Me Importas Tú California

Happy Latino Heritage Month! And to Celebrate our host, and your favorite Chicano in politics Christopher Sanchez, brings together some of his friends who work in the California politics and policy in the state capitol to share their story and experiences of being a Latino who works in politics. Joining this episode is Jose Torres, Melissa Cosio, and Leticia Garcia who are key players in California politics today. Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

For decades California Tribal Nations have sought to preserve their religious, spiritual, and cultural practices to be able to practice their religious freely on their lands and to pass it down to the next generation. Unfortunately, through out the years while they have attempted to carry out some of these practices they have been met with significant barriers that has prohibited them from carrying out these practices. In this episode we sit down with Morning Star Gali, the founder and executive director of Indigenous Justice, to talk about what California Tribal Nations are doing to preserve these practices including their efforts behind Assembly Bill 1881, also known as the California Indian Freedom Act of 2026, by Assemblymember James Ramos.Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

The legislature returned back from their summer break in August and began to sprint with their bills and whip votes to get them to the Governor’s desk by the August 31st deadline. However, this was a much more unique year for the legislature as Governor Newsom is about to term out and significant wave of legislators will be leaving the legislature due to term limits or running for another elected office. This mixer of chaos in a big year resulted in negotiations continuing till literally the last minutes of session. In this episode we sit with your Latina Advocate Carol Gonzalez and Loyal Terry to get a closer look as to what the August sprint was like for advocates this year.Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

August is Chicano Heritage Month and to celebrate we invited our friends from the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP) and discuss the history of the organization and how it has played a role in shaping California's future leaders and has become a pipeline Chicano youth to launch their career into politics. In this episode we sit down with Executive Director Dr. Luisa Ortega and some of this year's summer program youth and talk about what was it like to participate in CLYLP's summer program and what were some of the things they learned while visiting the State Capitol. Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

Across the global California is known for its scenic views, innovative design, and its beautiful landscapes, however the workers who designed and brought life into these majestic landscapes often go unseen and forgotten. In recent years the landscaping industry has evolved because policy makers at the state and local level have moved the industry to shift from gas powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers to electrical ones. In this episode we sit down with Juan Pablo, Luz Castro, and Fatima Garcia to discuss the state of the landscaping industry and a new bill moving through the legislature, AB 2635 (C. Rodriguez) known as the Just Transition for Landscapers Act, that would allow for landscapers to catch up to many of these new policies that have changed their industry. Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders just wrapped up the Governor's final budget as he wraps up his final year as Governor in the state of California. There is much to be said about this budget including some key investments and some cuts that community members bared. But it's not all completely over as state senators and assemblymembers come back to Sacramento for one more month to finalize bills and send their finished product to the Governor's desk. Carol Gonzalez, your Latina Advocate, and Christopher Sanchez, your favorite Chicano in Politics, discuss these final moments for the Governor and legislators in Sacramento. Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

The California legislature is in full gear now and has begun to discuss and debate bills they introduced early this year to become law. One topic of interest that legislators often focus on is policy about how colleges and universities operate in California and some of the most important stakeholders are the students themselves. In fact, there is a student group/association for all three public college systems and in this episode we sit down with Carlo Flores-Olsen, a member of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges and a Student Trustee representing Rio Hondo Community College.  In this episode we discuss some of the hot topics that the Student Senate wants to tackle in California this year. Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

On January 30th thousands of youth from across the country and California came out in a strong force to oppose the horrific actions being carried out by ICE. For many of the youth it was their first time participating in a demonstration to use their voice to advocate for change in their communities. Our host and your favorite Chicano in Politics, Christopher Sanchez, sits down with some Brown Issues youth, Selina and Daylyn, and and a Brown Issues mentor, Marco Rojas, and dives into a discussion about how youth are organizing today and use the power of their voice.Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

The California legislature just finished introducing new bills for the 2026 legislative year touching on some hot topics including immigrant rights, consumer protections, healthcare, education, and many many more. Our host and your favorite Chicano in politics, Christopher Sanchez, sits down with Daniela Rodriguez and your Latina Advocate Carol Gonzalez to discuss some of their strategies on to get Assemblymembers and Senators introduce legislation and how some of the pressing issues facing California are going to shape in the in the state legislature this year.Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers. 

In our inaugural episode of the Me Importas Tú California our host Christopher Sanchez brings on guest Carol Gonzalez and Andrew Avila to talk about Governor Newsom's 2026 proposed January budget and highlights of the Governor's final State of the State. Follow the Mesa Verde Group on our socials: Youtube, Instagram, Linkedin Follow our host Christopher Sanchez on his socials Instagram, Linkedin*All views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are of the speakers and not of their employers.