Rob at Home – Region Rising: Eric Guerra, Giuliano Kornberg

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And now, Rob on the Road, exploring Northern California.

[Rob Stewart] On Region Rising, my conversations with two Northern California leaders, Eric Guerra, the vice mayor of California's capital city, and later, Giuliano Kornberg, leader of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera.

We begin with Sacramento's vice mayor, Eric Guerra, who moved from poverty to politics, a migrant farm worker in the fields of Esparto by the age of five, but surrounded by a family with big dreams that would come true.

A Sac State graduate, then a master's degree, and in 2015, a big win to Sacramento City Council representing District 6.

Today, he is vice mayor of Sacramento, unanimously confirmed for the position by his city council peers.

You are really a... a leader in this region and a trusted leader, and I asked many people that you work with and that's how they described you.

So, those are their words.

Um, what makes you a trusted leader?

[Eric] Gosh, I...

I would say- I don't know what makes me a trusted leader, but I would say, when... when I think about a trusted leader, uh, they're someone who is engaged in the community, who, uh, takes the time to, um, you know, think through, uh, through someone else point of view, uh, to kind of understand empathy, uh, and then take, uh, the information and understand that everyone comes from a different story.

And that, I think, is what made- You know, what... what I've appreciated, particularly here in Sacramento, is that so many people have come here with different stories and different shoes that they've walked through, uh, and being able to put yourself into those shoes when you're making a decision, when you're working together, when you're solving problems, I think that's what creates trust.

Because I...

I truly believe that all of us have the same end in mind, and how we approach it usually comes from our life experience.

And so, to me, I...

I always tried to think about, well, what is it in their life that has led them to believe a certain, uh, faith, a belief, uh, and what they're trying to accomplish?

At the end of the day, you know, I mean, what... what I have found, uh, you know, most inspiring is how everyone pulling together with different points of view is what makes things happen.

And that, I think, with leadership, uh, when I've seen leaders, you know, that I admire, like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, they put themselves in the shoes of others who were having challenges and then took in those points of view on to... to make a change for those communities.

[Rob] Child care has been a huge issue of yours.

Many, many places in America, unfortunately, including where we are in this region, are a child care desert and you have taken a leadership role in creating a position at the city hall to address child care.

Talk to me about that.

[Eric] You know, so many families in our region, uh, and now across the country, are suffering, uh, in their, uh, home stability because of the lack of child care, uh, because of the lack of child care that is affordable, that is, uh, enriching, uh, and accessible.

And I come at it from a point of view, from my personal life experience and because of... of my experience, we, at the city, created a position in the Department of Economic Development to focus on tackling this issue, not just for the city, but for our county-wide region.

When I was a kid, you know, as young as five years old, I would go with my mother to go pick figs that were shaken off the tree onto the floor.

We would spend 12 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., harvesting figs.

Now, my mother didn't want me there, but it was the only safe place we could be, there.

And sadly, we find ourselves in a... in a similar situation today.

And because of the lack of affordable and available child care, many families have to make some very difficult decisions.

Now, we live in a... in a economy where a two income household is necessary to maintain the needs of our family.

And without affordable child care, usually, a parent, one of the spouses has to leave their career.

And that makes an un... unfortunate impact in the long term, you know, income of a family and the career opportunities.

[Rob] Generational as well.

[Eric] Generational.

Generational.

And so, those- what you find is those families that do have wealth and the ability to hire a nanny, they can go to work, they can grow their career.

And those in the middle class that don't, sometimes their spouse, um, you know, has to stay back.

We need to make sure that we also have a safe place for young kids from zero to five.

Everything that we know, Rob, is that from zero to three years old, 85% of a kid's brain development has begun to develop- has already been developed.

And by the time they're five, it's over 90% of their brain development has already been, um, you know, developed.

And so, for me, I think about if we don't have kids in a place where they're being challenged, and enriched, then no wonder they're falling behind by the time they get into kindergarten.

No wonder low income families, communities of color who don't have child care have their kids going into kindergarten, and they don't know how to work in a classroom setting yet, and they fall further behind.

So, all of these intersections of child care have not only an economic impact to our workforce, our economy, but a social impact to our kids and... and how they grow and what they become in the future, and if they're ready so that they can be the most effective by the time they enter school.

[Rob] The child care task force is something that you believe will help this region rise as well.

[Eric] Yes.

You know, when I started, I said it isn't good enough for the city to have a person.

We need to make sure we take this on on a county-wide issue.

So, I created the, uh, county and city child care task force.

That includes our private providers, Head Start, our director of economic development on early childhood education that is helping, uh, this issue, because this is a business also for folks, too.

It's a good, small business that is dedicating their energy into the future of kids.

[Rob] What we breathe is vital, and we know all of the information that we see about climate change as well as pollution, um, and the governor of California, Governor Gavin Newsom, has appointed you to the California Air Resources Board.

What does that mean to you and what do you want to do there?

[Eric] I'm so humbled that the governor appointed me to the California Air Resources Board.

It is an impressive enti- uh, uh, entity with so many, um, public servants, uh, scientists, researchers that are looking to make sure that we have good public health, that our kids are able to breathe, uh, and not only that, but reduce the amount of, uh, lung, uh, impacts to our kids.

Uh, we see that happening with asthma, and cancer in areas where, um, there's poor air.

Communities, now, that live next to train stations or, uh, you know, rail yards, the communities that live next to or under freeways, they're being impacted by pollutants every day.

And this entity, the California Air Resources Board, is the one that's charged with ensuring that our state doesn't have those "smog days," where they used to shut down the schools, that we could get ahead of climate change so that we don't have these massive forest fires that are basically also- uh, as we saw in Sacramento, where, for two straight weeks, couldn't go outside.

And again, it's those low income families that maybe live in homes that don't have the best air conditioning or the- or ceilings in their houses that are impacted by air every day.

And Rob, I will tell you, food, water and air are the three essentials.

And having grown up in agriculture and seeing the need for food, making sure that we have clean water, but if we don't have clean air to breathe, then we've got an issue.

And this Air Resources Board, it's also the one that goes after the polluters who have tried to circumvent the laws.

They took down Volkswagen when they were trying to cheat the system and continue to have dirty diesel emissions.

And we need to make sure that everybody is doing their part to move forward into an... into an economy, also, and into a society that is- has a bright spot for our kids.

And I'm excited about being on that board to be part of the dialog on "How do we move our economy into a clean economy?"

such as what we've done in Sacramento.

I don't know if our viewers know, but Sacramento has not only the first, but also the second largest electric school bus fleet in the nation.

And when I was chair of the Air Quality Management District, we were able to electrify those buses and also assemble them and build them here, which gives jobs locally.

And to me, that is where we need to be thinking about it, for the state.

How do we get our young kids to be able to think about they can be the solution, the engineers, to provide and address, uh, our climate challenges?

You know, we already manufacture the electric trains for the nation and also for many in Canada, uh, here in Sacramento, at Siemens.

And... and... and one of the things that there is a shortage of is workers who are a specialty- their specialty is in specific type of welding and assembly.

And so, one of the things that I also know is that there are many adults who, uh, didn't finish high school.

Uh, they want to get out of a low wage job.

And so, we worked with our local manufacturers and our adult school at the Charles A Jones on Stockton Boulevard and Lemon Hill.

This is a community that wants a second chance and to be able to have a future.

And now, we are training those adults to go and be part of that zero emissions solution by building these electric trains and doing an adult school program.

And I'll tell you, Rob, my mother- When, uh, I got into engineering school at Sac State, I pulled my younger brother to get a mechanical engineering degree and my younger sister to be a civil engineering degree.

But my mother, when she saw the three of us, said, "You know what?

I've got a fourth grade education, but I can- If these little rugrats can do it..." Well, she went and joined us at Sac State at the age of 50, got, uh, through the adult school program, got her GED and her AA degree in early childhood education.

[Rob] That's amazing.

[Eric] And that was so powerful.

[Rob] I love that for her and you.

[Eric] Yes, yes.

Oh, yeah.

That's the second chance we need to give folks and be able to give them a consistent path for them to control their future.

[Rob] I love what you just said about a second chance for someone because many times, people stepped away from their chance to give us our first chance.

[Eric] Yes.

[Rob] And second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth chance, whatever it takes.

Anybody watching this can do it.

They can do it.

You're proof.

[Eric] Si, se puede.

[Rob] I'm proof.

Mmhmm.

Yes.

Si, se puede.

[Eric] Si, se puede.

And that has been a motto that, as things have been tough, you know, as things have been challenging in our life, whether it was poverty, we unfortunately- You know, we came to this country, um, seeking an opportunity to work, unfortunately, during a very anti-immigrant, uh, era in the eighties.

We were deported, uh, and we came back and, thanks to the Immigration Reform Act of '86, we got our green card, um, and we continued to work.

And all those struggles, all of those issues, I always think back that, you know, if we- You know, "Si, se puede."

Yes, you can.

Resilience.

And one of my, um- One of my heroes, uh, you know, the late Cruz Reynoso, he came to talk to the farm workers and he taught me a word when I- that, to this day, sticks with me, and that's "resilience."

[Rob] Mmhmm.

[Eric] And that word, resilience was the pow- the... the... the.. the not only, yes, you can, uh, keep moving through tough times, but it's the acknowledgment that you have had tough times, that you've had challenges and not to let those challenges bring you down, but to acknowledge them as part of your history and your... your... your- uh, who you are as a person.

And so, I always think that everyone out there has had their challenge, their time where they've had a difficulty.

And resilience, being resilient in their... in their... in their future outlook helps them shape them.

And I- Sometimes, I remember being that young kid who didn't think there was anything but the negative aspect of my life, and when Cruz Reynoso came to talk to us, "Si, se puede," gave me a different perspective that, yes, that is my... my situation now, but I can be something else.

That is resilience, and that's... that's the power of a second chance.

♪♪ [Rob] And now, let's get to know Giuliano Kornberg, executive director of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, now packing the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center with seven performances a year, with thousands of loyal music lovers.

Many say he saved the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera after the pandemic.

And today, the group is hitting a high note.

Music is a language- I would even say something higher than a language- in and of itself.

It... [Giuliano] Right.

[Rob] ...transcends words and people, um, and it can take community discord, if you will, and... and pull it all together, well, into harmony.

[Giuliano] Right.

[Rob] And I'm just wondering, from your perspective, as we talk about region rising... [Giuliano] Mmhmm.

[Rob] ...how does the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera do that?

How does it make the region rise and be better?

[Giuliano] Right.

Well, I think you said it.

Music, at its core, is universal, and it really is a language.

Right?

And regardless of who you are and what you're doing, I think you can come to- or... or go to a concert in general and come to one of our performances- whether it's a Beethoven symphony or a more contemporary work or an opera- and you can sit back and hear 90 minutes, 100 minutes, 2 hours, 3 hours of some of the most beautiful music ever written.

And you can feel better, you know, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

You can relax, you can feel invigorated.

I can't tell you how many times I see people and I talk to people at concerts who are just bawling and weeping because of the power of the music.

So, on an individual level, it's incredibly transformative.

And then, you know, at these concerts where you're surrounded by 16, 17, 1800 other people, you can feel that energy, even just by looking around and saying, "Huh."

On the floor, audience is full.

In the balconies, there's not a seat to be seen.

And to experience that sort of feeling, and- you know, with the collective, with the entire rest of the community, who's all there to experience it together, you can't really beat that feeling.

And then, you know, we had a concert recently in the fall.

We sent a couple of musicians to go play at the Sacramento Children's Museum, and there were maybe, I don't know, 30, 40 or 50, you know, a mix of kids and moms and dads and families.

And just to see some of those three and four year olds running around the museum and then stopping, like, on a dime because they hear a violin player and then walk over and sit, you know, this far away from the cello player or the violin player, and to be just so totally transfixed with the music and listening, and then, once the piece is done, they're asking questions and the musicians are sharing, you know, about their instrument, about what they just played.

You know, that sort of dialogue at three, four, five, two, six, whatever years old, there's nothing really like it.

And I think the fact that we can have experiences, you know, from the concert hall with the Beethovens, with the opera, from the education perspective, where we can have 2,000 kids go through this- or students go through this music education curriculum, and then end by performing with our musicians- And then, to have these sort of, you know, opportunities out there, even if it's small, two, three, four, whatever musicians- To have that impact and to see the light bulb kind of turn on with some of those kids who've just never seen anything like it, um, it's really powerful and it's really palpable as well.

And then, of course, if people feel happier and they feel a little more engaged and they feel kind of more in touch with their, you know, creative side and inner being, that just has such tremendous benefit to the overall region because, you know, everyone's happier and everyone feels better and everyone's kind of more culturally informed, and you just can't really beat it.

So, to me, kind of all that we do, all fends- or all kind of lends itself to we try to make the community and the region better through concerts, through education, through little pop-up, you know, shows and things like that, um, just to serve the community through music.

[Rob] And when everybody comes in that... in that room together, um, you know, and they're all coming in with different journeys and different backgrounds and different problems, um, and celebrations, right?

There's people there who are celebrating and there's people there who are grieving... [Giuliano] Right.

Mmhmm.

[Rob] ...and there's something about that first note... [Giuliano] Mmhmm.

[Rob] ...that brings everybody together.

[Giuliano] Right.

[Rob] And it commands... it commands an attention that is within you.

And it's... it's... it's bigger than words.

It's... it's wordless, uh, frankly, because even though you do have the opera portion, what I mean is the feeling is wordless.

It's... it's something that... [Giuliano] Right.

[Rob] that... that transcends, uh, everything.

And I feel like that is therapy.

It is therapeutic... [Giuliano] Yeah.

[Rob] ...and entertainment at the same time.

Um, I love- I was doing a lot of reading about the role of an orchestra in a community.

Um, and I saw this quote by Tanya Miller, and she was saying that music "has a capacity to enrich a community and to bring the community together through the shared experience of being moved and changed by music.

Music takes us on a journey, each of us on our own path, yet, when inside a musical experience," in that experience, "we share the experience in a way that brings us together as the music requires us to travel in it's fluctuations of highs and lows, emotional contrasts, tensions and harmonies."

All of that together.

And I've seen the power of music and how it can bring a group of people together.

[Giuliano] Mmhmm.

[Rob] Um, and you get to see that all the time.

[Giuliano] Yeah, absolutely.

It really is something special.

Um, there's not anything- I've said this a few times now.

There really isn't anything like it.

Um, and you said this earlier.

I can talk to, you know, let's say seven different people at a concert, you know, after the performance.

"Hey, what'd you think of the music?

How are you feeling in general?"

And each one of them will have a different answer, right?

"Listen, I'm tired.

I just wanted to sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy nice music."

You know, "My sibling just passed away," or, "My cat is sick," or, "I've loved this piece of music forever and this is the first time that I'm coming to a concert, and being able to hear my favorite piece of music for my first concert is just special."

So, that kind of- Again, the individuality of everybody and everyone's kind of experiences of where they are in life with the coming together aspect of the music in these concerts, that's why I think our role in the community is so special- right?

- because there aren't really many other places that you can have that.

And this is why the arts, in general, is so terrific, because whether it's us or a ballet performance or a play or whatever, you can have these thousands of people come together with their own individual "here's what's happening in my life right now," to come together to all have a similar- or at least, like, from the stage, see and witness a similar experience.

And it's- to... to live that every day or, at least, think about it every day is really rewarding.

[Rob] Your musicians are professional musicians.

They are paid... [Giuliano] Yes.

[Rob] ...musicians.

[Giuliano] Absolutely.

[Rob] And they are top notch.

So much so... [Giuliano] Mmhmm.

[Rob] ...that you have played with, not "for," but "with" Andrea Bocelli numerous times.

You get one rehearsal just like it's a session recording, really, with... [Giuliano] Yeah.

[Rob] ...on stage, correct?

[Giuliano] Mmhmm.

Yep, exactly.

With Andrea.

[Rob] That's amazing.

[Giuliano] Yeah, completely.

So, with these, you know, performances with talent like Andrea Bocelli, we have one rehearsal where the orchestra rehearses with the conductor, and then a short soundcheck to make sure that the sound, you know, from the stage at a Golden One type of venue sounds good.

And then, we're performing in front of 11 or 12,000 people.

So, the fact that, again, first of all, superstar talent, like, superstar talent, like Andrea Bocelli, wants to come to Sacramento- And not just wants to come to Sacramento, but wants to come to Sacramento and perform with us- You know, he goes 50, 60 different places around, you know, to perform in the country and there's like four or five orchestras only that he plays with, and we're one of them.

So, the fact that we kind of have that respect amongst big, big, big, big, big time talent, like Andrea Bocelli, so we as an organization can perform with him, I think that says a lot about the caliber and- you said it- the professionalism of our orchestra and our musicians.

But yes, one rehearsal, plus the soundcheck, plus the performance in front of 11 or 12,000 people.

And everybody there, at these sorts of concerts say, "Those musicians are amazing."

You know, they're, dare I say, on par with someone like Andrea Bocelli, which is always kind of fun to hear.

But there's a... there's a real, I think, sense of community, um, I guess, proudness.

I don't know if that's the right word.

[Rob] It's a wow moment when you see this... [Giuliano] Yeah.

[Rob] ...like, "Woah!"

[Giuliano] Right, exactly.

Mmhmm.

Yeah.

[Rob] And it brings it all together.

[Giuliano] Yeah.

And I think everybody's just so proud that, you know, from the... the musicians, that they can pull off an opportunity like that.

And everybody who watches them perform, that off of very, very limited rehearsal time, they can play such an amazing, terrific "wow" performance with a talent like Andrea Bocelli.

Um, it's really quite special.

[Rob] And if I'm not mistaken, you have, um- And then, full disclosure, you and I have... have worked together separately on, uh, being, you know- We've been involved with the Andrea Bocelli concert, as far as PBS KVIE and... and with your organization as well.

And so, I know that you've spoken with his team, and in doing so, you've gotten some really good feedback.

[Giuliano] Right.

Exactly.

I think they've been very impressed, you know, both with the caliber of the musicians, certainly- You know, at some other performances or some other cities, they will individually contract out individual musicians.

So, they'll... they'll build maybe more of a pick-up orchestra, as opposed to here, in Sacramento, they're really impressed with kind of the collective caliber of the musicians.

And I think, also, the collective caliber of the staff, as well, 'cause behind the musicians and behind putting the musicians on stage, there's a whole operational apparatus of hiring the musicians and making sure they have everything they need to be successful.

And, you know, musicians are professional, just like the Philharmonic and Opera staff is professional.

And I think that combination of just professionalism across the board is why acts and shows, like Bocelli, can come to Sacramento and say, "Yep, we want to work with you guys, and all of you guys," because they know that they will have a good product and a good performance with our involvement.

[Rob] In doing my research on you and just knowing you, also, in the community, I have seen your rise there, uh, rather quickly, and I've seen your impact very quickly.

You have... have... have helped- We talk about music transcending, but you have helped, uh, the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera transcend its... its... its own status and level.

And so- I know you probably wouldn't say that, yourself, but I can say that.

[Giuliano] Right.

Thank you.

[Rob] I know it to be the case.

And so, I just have to ask, um- And you also brought up that you're... you're 30.

[Giuliano] Yeah.

[Rob] That's phenomenal.

[Giuliano] Mmhmm.

Yeah.

Um, well, I love what I do.

Um, if I didn't enjoy what I do and what I think about on a daily, weekly, monthly, whatever basis, that would make this work a little more difficult.

Um, but I love what I do.

And I said this at the top- I've been really lucky to have a lot of great mentors, whether they're in Sacramento, whether they're outside of Sacramento, but in this orchestra and opera, you know, art... artistic production business.

So, I love what I do, but I think it's important for me to also say, like, without all that, I wouldn't be 30 and, you know, the executive director of this really terrific institution.

Again, I love Sacramento and Sacramento has been very, very good to me and I've just built a life here.

So, just, you know, even if I didn't work for the Philharmonic and Opera, like, living in a city that didn't have an orchestra and an opera company just, to me, like, doesn't really compute.

You know?

Um, so, yeah, it was professional, but it was also personal and I was just lucky at the time, just like I am now, to be in the position where I can help kind of, you know, through my work, push classical music forward here in Sacramento.

♪♪ [Rob] Thanks for joining us.

You can watch when you want at robontheroad.org.

Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP, focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road - Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.