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Transcript

Innovating Pediatric Health in the Cali-Baja Region With Cross-Border Strategies · The Lawtino™

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Latino Podcast, where we discuss the intersection of law and our Latino communities with legal, political, and community leaders and visionaries.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get started.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of the Latino Podcast, where we discuss the intersection of law, culture, and our Latino communities.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Each episode, we sit down with attorneys, judges, local leaders, politicians, and the influential voices shaping the California Baja Corridor.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: As always, this episode is brought to you by Gomez Stral Attorneys, a binacional, bicultural, and best-in-class law firm based in San Diego and serving the entire California Baja Corridor.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Gomez Stral Attorneys provides the highest level of legal representation in both the English and Spanish languages to victims of personal injury, employment violations, and civil rights abuses.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: It is also the largest Latino-owned law firm in California.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm so happy to have here Katia Bustillos, the Executive Director of the Foundation for the Children of the Californias.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: We are going to be exploring her background.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: We are going to be exploring her binational ties, her political campaign at one point, her big role with Televisa in Tijuana, Mexico, and then also, you know, her ties to this community.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Katia, welcome.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: How about you give us a little short intro about yourself?
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: I'm honored to be here.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: And it's a delight to share this with you, this moment.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: So my name is Katia Bustillos Iturralde.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_02: I was born in Mexico City.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: I did most of my studies over there.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then I um studied um administration, management, uh, finance, and marketing at Tivero University in Mexico City.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_02: And at some point, one of my marketing professors said, you know, there's someone that needs someone like you, a vice president of Televisa.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, no, no, no.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not going to get involved in Televisa.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: My actually, my plans were to work in Bimbo, Palmolive, uh all those marketing brands that were very strong at that time.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: And he, well, he continued to ask me to go and have the interview.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: And at some point, I just did and said, okay, fine.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: He said, What's the worst that could happen?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: You just say no, and that's it.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: So I did, I went an interview with uh that time the uh vice president of expansion of Televisa Group, Ingeniero Jorge Canaguati.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: And to my surprise, I ended working two weeks after that.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, I hadn't finished the career, so I said I would be willing to work with you as long as I can finish my career.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what I did.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I spent four and a half years in Mexico City working for Televisa and that uh vice presidency.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: And it was very interesting.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_02: It was something that I it was not planned, basically.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_02: I just got involved in two very interesting projects like um Satellite Morelos and the uh uh Channel 2 stations that were put everywhere in Mexico so that Channel 2 could reach every corner of Mexico.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: And so I have to deal a lot with engineers.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: I learn I learn a lot.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: I learned a lot about digital things and also platforms, but we also serve as special events, and also we were uh in charge of giving facilities to uh the um Chapultepec where uh the news broadcasts were done, and then also San Angel, as you know, that's the Televisa's dreams or factory of dreams, that's how they call it.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: So it was very interesting because we have so many ways to go around, but at some point it it had always been my dream to come and study a master's degree in the US.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: So I was single.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_02: I said I don't have anything that ties me to Mexico, so I this is my time, so I can come and study that.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_02: So um I was looking for the father of uh um strategic management, and I found him in a small university here in San Diego.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: So San Diego was my destiny.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_02: I came here.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, of course, my boss didn't want me to leave, and he said, no, go and study and come back.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, no, I cannot have that kind of promise to you because I don't know what I'm going to um encounter while I do my uh master's degree.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: So that's what happened.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: I left.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_02: I resigned to Televisa, so I came here.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: I did my master's degree at univers USIU with Igor Ansof, who is the father of the strategic management movement.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: And then um it was very interesting because instead of going back, I really felt like this is this was home again.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_02: And San Diego and Tijuana was flourishing at that time, and I had a business of four maquiladoras, advising them in the Mexican side, and my partner who I met at the MBA, uh, she did the American side, so it was perfect.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: And maquiladora was just starting, so it was really, really good to start that business and learn uh how we live in one region, but two countries, different uh government styles, different way of processing things.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_02: And that's when it hit me that really this was a place that would flourish, like I said before, as long as we were committed to work as a team, you know, and that's what I've seen over the past, I don't know how many years now, and I don't want to count them because it's a ton.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: And but nevertheless, it's very interesting.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I think unless you really live here, you will understand what binational means, what bicultural means, and bilingual, of course, because you have to be able to speak both languages so that you can communicate uh conveniently.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: By then, um uh Televisa turned and pay more attention to the uh different stations in each state of Mexico, and they had a plan to bring them up again and really make them work, and it was the local voice of the communities that was important.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And especially in the uh northern border, right?
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Something that was not exploited.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then just for purposes of some of our listeners who may not fully understand what Televisa is and its cultural impact and its political impact.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Can you tell us a little bit about what Televisa is, uh still is and what the current impact is as well?
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Televisa started as a radio station first, and owned by the Azcaraga family, and then they discovered television.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_02: Actually, um they had four channels, channel two, channel four, channel five, channel nine, and they were the biggest conglomerate of production of Spanish content in the world.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_02: Actually, the novelas was their prime product probably still is right now, although it has transformed and changed.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: Those novellas have been uh dubbed into every imaginable language.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, Chinese, uh Turkish, um I don't know, uh whatever they speak in South Africa.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: So um what they do is they produce content for Hispanic communities, the ones that speak Spanish, but also they export a ton of products that they have, especially, like I say, novella or soap operas that are known here in the US.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what they do, but they also um have these knowledge of the communities, of how what they take.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_02: News is a very important part of it.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_02: Sports is also they own um Club America, who is the flagship of uh uh of the of the teams and has soccer teams, or what they call it football.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_02: Football in Mexico and soccer here in the US.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, they have um cable, they have uh digital content, they have all these.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_02: So they have learned how to reach the communities, especially the Hispanic.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: And like David said, here in the border, it was complicated how to reach because being this region is not as Mexico City or any other state in Mexico.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: So we had to build a very um a mix of both cultures, and um, so that brings me that um uh they sent someone to be director of uh Televisa Tijuana and Channel 12, and most of the Tijuanans have grown with that channel, watching that channel, because it was a local channel, but still it didn't really fulfill its mission of covering the entire region, the sector.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: The south border, the north border.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when you said that, you know, it covers the people from Tijuana, and I guess the issue was maybe well, you have the Mexicans that were born in Mexico, in Tijuana or Mexico City that went to Tijuana, but then you also have the Mexicans, uh Mexican Americans, right?
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: That already like grew up in the US with another culture.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess that that was one of the uh complications as to how to target both communities.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: Very complicated, yes.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_02: So what we did is they hired me back, and I I I thought that I was not coming ever to Televisa, but it was your destiny.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_02: 28 years later, I I was still there.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: So, anyways, uh when we started rebuilding the local channel, Channel 12, we realized that we really needed to get the Hispanic community in San Diego.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we had to had a programming that was appealing for everyone, of course, in Spanish, but still uh timing, content, different things that were relevant for them so that we could have them.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: The first thing that we did is put more power in our transmitter, turn it to San Diego so that it could reach San Diego, yes.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: And uh so we covered Tijuana and as far as the high hills in LA.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: And um so what we did was okay, what is the I would say the schedule of the Hispanics in US and so we decided that to have a a newscast at 6 p.m.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_02: would make sense because that's a time that most of the US channels have that a newscast, and then we always had the night of course news that cover both, and we tried to do it more regional so that we had news in Tijuana and San Diego and Ensenada and Mexicali and Imperial Valley and what have you.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: So was the 6 p.m.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: uh news unprecedented for Televisa in Mexico?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yes.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: When we the when we um told them that we were going to put a newscast at six, they were like, What?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Are you crazy?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess it came to you to actually explain why the reason behind it was, right?
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh cultural from the US, San Diego.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: And that newscast was devoted to the San Diego community.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: So we also had to have to hire uh reporters that could speak English and Spanish and that understand the Hispanic community in San Diego, and reporters and photojournalists, and what have you.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: So the news uh grew tremendously because we had to cover all this and also make sense that what was important for the Hispanic community in San Diego that we needed to report.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_02: So it was very interesting.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_02: We learned so much, but that was the way that we also fulfilled the mission of being a local station.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it was okay, we listened to the voices in Mexico, but we listen to the voices in the US.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: So we tried to make a coordinated effort so that also both both countries, both cities could talk to each other and understand more what was happening.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: So uh that was what we did, and we started doing um uh a ton of things in the US side as well.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: And uh programs, and we had a um children's club that we had it here and there, and so we had uh we have events that we did here without also with our sponsors.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: We got sponsored from the US as well.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_02: So it was an incredible journey, really, to figure out what we could do in the US.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you formed part of you know actually growing Televisa to its you know current standard.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh how did you get to that you know, CEO position, executive director position of Televisa, uh during those times where it was primarily a male-dominated market, uh again, being Televisa, the largest uh you know TV station in Mexico.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what was your journey?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh how did you get there?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh how did you, you know, I don't want to say fight those who were basically obstacle to your journey, but how do you how do you approach that during those times?
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: It was a difficult journey, to say the least.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_02: Because, like you say, it was mostly men, and I was the only woman, you know.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_02: So uh you have to break the that glass ceiling and that understanding that it doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man, if you're capable, you have the ability, you have the commitment, you have the loyalty, you work all those hours that are needed because we worked 24-7, Saturday and Sunday.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, I took my kids to events with me because I was working, and they went to the station with me as well.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a commitment to excellence, I would say.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what made probably the difference.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_02: Also, I think my generation, uh, the women, we got degrees.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_02: We went to college, we went to the university, we had an MBA.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: So on the education side, I see I think that we proved that we were capable as men, and that we could work same or even more hours than they did, and they saw the value of women coming to the workforce.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: It was very difficult because usually it was all men.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: So cultural changes came slowly.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: I was the first manager, one of the first managers in Televisa, then I was one of the first directors in Televisa, Mexico, and then that was the way that we started, you know, building the understanding that we were not um challenging the men culture, but rather helping them in areas that we are better, right?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_02: You know, like intuitive, we're more intuitive than men just by gender, and some other things that we could brought to the table that make sense to what we were building at that time.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: So I had the honor to work for um Emilo Scarraga, um Milmo, the tiger, uh El Tigre, everybody knew him, yeah.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then one of the also the interesting changes that happened was that he sent his son to be trained at the border and at his own station, Channel 6, that then was Fox, a Fox station affiliate.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: He sent his son to be trained in that station, and well, in a way, uh he worked with us and uh that generation understood better the role of women in the workforce and uh how much it could be beneficial for Televisa to have them at all these different levels in management and what have you.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: So I had the honor also to train Emilio, who is now the president of the Board of Televisa group, and Jose Bastón Pepe Bastón, who was uh one of his best friends, and so they understood better how this could be uh really good for the company.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_02: And so we started, you know, and of course it was a lot of mentorship that we had to do, women that we uh reach certain ranks or certain management positions, that we would mentor more women into other roles or positions so that we could start growing that.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: So um and and I use the term unprecedented because I'm when you said ranks, I'm assuming at one point maybe women would reach a certain level and that would be like the top line, right?
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, it was like the top, and then you challenge them, right?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_02: So for me, after so I work for Televisa Baja California and now it's Televisa California's because it involves exactly the binational thing.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um I was the first woman to be uh CEO of a local station.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, I mean, some of the people say, oh, how lucky you are.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: And like, no, it's not luck, it's really hard work.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: I work four and a half years in Mexico City, and here in the California region, I work for 28.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_02: So it's not luck.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's hard work, it's hard work, it's committing, it's it was a goal of mine, and uh uh people at Televisa understood that, and they gave me that chance, and I of course make the best of it.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, so I got first uh Tijuana Nencenada, and because we were the first station that year, they gave me a surprise Mexicali as well.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I had the whole thing.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that was a price, especially in summer.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: So it was really interesting, and we made a lot of changes as well.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: And but just with that mission in mind that we were a region and we were the voice of everyone in our region.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that was basically it.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, what a journey.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, would you say that?
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: Well, one, you have the experience with Televis in Mexico City, uh, already working with directors over there.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, would you say that uh you having that education in San Diego, uh, your master's degree, your connection to San Diego, uh, was that one of the reasons?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I guess one of the reasons why you were very knowledgeable about the region, why they wanted you as the CEO.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'm assuming that had a lot of impact, right?
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it did because we were they on they um realized that the knowledge of the community, of the binational, because we had friends here and there and everywhere, and they thought that that was not at some Point from Tijuana, we were managing the whole border.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: And it was an experiment, it was a pilot program.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: That how about if we have a border uh stations, you know, that have the same feeling that understand both entities, you know.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: And it was very interesting because we also realized that the border in California is not the same as the border in Texas, and it's not the same as the border from with Tamaulipas.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: So uh or Chihuahua.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_02: So that was also a um lesson that we learned that it's not always the same that it works, even though we're border towns.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_02: So it was a lot of learning that we had to do.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: And and again, even though it was a border uh community of stations that were aligned, but they each had their own common things because the communities were different.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like for instance, in Texas, they are um they have been there the longest than here in California.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: Would that be like um El Paso or San Antonio or yes, okay?
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, yes.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: So that was a lesson that we had to learn as well, because we thought that if we uh took the California model and put it in Texas, say San Antonio, that it would work, right?
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, and then we realized that no no no no no, we had to customize it for the people that lived for the region, exactly because the makeup of people are very different, right?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: They come from you know unique backgrounds, right?
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but your focus was always a Calibaja region, right as we call it, right?
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: We yes, I feel like we use this term more consistently now here at the podcast based on our current guests, Kalibaja region, right?
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yes, yes.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that it had been used more often because people have understand that that's what we are.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: At some point, people ask me, you know, with being to countries, and I say, well, borders don't understand about that, because the communities work as a team.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: And that's a resilience of the border towns like the Calibaja.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you meet these groups that understand it, and it doesn't matter if you're in Tijuana or in San Diego, you work as a team, and you are most likely to make it work because you understand what it takes, you know.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that's why the term, you know, mega region, San Diego, Tijuana, and Cali Baja, and all those terms, I think that people now understand fully, fully understand what it means and what is needed.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel like because I understand that this is uh you know, based on our prior conversation and prior to the podcast?
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I understand you have a public relations company.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: Would you say that, you know, your company has been um assisted by this region?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, because again, you have the unique understanding through Televisa and your work there.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then also uh the fact that the public relations company is on both sides of the border.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, would you say that this by national perspective helps your clients when it comes to the company?
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: Because we have clients in Tijuana that want to do business in San Diego.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: And when we have clients in San Diego that want to do business in Tijuana, but they don't fully understand how it works.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: And then we have some that want to work both ways.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_02: So if you don't fully understand and you cannot communicate this correctly, this will not work.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it's amazing, but some people in San Diego, they have never been to Tijuana.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: Imagine that.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's why they don't uh understand the actual relation to order that.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's like they think it we're like so far away, but we're not work here.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's interesting because uh, you know, I go a lot to uh attorney conferences, legal conferences.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: There was a legal conference in town, which was actually, you know, held here at the Marriott, uh close to our office, overlooking playas de Tijuana.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the interesting thing it was people from you know the Midwest, East, uh, US, and they were asking me, it's like, so where is Tijuana?
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: We've heard that Tijuana is very close.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it just took me a little turn and actually pointing south to let them know that that was Tijuana.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, people especially like you say, uh, that are not from California, I would say, they are amazed that you can go back and forth Tijuana, San Diego, and San Diego, Tijuana the same day.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, how come?
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: How can you do it?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, now we do.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: People do it every day.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: We have a lot of we have a lot of clients that we are fortunate to represent that they cross the border every day for work or they live here and they have companies in Mexico.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's this unique you know region that crosses borders.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and we always love talking about that.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, let me uh switch the focus here a little bit.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know we also spoke about your brief moment on you know politics, uh regional politics.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yes.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh maybe a mayoral campaign.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh why do you tell us about that and how you got to that point?
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh on saying, okay, right now I'm down with Televisa.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I have my public relations company, which also helps with politics, right?
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh it does.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_00: Who asked you, or how do you get into politics?
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_02: So I at some point I um I left Televisa because enough was enough after 32 years.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_02: It was going to kill me the 24-7.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_02: And the stress that you leave with it, I mean, you don't know until you really leave it.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: And my fellow televisions, I would say they understand that.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: And the funny thing you mentioned stress.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: And it was it was interesting the fact that then you switched to politics to get away from the stress, but I guess not really, huh?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_02: Well, probably most of it was that uh at that time I thought that I could do more things for my community.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that's what prompted me to accept.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_02: So at that time I had left Televisa, I was working with a PR, that it's another story and very interesting as well.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: But and one of my causes has always been Hospital Infantil de las Californias.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: That we'll talk later about it.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I was um I was board chair for their foundation in Tijuana for four years, and then I uh accepted to be the uh CEO for the hospital during COVID.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_02: Of course, we didn't know that coming was coming until it came.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_02: And so I yeah, I usually dare to do things are hard.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_02: I I I feel that that's the way I worked.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I had two years as CEO of the hospital, and then um I left the hospital, and one of my friends invited me, and he said, you know what, we need to talk.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: I really need you to offer something.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, oh, okay.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: And we had breakfast, and he said, You know what?
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_02: We need you as a candidate for this party.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, Well, you must be kidding.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, you're perfect, you know the region, you da-da-da-da-da.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know a ton of people, and and I know that you have the intention to do something for your community because you have always done that.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: And this was for the the Tijuana, for for the city of Tijuana, correct?
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: That was, yeah, that was for uh it was a mayor race for Tijuana.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I dare to do that.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: So you know, a lot, and uh again for for our listeners who don't understand like the power of Tijuana, this was like the fourth uh largest and powerful city in Mexico, right?
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_02: Not only in um, I would say economics, but also in leadership, because a lot of um a lot of companies in Mexico that wanted to uh try products or services, and this is very interesting, they did it in Tijuana as a pilot test.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_02: Just because Tijuana is made of not only people that are born in Tijuana, but all of us that came from different places.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a perfect market when you need to do a pilot test of a new service, a new product.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: So so many companies did this in Tijuana, and it was so interesting.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_02: So um, nevertheless, the party was Partido de Baja California.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: It was a local party, small one, but that had been, you know, running and trying to do changes and had uh people involved in government roles and what have you.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I dare to do that, and it was quite an experience.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: I thought that by my being the CEO of the of Televisa in Tijuana that I knew Tijuana.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_02: No, I did not.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, with the campaign, I went to all these places that I thought never existed in Tijuana.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_02: And I learned of so many needs and so many communities and so many things that happened that I was just like overwhelmed of the amount of people that lived in Tijuana, really.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_02: And of course I didn't win, but nevertheless, uh was that a blessing or a curse?
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_02: Not really.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, at some point you you have to try, and that was my try, you know.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to to give back to a community that had given me so much in my life, so it was my okay, I can do this, and I'm sure that I can do so many changes for the good of the of my community that, well, at least I have to try.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that there's two ways to help your community.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_02: One is being involved and being part of the government, another, whatever you're doing, there's still chances that you can make changes and you can help and do good things for the community as well.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_02: So this was my try being part of the government.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_02: And but I was really happy because uh back then um with the group that I form to be part of my staff, I said, why if we start putting in place the programs that we're preaching and we don't wait until we win so that the they are in place.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_02: And so we start doing we start um, you know, uh the parks in the city that are a ton of parks, but they are well they are I mean they're open lots with no grass, exactly no trees, exactly.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: So what we did was we painted them, we collected garbage, we put some um uh things that would help the community, whatever, and then we form a um um comité de vecinos, so that once it was refurbished, then you I will give it to you and you will take care of this for your children, for the community that lives around the park.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: So you yeah, so you're basically your efforts would you know improve the community, and then you guys created a community of neighbors to actually you know upkeep it.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, they were the guardians of the park, okay, so that they will keep it the same way that we gave it to them, you know, and all of them.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_02: And safe, and safe, yeah, and safe for the children as well, so that they could go and play and enjoy it and what have you.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that was one of the programs.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_02: We started also the neutering of uh pets, especially dogs and cats that live on the streets, and that was important also because there's a ton of and still to this day, right?
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, still to this day.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_02: So that we started uh the uh read a book uh with different communities.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_02: So the good thing that happened, even though we didn't win, first we put them in place, and then the second part was that the mayor at that time took some of them and implemented as part of their government.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_02: So it was really good, it was really nice.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: So post Tel Avisa post uh politics, it seems like you started implementing a lot of community efforts, and then I uh one of the things that you know stuck with me is the fact that you know you were going to this community in Tijuana that you had never heard about, uh, you were listening to that community.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um now, you know, tell us, uh and we'll we'll jump into the foundation.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now tell us how you know, knowing that community, learning about what people need, what you know children need, how that translates into your current position as executive director of the foundation for the children of the Californias.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then also, you know, what is the tie between between the foundation and the actual hospital in Tijuana?
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_02: So after my failure as a politician, but that was okay.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: I learned so much and I met so many people that I can call my friends now.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_02: And uh so the uh Hospital Infantil de las Californias is um held by three foundations, one in Tijuana, one in the US, San Diego, and one in Canada.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: So uh the board members of the Foundation of the Children of the Californias invited me to be part of their board.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so I started as that.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_02: And then I um became the board chair and then the CEO of that foundation.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: And we have our mission is to enhance the nutrition and health of underserved children in the San Diego mega region, San Diego Tijuana mega region, primarily through Hospital Infantile de las Californias.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_02: So, what we do is we're a fundraiser and we fund programs for the children at the hospital, not only at the hospital, but anywhere, but mainly through the hospital.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: So the um Hospital Infantile de las Californias in Tijuana, uh, would that be a you know a similar effort, like I don't know, raies in San Diego or something like that?
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_02: It is, it is.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's a hospital that it's wholly dedicated to paediatric health care.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_02: And uh what happens there is uh they have uh 25 subspecialties and they have three surgery rooms for surgery.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_02: And the other thing is if you don't have uh uh they work through recovery fees, but if you are not able or capable to pay that recovery fee, then you go to social work.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_02: And social work determines if there's a fund that you that can help you pay this the recovery fee.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: Would that be one of your primary responsibilities in the US to do the you know the fundraiser to make sure that those funds are available to those kids in need in Tijuana?
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, that's one of our primarily goals.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_02: So for instance, we opened the um um left cleflip and palate clinic.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_02: And everything that we do, we do it holistic, meaning that every single uh treatment that we provide for the children, it's uh multidisciplinary.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_02: For instance, for the cleflip and palate, that it's funded by the Dole Foundation, what we do is we do the surgery for the kid.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_02: But not only that, we also take care of dental speech therapy, nutrition, and psychology, and anything that the kid needs so that it's really a complete, like I said, holistic treatment, and you take care of each of the areas that that child needs in order to thrive in life.
• 39:38
  unknown: Okay.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's a very interesting goal.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and I'm assuming that keeps you, you know, pretty busy.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_00: And and basically, so this connection, like what are some of the efforts that the foundation has in San Diego?
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: I understand you know the goal, but what are some of the efforts if you want to, you know, tell our listeners, you know, galas, events, uh so we have three pillars.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_02: One of the pillars is to provide health, and mostly we do it through the hospital, but we also want to lead uh paediatric health, and on that end, we have uh recovered the uh uh binational pediatric symposium.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_02: And last year we did it in uh Tijuana in Universidad Sochicalco, and this is a great effort because we uh we have themes that are interesting for both communities.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_02: So we have pediatricians from San Diego as well from Tijuana that speak about the same issue, you know, like for instance, the increase of missiles that was uh uh controlled, but since now they some people do not believe in vaccines, missiles is coming back, and that's an issue for California and for Baja as well.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_02: So we uh put that on the table and we discuss it and find ways how we can approach that so that it's not an epidemic anymore.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because one borderline is not gonna stop a disease from actually being on boats.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_02: Of course.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_02: And these years, so we're going to do it in April in San Diego, location to be decided.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_02: But that's the efforts that we do by national.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_02: We also have uh we have strategic relationships with the Del Mar Fair, that they provide the toys that we give to the children that undergo surgery in the hospital, for instance.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we have a new program for mental health that is called Puentes de Bienestaro Bridges to Wellness that is for teenagers, and it's a um AI-driven program in which we address depression and anxiety in teenagers, mostly uh Spanish-speaking, but if that works, we're willing to go also, you know, English speaking.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_02: So there are several things that we are trying to do uh here in San Diego, and we have collaboration with a ton of um different institutions that we say like we work with YMCA, we work with Catholic charities, we work with Ronald McDonald House, we work with Radies, of course.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_02: They have been partners with with us for forever.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_02: And what we're trying to do is we want to have really comprehensive health for children.
• 42:43
  SPEAKER_02: And we're striving for preventing instead of resolution, right?
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that's a cultural uh change that we want to introduce to our kids that instead of waiting until the end, if they can prevent, it's better.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, preventive medicine.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I love what you said about AI, you know, because now AI, everyone knows about AI.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people are using it.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_00: We implemented in our office to make sure that our, you know, it helps our cases.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_00: But how how is AI being used um to assist these teenagers who are in need of you know some mental uh um assistance?
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_02: Uh one of the things that we want, I I want to go back to the hospital is that they accept all children.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter where you come from, you know, because they also have a very strong telehealth program.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_02: And the thing being is that we take care of a lot of children that leave, that either they're US citizens or US residents, and they go to the hospital as well.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh wow, okay.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_02: So we have a large population of US kids also.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_02: So when they say, Well, yeah, it's in the in Mexico.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_02: There is in Tijuana.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it's five minutes from the old type port of entry.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_02: But basically, it takes care of every child.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_02: So, and going back to Puentes de Bienestar, what we have is we have a 10 session with a psychologist, and we do it through telehealth.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_02: So it's once a week with that psychologist, and that is the way that the kid gets a treatment.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_02: But then again, the kids are, if it's once a week, they have a ton of time.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_02: And we realized that a ton of teenagers were using Chat GPT to confine, to uh learn to diagnose their own.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_02: Ah, exactly, to talk as a friend or something that could listen to them.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_02: So we got this is a an app that is AI driven, but it's specifically for mental health.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's developed by psychologists and for people that study for that.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_02: It's not your chat GPT.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_02: So we give this app to the child as well as one of the parents or tutors, and they use it 24-7.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_02: And what we uh get with this is first is companionship, I would say for the teenager that whenever they feel they they they are uh anxious or depressed, that they can go to the app, they do exercises that the app gives them, and it's like a follow-through like, okay, breathe with me, and let's do this and let's do that, and how are you feeling?
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_02: Tell me this and tell me that.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_02: And also by the end of the week, the psychologists get the report from the AI use of this app, and so the psychology can have a better of the understanding of a whole week.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow, okay, and it works better for the treatment.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_00: Interesting.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_02: And also on that app, okay, so everything's confidential, so meaning that information that the kid puts into the interaction with the app is private, only the psychologists know, and the the teenager, and the one that we give to the parent is so that they understand what their child is doing, is going through or just doing.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_02: And actually, it could help them as well.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, go ahead, good.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_02: And it's there's a crisis or a panic button.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_02: So in case it really goes bad or it's too anxious or too depressed, they can click that and it's tied to the 911 crisis center in San Diego, meaning that they will get response immediately.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, amazing.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: So Wow, so Puentes de Bienestar.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_02: How can people connect uh with either the foundation or the hospital to be able to access this uh they can they can go to our website and we have their uh way to register, or they can call us to the foundation.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_02: So it's very simple to register.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_02: It just has to be a teenager that wants to get involved into the program, and we have to have the authorization of the parent or tutor for this because they are um minors.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing efforts by you know by your foundation, especially getting into technology and AI.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_00: And again, and this is going back to Televisa, actually, you know, screening your market, make sure that you're understanding who is going to you.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's you know very recognizable.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, we appreciate your efforts.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so uh at this point, you know, you're already going into technology, AI.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what do you ambition for the foundation moving forward, you know, going into the future?
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, playing a bigger role in pediatric health in San Diego.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I think that some of our board members say we're the best kept secret in San Diego.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_02: And so we want to share with everyone what we're doing and get as much help as possible.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_02: That's our goal.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: That they know us, they like us, and they help us do our mission.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_00: Good.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_00: And you're the uh two-go person, right?
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_00: Especially being here in San Diego, being at the events, being, you know, such a great person, great personality, and great stories, right?
• 48:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, everything that we've heard today.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we're we're getting close to the end of our program here.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, Katya, um we ask all of our guests.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_00: We we are also, we, you know, the clients that we represent, they've been, you know, they've gone through a difficult situation.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_00: Either it's an accident or they're being discriminated at work.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they didn't uh respect their pregnancy discrimination.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um so a lot of times they do need the help uh of someone local, right?
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um let's say if if you or a law one were injured here in San Diego, uh, and you had to choose between hiring a lawyer from San Diego that understands this unique region, the Baja region, the cross-border, uh and hiring an attorney from out of out of town, maybe LA or Northern California, who would you go with?
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_02: No, I would go with the local.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_02: We have been talking all this podcast about it.
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_02: You have to go to the people that understand the region and knows how to help you.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_02: Because it's very different than someone that knows the border region and someone that is out of this border region.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_02: And like I say, you you have to leave it to understand it.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_02: And for the people that you help, it will only make sense to me that they will go to you because you're here.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_02: Because I believe that most of the people, and I don't I'm I I don't know for a fact, but I'm sure that the people, if you go to LA, they will hire someone local to represent the the client.
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_02: Right, because he understands the region.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_02: So my only advice would be to go to someone that is knowledgeable of the Kalibah region, but also that is knowledgeable of the things that you need, you know.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_02: So you have to trust that person, especially if it's a matter of law.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_02: That sometimes we don't know the full extent or the differences in one country or the other.
• 51:12
  SPEAKER_02: So I guess that you will be my choice.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate that response, especially, you know, being local, you being informed of the by national ties.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, thank you for explaining that.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then let me let me close out with you know, John John Gomez, our CEO.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he generally asks one question at the end of every podcast.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it goes like this if you could put one message in the sky for everyone to see, what would it be?
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_00: I put you in the spot, huh?
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's so broad though.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think that one of the things that I would say would be respect everyone.
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_02: And respect yourself.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_00: Katya, thank you for being here.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_00: Again, Katya, the executive director of Foundation for the Children of California, was here.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_00: We appreciate your time.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: We appreciate your insights, your journey uh into a male-dominated market.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we look forward to working with you, to you know, seeing you at one of these gals or events that you are a fan of.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you again.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for your time, and we'll see you soon.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for the invitation.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_02: Glad to be here.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to the Latino podcast.
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see you again next time.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: And be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.