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Jose Luis Barajas and Ruby Salazar are the President and Vice-President of the Salinas Valley Young Professionals, a group that empowers local young professionals by connecting them and educating them on what it takes to grow as a leader. They put on networking events all over the Salinas Valley to bring together people with similar ideas to help bring them to reality. If you are a young professional looking for like-minded people to hang out with and brainstorm, check out their next event!

Sal, or Chava, is a local content creator that has tried more local coffee than most people in the 831. He took the social isolation of COVID and decided to go with an idea that had been kicking around his mind for a while, start a clothing brand. But what do you do when you have an idea that's bigger than your current budget? You hustle. That is where the idea for the one-sip coffee reviews came from. Two years later, he has added more shows and is covering more and more local events through Casa SBS Media.

The modern history of Alisal dates back to the first post office, which was built in 1866. It grew alongside Salinas until 1964, when the voters of Alisal joined their neighbors to the west and became East Salinas. This vote may not have passed were it not for the influential voice of a tough Italian lady named Virginia Rocca Barton. She came to Salinas as a 23-year-old teacher and transformed the Alisal School District into one of the most progressive in the state. This is the fascinating story of how two communities came together as one and how one person can make all the difference.

Some know him as Lombriz, others call him Werm, and others call him The Essence Music. We got him in the studio to talk about himself if you don't know who he is. If you want to see the artist at work you can find him every Wednesday evening at XL Publichouse hosting a weekly vinyl night. That event is one of the best places in the 831 to find and listen to rare music. 

Rose also known as DivineGoddess33 on TikTok does makeup tutorials, unboxing videos and so much more! She comes to the studio to tell us about her journey and how she went from the stage to making her own content to share with the world.

Mialana is a recording artist who first got a taste of the stage when her high school production of Grease needed another singer. Three years ago, she started writing and performing her own music. She writes from the heart, so many of her songs are more like journal entries that she shares with the world. She is a young singer with a lot of potential, and if you live in Salinas, you can probably see her live really soon. 

The story of Oreez started in the 831 and then took him around the West Coast but he is back home and is in the studio to tell us his story. From discovering Hip Hop to jumping on stage for the first time at the last minute, these are only the early chapters of his story. 

For the last year, Indie Basement cinema has been a monthly showcase of local short films. It is a place where local filmmakers can screen their films in front of their hometown crowd for free. Once a month the basement of XL Public House is turned into a cozy cinema where you can relax and have some popcorn and a beer while watching locally made films. I sat down with the two filmmakers who were having their movies screened for the anniversary. Jesus Cruz (@jxcruz510) is a filmmaker from Newark who came down to show two of his films: "Peanut Butter and Zombie" and "La Cobija". Julie Ruiz (@julieruizcinema) is a young director from Salinas who screened a music video she directed as well as her short film "Louie's Scary Movies." Sergio (@the_essence_music) can be heard spinning records multiple times a month. He sat down with us to talk about his time watching Indie Basement grow. Joey (@sinistaselecta) is one of the two people along with Rob (@masa_831_), who came up with the idea, and it is their hard work that has made this into the great event that it has become. 

On September 7, 1963, the worst road accident in American history happened on a railroad crossing just outside of Chualar. This set off a battle for the 32 bodies of the victims that ended up uniting the Mexican community against the bracero program that had been giving low-wage workers to American farmers since WWII. It also helped unite a Mexican-American civil rights movement that had been divided between "urban" and "rural" Mexicans, setting off a larger struggle for the representation of all Mexicans in the United States.

Gin Fragonard is a Monterey-based singer and all-around talented artist. She is releasing an album in several chapters that is an ode to the place she currently calls home. This was a fun conversation that covered a range of topics, from musical inspirations to French cows and ferret cults and her music. The first part of the album comes out on October 20, but make sure to follow her on social media so you can watch one of her live shows. 

The governor of Florida is paying a visit to Salinas to raise money from a group of people he says is ruining this country. That is just one of a mountain of reasons why this is a terrible idea. Oz has a couple of more on this episode.

SEA.LVL are the tracksuit-wearing bad boys of instrumental R&B and they are in the studio to tell us all about the band! We also have the magician behind the tracksuits, Ari from Hella Dandy Apparel, on the mic. This fun conversation takes us from the bands origins to why we have a bunch of bananas on the desk and the reason for the tracksuits. You can catch them playing shows around the area or follow them on Spotify to get their new music as it comes out.