poverty line.

The foods they receive include fresh and dried items, including beans, rice, canned tuna, apples, squash and cucumbers. More expensive foods like meat and dairy products are provided only once a month. The amount of food families receive is based on their size, which is recorded at registration.

Hollie ParkerWinzenread, a Second Harvest volunteer and site leader at Branham, said the food banks help serve many in the community and she sees the same faces all the time. At the height of the pandemic the Branham site was serving more than 200 clients twice a month.

“There are different sites that they can go to,” she said, “but having it here in the community for anybody who lives here — it’s the time of day that we do it — makes it convenient for people to have that.”

The Branham site operates 4 to 6 p.m., a convenient time for many families.

Preston feels more comfortable getting food from Branham High because her daughter was a student there in 2022. It would be more intimidating and awkward to go to other distribution centers.

“We’ve never even thought about going to a food bank before,” she said. “I wouldn’t go if it weren’t our community.”

In addition to hosting food banks, schools have begun giving free meals to all students, no matter their family income, since the pandemic started.

Schools like Branham in the Campbell Union High School District benefitted from a onetime $150 million grant in 2021 from the state to all public schools. The money helped schools develop the infrastructure and staff training for the program offering free meals for all.

Craig Williams, principal of Del Mar High

School’s summer school, said that the program helps all families, not only those that are low income, but also parents too stressed to pack a lunch.

Preston said the school meals her daughter consumed at school helped her and her husband keep up with their bills. She has also received a $600 debit card for groceries, provided by a federal pandemic-relief program.

“We have a mortgage, a kid in college, and grocery bills,” she said. “Since we didn’t know the length of the pandemic and when we were going to get back to work, it definitely helped us pay our other bills.”

Summer schools in the Campbell district provide breakfast and lunch to students whose classes cross from morning into the afternoon.

“It provides that every student is getting healthy food and it’s a consistent basis for all of our students,” Principal Williams said.

In addition to inperson meals served on campus, families could pick up meals on foot or by car.

“We went everyday for lunch pickups last summer,” Preston said. “Everything they did last year was great. The food was just amazing.”

Students struggling with teacher shortages

By Cuitlahuac Ramirez Borrego Mosaic staff writer

Throughout the Bay Area, teacher shortages remain one of the most challenging and enduring issues schools face, affecting the quality of education students receive.

Many students are being taught by new, inexperienced teachers, or substitutes working on emergency teaching credentials, meaning they may lack the training to effectively teach a class.

Even as the state continues to face thousands of teacher vacancies each year, the number of people who receive teaching credentials drastically decreased last school year, leaving little hope for a swift resolution to this pressing issue.

Downtown College Prep Alum Rock High School’s principal Joyce Davis noticed the lack of teachers at the small charter school just before the start of last school year.

Davis was shocked to find that the class schedule showed multiple teacher positions in core subjects as “to be determined.”

“It was scary,” Davis said. Lacking biology, chemistry, and other core subject teachers at the charter school in East San Jose left administrators scrambling to find people to fill classrooms. Many times, administrators themselves were the ones overseeing classes.

“I was subbing classes, my leadership team was in classes … our central office people came to be in classrooms teaching because we did not have [teachers],” Davis said.

Because of this shortage, Jorge Garcia Diaz, a rising senior at DCP Alum Rock High School, took Biology I last school year through the online learning company Edgenuity, which provides schools and students with remote courses.

Edgenuity classes were common in schools like DCP that lacked core subject teachers and were used as an alternative for students to earn the credits required for graduation.

Many students like Garcia, however, did not have a positive experience with this online alternative, which reminded them of the problems with online learning during the height of the pandemic.

“[I]t feels like I’m much less engaged and much less willing to pay attention to the subject,” Garcia said. “Having to be stuck on a screen and not having any

hands-on learning makes it a lot harder to stay focused and stay engaged.”

Despite their convenience, online programs like Edgenuity can’t provide the engaging, hands-on learning that students used to projectbased learning expect.

“I felt like I was really missing out,” Garcia said.

According to a 2023 report by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, California had more than 10,000 teacher vacancies statewide in the 2021-22 school year.

The commission reported the number of people issued teaching credentials in 2021-22 dropped by nearly 25%, to the lowest level in five years.

The acute teacher shortage means students next school year will once again have to deal with a parade of substitute teachers and online learning “solutions” that all fall short of having an experienced, physical teacher in the classroom.

Jesus Cano, a recent graduate of San Jose High School, dealt with a rotating set of substitute teachers in his mathematics class this year due to the lack of teachers at his high school. Three months into the school year, Cano and his peers still had no regular math teacher.

“It affected how I was learning … my grades started dropping, and I had to [constantly] adapt to the new teachings of different teachers.”

Cano says he had three substitutes teaching his math class that kept “switching back and forth” in the subject material throughout the school year. That didn’t work out well for him or his peers, he said.

Moses Yimer, an incoming senior at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Jose, also dealt with substitutes in his classes for an entire semester last school year.

Yimer said his friend faced an especially challenging year in their mathematics class which was being taught by a substitute teacher.

“He didn’t have a teacher to teach him,” Yimer said. His friend struggled so much to the point that they ended up failing the course and having to enroll in summer school to recover credits, Yimer said.

“It sucks for students especially since they’re missing out [on] the point of classes … no one’s there to teach them.”

Aadyant Suresh Mosaic staff writer

Top: Hollie Parker-Winzenread, site leader at Branham High School’s food distribution event on June 14, shows a box of produce that will be given to clients. Above: Second Harvest Food Bank volunteers distributed produce, dried goods and chicken at Branham on June 14. AADYANT SURESH— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Feelin’ the BLUES

By Lianne Carla Catbagan Mosaic staff writer

Visitors

Teri Mantz, who came from Santa

“It’s important to keep blues alive.”

Miguel Leyva, of Hayward, was happy to return to the Blues & Brews Festival again after a year, and to perform with his youthful jazz band, Frunkyman. A group of seven with various instruments, the band opened the festival with original tracks. “The Fountain Blues & Brews Festival stands out because of its home with our people and local artists,” Levya, who plays bass, said. “Blues is the base of musical language.”

The Blues & Brews Festival brings people from all over the Bay Area together. Many look forward to the featured acts and being able to get together while listening to the blues.

“It’s not about sadness, but being here is a positive way to go through my blues,” Mantz said.

Festival highlights Filipino culture

People from around the Bay Area celebrated Filipino culture at the San Jose Flea Market on June 16, during the Jeepney Jam festival. Marking the anniversary of the Philippines’ independence, the festival was filled with vendors, food trucks and live performances. The event was held in the Garden at the Flea. —

Clockwise from top, Andre Thierry and his Accordion Soul Music band perform at the San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival in downtown San Jose on Saturday, June 17. A couple dances to music from the main concert stage

Liza Bustillo, top left, shops during the Jeepney Jam festival at the Garden at the Flea, right, part of the San Jose Flea Market, on June 16. Other events celebrating Filipino culture included dancers performing on the main stage, top right. Attendees surround the main stage, above, as they make their way to different areas of the festival, including vendors such as the Golden Leaf shop, center at right, which was selling plants.

Joshua Cedro

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

NAYELI AILEEN ZUNIGA — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

NAYELI AILEEN ZUNIGA— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JOSHUA CEDRO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Vendors worry about their livelihoods

By Elda Alvarez Mosaic staff writer

With over 400 vendors selling food, clothing, piñatas, toys and other items, the Berryessa Flea Market, established in 1960, is part of San Jose’s history and provides a livelihood for its many vendors.

But as property owners move forward with plans to redevelop most of the land for housing and commercial space, the vendors are in a panic about where to relocate. A recently announced rent increase is adding to the anxiety.

Last week Mosaic spoke, in both English and Spanish, with several worried vendors.

Surrounded by the candies, flavored nuts and handmade gummies she sells in her stand, longtime vendor Delia Arjorno said she worries that she and her husband will not be able to afford medical care if they are displaced.

Arjorno said she suffers from arthritis while her husband is a cancer survivor. Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Arjorno has been working at the flea market for 18 years. She and her husband pay $2,010 every month for her stall, and already struggle to meet expenses on their flea market income.

”Right now we can barely afford my medicines and everything in the

hospital is very expensive. Without work, we will not be able to afford to buy medicines and treatments,” said Arjorno.

In the produce section of the market, where she sells candies, piñatas and vegetables, Kandelaria Castellon said she has worked at the flea market for more than 30 years. After her husband died, she passed on her business to two of her children, but still helps out on Wednesdays and Fridays. Castellon lives with her daughter and watches the grandchildren, and she fears that if the family business closes, they will not have enough money to finance essentials and save the older kids from working.

“We are just eating, maintaining and surviving with the rent paid, and little is left for us,” said Castellon.

Miguel Lozana, who owns 10 stands that sell toys, has been working at the flea market for seven years and is upset over the upcoming 5.5% rent increase. “What I don’t understand is why they do that if they are going to close” the market, he said.

Lozana said sales have already dropped more than 50% since the beginning of the pandemic, and the rent increases will make it worse, so that he may not have enough money to provide for his children.

“We came to the U.S. to work and give my children better lives,” said Lozana.

Erik Schoennauer, the land use consultant who represents the flea market owners, said, “Everyone is being impacted by high inflation.

The owners have not increased rent rates for quite some time. However, the flea market operation costs have gone up, with increased costs for employees, electricity, water, insurance, and security costs due to homeless and vandals. We must pay to keep the market operating.”

Cuauhtémoc Rodriguez, who sells peanuts, chips, and gummies, depends on his flea market earnings to be able to send money to his

siblings in Mexico. He’s not sure what they would do if he lost his job at the stand where he works.

“I provide for them, and they are all I have,” Rodriguez said.

Vendors were scared off when it was first announced that they were going to redevelop the area, he said. “Everyday there are fewer and fewer people selling here. Ever since it was announced they have decided to pack their bags. The ones who are still here are only the popular vendors who get a lot of customers,” he said.

He enjoys being at the flea market. “I love my culture. I enjoy being here. I love yelling ‘Peanuts! Come get your peanuts!’” Rodriguez said.

How senior centers are faring as COVID wanes

By Shannon Ma Mosaic staff writer

On a bright Friday morning at the Akiyama Wellness Center in Japantown, an exercise class consists of six seniors and one instructor.

Four years ago, the same room might have been filled by 20 participants. For Akiyama, part of the Yu-Ai-Kai Japanese American Community Senior Service, this is only one example of COVID’s lasting mark on their programs since reopening.

Even after returning to in-person services four months ago, the number of seniors attending activities has dropped 30% to 50% from prepandemic times. However, that has been somewhat offset by those who continue to participate in Zoom sessions, which Yu-Ai-Kai implemented during quarantine to keep its community engaged.

“We could get up to 60 people logging on for [our health workshops],” Executive Director Jennifer Masuda said. Virtual classes are more convenient compared to finding parking on the crowded streets of Japantown.

The online option attracted those who could now access the program from all over, such as Sacramento, Washington, and even Hawaii.

During the exercise session in a nearly empty room, a laptop is propped up near the instructor so that seniors can follow along at home through Zoom.

Despite the remote participation, Masuda still hopes for more in-person attendance, especially from those who prefer it or have trouble with technology.

“I can just imagine how difficult [the virtual program] was also for seniors,” she said. “There’s some people who just don’t like the Zoom meeting — it’s just not for them. They don’t feel right.”

The Senior Day Services at Yu-Ai-Kai were hit particularly hard. They provide activities that encourage stimulation and care, but these were cut off by quarantine; that, paired with isolation, caused many seniors to suffer from depression and loneliness, leaving them physically weaker as well, she said. What used to be 20 seniors became an estimated six. Still, Masuda seems hopeful about the center’s progress.

“It’s a new journey, and that’s how I’ve been speaking about it, because it is something that’s new for everybody,” she said. “I think things are returning — we’re out and about now, we just do it in a different way now. So the key is to figure out this different way.”

The situation differs for the Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC), which opened in April 2022. Because it was after quarantine, its services were available only in person, and the challenge was how new the center was rather than COVID concerns. Soon enough, it became a popular place for seniors to grab to-go lunches, socialize with others, and access various medical and social services.

“Originally, [our Senior Nutrition Program] was designed to serve about 230 meals on a day-today [basis],” said Liem Ly, VASC’s senior manager. “However, since the launch of the program, due to high demand and the need of the community, the program has since expanded to serve 500 meals

daily.”

VASC plans to open this up for in-person dining in July, which officials expect will increase socialization further. Similarly, classes were quickly filled and are in progress of expanding.

Ly estimates that VASC now sees 700 to 800 seniors a day. Many of them visit the second-floor clinic, which helps both physical and behavioral health and provides certain services for COVID as well.

Nam Pham and Ninh Nguyen, a couple who visits the clinic often, gave positive reviews of the staff and spoke about their experience in the past year.

Interpreted from Vietnamese, they said that thanks to tele-visits, “they [had] no interference [from COVID], no interruptions, with any patient care at all.” The couple even got some of their COVID vaccinations at the clinic.

VASC received numerous patients like Pham and Nguyen who sought medical attention at the clinic, a place that brings many people of the community to the center.

“I actually think patients actually want to come, they want to make sure their health is OK,” said Lisa Alhambra, a health service representative.

Regardless of contrasting experiences with COVID, the two senior centers share the same goals: to provide resources and support to their seniors, as well as to give them a place to connect with each other, especially in the aftermath of isolation. As Masuda of Yu-Ai-Kai put it, “[A] way to not feel alone in this world is to help other people, and that’s a great way to connect.”

Longtime vendor Delia Arjorno sells candies, flavored nuts and handmade gummies at the Berryessa Flea Market on June 14. NAYELI AILEEN ZUNIGA — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Carol Hennigan, left, and Connie Ishihara are two of six regulars who attend the Yu-Ai-Kai Senior Center in San Jose. Executive Director Jennifer Masuda, above, looks at a photo collage at the senior center on June 16.

AMELIA TAI — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Mosaic’s

The summer of 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of Mosaic, a non-profit journalism workshop offered to high school students. Coming from various backgrounds, they’re brought together to the Spartan Daily newsroom of San Jose State University, Mosaic’s longtime supporter. Within two weeks, students improve skills in critical thinking, reporting, writing and photography. They struggle through the trials of tracking down sources, gathering information, interviewing people, writing and editing. They get a glimpse of life on a college campus, learn from professionals and explore San Jose. Even for those not pursuing journalism, Mosaic provides students with real-world experiences and enduring friendships, creating a community beyond the program.

— Shannon Ma

0Anniversary 3

Opinion: Why are taxes so hard?

By Julia Dang Mosaic staff writer

I am 17 years old. I have a job and the good fortune this year to have earned enough to have to report my income. Unfortunately, as I am a contractor, and not an employee, my tax situation was slightly more complicated than your average teenager. And I struggled.

I think I’m reasonably intelligent. English is my first language, and I can read well. I am going to be a senior in high school this fall. I should be able to comprehend tax forms.

I needed to fill out a W-9 form. It asked what I was. Sole

proprietor or a single member LLC? I have never heard these words in this order. I had to Google it and discovered I was a sole proprietor.

Next, I had to fill out a Schedule C. It required Schedule 1 and Schedule SE. The Schedule SE needed me to fill out Schedule 2. Schedule 2 directed me to do Form 8919. The IRS forms were a hydra —soon as I began to complete one, it required another before I could finish. I had to walk to the printer four times to get copies of new forms.

I turned to the IRS website for help. That was like walking into the Department of Motor Vehicles. Reading over the rules regarding writing off business

expenses, I began to feel as though the IRS is actively malicious, trying to catch me making a mistake. After seven hours over two days I still had not finished. Now, I didn’t make a lot of money. I figure I’ll have to pay Uncle Sam about $400. If I had to pay an accountant, they’d probably charge a whole lot more than I’m paying in taxes. Who’s the winner in this picture?

It seemed as though the IRS is just being mean toward small business owners and the selfemployed.

They constantly asked for forms that are traditionally supplied by an employer and gave minimal or no instructions on what to do if I didn’t have one.

As I write this article, the coffee table in front of me at home is covered in papers intended for the IRS. I have counted 43 tabs opened on my laptop.

Let me stress that I am not opposed to paying my taxes. Taxes are mandatory, and for good reason. They pay for social programs, schools and roads. They are used in disaster relief, and for food assistance.

And yet there are serious consequences for adults who make mistakes on their returns or simply give up and don’t file at all.

I hope that our system can be improved, as I have developed a fear of compound interest and would prefer for the IRS not to own me by the time I reach 24.

Images from Mosaic 2023, from top right, clockwise: founder and retired columnist Joe Rodriguez talking to students; Julia Dang (left) and Ella Polak; Andrew Dong; Shannon Ma (left) and Dominque Quintana; instructor Kathy Miedema (left) and Lianne Carla Catbagan; and at top Tower Hall at San Jose State University.

RASHEL NARANJO ARELLANO AND AMELIA TAI— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Artists use AI

“I think they’re beautiful. And I also really liked the way that as an artist, I can control the images that come out by controlling the images that go in.”

The program functionally has Morgan’s eye as an artist, generating a potentially infinite number of images that he could have taken. Because all the images put in were used with his consent, it is vastly different from other models trained on work from artists who never gave their permission. So what does this mean for Morgan’s model? In his view, the program can almost be treated as an artistic collaborator or a partner in a larger project.

Julian Zamora, a digital artist and arts educator, shares this view of AI as a partner. The work of Zamora, who uses they/them pronouns, is heavily influenced by their Chicano culture and often plays with the concept and perception of gender.

Zamora is working on a series of dithered halftone prints that will be “generally abstract imagery with bold colors that represent traditional Mexican folk art.” The halftoning, a technique in which dots of different sizes are used to convey different shades and images, will allow the prints to resemble textiles.

Zamora says that the art will “end up resembling planets or celestial objects. It’s supposed to evoke a sense of connection, while the art is open to interpretation.”

While experimenting with AI, Zamora will refine prompts until they are pleased with the result, and then digitally overpaint the image to bring it in line with what they had wanted.

Zamora also has used

AI to create reference photos and to explore the different directions that they could take with their art. They also explained more gentle forms of AI, with uses people might not even think of. The drawing app Procreate, for example, will track the flow of a line being drawn, and then use AI to predict how the artist likely intended it to look, leading to a cleanerlooking image.

Riley Mendoza, a recent San Jose State graduate, used AI models to create a volume of love poetry.

To do this, she pulled lines written by a program that writes books in the style of H.P. Lovecraft, the famed 20th century American horror author.

She then fed these into LyricStudio by WaveAI, a program that generates song lyrics, picking out lines and nudging them into a specific direction.

Mendoza edited and compiled her favorite poems into a book, “Love Will Keep Us Alive,” with images that also were AIgenerated. It is available for purchase at loverakaru. square.site.

By speeding up creative processes, AI can lead to greater inspiration, Mendoza said, adding that she was sometimes surprised by what the models came up with.“It’s kind of interesting to gain outputs that you would not have thought of on your own” she said.

SJ Vietnamese find representation in arts

By Julia Dang Mosaic staff writer

Vietnamese artists in San Jose — whether they are refugees, other immigrants, or U.S. born — are proudly exploring their culture and heritage through their art.

Lan Duong, a Vietnamese American poet, read from her newest book, “Nothing Follows,” on June 15 at the Vietnamese American Service Center in San Jose.

Her powerful collection of poetry examines her childhood growing up in San Jose in the 1980s and ’90s, and how Vietnamese families helped shape the culture and history of San Jose.

She recalled the clean rooms of semiconductor factories filled with Vietnamese immigrants exposed to toxic carcinogens and lead fumes, which allowed Silicon Valley to become the dominant region in the tech industry.

She also described a culture of silence, with many Vietnamese families either unwilling or unable to tell their children about the trauma they experienced around the Vietnam war.

“What I’d like our stories to tell, in their abundance and profundity, is the way in which we are complex and many of us lived under horrific conditions of war and postwar,” she said. “This is to say that

we are not your model minority; instead, we can be different persona at any time and that our history is deeply linked to U.S. history. We won’t be forgotten.”

Tiffany Nguyen, of Milpitas, was touched by Duong’s words. “I loved listening to a fellow writer who spoke about similar experiences as a Viet woman in San Jose,” said Nguyen, a student at UC Davis. “It made me feel seen and less lonely.”

Photographer Andy Nguyen also uses his art to explore immigration, ethnic communities and Vietnamese culture. He felt a pull to photograph his community because he believes understanding your heritage is important. “I want the next generation to know where they come from,” Nguyen said.

He came to the United States with his mother and sister when he was 10 years old, eventually moving to San Francisco. He attended San Jose City College, where he discovered photography while working for the college newspaper. He earned his bachelor of fine arts degree at San Jose State University and is now part of its master’s program.

Nguyen specializes in a type of photography called cyanotypes, in which monochromatic blue images are developed, and is working on a project collecting the stories and photos of San Jose Vietnamese, trying to preserve their history for the next generation.

‘Elemental’ mall tour hypes new movie

By Andrew Dong Mosaic staff writer

Disney and Pixar unveiled an interactive experience at Hillsdale Mall in San Mateo, coinciding with opening weekend for its latest animated film, “Elemental.”

The June 16-18 event was part of a five-city weekend mall tour that began in New York City May 19 and included stops in suburban shopping centers around Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles before its final stop in San Mateo.

“Elemental” takes place in Element City, where characters represented by the four elements live in separate sectors of the city. Ember, a fire character, and Wade, a water character, cross paths in the story.

“What’s really cool about this movie is that it imagines a world where fire, air, water and earth are all living together. … That’s one of the rules right? Elements don’t mix,” said Lisa Cabello, Disney spokesperson for the Elemental Experience. “How can they be friends if they can’t even touch?”

Visitors at the event got to learn more about the movie while receiving free promotional goodies and having fun. Steve Lau attended with his young daughter, who wore a red and orange colored skirt that resembled the fire character Ember’s appearance.

“She’s going to like it because she relates to Ember very much, especially her fiery personality,” Lau said.

Upon walking into a decorated archway, visitors were greeted with life-size models of the main characters Ember and Wade sitting on the bench. One section of the exhibit was dedicated to each of the four elements in the movie — fire, water, wind and earth — all bursting with colorful backgrounds and interactive activities.

Visitors could win free movie tickets inside a wind tunnel. In the fire-themed section, sponsor I’m the Chef Too provided visitors with instructions and a kit to make chocolate truffles, a reference to Ember’s father’s store. The water-themed section offered fresh cups of water through a

faucet. Another photo op with movie characters awaited in the earth-themed section, as well as a planter containing apple seeds. Lastly, a video tutorial by Pixar animators demonstrated how to draw the main characters in the movie.

The film also speaks to more complex real-world issues such as recognizing and working with differences among people.

“We might be different from others, but it could be in those

very differences that are brought together and we can connect and really just become friends,” Cabello said. “It’s a really beautiful story, and I think that it can translate no matter what age you are.”

Amid the growing popularity of streaming services and decline of theater attendance in recent years, this mall tour is part of an effort by studios like Disney and Pixar to get people to watch their new releases in theaters.

Poet, photographer explore Vietnamese culture and history through art

Graduate student and artist Andy Nguyen shows his work in his art studio at San José State University in San Jose on June 19. RASHEL NARANJO— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

An interactive experience at San Mateo’s Hillsdale Mall gave visitors a preview on June 15 of the upcoming “Elemental” movie. ANDREW DONG— STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

James Morgan talks about art in San Jose. RASHEL NARANJO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

La Escuelita fills need for child care

Alejandra Alvarez said her children are always looking forward to going to Somos Mayfair’s La Escuelita program.

The mother of six, who has three children under the age of 6 in the family support program, has been sending her children to La Escuelita for seven years. She said they are always excited to see the maestras, or teachers, and love playing with playdough and reading books at the East San Jose nonprofit.

“They help the children through their struggles,” Alvarez said. “For example, my oldest son Haziel, his challenge was that he couldn’t talk to the level he was supposed to be at, and they helped to get my son speech therapies.”

La Escuelita started offering child care for low income families 25 years ago. Later La Escuelita added child development and early childhood education classes for children ages 6 months to 10 years old.

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It offers a range of programs based on age and development that help parents understand their child’s needs and how to support them. The program is free and designed to be family-centric so parents take part in the classes.

Child care is often too expensive for families living in East San Jose, Sonia Solano, the lead coordinator for La Escuelita, said.

“La Escuelita’s mission is to help develop children or create opportunities for the children to be academically successful by offering them the proper materials and activities in their growth development,” Solano said. “La Escuelita offers programs based on research that help children thrive and grow.”

Another of La Escuelita’s goals is to act as a support group so parents don’t feel alone and can relate to each other’s experiences.

Yossely Rizo, like some of the other maestras, started off in La Escuelita as a parent looking for child care. La Escuelita helped her through the challenges she faced when raising her daughter. Rizo would listen

to the strategies of other parents about how to make the babies stop crying or how to deal with their tantrums. She volunteered for La Escuelita, then was hired as a maestra.

“Something that has helped me were the workshops where they give advice for positive parenting and hearing that I’m not the only mother that sometimes gets frustrated or mad,” Rizo said.

The maestra said that while they already have activities planned for the kids each day, they are always willing to be flexible to meet the children’s needs.“We ask them questions and create activities depending on what they like,” she said.

For Alvarez, La Escuelita is a time for her to clear her head, feel supported by other parents and learn how to support her own children.

“I always tell them, ‘you can do it,’” she said. “I asked them what Cesar Chavez said, ‘yes you can,’ and whatever thing that they want to ask or know, I tell them, ‘don’t stop yourself from asking, don’t say you can’t do it.’ It helped me to push them so they don’t stop themselves.”

‘No sabo’ kids turn a slur into a game

speak Spanish to fit into the culture. The phrase may have been born in South Florida, grew in popularity on social media during the pandemic shutdown, and migrated to Spanish-speaking communities across the country.

Within Latino communities, the table has turned in the war of words over cultural identity.

This has been a developing trend over multiple generations. For example, U.S.-born Mexican Americans in Southern California used to deride all Mexican immigrants as tijuaneros, or people from Tijuana, Mexico. Mexican migrants retaliated with the term pochos, meaning discolored or faded.

Oscar Gomez, a counselor at Cesar Chavez Middle School in Hayward, has seen the no sabo battles play out at school.

“It makes them embarrassed to be at school,” he said about the targeted English-speaking students. He said his English-dominant students begin to feel like outsiders.

About 74% of students at the middle school are Latino. Gomez said most of them are immigrants or first generation and speak

Spanish fluently.

He has played the new card game Yo Sabo, created last year by Mexican-American college student Carlos Torres and sold online.

After being known as a no sabo kid growing up, Torres decided to create the game to connect with his roots. The new game took off on social media, especially as it has become a play on the no sabo trend. Gomez explains the card game as a measure of Latino cultural identity. However, not everyone experiences

such hurt from the no sabo bite.

“It wouldn’t affect me at all,” said Cuahcihuatl Trinidad. “Yeah, you know as a matter of fact, I think I’ll make a T- shirt like that.”

A self-described Chicana who does not speak Spanish fluently, she is director of programs at ConXion to Community, a social organization serving Latinx and Indigenous Native American communities.

Trinidad wishes she had learned Spanish, but she said she’s been

perfectly fine without it. Trinidad said Spanish fluency isn’t all there is to her Mexican heritage. It’s an attitude she hopes all no sabo Latinx adopt.

The debate recently erupted onto the pages of the Harvard Crimson, a student-run newspaper at the Ivy League school. Contributing writer Joseph W. Hernandez argued that no sabo kids still deserve their cultural identity because so many Latino families felt forced to emphasize English over Spanish.

“We lost our language as a result of forced assimilation,” he wrote.

Yesenia Guzman, an administrative communications specialist at San Jose State, explains the conflict as a result of a colonial language — Spanish — replacing Nahuatl and other native Mexican tongues by force.

Trinidad would agree. She traces her Mexican identity to the Yaqui and Mexica tribes, and considers her native language to be Nahuatl, not Spanish.“It’s sad what our own culture is doing to ourselves,” Trinidad said. “Culture is life. It’s our strength, you know, it’s our energy. It’s everything.”

Left: Sara De La Cerda, who says she was teased for not knowing Spanish, stands in front of artwork at the Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center. Right: Yesenia Guzmán is an administrative communications specialist at San Jose State. AMELIA TAI — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

By Yunery Ramon Reyes Mosaic staff writer

Valeria Bebolla, 9, left; Haziel Bebolla, 6, center left; and Dalia Bebolla, 3, play with La Escuelita maestra Yossely Rizo, center, at Cesar Chavez Elementary in San Jose on June 15. YUNERY RAMON REYES — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

San Jose’s 42nd annual festival honors African American history, culture

COLORS CROWDS & mark Juneteenth

By Ella Polak Mosaic staff writer

At the intersection of South First and San Carlos streets, the 42nd Annual Juneteenth festival hosted by the African American Community Service Agency on June 17 was an explosion of bright colors, loud music and throngs of people. The streets were filled with nearly 100 booths selling a variety of African-inspired clothes and eye-catching accessories.

Vendor Atinuke Akiode of Nubian Chic Designs appreciated seeing Juneteenth events not only in San Jose but also throughout the Bay Area. It was Pamela Lowe’s 50th year attending Juneteenth celebrations in San Jose. She sees Juneteenth as a way to remember the freeing of enslaved people in Texas and to pay her respects. She likes seeing the city’s African-American community come out in full force, especially considering its relatively small size.

A stage hosted a lineup of singers and dancers throughout the afternoon. The highlight of the day was the Marching 100 band from Florida A&M University, which danced while playing a variety of percussion instruments, trumpets and cymbals.

of colors,

A tapestry

dance, music and more marked the San Jose Juneteenth festival on June 17. At top left, Atinuke “Tinu” Akiode, right, and her daughter Toyin stand at their business stall, Nubian Chic Designs. With the ribbon, Khalilah Ramirez performs with the dance troupe Kuumba. Above and below, the Florida A&M University Marching 100 band and its dancers march down the street. Lower left, a cymbalist and drummers perform with the Marching 100 band. Middle left, Viera Whye and Carolyn Jones and sing with the Tabia African-American Theatre. PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMELIA TAI — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER