NOVEMBER 2022
AN EMPOWERING LATINO FUTURES PUBLICATION SERVING NORTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Víctor Villaseñor
The Snow Goose Global Thansgiving:
“We need to start coming together, uniting”
MEET THE
LATINO
ELECTED
OFFICIALS
IN NORTH
COUNTY
SAN DIEGO
EDUCATION,
EVENTS,
HEALTH
AND MORE
Scan to
visit ELF
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 34
On the cover: The award-winning author Victor Villaseñor.
Photo, courtesy Victor Villaseñor
Scan to subscribe to
NCI and see past issues:
North County Informador is
a digital weekly and printed
every 2 months.
Empowering Latino Futures presesnts
The North County Informador Team
www.NorthCountyInformador.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Melanie Slone, PhD
editor@northcountyinformador.com
P: (760) 645-3455
ART DIRECTOR: María Fernanda Álvarez
EDITOR: Yenni Patiño
PROGRAMS DIRECTOR: Ana Patiño
EDUCATION BEGINS IN THE HOME: Edward Becerra
COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Martha Zamora
DISTRIBUTION: Zeke Whisler
VIDEO SERVICES: Daniel Perez
PUBLISHER: Kirk Whisler
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Send material to: editor@northcountyinformador.com
All materials are copyrighted by Empowering Latino Futures, a
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Informador.
EMPOWERING LATINO FUTURES BOARD
Edward James Olmos, CHAIR
Kirk Whisler, PRESIDENT
Katharine A. Díaz, VICE PRESIDENT OF AUTHORS
Edward Becerra, VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION
Lisa Montes, SECRETARY
Martin Valdez, TREASURER
Rocky Barilla, LEGAL COUNSEL
BOARD MEMBERS: Julia Abrantes,
Rene Aguilera, Victor Gonzalez, Andres Tobar
ELF Emeritus Board Members
Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Dennis Hernandez,
Zeke Montes, Ambassador Julian Nava ,
Jesus Nieto, PhD
IN THIS ISSUE
ovember has arrived, and with it, the elections on the 8th.
Be sure to make your voice heard. In this issue, you can
learn about the Latino officials in the North County.
Also, the author Victor Villaseñor invites the community to the
Snow Goose Global Thanksgiving at his home on November 20.
Read about the celebration here.
Plus, get the latest on community resources and events. Be sure
to share yours with us for the next issue.
editor@NorthCountyInformador.com
a llegado noviembre, y con él, las elecciones, el día 8.
Asegúrese de hacer oír su voz. En esta edición, puede
obtener información sobre los funcionarios latinos en el Norte
del Condado.
Además, el autor Víctor Villaseñor invita a la comunidad al Día
de Acción de Gracias Global de ‘Snow Goose’, en su casa el 20
de noviembre. Lea sobre la celebración aquí. Obtenga además
lo último en recursos y eventos de la comunidad. Asegúrese
de compartir su información con nosotros para el próximo
número.
EN ESTE NÚMERO
Events
Latino Book & Family
Festival
Services
Food and Book distribution
Events
Día de muertos
Health
Take Care with the Flu
Feature
Víctor Villaseñor
Education
Civic Engagement
Meet the Latino Elected Officials
in North County
San Diego
‘Remember to Vote’
Says League of Women Voters
Actividades
Latino Book & Family
Festival
Servicios
Distribución de comida y libros
Actividades
Día de muertos
Salud
Cuídese de la influenza
Artículo
Víctor Villaseñor
Educación
Civismo
Conozca a los funcionarios electos
latinos del Condado Norte
de San Diego
“No olviden votar”, señala
la Liga de mujeres votantes
13
15
23
NOVIEMBRE 2022
WWW.NORTHCOUNTYINFORMADOR.COM
A huge thank you to Empowering Latino Futures’ GREAT partners & Festival Attendees
EmpoweringLatinoFutures.org
miracosta.edu/Programs/Enroll-Now
Foundation.Miracosta.edu
AARP.org
BlueShield.CA.com
NorthCountyInformador.com
LatinoBookAwards.org
MinuteMaid.com
Watkinsmfg.com
NSDCpromise.org
KSDY50.com
MAACproject.org
Route78Rotary.org
VistaCommunityClinic.org
SDGE.com
CarlsbadLibrary.org
ci.Oceanside.ca.us
MyPointCU.com
sandiego.gov/public-library
UniPopular.org
LiteracySanDiego.org
UNIDOSus.org
Adriana Brunner
Ana Patiño
Angel Puente
Beatrice Zamora
Beatriz Palmer
Damaris De La Torre
Diana Minuzzi
Dr. Sunny Cooke
Edward Becerra
Esther Reyes Jones
Gabriela Hooshmand
Gaby Beas
Genevieve Wunder
Georgette Baker
Gloria Chavez
Glorian Sipman
Herminia Ramirez
Israel Marroquin
Jacqueline Ayala
Jaquelin Fematt Dutson
Jonathan Gomez
Juan Estrada
Kirk Whisler
Kristen Huyck
Lilibeth Resendiz
Lisa Montes
Melanie Slone
Maggie Ramos
Martha Zamora
Monica Chapa Domercq
Osvaldo Alcazar Pulido
Patirica King
Rita Sosa
Victoria Vazquez
Yadira Osorio
Yenni Patiño
2022 MiraCosta Latino
Book & Family Festival Team
OpenABook.org
EVENTS
ACTIVIDADES
Books, Workshops,
Food, and Fun
he 70th Latino Book & Family Festival, held at Mi-
raCosta College on October 15, brought together
award-winning authors, community organizations, and
breathtaking cultural entertainment. Thank you to ever-
yone who came and to all the presenters and sponsors!
Attendees had the chance to meet authors, get some
books, learn about community services, attend works-
hops, visit exhibitors with all kinds of information, enjoy
singing and dancing, and taste some great food.
On behalf of Empowering Latino Futures, a huge
thank you to KSDY-50 for the station’s involvement, the
interview, and coverage of the Festival. Empowering Lati-
no Futures and Education Begins in the Home apprecia-
te the coverage KSDY-50 provided at the last minute and
offer sincere thanks.
At the Opening Ceremony, North County Latino politicians were honored. In the photo: Raquel Alvarez, Christian
Garcia, Corinna Contreras, Ricardo Favela, U.S. Congressman Mike Levin, the President of MiraCosta College Dr.
Sunita Cooke, San Diego County District Supervisor Jim Desmond, Katie Melendez, Cipriano Vargas, Empowering
Latino Futures President Kirk Whisler, Education Begins in the Home Founder Edward Becerra.
Josefina Lopez, the keynote speaker and the playwright of Real
Women Have Curves, pauses to take a picture with some of her fans.
Latino Book & Family Festival
Photos by Zeke Whisler, Magdalena Whisler, Yenni Patiño, Rita Soza.
NOVIEMBRE 2022
WWW.NORTHCOUNTYINFORMADOR.COM
l Festival Latino del Libro y de la Familia, en su edición número 70, se llevó a
cabo en MiraCosta College, el 15 de octubre. Reunió a autores galardonados,
organizaciones comunitarias y entretenimiento cultural asombroso.
Quienes asistieron tuvieron la oportunidad de conocer a autores, llevarse unos
libros, aprender sobre los servicios para la comunidad, participar en talleres, visi-
tar expositores con todo tipo de información, disfrutar de bailes y música y probar
platillos deliciosos.
Nuestro especial agradecimiento para la estación KSDY-50 por su participación
y cobertura del Festival.
Libros, talleres, comida y diversión
Latino Book & Family Festival
WWW.NORTHCOUNTYINFORMADOR.COM
NOVEMBER 2022
SERVICES
SERVICIOS
Food Distribution Sites
Aging & Independence Services and community partners work
to ensure that older adults have their nutrition needs met.
☛ Carlsbad Senior Center
799 Pine Avenue Carlsbad
Mon.–Fri., 11:45–1:00
760-602-4650
☛ Encinitas Senior Center
1140 Oakcrest Park Drive
Encinitas
Mon.–Fri., 11a.m.–12:00
760-943-2258 (meal
reservations)
760-943-2250 (center)
Call for reservation
☛ Oceanside Senior Center
455 Country Club Lane
Oceanside
Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–12:00
760-435-5285
☛ Fallbrook Senior Citizen’s
Service Club, Inc.
399 Heald Lane Fallbrook
Mon.–Fri., 11:15–12:00
760-723-9282
760-728-4498
☛ Escondido Senior Center
210 Park Avenue
Escondido
760-839-4803
Mon.–Fri., 1:30–12:15
Call for reservation
☛ Walking Group for Seniors
‘Street Walkers’: Oceanside Newcomers & Friends
Thursdays, 9 am // Membership dues $30 per year
www.oceansidenewcomers.org/read-me
☛ Diaper Distribution
MAAC/ HeadStart Diaper Distribution, 760) 471-4210
www.maacproject.org/HeadStart
- MAAC
956 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista
Every 1st Wednesday // Cada primer miércoles
7:30–9:30 a.m. // 4–6 p.m.
Food Services for Seniors
Servicios alimenticios
para personas mayores
☛ Bonsall Mobile Pantry
4980 Sweetgrass Lane
Bonsall
2nd and 4th Friday,
10:00–11:00 a.m.
☛ Community Resource Center
650 Second Street
Encinitas
Monday–Thursdays,
8:30 a.m.–4:30p.m.
Fridays 8:30 a.m.– 2p.m.
Prepackaged Meals: Monday–
Friday 9 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
☛ Crown Heights Mobile Pantry
1210 Division St
Oceanside
2nd & 4th Friday, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.
☛ Fallbrook Food Pantry
140 North Brandon Road
Fallbrook
Monday–Friday,
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
☛ Fallbrook Mobile Pantry
463 South Stage Coach Lane
Fallbrook
1st and 3rd Tuesday,
9:00–10:00 a.m.
☛ Lived Experiences
504 Calle Montecito
Oceanside
Every Wednesday EXCEPT
3rd Wednesday of the month,
4:00–5:00 p.m.
☛ MiraCosta Foundation
(College Program)
1 Barnard Dr.
Oceanside
Every 2nd Tuesday, every 3rd
Wednesday, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
☛ Neighborhood Healthcare
425 N Date Street
Escondido
1st and 3rd Saturday,
12:00–3:30 p.m.
☛ North County Lifeline
3142 Vista Way, Ste. 400
Oceanside
Every day, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
☛ Oceanside Mobile Pantry
5306 North River Road
Oceanside
2nd and 4th Tuesday,
10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
☛ TriCity Food Pantry @ Libby
Elementary
423 W Redondo Dr
Oceanside
1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesday,
9:30–10:30 a.m.
☛ TriCity Food Pantry Foothill
Oak Elementary
1370 Oak Drive
Vista, CA
760-659-0570
2nd and 4th Tuesday,
1:45–2:15 p.m.
NOVIEMBRE 2022
WWW.NORTHCOUNTYINFORMADOR.COM
EVENTS
ACTIVIDADES
Tue, Nov 1st
10:30-1 pm
☛ Pauma Community
Center
16650 Highway 76 92061
Wed, Nov 2nd
3-7 pm
☛ Vista Innovation Center
836 Olive Ave, Vista, 92083
Thur, Nov 3rd
5–6 pm
☛ Lived Experiences
Laurel Elementary
Sat, Nov 5
12–4 pm
☛ Heritage Park
220 Peyri Dr, Oceanside
Sunday, Nov 6
10 am–2 pm
☛ HHSA
649 W. Mission,
Escondido
Sunday, Nov 13
10–2 pm
☛ HHSA
649 W. Mission,
Escondido
Tues, Nov 15
10:30 am–1 pm
☛ Pauma Community
Center
16650 Highway 76
Thur, Nov 17th
☛ Fallbrook Food Pantry
140 N. Brandon Rd.,
Fallbrook
Sunday, Nov 20th
10 am–2 pm
☛ HHSA
649 W. Mission,
Escondido
Wed, Nov 23
4–5 pm
☛ Libby Lake Park
Sunday, Nov 27th
10 am–2 pm
☛ HHSA
649 W. Mission,
Escondido
Free Books / Libros gratis
THROUGH ELF’S EDUCATION BEGINS IN THE HOME PROGRAM
Turkey Trot
THANKSGIVING DAY, THURSDAY, NOV 24
hanksg,iving “Move Your Feet Before You
Eat!” is one of North County’s favorite
annual family traditions! Choose between a 5M
run, 5K run or walk, or Tiny Trotter races just
for the kids.
Learn more at www.osideturkeytrot.com
☛ Proceeds benefit the Move
Your Feet Foundation!® and
90+ other charities that
service North County.
“A
ntes de comer, pasen a correr.” Celebren
una de las tradiciones anuales preferidas
por toda la familia. Elijan entre correr 5M;
correr o caminar 5K; o participar en la carrera
para los niños.
Informes: www.osideturkeytrot.com
☛ Las recaudaciones son para la Fundación
Move Your Feet y más de 90 organizaciones de
beneficencia en el Norte del Condado.
UNIVERSIDAD POPULAR
- Miércoles, 2 de noviembre, 6-8 pm
- Salón de Universidad Popular
- 261 Autumn Drive, Suite 115
San Marcos
Celebración de Día
de los Muertos
WWW.NORTHCOUNTYINFORMADOR.COM
NOVEMBER 2022
/aarpcalifornia @AARPCA
We're in
Your Corner
People today can spend nearly half
their lives over the age of 50. That’s
a lot of living. So, it helps to have a
wise friend and fierce defender like
AARP in your community.
Find us at aarp.org/ca.
HEALTH
SALUD
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic:
Saturday, November 5, 2022, 10 am - 2 pm
☛ Community Health & Wellness Center
1636. E. Mission Rd.
Please register below.
- Moderna, Pfizer & Novavax Vaccines
- 1st & 2nd dose, booster,
pediatric 6 mos+, 2nd booster
- Eligible for the updated COVID booster if it’s
been 2 months since your last dose and your
age 12 yrs+.
- Provided to the community in partnership
with Champions for Health.
☛ https://www.fallbrookhealth.org/covid-19-
vaccination-clinics
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics
Take Care
with the Flu
ounty health officials are encour-
aging San Diegans to get a flu
shot. Cases of the flu historically in-
crease during fall and winter as many
people move gatherings indoors.
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) recommends
that everyone 6 months and older get
a flu shot every year. The CDC also
says you can get a flu and Covid-19
vaccination at the same time, includ-
ing the new bivalent booster dose.
Get the vaccine at doctors’ offices
and retail pharmacies; it is covered
by medical insurance.
No health insurance? Get vac-
cinated at one of the County’s six
public health centers or a local com-
munity clinic.
Cuídese de
la influenza
ficiales de salud del Conda-
do recomiendan la vacuna
contra la influenza. Los casos de
influenza aumentan en el otoño e
invierno.
Los CDC recomiendan que
quienes tengan 6 meses o más se
vacunen contra la influenza cada
año. Se puede vacunar contra el
Covid-19 y la influenza al mismo
tiempo, incluso con el refuerzo
bivalente.
Consigan la vacuna en con-
sultorios médicos y farmacias; la
cubre el seguro médico.
¿No tiene seguro médico? Va-
cúnese en uno de los seis centros
de salud del Condado o en una
clínica comunitaria.
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/
immunization_branch/Vaccine_Preventable_Diseases/Seasonal_Influenza/
Flu_Vaccine_Locations.html
FEATURE
ARTÍCULO
“T
here’s only one race, the human
race, with different cultures,” says
the award-winning author Victor
Villaseñor. “We need to start coming together,
uniting.”
That is what the Snow Goose Global Thanks-
giving is all about, and Victor would like to in-
vite everyone to his Oceanside home to take
part in it.
Victor did not learn to read until he was 20,
a fact he believes allowed him to maintain a
strong spiritual connection to universal stories
untarnished by formal education.
The Snow Goose tradition started when he was
promoting his acclaimed book Rain of Gold. An In-
digenous man told him, “Rain of Gold is a book that
shows the world how we indigenous people feel
and think about the Mother Earth and the Father
Sky… The sky has got to become sacred and beauti-
ful again. And we look up at the eagle soaring. And
then, our Mother Earth. Bring those back.”
Not knowing how to ‘bring them back,’ Vic-
tor promised to consult with the spirits of his
grandmothers.
That night, he dreamt of flying across the sky
with snow geese as they spoke to each other.
Víctor Villaseñor
The Snow Goose Global Thanksgiving: Acclaimed Author Victor
Villaseñor Holds Sacred Celebration at His Home in Oceanside
By Melanie Slone
The Snow Goose Global
Thanksgiving
- 1302 Stewart St.
- Oceanside, CA 92054
- Nov 20, beginning at 1 pm
a partir de la 1 pm
Due to Covid precautions, please
bring your own picnic lunch.
Favor de traer su propia comida,
debido a Covid.
https://snowgoose.org
WWW.NORTHCOUNTYINFORMADOR.COM
NOVEMBER 2022
Victor
Villaseñor
stands next to
the mango tree
he talks about
in Rain of Gold
and other
books.
“The big male in front
breaks the wind so that the
females and the young use
30% less energy to keep up.
But the big males that they
keep changing in front don’t
lead. They ‘follow in front’…
Because if males led, they’d
go too fast, and the females
and the children would run
out of energy, and they can’t
follow,” he says.
The males also protect the
flock from predators. “And
that’s the way humans used
to live, before organized reli-
gions and organized govern-
ments.”
He says when he woke
up, his grandmother pushed him to write every-
thing down, and that was how the Snow Goose
Global Thanksgiving book was born, in one
night’s writing.
He believes Thanksgiving is the most wonder-
ful celebration the United States has, a celebra-
tion of peace and respect between the Pilgrims
and the Native people.
“So, I want to bring that cooperation globally,”
he says.
Everybody is a Writer
“I didn’t write my books. I’m not in charge of it. I
receive and I give…,” says Victor.
His masterpiece Rain of Gold, published in
1991, tells the story of his family’s migration from
Mexico to Southern California.
He says the ability to tell this tale was given to
him by Indian knowledge.
For Victor, this sharing of information is the
backbone of a writer’s existence. “As soon as you
start taking credit, you develop ego and self-im-
portance,” he says.
“I don’t know any more than you do. I just have
experiences I can share with you,” he explains.
Victor says the French author Albert Camus
summarized for him the tools to become a writ-
er. “He said, ‘The story of one human being told
deeply enough and well enough is the story of all
humanity.’ I totally agree.”
Victor’s book Burro Genius is one of his most
well-known works. He says this intimate tale of
the hardships of his childhood has served as a
bridge to the souls of others.
“If I write truthfully enough and well enough
about intimate little things, then other people are
going to say, ‘oh, I’m not alone in the world.’”
Victor believes everyone should be a writer,
creating a journal written out in longhand, not
typed.
“One for every year,” he says. “And then you go
back 10 years later…and they give you a reflection
of who you used to be.” He says a journal can be
a place to write what might cause us embarrass-
ment and work through it.
“The opposite of depression is expression,” he
says he was once told. “When you express some-
thing in a journal and be creative, it takes it out
of your overcrowded mind and makes room for
something wonderful to come in.”
He also encourages everyone to write their
family history, their “Bible” as he calls it.
“Interview parents, grandparents, aunts and
uncles,” he urges. “Write your family Bible. Be-
cause the time has come for humanity to part the
Red Sea, the global Red Sea of doubt and fear. We
get rid of doubt and fear collectively, and we pass
to other side as the Promised Land, full of hope and
love and harmony. And the byproduct is peace. It’s
time for us all to become our own writers.”
Victor explains, “When Rain of Gold first came
out, a woman in a crowd leapt up and said, ‘You
wrote about my family, and I’m German.’ That’s
what good writing does. Good writing, everyone
can identify with it. It goes beyond cultures.”
Burro Genius is a universal tale as well, he says.
“The story has not changed for kids in school to-
day, so the story is universal and everlasting.”
Victor Villaseñor is the author
of the national bestsellers Rain
of Gold, Thirteen Senses, Burro
Genius, and other critically
acclaimed books such as
Crazy Loco Love, Wild Steps
of Heaven, and Macho! He
has authored five ancestral-
themed bilingual children’s
books and several screenplays,
including the award-winning
Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.
www.victorvillasenor.com
Photos: Courtesy of Victor Villaseñor
10
NOVIEMBRE 2022