Fish and wildlife fight to survive as drought dries out waterways
Animals dependent on Santa Clara County water struggle to adapt to drying creeks
By Daniela Bravo Berumen Mosaic staff writer
Susy Ferreira, a Santa Clara County resident, was recently taking her regular stroll along the Los Gatos Creek trail and discovered 30 dead fish lying on the creek.
“I was in shock,” Ferreira said. “There was one fish and another and another and a horrible smell.”
For over two years, Santa Clara County has been facing below-average rainfall and extreme weather, causing a decrease in the reservoirs that keep the creeks full, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Both the creeks and fish are suffering as a result.
Jae Abel, a biologist at the water district, said water is stored in the reservoirs during the wet season and is released during the dry season to maintain steady streamflow. This has lessened during the drought.
“No reservoirs were spilling this last winter that I’m aware of, and most of them entered the dry season at very much reduced storage. So we’re really watching every drop in a
The water level of Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, shown in July, has dropped substantially during the drought, which means less water for the creeks – and the fish – that rely on the reservoir.
bucket of water that comes out of those reservoirs,” Abel said.
The water district says that as of now, there is not enough water to support the fish. The district is only
able to release a small amount of water from the reservoirs into the creeks, just enough to keep them wet. It is expected that wildlife dependent on the creeks will have to adapt to the severe weather conditions and move upstream, or perish.
The water district is limited with how they can help the fish, since relocation may create additional problems. Continued on page 8
‘This is a historic place’: Looming development worries longtime vendors at San Jose Flea Market
Thousands of homes, more than 3 million square feet of commercial space planned in Berryessa area
By Maya Barrientos Mosaic staff writer
On a warm and sunny day, friends and families stroll from shop to shop at the San Jose Flea Market, soaking in the colorful atmosphere around them.
Food stands overflow with fresh fruits like opuntia, or prickly pear, and mamey sapote, a tropical, sweet fruit with bright orangey-reddish flesh as smooth as an avocado. They sit next to spices like chile de árbol, all combining to fill the air with strong scents. Racks with secondhand and vintage clothing are on display at the booths of friendly vendors to excited customers from all over the region.
For many vendors, the market — affectionately known as La Pulga — is a community unto itself that flourishes with a predominantly Latino-influenced culture that reflects their own.
The 61-year-old market provides not only a community space for gathering, shopping, and eating, but also serves as a rich hub of culture that holds an essential place in San Jose’s history.
Many vendors now fear much of this will soon come to an end.
The Bumb family, owners of the flea market property, have decided to sell most of the land to a developer with plans to construct a massive urban village that includes housing and huge swaths of commercial space, which would displace many of the vendors who have been working there for years.
The plans call for 3,450 residential units and up to 3.4 million square feet of commercial space according to Erik Schoennauer, a representative of the Bumb family.
The San Jose City Council recently voted unanimously to approve plans for the property, which will be sold and the majority of vendors relocated.
Five acres will be dedicated to an “open market,” Schoennauer said. However, the lingering question among the flea market community is where the rest of the vendors will go, as the current 61-acre site accommodates about 430 vendors.
Schoennauer said the developers haven’t finalized plans to relocate other vendors.
“The next step is to work together with the flea market advisory group – that’s the city, the vendors, and us – to come up with a plan,” Schoennauer said. The Bumb family will contribute $500,000 to this group as well, he said.
Without clear plans for vendors, however, many fear their uncertain future.
Miriam Justo has been working at La Pulga for about six years. She began by selling secondhand clothing, but then shifted to selling accessories, keychains, jewelry and other novelties. For her, La Pulga is an important place to earn additional income.
“It’s very sad,” she said. But even as a plan for the future is unclear, Justo still believes the city of San
José is “doing everything they can.”
Continued on page 11
High schools report an increase in failing grades during pandemic connected to online learning
Grading policies changed, state bill adopted to help students who struggled to complete assignments during virtual year
By Naomi Baron Mosaic staff writer
Rachel
Fletcher,
a rising senior at Homestead High School in Cupertino, used to be organized and on top of her work. Then she lost motivation to complete assignments due to distance learning during the pandemic.
“It was a struggle for me to get through some of my classes,” Fletcher said, adding that while she’s typically a straight A and B student, she uncharacteristically got a C in her math class.
Fletcher is not alone — trends of overall poorer performance were seen in high schools across the country.
At Homestead, data presented to the school board in October showed a dramatic, across-theboard increase in the number of Ds and Fs on the first progress report of the 2020-21 school year.
According to the non-profit news site EdSource, the number of students at Sequoia Union High School District in San Mateo County receiving more
than one failed grade increased by 9% from the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2020. At Mount Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County, the portion of students receiving more than one failed grade increased from 19% to 31% over the past two school years. In Los Angeles, the number of D’s and Fs in high school increased by 8.7% this fall over the previous one.
Even if a student did not fail, they may have seen their grade drop, as Fletcher did. Rising junior Esha Nag
from Santa Clara High School reported such an experience.
“I do think my grades were impacted by the virtual format. Being in a classroom and socializing was everything I loved,” Nag said.
Educators say students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, whose first language is not English, or who have learning disabilities were hit the hardest by the virtual format.
Continued on page 10
KEVIN DO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Natalia Rodriguez looks at items for sale at the San Jose Flea Market on July 21. Vendors may be displaced under city redevelopment plans.
KEVIN DO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Schools reported that more students had failing grades during the COVID-19 pandemic, when most students learned in virtual classrooms instead of in person.
Mosaic students 2021
The annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students offers aspiring reporters, bloggers, photographers and videographers a two-week intensive course in journalism. Mosaic students report and photograph under the guidance of professional journalists.
Daniela Bravo Berumen
Daniela Bravo Berumen, a rising senior at Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, is looking forward to her second year as the president of the journalism club. She is an advocate for criminal justice reform, and stays active in conversations about social justice through her school’s debate team. Daniela wants to use journalism to keep her community educated about social issues and amplify underrepresented student voices. After high school, she hopes to study political science and take a deeper look into criminal justice.
Dayanara Diaz
Dayanara Diaz moved to San Jose from Salinas two years ago at the start of her freshman year at Downtown College Prep El Primero. She enjoys writing, storytelling and reading, and she has taken on the role of big sister for her two younger cousins. In her free time, she enjoys walking her dogs Dora, Jimmy and Toby, and she has begun practicing self care, such as painting her nails or doing her makeup. She hopes to gain real-world journalism experience in the Mosaic program.
Dali Guerrero Fernández
Dali Guerrero Fernández is a rising sophomore at Cristo Rey High School and currently lives in San Jose. She has a big family with four siblings and a dog. Dali loves to write and started writing fiction stories in elementary school. In high school, she joined her school’s newspaper. She has a passion for learning about human rights and educating others. Dali is specifically interested in the rights of Dreamers, because she is surrounded by undocumented people every day. Dali is thinking about translating her love for advocacy into a law or political science degree in hopes of helping others.
KennedyRose Stiver, a rising sophomore at Santa Clara High School, joined the staff of her school’s newspaper her freshman year to increase her knowledge and capture other people’s stories. This experience has piqued her interest in journalism and in being a writer. For her school newspaper, KennedyRose has written for the campus, art, media, entertainment and opinion sections. KennedyRose loves to read books. She will join her school’s color guard, takes voice lessons and enjoys singing songs from musicals.
Kevin Do
Kevin Do, who just graduated from Overfelt High School, has a passion for all things visual. He will be heading to San Jose State this fall to major in design studies and he hopes to dive into interior design, photography, graphic design and architecture as part of his studies. Throughout his four years at Overfelt, Kevin photographed sports events, dance performances and other campus events. He enjoys gaming, hiking and biking. He is also determined to lower his environmental footprint. He would prefer owning a bike to a car and also prefers the idea of an apartment over a house.
Laiyla Santillan
An incoming senior at Lincoln High School, 17-year-old Laiyla Santillan is a diligent young woman committed to her education and more. She has been a part of Lincoln Convertibles, her school’s dance team, for two years. She also has spent two years working on Lincoln Lion Tales, her high school newspaper, which sparked her interest in Mosaic. She wants to grow that interest and become better at it. Laiyla’s other interests include reading, specifically fiction, and art history. She also enjoys hanging out with friends and watching TV shows and movies.
Leslie Lopez Haro
Leslie Lopez Haro is an incoming junior at Downtown College Prep Alum Rock. After completing college, Leslie wants to work as a detective. She hopes that by solving cases she will leave victims with a sense of closure. Leslie, who loves to delve into the “how and why” of situations, also participates in a school-led STEM club and Get Set, a women’s engineering program. She has dabbled in creative pastimes such as doodling, and her love for creative writing has driven her to explore different styles of literature. Through Mosaic she hopes to learn more about journalism.
Lupita Fernandez Garcia
Lupita Fernandez Garcia is a rising senior at Latino College Preparatory Academy with a passion for writing. Lupita joined Mosaic in hopes of expanding her writing skills and is excited to experience working in a professional environment alongside peers with similar interests. In her free time Lupita enjoys playing softball, hanging out at the mall and spending time with friends. She likes new genres, watches movies and aspires to work in film. Her favorite movie is “Parasite.” She hopes to get into a school like NYU or USC that has a strong film program.
Mary-Elaine O’Connor
Mary-Elaine O’Connor, an incoming junior at DCP Alum Rock High School, was born and raised in San Jose where she lives with her parents, fraternal twin sister and two younger sisters. She enjoys writing fiction and poems. MaryElaine spends her free time painting, drawing, reading mystery novels, or watching comedy and thriller Netflix shows. At school, she participates in the creative writing club and the mock trial club. After graduating high school, she hopes to attend a university like UC Berkeley or UC Santa Cruz and study marine biology.
Naomi Baron, a rising senior at Homestead High School, has been interested in broadcasting and journalism since she was very young. She was the lead anchor of her middle school’s daily announcements, and she has been on her high school’s newspaper team since her sophomore year. Last year she was a senior news editor, and she will be the editor-inchief this school year. She is a member of her school’s water polo and swim team. She hopes to gain a deeper understanding of how to write better and to learn more about San Jose during the Mosaic program.
Edna Jareth Cedillo, a rising senior at Overfelt High School, is a horror movie fanatic with artistically driven passions such as drawing and filmmaking. Jareth is a laid-back person who enjoys skating, drawing, and listening to 1990s and early 2000s gunge and new-metal music in their free time. Jareth also aspires to one day be involved in film production. Their dream job is to work at an indie film production company as a director and to have their films showcased. Jareth hopes to focus specifically on documentary filmmaking.
MOSAIC 2021 PROFESSIONAL STAFF
Co-directors: Sal Pizarro
Sharon Noguchi
Editors: Joseph Geha
Joe Rodriguez
Robert Salonga
Maya Suryaraman
Kathy Sweeney
Photo Editors: Jim Gensheimer
Josie Lepe
Designer: Ariana Noble
Editorial Assistants: Manasi Garg
Soojin Spencer
Soojin Spencer is an incoming sophomore at Santa Clara High School. Part of the school’s mock trial team, Soojin is her own hypewoman, driving herself to accomplish things and not being shy to express her outlook. Aiming to attend Stanford or UC Berkeley, she hopes to one day become a lawyer. At 6 feet tall, Soojin has learned to embrace her height as a member of the volleyball team. She used to feel like an outsider because of her name and Korean culture but she now has accepted those parts of her and has recently learned to write and read Korean.
Theresa Nguyen is an incoming senior at Oak Grove High School. She is involved in many clubs at her school, serving as a coordinator for the Acts of Random Kindness Club and the Environmental Action Club. She is a hard worker and aspires to study medicine at UC San Diego. She hopes to become an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist or psychiatrist. She enjoys experimenting, problem solving and creating and recently won first place at her local science fair. Theresa enjoys watching Korean dramas, painting, photography, basketball and playing badminton with her parents and younger brother.
Jasmine Nguyen
Jasmine Nguyen is a rising senior at Branham High School with an enthusiastic go-getter personality. Her love for writing and reading led her to a great passion for reporting after she was unknowingly placed in journalism class by her mom and principal. Jasmine finds joy in bringing to light the voices of her community and writing about the things that excite her. When Jasmine is not seeking the newest stories for her school’s newspaper, she is out tackling strenuous AP classes just for the joy of it.. Next school year Jasmine looks forward to becoming editor-inchief of her school’s newspaper.
Maya Barrientos is a rising senior at Notre Dame High School. Maya has a passion for writing and hopes to pursue a career in journalism. One of Maya’s main hobbies is to read books such as her favorite one, “Pride and Prejudice,” and to watch mystery shows like “Criminal Minds.” Maya lives with her parents and younger brother, and she has a border collie mix dog named Nova. She learned a lot about herself during quarantine and developed an interest in ’90s music. She would love to visit New York and other places.
Sarah Yu Gao
Emilio Gonzalez-Lu
Berenice Manzano Ariana Noble
Editorial Advisers: LiPo Ching
David Early
Leigh Poitinger
Production Editor: Lynn Forbes
BAY AREA NEWS GROUP
Publisher: Sharon Ryan
Executive Editor: Frank Pine
Senior Editor: Bert Robinson
Printing Director: Kevin Garris
DONATE
Go to www.mosaic journalism.org and click on “support us” Mosaic is celebrating its 28th year. More current and past Mosaic stories are available online at www.mosaicjournalism.org
SPONSORS:
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Media Alliance, fiscal sponsor
Back row: Dali Guerrero Fernández, Theresa Nguyen, Dayanara Diaz, Lupita Fernandez Garcia, Naomi Baron, Kevin Do, Maya Barrientos, Edna Jareth Cedillo, Laiyla Santillan Front row: Mary-Elaine O’Connor, Leslie Lopez Haro, Soojin Spencer, Jasmine Nguyen, KennedyRose Stiver, Daniela Bravo Berumen
Edna Jareth Cedillo
Kennedy Rose Stiver
Naomi Baron
Theresa Nguyen
Maya Barrientos
San Jose Flea Market vendor still recovering from the COVID lockdown
Carolina Vazquez lost income and had to throw away merchandise from her food-vending business
By Dali Guerrero Fernández Mosaic staff writer
More than a year after the pandemic shut down the state’s economy, Carolina Vazquez, a food vendor at the San Jose Flea Market, still doesn’t feel like her business is 100% back up and running again.
While the flea market was closed last year, Vazquez, 61, not only lost her income, she also had to throw away much of her merchandise. In February, her sales finally started to stabilize, but they are still not as high as they were before the pandemic. And now her future looks even more uncertain due to plans to close the flea market and build an office building and housing on the site.
Vazquez provides the main source of income for her husband, who is 71, and her three daughters. She got a stimulus check, but even still, she had to dip into savings to make her mortgage payments.
“We survived with what we had,” Vazquez said, speaking in Spanish.
During the closing, she was not able to pay her water and PG&E bills, and it was only last month that she finished paying off what she owed.
“We became family,” she said.
Vazquez is now scared for her future. In June, the San Jose City Council voted to allow development of an office complex, apartment buildings and retail stores on the flea market site.
Vazquez hopes that the people behind the displacement of the vendors will change their minds.
She said that no one has talked to her about the future of the flea market, and she thinks that the vendors’ voices should be heard when the topic of the flea market being sold comes up.
When her stand closed, Vazquez also had to throw away cheese, bread, fish, homemade sauces, candy, and other food items. Then when she prepared to reopen, she found that the prices of merchandise had increased and there were many shortages of the supplies that she usually purchases.
One of Vazquez’s busiest months had always been December because of holiday buying, but last year her
holiday sales did not align with the ones from previous years. Finally in February, Carolina’s business started to flourish again, but then came the summer heat, which hurt business, as customers don’t want to walk around in 90 degree weather.
Adding to her worries,
“That’s what the fight is for, so we can be taken into account,” Vazquez said.
She has been selling her merchandise at the flea market since 1989 and says she feels extremely comfortable with the other vendors.
“We became family,” she said.
FLEA MARKET: ‘This is a historic place’: Looming development worries San Jose Flea Market vendors
61-year-old
range of products. “This
continued from page 1
After the council vote, council members decided to create the advisory group to help the vendors work through the coming changes, said Lam Nguyen, a spokesperson for Councilmember David Cohen’s office, which represents District 4, where the market is located.
“In the new urban village, there is a provision of space for the existing flea market vendors,” Nguyen said.
Ultimately, the vendors will have to choose whether they move into the dedicated space of five acres left on the property, or to relocate somewhere else. The city plans to distribute $5 million to the vendors to support the transition, according to Schoennauer.
The city will work with the advisory group to “help administer both the organization, operation,
says vendor Dina Marroquin.
and cost” of the new space, Nguyen said. He said the aim is to have the group include mostly vendors who will manage how to preserve some of the longstanding culture and community of La Pulga.
Despite growing concerns from vendors and supporters of the market, Nguyen says the city will benefit from the project because it will ostensibly create affordable housing to help address the housing crisis in San Jose.
“I would like to think that we can try to provide as many opportunities for people to live in the city they love as possible,” Nguyen said.
The potential benefit doesn’t erase feelings of sadness and mourning among the vendor community.
Dina Marroquin and Hilda Morales are relatively new vendors at La Pulga. They sell imported handmade crafts from Guatemala at the market and
through their online store. Working there for just a couple of days, both agree that the displacement of the vendors is saddening and unfair.
“This is a historic place,” Marroquin said. “They’re pushing away minorities,” Morales added. La Pulga is a prominent area for communities of color to share and celebrate their culture. Many vendors fear that this aspect will be stripped from the market once construction of the urban village begins.
Davis Jovel owns a shop called “Dela Old Skool” that sells secondhand vintage clothing and streetwear. Jovel has been selling at La Pulga for about a year and feels heartbroken over the approved plans.
“This is an iconic place,” Jovel said. “People love it.”
JASMINE NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Carolina Vazquez, a food vendor at the San Jose Flea Market, had to throw out a lot of items when the market closed last year because of the pandemic.
KEVIN DO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Elizabeth Alvarado packs chiles in her family’s booth at the San Jose Berryessa Flea Market on July 21.
KEVIN DO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The
San Jose Flea Market, also known as La Pulga, draws shoppers with a diverse
is a historic place,”
Bay Area artists focus their creativity following a difficult pandemic year
‘A lot of artists are focusing on social justice, because those images are very powerful’
By Lupita Fernandez Garcia Mosaic staff writer
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anna Lisa Escobedo was one of hundreds of Bay Area artists who were creatively and financially impacted by the lockdown.
“Financially, I didn’t have much to really create from,” said Escobedo, 31, a crafter and muralist who lives in San Francisco. She had been inspired to become an artist by others who found success in the Bay Area, including a friend’s Guatemalan neighbor. “He would paint all day and then he would go sell them at Fisherman’s Wharf and that was the first time I’ve ever fathomed and knew somebody that full-on lived off that.”
The pandemic also created new stress for many artists, including Escobedo, who said she felt pressure to produce art relevant to social issues while they were still current. “It has to be done now, now, now,” she said.
Yolanda Guerra, 53, an artist and muralist who lives in San Jose, felt the need to address issues that were being forgotten during the pandemic, such as the separation of immigrant families at the U.S. border with Mexico. “I
didn’t want that issue to get lost in all the other issues that were coming up, because that was still important,” she said.
During lockdown, Guerra had more time to do art centered around social justice, including a piece about Jose Campos Torres, a Mexican American and Vietnam veteran who died after being beaten by Houston police officers in 1977. She also created a large quilt depicting the Virgin Mary with her hands reaching out to honor the children that have gone missing along the border. “The idea is that these mothers are reaching out to their children,” Guerra said.
Escobedo feels personally interconnected with the conversations and protests surrounding police violence and racial injustice, topics that became prominent in the early months of the pandemic following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“Art heals, and it’s not just something you just say. It’s actually something that happens inside your mind and in somebody’s soul,” she said.
Escobedo was one of several artists who worked on “Alto al Fuego en la Misión,” a colorful mural in San Francisco dedicated to victims of police brutality. The title translates to “Stop the shootings in the Mission.”
“When it comes to that mural, that kicked off a lot of conversations of where we see our city,” she said. “That’s a reminder for all of us, and for me, personally. My dad also passed away due to police brutality.”
Guerra shares Escobedo’s sentiments about those topics. “A lot of artists are focusing on social justice, because those images are very powerful,” she said. “The visual impact is important.”
For Rista White, a 17-year-old San Jose artist, the pandemic gave her more time to explore who she is artistically. “Only having a canvas and a sketchbook kind of forced me to spend more time,” she said. “Questioning myself, what am I doing, what are you feeling at this time, there’s definitely a lot of those emotions to pull from. So I think definitely some of the art I was making was reflecting that.”
White would like to see more teenangers become involved in the
arts. “Our education needs to take away that idea that ‘don’t you need to have talent’ or ‘you’re not good enough to be an artist,’” she said. “If everyone can continue creating the way they do when they’re really little, that would be great and to just not have that fear surrounding art.”
The financial impact of the pandemic wasn’t the same for everyone, either. Escobedo had to pause a series of projects she was working on during the lockdown year.
However, Guerra ended up having more projects and was in a couple of shows during the lockdown. One of those projects was creating one of eight murals on the wall of the downtown SoFA Pocket Park next to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. The mural, which was unveiled in July, is a colorful piece inspired by the designs of Mexican and South American traditional clothing.
“I produced a lot of art pieces during the pandemic, and I’m glad I was able to do that,” Guerra said. “I’m glad that I had something to do that was meaningful for me.”
SCHOOLS: More failing grades reported
Grading policies changed, a state bill adopted to help struggling students to complete assignments during virtual year continued from page 1
“The kids that normally get more support in the classroom weren’t getting that same kind of support,” Homestead High School Principal Greg Giglio said.
Getting a failing grade increases the likelihood of students dropping out of school -— research shows ninth graders who receive one or two F’s are much more likely to not graduate or not go on to college.
Recognizing the difficult year many students experienced, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that allows students to change any letter grade to a pass or no-pass. Assembly Bill 104 also allows students with mostly failing grades to request to
repeat the previous school year.
To help students graduate, Homestead is offering to let students who received a passing grade in the second semester of a class collect full credit for the year despite a failed firstsemester grade. While this does not replace the failed grade, it does help students get on track to graduate with the credits they need.
“It was a pretty unfair year all around for students. We thought it was a fair opportunity to tell students ‘don’t give up. Keep working hard, you can get there,’” Giglio said.
In San Jose, Latino College Preparatory Academy also changed its grading policies. If a student earns an A
or B during their second semester, the school would change a first-semester failed grade to a passing one.
Melissa Manoguerra, a teacher at Latino College Preparatory Academy, said she had to change her teaching style and grading practices to help her students get through the year.
“I was the kind of teacher who was strict about deadlines,” Manoguerra said. “As distance learning went on, I completely threw out my policies about late work.”
Like Manoguerra, Bob Ansaldo, an English and journalism teacher at Santa Clara High School, said he struggled on Zoom to cover the material fully.
“I couldn’t treat it like an in-person classroom, so I covered less material and didn’t do as much writing. The traditional standards didn’t matter as much as the emotional component.”
Ansaldo said he is worried how this year might affect students’ upcoming high school years.
“When the students came back I had a couple of students who didn’t even know how to talk to people anymore,” Ansaldo said.
“Taking the great extent of learning loss, how do we get somebody to not only just be social, but now to effectively communicate that in words and writing to complete the standards. I am a little concerned.”
JASMINE NGUYEN- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The SoFA Pocket Park in downtown San Jose features a series of eight murals, unveiled in July. Many muralists were glad to immerse themselves in art during the pandemic.
San Jose artist Yolanda Guerra painted images of cannery workers on a San Jose utility box. She says many artists are focusing on images of social justice.
JASMINE NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
New tranquil mural near Japantown
may fortell ‘better things
to come’
Freshly painted mural graces wall of an apartment building under construction in San Jose
Blocks away from Japantown, on the wall of a concrete apartment building under construction, a freshly painted mural catches the eyes of passersby.
The mural, which was designed by artist Amy Sol, depicts stalks of flowers, a crouching woman and large cat. Behind the tranquil mammals and dustypink stepping stones is a moonlit sky.
“It’s kind of colorful but dull,” said Zach Boudi, a rising Santa Clara High School junior. “The palette – it’s bright but the background isn’t. The plants are kind of a goaway green color.”
Boudi and his family contemplated the mural at East Empire and North Sixth streets in San Jose. Directly in front of the apartment
project lie archaic steel train tracks and tents sheltering homeless residents.
Scott McLuckie, a data analyst visiting from Chicago, also stopped by to check out the mural.
“For the area it kind of stands out a bit,” he said. “Across the street I see all the couches and junk piled up and this house that’s seen better days.”
McLuckie, 30, pointed to an obsidiancolored house with a buckling roof. Just across the street was a gated house, the front yard full of succulents, cactuses and blownglass decorations. McLuckie says the mural signifies “better things to come.”
- Soojin Spencer
Health care workers divided on requiring employees to be vaccinated for COVID-19
South Bay debate mirrors national split as COVID cases climb and workplaces hash out policies
By Dayanara Diaz Mosaic staff writer
As COVID-19 cases rise and employers wrestle with whether to require vaccinations, South Bay health care workers are split on the issue, even as they acknowledge the dangers of the coronavirus.
“Honestly, I am more scared of getting the vaccine than being worried about getting COVID,” said 28-yearold medical assistant Itzel Zamora, who works in Palo Alto. She has not gotten vaccinated.
However, Laura Sanchez, a COVID-19 tester in Silicon Valley, is vaccinated, and she thinks others should get the vaccine as well.
“It’s people’s duty to inform yourself to make the right choice for yourself and your family,’ said Sanchez, 36.
Maria Bustos, a 42-year-old medical assistant in Palo Alto, agrees with Sanchez. She thinks everyone needs to be protected and the safest way to do that is to get the vaccine.
“It’s people’s duty to inform yourself to make the right choice for yourself and your family,” said Sanchez, 36.
“Everyone needs to get vaccinated,” she said.
While medical workers are drawn
into the vaccine debate, they also worry about keeping their families safe.
“I had to get undressed outside, leave extra clothes by the door, made sure I removed everything I was wearing that I brought from work,” Sanchez said.
“There were times where I had to take a shower after work because I’ve been in locations where there were positive cases.”
Bustos also worries about her family’s health.
“Am I potentially causing harm to my family by coming home from work every day?” she said.
As a medical assistant, Zamora tries to stay as safe as possible while dealing with patients.
“I try to keep my distance as much as possible from patients and others around me, but being in health care, it’s a bit difficult to social distance from patients,” she said. “Even before COVID I would still try to be as safe as possible when patients would come in for a cough or fever.”
“Everyone needs to get vaccinated,”
Alto.
Another challenge is financial worries. Zamora says her income dropped last September when she started working from home and her hours were cut by half.
“Income was bad at first because my wages decreased due to our employer not needing us in the clinic. Due to social distancing, only a few were allowed in the clinic,” she said. “They gave us an option to work from home some days and others in the clinic.”
Bustos also wrestles with her dual roles of nurse and mother.
“How do I balance the needs of my
loved ones with the endless needs of patients?” she said. “Part of being able to find integrity here is accepting the reality of our current situation we are living in.”
Meanwhile, Sanchez hopes that more people get vaccinated so life can go back to normal.
“I just want COVID to end,” Sanchez said with a laugh.
EDNA JARETH CEDILLO- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A new mural by artist Amy Sol covers the side of an apartment building under construction at East Empire and North Sixth streets in San Jose.
EDNA JARETH CEDILLO- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Data analyst Scott McLuckie, who was visiting San Jose from Chicago, says the Japantown mural “kind of stands out a bit.”
SELINA DIAZ-SPECIAL TO MOSAIC
says Maria Bustos, a medical assistant in Palo
High school principal ready for new campus role
Albers transitioning to new position at Cristo Rey to give him more family time while his kids are still young
By Daniela Bravo Berumen Mosaic staff writer
Prior to the rise of COVID-19, Joe Dazols Albers, principal of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School, found himself at school every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or even later.
Albers had been principal of Cristo Rey since its establishment in 2014. Almost every day he would come home after a long day of work and attempt to savor the small window of time he had left with his wife and kids, watching TV, helping with dinner, or being on his phone before doing it all over again the next morning.
Despite working extensive hours, Albers said he loved every second of it.
“It’s a fun job so I would love seeing students, would like joking around, like teaching, like playing dodgeball — I love my job,” he said.
But with his family in mind, Albers, 41, is stepping down to take on a new and lessdemanding role with the school.
When the pandemic began, Albers was struggling with being away from the school community for so long. Albers thrived off interactions in the hallways, chats with students, and events like pingpong tournaments. When those things disappeared, he found himself working more on the less social parts of the job a lot more often.
Apart from the lack of interaction with students and staff however, the job itself became more demanding, and Albers was often making tough decisions for Cristo Rey.
“(With) COVID, you have decisions that no one’s happy with,” he said, for example, “when we come back to campus, do we know who’s able to come back to campus.”
“I’ve no regrets.’’ he added. “I feel
like I really gave it my all and I feel very happy and proud of the work.”
Later in the year, Albers decided to change from principal of Cristo Rey to a lesser role as special projects manager, as well as supporting the principal transition. COVID-19 gave Albers the time to lighten his schedule and reflect on his top priorities. While the school was on top of his list, Albers said he felt it was time to focus on his kids.
“Being more present to family, you kind of realize, wow, my son’s 7 and in 11 years will be off to college and in seven years he’ll be in high school. I kind of only have this time right now to spend with them while they’re still kids,” he said.
He said his biggest motivation to become principal was to create a school where students wouldn’t be anonymous, as he said he felt during his high school years.
“My goal has always been to support the community and use the talents and skills I have to support the community.”
Albers hopes he has accomplished that and is leaving on a good note.
Today he is learning how to navigate life in his new role. As his calendar opens up and his weekly meetings drop from 25 to three, Albers is ready for change, and is ready to pass the torch for others to lead Cristo Rey.
“I gave what I had and there’s other people that are ready to take it on,” he said.
CREEKS: Fish, wildlife fight for survival
continued from page 1
“If you were to try to save fish, where would you put them? Where can you guarantee that there’s going to be water?” Abel said. “And on top of that, what is already in that existing water? Are you going to be creating a crowd? Are you going to be moving diseases, what fish are you going to move or are they going to compete with each other?”
Steve Holmes, founder and executive director of South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition, believes there’s an upside to the drying creeks: It has become easier to clear them of pollutants.
“The waterways have dried up so we have access to really do a thorough cleaning of a lot of this toxic trash,” Holmes said.
The South Bay Clean Creeks Coalition focuses on aiding the creeks and rivers in the Santa Clara Valley. Currently it has several open projects that aim to preserve the native wildlife in local creeks, such as clearing out toxic waste.
Holmes said dry creeks are also killing off invasive fish that harm native species like the chinook salmon and the young steelhead fry.
“When the rains come back and the river fills back up next year, if the drought allows, then we would be seeing less predatory fish,” Holmes said. Still, as the drought carries on, the wildlife will continue to endure tough conditions.
“It’s a terrible year to be a fish,” Abel said.
“No reservoirs were spilling this last winter that I’m aware of, and most of them entered the dry season at very much reduced stroage. So we’re really watching every drop in a bucket of water that comes out of those reservoirs.”
Joe Dazols Albers, who has been principal of Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School since 2014, will now work as the school’s special projects manager.
Courtesy of David Rietdorf
SUSIE FERREIRA-SPECIAL TO MOSAIC
Dead fish lie in a dry section of Los Gatos Creek in June. “I was in shock,” said Susy Ferreira, who found them. “There was one fish and another and another.”
THERESA NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Guadalupe River in San Jose is among the local waterways affected by the statewide drought. Dry waterways have been killing off fish.
Jae Abel
“ Santa Clara Valley Water District
County worker felt ‘honored’ to help in effort
Kristina Sosa shifted to working at vaccination sites around country during COVID-19 pandemic
By Mary-Elaine O’Connor Mosaic staff writer
Kristina Sosa has always loved helping people.
In her day job as a Santa Clara County caseworker, for the last 13 years she’s helped people understand options like Medi-Cal and Covered California public health insurance, in what can often be a complex web of state benefit program requirements, doctors, and insurance plans.
During the pandemic, she used her experience and empathy to help protect people from the deadly COVID-19 illness, by working at vaccination sites around Santa Clara County.
Sosa heard the county needed her last February to help manage incoming flows of people check in for their vaccine appointments, right as the county’s vaccine rollout was picking up steam. She didn’t hesitate to raise her hand.
“It was very … I don’t want to say exciting, but … I felt honored,” she said in an interview. “Honored to be doing that because I knew I was making history.”
Her team visited many different areas of Santa Clara County, setting up vaccination sites at schools, long-term care and rehabilitation facilities, and occasionally farms.
Kristina Sosa, a Santa Clara County caseworker, volunteered in February to help at a vaccination site in San Jose. Sosa says she felt “honored to be doing that because I knew I was making history.”
In those areas, she often served low-income people, as well as undocumented, elderly, and sometimes homeless people, she said.
When the first doses of the vaccine were being administered, the sites she was assigned to were giving out 500 to 600 vaccines every day.
“In the beginning, when we first rolled this out we were extremely busy, we did not have enough help at the time,” she said.
Because of the high demand, the county eventually pulled in some extra help by contracting through the city of San Jose for more staff, Sosa said.
Sosa said for many people coming to the clinics, getting the COVID-19 vaccination raised a lot of fear and concern.
“There were a lot of people that were scared; I even had somebody pass out on me one time,” she said. “But they did it because they wanted to protect themselves.”
Sosa said when people were apprehensive, she would try to ease their fear by making a quick joke. “I would tell them ‘I got my vaccine, look I’m perfect,’” she said.
“What I learned was that a lot of people that grew up in Mexico in particular do not get vaccinated as children. And so when they come here and they have to get vaccinated, they’re like, deathly terrified,” she said.
“A lot of times, I would hold someone’s hand if they wanted me to, I’d just be there for them, just calm them down, tell them everything will be OK.”
Sometimes, Sosa said her work was made more challenging by language barriers at sites that serve many people who primarily speak Spanish.
“My Spanish is not great,” she said. “It scares me if I don’t have an interpreter, because I don’t want to guess on what these people are saying, I want to know what they’re saying, and be there to assist them,” she said.
Sosa’s assignment lasted three months, and for much of it, the sites were full of people lining up to get shots. But toward the end of her assignment, she said roughly fewer than 100 people were getting vaccinations each day at those sites.
Despite some challenges, now that she has returned to her regular job as more people are fully vaccinated, Sosa reflected on her chance to help people during a historic moment.
“It was something that was completely new to everybody,” she said. “I liked it, I miss it sometimes.”
Sosa said, “If you feel like you’re making a difference in the community, then it makes you want to get up and go and do that everyday.”
Water parks still popular amid another drought
Water recycling, letting grasses die help conservation efforts.
By Mary-Elaine O’Connor Mosaic staff writer
California is in the early stages of its latest drought, one that could worsen as another dry year continues across much of the Golden State.
With calls from Gov. Gavin Newsom and regional agencies like Santa Clara Valley Water District for 15% water use cutbacks, residents are looking for ways to conserve at home and work.
Despite the need for broad conservation, however, water parks in the South Bay remain open, full of visitors seeking a refreshing cool down from the region’s frequent summer heat waves.
At Raging Waters San Jose, conservation efforts such as recycling a significant portion of water in the pools and slides have helped limit water waste, park officials said.
Water officials, for their part, say the drought is not yet severe enough to consider more drastic measures such as closing down water parks, or even limiting the amount of water places like Raging Waters San Jose, or the South Bay Shores water park within Great America, are allowed to use.
Jeff Provenzano, the deputy director of water resources at San Jose Municipal Water — which provides water for about 12% of San Jose — said the primary focus at the moment is to make sure that customers and businesses, including water parks, reduce their landscape watering, and try to meet conservation goals.
“In the whole last drought, there was only one case where we had to get involved, from an enforcement perspective,” he said.
“What’s important for me is that we get the message out there on the need to use water wisely,” Provenzano said in an interview.
Tony Brancazio, the general manager of Raging Waters San Jose, said in an interview that the park’s most intensive water use comes from restaurants and food service in the park, because of the conservation steps taken for water in the park’s pools.
Raging Waters San Jose tries to cut water use in key ways such as constantly recycling water in pools and rides, which accounts for about 70% of the water the park uses, Brancazio estimated.
“So, in a pool, you really only add water in there to make up for what guests carry out of the pool on their bodies, and what goes out to evaporation, which is a small amount,” Brancazio said.
The park also loses some water when it cleans filters by flushing them out, he said.
Brancazio didn’t provide an estimate of the total amount of water used each
Water officials say the drought is not yet severe enough to consider
closing down water parks such as South Bay
year at Raging Waters in time for this story. However, according to a 2015 New Yorker article that featured a previous manager of the park, Raging Waters was estimated to need about a million gallons of water to fill and operate all its pools, which it typically does during the peak summer months.
The estimate didn’t include how much water is needed to top off pools as they lose water, and Brancazio didn’t provide that information.
To help meet water cutback goals, Brancazio said Raging Waters has stopped watering landscaping, as it did in previous dry years. “So our grass is brown but we’re trying to do our part.”
So far this summer, Raging Waters is attracting thousands of people, roughly matching attendance from 2019, Brancazio said, indicating the drought hasn’t impacted its business.
Some water park-goers interviewed for this story feel heading to a designated water park is a more responsible option during a drought.
“I don’t know quite how many gallons it uses, but I feel like having everybody in one space will probably conserve more water, than everybody having like their single pool,” one teenager at South Bay Shores said on Saturday.
Brancazio said he thinks the pentup demand for recreational activities during the pandemic means the water park will stay full of visitors this summer.
“People were stuck in their homes, they weren’t able to go out, they had a lot of money to spend and they weren’t able to spend it,” Brancazio said.
Great America’s South Bay
continues to draw patrons despite the statewide drought.
“So now that things have opened up, I think they’re getting out like they should,” he said.
Provenzano, of the water district, said in this dry year and every coming year, it will be more important than ever “to really view water as a precious resource not to be wasted.”
“What’s important for me is that we get the message out there on the need to use water wisely,” Jeff Provenzano
Brancazio says he hopes the drought doesn’t persist.
“Let’s pray for some rain,” he said.
JASMINE NGUYEN- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Shores water park in Santa Clara
JASMINE NGUYEN- STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
more drastic measures such as
Shores at Great America.
How our neighbors responded Fighting painful losses with health care education
Community worker reaches out to provide patients with information, testing, services
By Leslie Lopez Haro Mosaic staff writer
As people in the world adjust back to their everyday lives, Maria del Carmen Castillo continues to work around the San Jose community to ensure she is educating as many people as she can on the COVID-19 pandemic while still combatting her own obstacles.
Castillo, 59, has been a child care provider for 13 years, and she also works part-time as a community health worker at food distribution sites, community events, schools and educational workshops for women from various organizations. She provides information to lowincome people about pap smears and mammograms as well as COVID-19 programs, including where they can get tests.
During the pandemic, many people lost the chance to see loved ones, and Castillo knows the heartbreak they felt because she was in that position herself. Castillo was able to embrace her brother, who lives in Arizona, on July 3. It was the first time she had been able to do so since October 2019.
“It was like that first time that your parents let you go to a place that you really want to go to or like a concert where you want to see that really famous person that you enjoy
watching,” Castillo said. “I was like a kid waiting for a candy for the first time.”
Castillo’s grandson would stop by her house in Salinas to say hello, but hugging him wasn’t an option. Her
“In order to end it, everyone must get vaccinated,” she said. “That is the only way to beat it. Get vaccinated to protect not only yourself but all those loved ones around you.”
daughter and grandkids kept their distance to be safe, and Castillo can recall her grandson saying, “Nana, don’t open the door! Hi, Nana!” Instead, the family saw each other through online calls.
The community public health field caught her eye while she was working at her previous jobs as a medical assistant and a prenatal health worker. In her role, Castillo talks to community members about COVID. Hearing people talk about how they
believe the COVID pandemic is fake would frustrate her because she knows people have lost their lives.
But she decided to turn her frustration into education. She recommends people still follow precautions, even if they aren’t mandatory. “In order to end it, everyone must get vaccinated,” she said. “That is the only way to beat it. Get vaccinated to protect not only yourself but all those loved ones around you.”
Only two people in Castillo’s immediate family were infected and recovered, but she had extended family and family friends who died from the coronavirus.
children to take care of because parents were at home instead of working.
Castillo lessened the impact of her personal losses by continuing to work and providing health information to people. “You will never overcome losing a loved one but you will move on knowing that you’re trying to help
Castillo’s child care work also was affected. For a long five months after COVID broke out, she had fewer
others,” she said.
S.J. bakery thrived despite tough times
With other neighborhood businesses shuttered, owner drew new customers to his shop: ‘Families had to get food’
By Dayanara Diaz Mosaic staff writer
As businesses around him struggled during the pandemic, Jose Landin’s three bakeries gained more success than he could have ever imagined, and he’s even thinking of expanding now.
Landin, owner of Mexico Bakery on Story Road in East San Jose plus two other shops, said the effort to comply with COVID safety guidelines paid off for him. “Most restaurants around us were closed,” he said in Spanish. But his bakeries stayed open and drew more customers.
“Families had to get food for their kids,” said Landin, 50. “Kids don’t want salads, they want bread.”
Landin’s father, Melchior Landin Ramirez, founded the Story Road bakery in 2000, and the Landin family worked on expanding the business. The family now also operates a Mexico Bakery on Alum Rock Avenue and
‘The
another downtown on East Santa Clara Street. The younger Landin hopes to open a fourth in Hollister, but that plan is on hold as COVID-19 surges.
Although the pandemic brought good news for the business, the Landin family suffered personally. All of Jose Landin’s siblings contracted COVID about eight months ago, and his dad became infected as well. Melchoir died of the disease in December at age 79.
Another challenge for the younger Landin came last summer, during the Black Lives Matter protests in San Jose.
“We got worried about our bakery,” said Landin, who supports the BLM
movement. He decided to close his downtown location for six months.
But fortunately, “none of our property got vandalized,” he said.
Meanwhile, his customers continue to enjoy his bakeries’ pastries and sandwiches.
“The bread is so soft,” said 10-year-old Angela Perez, who was eating her pan dulce on her way back from the Story Road bakery.
Another customer, Kassandra Diaz, brings her family to the Story Road location. “The sandwiches are so yummy and have plenty of condiments in them,” she said.
As Landin plans for the future, he has the next generation in mind. He hopes to pass the bakeries down to his three kids eventually.
“Working as part of a bakery is art,” he said. “It’s a culture for me to be a part of this.”
pandemic has changed me,’ nurse says
Low staffing, increasing caseload put strain on San Jose hospital workers during early days of crisis
By Jasmine Nguyen Mosaic staff writer
Nhi Duong clocked in for her shift at O’Connor Hospital in April 2020 not knowing it would be one of the most stressful days of her 16-year career as a nurse.
In any other year, handling the case of a 31-weeks-pregnant patient in her 30s waiting in a hospital bed for her check-in would be routine for Duong. But this year was different. This time, the case of the pregnant patient who had contracted COVID-19 and wasn’t breathing was anything but simple.
After checking the vital signs monitors and calling a code blue to summon more help, Duong started performing chest compressions to try to keep the woman and her baby alive long enough for doctors to arrive.
“As I’m pressing on the chest of this pregnant girl, hoping that I can bring her back, the respiratory therapist is giving her oxygen. I just keep doing CPR, praying in my head, ‘Please come back,’ ” said Duong, 39, of San Jose.
Due to pandemic safety restrictions, only three health care workers — much fewer than the usual 20 — were allowed into the room to work on the patient. As soon as they got a pulse back on her, they found the baby’s life was in danger, and rushed the woman to the intensive care unit for a cesarean section.
“When I found out that she had to have the emergency C-section, I cried because I didn’t want her to have the preemie baby,” Duong said. “We all cried.”
Amid pressing patient cases, O’Connor was in a state of constant crisis, woefully understaffed and at maximum capacity. Where it once had 24 nurses on the floor, some days the number dropped to just 14, despite still having over 46 patients that needed care.
The peak of the pandemic brought swarms of patients, at a time when information about the virus and how it spread was still emerging. Duong had concerns about being at the forefront of the medical team, even at times questioning whether her career was worth the risk.
“You’re walking into a room where you know these people, for sure, have COVID because they have been tested,” she said. “Why do I have this job when it’s the most dangerous job right now?” she recalled asking herself.
While working under the looming threat of contracting the virus, anxiety and frustration was on the rise among Duong and some of her colleagues about O’Connor’s lack of medical staff, which made it difficult to manage the incoming stream of COVID-positive patients.
“We are the health care workers who are taking care of these patients, and yet we’re not being helped. Why are they not hiring more people?” she said, thinking back to how she was feeling during the height of the pandemic.
“But, you know that they’re also doing their best. There’s no staff to be found, because every state, every city is using these nurses.”
Despite the plethora of challenges
that nurses, doctors and hospital staff of all ranks faced during the pandemic, one constant helped keep morale up: community support, Duong said.
Pho Ha Noi, a Vietnamese restaurant in East San Jose, donated 300 to 400 meals a day to O’Connor staff, along with thousands of masks to the hospital’s COVID unit to help buttress supplies.
Another morning as Duong was heading into work, she and her colleagues were cheered as they entered the hospital walking by dozens of police officers and first responders.
“That was really emotional because you felt like during the pandemic, you were the only people that are head-on with COVID,” she said. “But behind the scenes, these people are supporting you.”
Now with many fewer COVID patients to care for, Duong reflected on how working through the toughest year of her life impacted her.
“The pandemic has changed me. It made me a very resilient person; nothing can really scare me,” she said. “You feel like you can do many things now, because the experience taught us so much.”
Maria del Carmen Castillo understands the heartbreak that many suffered during the spread of COVID-19.
Nhi Duong, a registered nurse at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, says she and her co-workers struggled with anxiety and frustration as the pandemic worsened.
Jose Landin continued to operate his San Jose bakeries during the darkest days of the pandemic.
LESLIE LOPEZ HARO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
EDNA JARETH CEDILLO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
JASMINE NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sunnyvale college student both lost and gained
Her study-aborad program in Europe was cut short, but she learned she was stronger than she thought
By Naomi Baron Mosaic staff writer
The pandemic, while difficult and isolating, taught 2021 college graduate and Sunnyvale resident Nina Mokhber that she is capable of much more than she thought she was.
Mokhber, 22, found both her junior and senior year at the UC Santa Barbara affected by the pandemic.
Not only was Mokhber’s study abroad program cut short in 2020, her 2021 senior year also fell short due to the lockdown and the virtual format of instruction.
“I do feel I was cheated out of a lot of senior year. Even when I was in Santa Barbara in the fall, the only person I saw was my roommate,” Mokhber said. “Socially we didn’t get to do what everyone looks forward to in senior year, like going downtown, going to clubs, trying out new places to eat and taking more weekend trips.”
Academically, Mokhber said distance learning made classes more
San Jose
difficult as professors struggled to share their screen or arrange breakout rooms. She also wishes she had gotten face-to-face time with her thesis instructor.
“Even when we were having these weekly conversations that would be so in-depth, they were on the computer,” Mokhber said. “He advised my thesis for the entirety of the year, and I’ve never met him in person.”
Mokhber’s junior year abroad was also altered due to the pandemic. Mokhber began her study abroad travels in September 2019. She was set to stay in Europe until July 2020, but her study abroad program was shut down in March 2020.
“I worked so hard personally to be able to go abroad. I financed most of it myself and put lots of work into the applications,” Mokhber said. “I was really mad for a long time when I got home. I definitely had to practice sitting in gratitude a little more.”
Coming back to California last
chef
spring was a difficult transition.
“It was super weird coming back,” Mokhber said. “I came from having all these incredible experiences in Europe with hundreds of people and suddenly I am at home with the door closed. It messed me up.”
Now planning to apply to law school, Mokhber is looking forward to being in a classroom environment with student and professor interactions. And she is already researching study abroad programs through graduate school.
The challenges of the pandemic, Mokhber said, have led her to understand how capable everyone is of adapting to difficult situations. And while her study abroad was cut short, Mokhber said she is forever grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience all she could. Even though her campus was in London, she was able to carve out time to travel all over Europe. She visited Sweden, Denmark, Italy, France, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the
Netherlands before being sent back to California in March.
“Last May and June I was so depressed at home and I never thought I would feel better,” Mokhber said. “I learned that people are capable of handling more than they think they can.”
looks ahead after start-and-stop year
Man behind Aeroplane and SuperGood Kitchen reflects on cascade of challanges from illness, fires, protests
By Laiyla Santillan Mosaic staff writer
Winson Duong recalls the obstacles he had to overcome as the executive chef of Aeroplane and the fusion-themed SuperGood Kitchen. Just as the downtown San Jose businesses were wrapping up a successful first year of operations, COVID-19 hit. By the time the businesses were able to reopen, the Black Lives Matter protests began, resulting in access to the businesses on the street being blocked off. Customers were unable to access the buildings and so pickup orders had to be refunded. To support the cause, the restaurant gave out lemonade to protesters. Still, SuperGood Kitchen had its windows broken during the protests.
After that, the state allowed outdoor dining to open up, then the 2020 California wildfires began. The wildfires produced thick smoke that made many people unwilling to open their windows, let alone dine outside.
“They allowed patio seating, and then we couldn’t do that because no
one was going to sit outside anyway, because of the fires,” Duong said.
“After that… it was the election, and then downtown was shut down again, because of more protests and potential riots, so it was just like a roller coaster. Every single week was like, what else is going to happen?”
Throughout the pandemic, California had several closing and reopening orders that harshly affected business. Not only were the restaurants’ supply chains being cut off, but they were short staffed and still having to pay rent while being unable to serve customers.
“It was a very small crew and we were making it by the skin of our teeth just to survive,” Duong said.
Despite the setbacks, they decided to make the best out of their difficult situation.
“We used all the food that we had, and were sitting on to cook for halfway homes and for our staff, so it kind of turned it around.” Duong said.
Looking back, Duong said the pandemic pushed him to step out of his comfort zone, leading his staff and himself to become stronger and better.
Rink helps keep skating – and community – alive
Owner of popular Aloha rink converted her Eastridge business into a vaccination center during COVID shutdown
By Lupita Fernandez Garcia Mosaic staff writer
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aloha Roller Rink at Eastridge Center put its skates on the shelves and became a space used to save lives.
Liz Ruiz, who has owned and operated Aloha Roller Rink for six years, said she felt helpless after the lockdown started in March 2020. “There were times where I had to take loans against my retirement to stay afloat while waiting for government funds to come through,” Ruiz said.
close down, but this was just a trend of us losing these very valuable places,” she said.
Aloha takes its name from a popular roller skating rink in South San Jose that opened in the 1970s and closed in 2014, when it was known as San Jose Skate. The nostalgia some adults associate with the name Aloha is something Ruiz hopes to protect.
“Bringing back the Aloha name, and helping that
“The customers,” she said, “are our biggest marketing allies.”
She saw an opportunity to help the community when Santa Clara County approached her about turning her site into a vaccination center this year.
“If I’m not allowed to use my building, I’m not allowed to open up, then I can’t think of a better way to use this building,” she said.
Roller skating has been important in Ruiz’s life. “It was what I did for fun, it was my hobby, it was my sport,” said Ruiz, who grew up skating in San Jose.
“Preserving skating for the community” was a main goal of hers throughout the pandemic, when her business faced the threat of closing down. “Aloha was going to
kind of spirit stay alive was important to me,” she said.
Ruiz also took advantage of the lockdown to work on a pandemic project: a blacklight mini golf course that was ready when California announced the reopening of businesses in June.
Ruiz has continued to follow COVID-19 regulations to ensure the safety of her employees and skaters.
“Originally we opened up with masks mandatory, but then allowing people to not wear masks if they wanted to
show proof of vaccination,” Ruiz said. But following the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, masks are again required and she is waiting until conditions are safer to restart other features such as birthday parties.
to have us backslide into having to close down again,” Ruiz said. She appreciates her regular customers, who are willing to follow any precautions to guarantee Aloha Roller Rink remains open.
“I just would rather be overly precautious than
On a recent day, people of all ages were at the rink — from teenangers to little kids to adults. Ruiz has noticed an increase in the number of teenage customers, partially crediting the popularity to the roller skating trend on TikTok.
“The customers,” she said, “are our biggest marketing allies.”
Liz Ruiz, owner of the Aloha Roller Rink at the Eastridge mall, holds a pair of skates on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. She has owned the rink for six years and let Santa Clara County use it as a vaccination center during the pandemic.
“We didn’t have the budget that we used to, and we didn’t have the staff that we used to have, but we were still able to make good food and provide
good service,” Duong said. “That helped us be more efficient and believe in ourselves more.”
Winson Duong says the many challenges ended up making him and his staff stronger.
KEVIN DO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
JASMINE NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SPECIAL TO MOSAIC
Nina Mokhber, who hopes to attend law school, looks forward to experiencing traditional classroom interactions again.
San Jose yoga teacher reinvents herself
When her yoga studio closed, she pivoted her teaching to Zoom and YouTube and built her online following
By KennedyRose Stiver Mosaic staff writer
When the pandemic pushed the state into a lockdown last year, yoga teacher Bri Deckard of San Jose found herself without the studio where she taught and missing the community she had built there.
But Deckard, 30, who sees herself as open and optimistic, adapted. She learned how to manage classes on Zoom and improved her YouTube platform.
“For the most part, I’ve kept the mindset that everything will work out, that there are always options,” Deckard said.
The most difficult loss Deckard endured during the pandemic was when her yoga studio in Campbell closed in May 2020.
“In the beginning, we tried to continue with virtual classes,” Deckard said. “Then the two studio owners called us together for a Zoom meeting, and they let us know that they had made the decision to close.”
What hurt the most was the
unsettling realization that the social bubble she had been creating around her for years had been damaged.
“My job as a yoga teacher and my personal life feel very connected, so a lot of my social interaction was through the yoga community,” Deckard said, adding that losing her social network was really hard.
To save on rent, Deckard moved out
“That helped a lot. It was like I was still able to afford my life,” Deckard said.
of the San Jose house she was staying in and went to live with family. And her second job as a yoga instructor at Google gave her a financial cushion, as Google continued to pay her through the pandemic.
Soon, Deckard was inspired to start teaching again — via Zoom. She was taking online classes and practicing yoga using videos on different websites.
As school resumes,
After
“That lit something in me — I really crave to be able to offer yoga to people,” Deckard said, explaining why she embraced Zoom instruction.
Deckard’s platform on YouTube has also grown, ranging from 1,000 subscribers during lockdown to almost 1,300 currently.
“When I got to 1,000 subscribers, it
felt like a very big milestone for me,” Deckard said.
Throughout the pandemic, Deckard started to cut back on her own resources in hopes of finding a sense of change.
“I got rid of a lot of my belongings, so everything I own now fits in a suitcase except for I also have a bicycle and a tent,” Deckard said. “It has felt really good. It doesn’t feel restrictive — it actually feels very freeing.”
With her newfound mobility, Deckard has been able to visit Texas and is currently in Tennessee, though she plans to return to San Jose. She wants to continue to teach online classes and to create content for her YouTube channel.
“I realize now that no matter what happens in the external world, I can still offer classes online,” Deckard said. “I definitely would like to continue growing my community on YouTube because that’s been a really fulfilling process for me.”
screen printing shop hit by pandemic hopes business will rebound
San Jose printing shop, hit hard by shutdown, slowly recovers
By Maya Barrientos Mosaic staff writer
As a mother and daughter enter a small shop at the end of Autumn Street, the sound of printing machines in the former garage space rattle loudly from the back.
Gloria Sermeño, the owner of R&A Embroidery and Custom Prints, attends to the two customers eagerly, helping the little girl try on some polos as part of her uniform as she prepares for the start of the school year.
This is what a typical workday for Sermeño looks like.
While Sermeño primarily creates printed uniforms for schools and students, she also works with small businesses to make branded attire, and other customers who simply want a special design on a T-shirt, sweater or bag.
It was in fall 2019 that she turned her hobby of working up custom printed school uniforms for her son into a flourishing business, with customers from around San Jose.
Sermeño’s business quickly provided a new source of income that helped support her family.
However, her work routine of
Japantown
serving customers in her shop came to a sudden halt once COVID-19 began rapidly spreading through Santa Clara County in March 2020. Sermeño grew concerned the virus would have a grave effect on her business.
“You saw the news at that time and could imagine that this was going to happen,” she said. “I have to pay for the machines, I have a lot of money invested here, I put everything and more” into the business, she said.
She was anxious about taking care of her family and her ability to keep up with the rent and other costs of running her business, and her fears were well founded.
As the coronavirus raged on, pushing into communities and prompting health officials to mandate shutdowns, Sermeño watched helplessly as her customers dwindled. She was only able to pick up small orders here and there, and she had no choice but to shut down.
While Sermeño was dealing with concerns about her shuttered business, tragedy struck again in September 2020, when her father died from COVID-19.
“When you have that happen in your family, it’s worse,” she said.
Fortunately, Sermeño’s husband, Ernesto, who owns the auto mechanic shop right next door to her shop, was able to make ends meet and keep her family financially stable throughout the past year and a half.
Despite the temporary shutdown
of her business and her difficult loss, the lockdown allowed Sermeño, like many others, to spend more time with her family. With her two sons always at home, she began cherishing the time she was spending with them.
Sermeño said the experience of the pandemic reminded her to dedicate more time to her family, rather than committing every single day to her business.
“I think that’s something COVID taught us – that we need to put some people before our business,” she said.
Sermeño’s story reflects experiences of other small business owners in San Jose, as the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted several aspects of daily life. However, with those changes came glimmers of positivity for Sermeño as she had the opportunity to be with her family every day.
Even though the pandemic began to recede and public spaces have opened up, still only about two customers visit Sermeño’s store daily to shop for the upcoming school year, though additional orders through her online store have helped sales rise.
She maintains an optimistic outlook on the future, and hopes to expand her business as she slowly regains customers every day.
businesses recall how they survived a pandemic along with a wave of anti-Asian hate
Research shows Asian small businesses were hard hit
By Laiyla Santillan Mosaic staff writer
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in the United States, small businesses have experienced a decline, and Asian small businesses have been hit particularly hard, with many struggling to keep their doors open.
Sean Yang, owner of the Kazoo Japanese Sushi Boat Restaurant that has been in business in San Jose’s Japantown since 1989, described his experience with the pandemic as “devastating,” and blames prejudices against the Asian community as one of the main reasons.
“The business was declining even right before the official pandemic started,” Yang said. “This little community was hit really hard, really hard … quite a few businesses just decided to quit or was forced to quit.”
Research has shown that small Asian American businesses have been negatively affected more than those of any other racial group during the pandemic. A July 2020 study by Ong & Associates, the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, and the UCLA Asian American Center estimated a 28% decline in the number of Asian-owned small businesses between February and April 2020, which roughly covers the first two months of the pandemic in the United
States. White-owned small businesses, in contrast, declined 17% over the same time period.
Steve Sakai, co-owner of the eatery JT Express, also in Japantown, said his biggest concern at the beginning of the
pandemic was staying in business. Despite being on food delivery platforms such as DoorDash and GrubHub, the business didn’t get many orders because under shelter-inplace orders, the shop’s mainstay of ice cream was not easily deliverable.
While still cautious, he said things are starting to change.
“We’re getting business back. People are able to walk around and so then they can stop in here and get ice cream,” he said.
Richard Kogura’s family business, Kogura Co., is run by his sister and has been around since 1928. Despite a sixmonth closure due to the pandemic, the business has been able to keep its doors open because of a loyal customer base built up during its longtime presence in Japantown. Kogura stressed the cultural importance and unique community that exists in San Jose’s Japantown and is hopeful for its future.
“We are one of the last remaining Japantowns in the United States,” Kogura said. “We really appreciate the community and even people outside the community coming into Japantown to support all the local businesses … I’m hoping there will be a turnaround because people are coming in.”
Yang also said his restaurant has survived because of the support from the local community, even as he endured harassment like name-calling, fake orders being called in, and even bottles being thrown at his customers.
“We try not to focus on that,” he said. “We’re not going to back down.”
MOSAIC
losing access to her yoga studio, Bri Deckard learned how to teach classes online, which she says has been “really fulfilling.”
EDNA JARETH CEDILLO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gloria Sermeño, who owns R&A Embroidery and Custom Prints in San Jose, had to close her business during the pandemic. She has since reopened, and she’s hoping online sales will help her business.
THERESA NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sean Yang says the pandemic was “devastating” to his restaurant, Kazoo Japanese Sushi Boat Restaurant in San Jose’s Japantown.
Finding empathy with Bay Area’s homeless
Students are
among the vunerable populations finding themselves without a home or a voice
down that path,” he said.
By Leslie Lopez Haro Mosaic staff writer
As the Bay Area housing crisis and gentrification deepen, more students and families are being forced out of their homes and communities. In San Jose, some people find themselves on the streets with nowhere to go.
“The more you’re open to it and the more it becomes visible to you, you can’t look away,” said Sachin Radhakrishnan, who founded a homeless advocacy nonprofit called In Their Shoes.
Radhakrishnan — who previously worked for San Jose City Council member Magdalena Carrasco and the Bill Wilson Center, a nonprofit that helps homeless and at-risk youth — created a buddy system where people would “step into the shoes of people’s lives and kind of just have a one-on-one buddy relationship” with an unhoused person. The buddy would know what a homeless person was dealing with, and the unhoused person would have the opportunity to create a positive relationship with someone.
The lack of support from parents or siblings and the exposure to traumatic incidents such as drug use, domestic abuse, alcoholism and mental health put these students in the situation and present the worry that they carry. “It’s not always money that leads people
His own experience with his older brother helped lead Radhakrishnan to advocate for mental health care. His brother became homeless for a time and still finished his master’s degree, while also dealing with being bipolar.
“Her mother was an absolute warrior,” he said. “She was there for her daughter, for her kids.”
Radhakrishnan once met a 14-yearold high school student who was in a traumatic environment involving drugs while facing family issues and house insecurity. The family became homeless, and the student’s mother had twins, while she was facing domestic violence. They lived in a broken vehicle in San Jose, where it had been illegal to sleep in your car. After receiving assistance, they got an RV but it was often ticketed for parking violations.
In 2019-’20, California schools reported to the state that nearly 195,000 K-12 students lived at least part of the year on the street, in cars, shelters, motels or “doubled up” with other families in houses or apartments. The plight of unhoused students prompted several U.S. cities in recent years to provide washing machines and dryers for students in need.
“Everybody knows that feeling of fresh laundry, right?” Radhakrishnan said. “That is a feeling that is so secure, it makes you feel happy, it helps you start the day.”
to make sense,” she said, adding that schools could be more lenient about late work because you never know what students have to deal with when they leave the school.
Diane Kung, a Berkeley High School English teacher, saw how the Bay Area housing crisis was affecting her students. “A student wrote something in a journal about living in a homeless shelter with his family,” she said. “We would have free breakfast programs at Berkeley, and I would see him, and sometimes his father would join him.”
She noticed the student asked for extensions on assignments and was sometimes quiet and tired. “Once you find those things out, things start
Radhakrishnan believes homeless people need to have their own platform. He would take unhoused residents to city council meetings to allow them to advocate for themselves and for their needs. “Realizing your power, I think that’s where everybody can do something,” he said.
At the very least, he added, “You can really be a friend to everybody in this world, and sometimes that’s all they need, like a smile, a wave and recognize that they’re there.”
Dreams of DACA applicants dashed by recent court ruling
Going to college and working legally may now be out of reach for these young people
By Dali Guerrero Fernández Mosaic staff writer
A high school senior brought to this country as a 5-year-old had filed for permission to stay in the U.S. three months ago, and had expected to hear about her status any day now. Then her dreams were shattered when news broke that a federal judge in Texas ruled illegal the provision allowing young immigrants like her to remain in the U.S., she told Eliana Corona, a senior attorney in the San Jose office of SIREN, an immigrant advocacy group.
She’s one of thousands of young immigrants who arrived without papers as children, and who sought relief from deportation through a program known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
“Everything she looked forward to just came down upon her without any notice,” said Corona, speaking on behalf of her client, who does not want to be publicly identified because of her vulnerable situation.
The student was planning on going to college, but could not get financial aid because she was undocumented. She needed DACA status so she could get a work permit and find a job to help pay tuition.
“It was very heartbreaking,” Corona said. “She had been working so hard to go to college.”
The student and other DACA applicants nationwide find their future
put on hold after the judge’s ruling earlier this month. The DACA program already protects from deportation close to 700,000 undocumented young people who arrived in the United States as children and allows them to legally work in this country by providing them with a 2-year renewable work permit.
Although this ruling does not directly affect current DACA recipients, it does impact the more than 60,000 young people nationwide who were in the process of filing their applications. Their applications have been frozen until further notice.
The applicants, many of whom were hoping to attend college or were already enrolled, now cannot work legally. It is also still uncertain if the government will refund their $500 DACA application fee.
Fueled by anxiety, DACA applicants and Dreamers, as DACA recipients are called, have been flooding SIREN’s phone lines.
“We definitely see the fear in the community and it’s very justified because we’ve been living in limbo with DACA for the past years. And unless we get a permanent solution for DACA recipients, they’re still going to be living in fear every day,” Corona said.
To Corona, it seems as if the DACA program and the undocumented community are constantly under attack.
SIREN, which offers free clinics for DACA applicants and those seeking to renew their Dreamer status, made it a priority to contact each of their clients after the ruling to let them know their status and clear up any confusion. SIREN must break the news to applicants that the court ruling effectively suspended their applications.
“We expressed to them our apologies, but there’s really nothing we can do,” Corona said.
Dreamers who applied and qualified for the status earlier receive multiple benefits. They are eligible for a Social Security card, work permit, and a driver’s license in states where they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get one.
Merle Kahn, an immigration lawyer who specializes in family-based deportation defense, said that DACA has been a life-changer for her clients.
“I saw it make a huge difference. It was unbelievable,” Kahn said.
One of her clients went to University of California, Santa Cruz as an undergraduate, and attended University of San Francisco on a full scholarship for her master’s degree in public health. Still, when she graduated, the only job that she could find was as a nanny because she was undocumented. As soon as DACA passed in 2012, she immediately applied and qualified for
Dreamer status, and as a result she could put her education to use and pursue her career.
That client now works for Santa Clara County as a caseworker in the welfare department.
Corona of SIREN has two clients who are twin brothers who had recently applied for DACA. They came to the United States when they were toddlers and were hoping to attend college. But because of the ruling, they may not be able to.
“They had dreams of making a brighter future and showing their parents that all their sacrifices were worth it,” said Corona, adding that now, all those plans were up in the air.
Most of the children who were brought to the United States by their parents didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to leave, Corona said. Rather, their families immigrated to skip violence and poverty in their native country.
“They literally came here fleeing,” Corona said. She said that many of them came over at such a young age that the United States is the only home they’ve ever known.
The Biden administration plans to appeal the Texas decision, but until the issue is resolved and a permanent solution is found for Dreamers, the applicants will remain in limbo.
SPECIAL TO MOSAIC
Social worker Sachin Radhakrishnan, left, created a buddy system to help support homeless residents.
SPECIAL TO MOSAIC
“The more you’re open to it and the more it becomes visible to you,” Sachin Radhakrishnan, right, says of issues facing homeless people.
BERENICE MANZANO - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The rally outside San Jose City Hall drew a number of participants. The DACA program protects young people who arrived in the United States as
The show must go on
San Jose theater group returns to the stage with a scaled-down cast for summer production
Members of Starting Arts, a youth theater company in San Jose, have found a sense of belonging and joy in each other during the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the non-profit Starting Arts was founded by Ann Watts to help schools without theater programs.
“During COVID the one thing I could look forward to is performing and rehearsing,” said 16-year-old Noah Zils, an incoming junior at Branham High School.
Zils and his castmates performed two shows of “You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown” on July 23.
Beginning two weeks before the show, Noah and his castmates rehearsed Mondays through Thursdays for three hours each day. Although Starting Arts productions usually involve 100 kids in the summer show, the “Charlie Brown” production had a cast of just 10.
“We have the most positive environment, and the best organization for people to grow as performers,” Zils said. “Nothing stops on stage.”
– Theresa Nguyen
Machinist looks to bounce back after slowdown
Sunnyvale business owner eyes expansion despite drop in business, increase in prices and materials
By Theresa Nguyen Mosaic staff writer
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact countless businesses, and small ones like 41-year-old Minh Ho’s machine shop in Sunnyvale have been especially vulnerable. Faced with rising prices in materials and fewer customers, Ho chooses to persist with what he can do and control: putting his best efforts into every project.
“Last year was slow,” Ho said. “I didn’t have a lot of jobs to do and I worked fewer hours.”
In 2020, when the lockdown was first implemented, Ho and his team had about a 55% decrease in orders.
In addition to being less busy, they had to take extra precautions to ensure everyone’s health and safety. They wore masks while working and disinfected their workplace every hour and 10 minutes before they went home.
The numerous changes in their daily work life increased Ho’s worries about his shop’s uncertain future. He also felt a lot of pressure because it was only his third year in business.
Four years ago, Ho opened ProAxis Manufacturing after his previous employer had trained him on setup and program. He named his shop after a manufacturing machine’s x,y, and z-axis. Ho’s love for the machine industry began when his friend’s dad would make toys for him back in Vietnam.
“I really like machines and making parts,” Ho said.
His journey started when he moved from Vietnam to the United States in the 10th grade and graduated from Independence High School. He went on to attend San Jose City College and learned there how to use machines.
Recently, Ho finally has become busier than last year with more orders coming in. However, the pandemic’s ongoing impact and unpredictability don’t allow him to sit comfortably.
Now he faces a delay in the shipping of materials and their rising prices. Ho continues to charge customers what he charged before the pandemic, so he is absorbing those added costs.
Despite these setbacks, Ho said he is hopeful that his hard work will pay off in the end. He remembers the obstacles he encountered trying to get a shop running on his own and completing difficult projects to satisfy his customers. He plans to move to a bigger place with 20 machines and provide opportunities for people who want to get into the industry.
“You have to plan ahead and build credit and you have to have some cash flow by saving money and working hard,” he said.
a dimly lit room
Minh Ho’s machine shop lost more than half its business at the beginning of the pandemic. Despite the challanges, he hopes to move into a bigger shop.
THERESA NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Aliza Grancell and Nate McCanna, above, rehearse for the Starting Arts stage production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The cast gave two performances on July 23 at the Historic Hoover Theatre in San Jose.
PHOTOS BY THERESA NGUYEN - STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER