(upbeat music) ♪ ♪ Yeah, the simple things in life ♪ - My guest is Jesse Melgar.

He is an Inland Empire Community Foundation board member, and the founder and chair of CIELO.

Welcome, and thank you for joining us.

- Thank you for having me, Lillian.

- First, will you share or give a little bit of the background of Inland Empire Community Foundation and its purpose?

- Yeah.

So, the Inland Empire Community Foundation has been around for about 80 years now, celebrating the 80th anniversary.

And, really, the foundation works with organizations throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties to make sure that they have the resources that they need, help empower their mission, and advance the work that they do every day.

- Okay.

So, that was your elevator pitch because it was so quick!

But, for those that really have no idea what a foundation does, and this being our Inland Empire Community Foundation, it really is to serve the Inland Empire.

There's the LA Foundation and big foundations throughout.

Tell me a little bit more about them, if you can.

- Yeah.

I will say I'm a newer board member.

I've been on for a little less than a year now.

But, I know that the foundation is really important in really helping organizations, nonprofits in particular, raising funds.

We do a lot of grantmaking through our work.

We help connect nonprofits with resources, and we do a lot of work in the realm of scholarships.

Actually, the way that I became familiar with the Inland Empire Community Foundation was as a high school senior at North High School in Riverside.

I got a scholarship to attend UCLA from, then, the Community Foundation, which has since changed their name to the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

So, that's where I became first aware of their work, and actually benefited and impacted by the work that they do.

So, whether it's scholarships, grants to nonprofit organizations and lots of other resources, the foundation's really a hub and anchor for the community and for groups that wanna advance their missions.

- Wow.

Talk about full circle.

You were a recipient, and then coming full circle and paying it forward and serving on the board.

- That's right.

That's right!

And, I was so impressed with, and still am impressed with the leadership of Michelle Decker who's their president and CEO.

And, the board chair currently is Paulette Brown-Hinds, who's a dear friend.

Just the work that they've done to transform the foundation, to really make it more inclusive, make sure that we're hitting all parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties I think has been really impactful.

So, it's really exciting, really an honor to be a part of the board.

- When we think of a foundation, sometimes people that apply for grants only think that the foundations have money.

But, somebody has to go out and get that money so the foundations have the money to give to the people that write the grants.

Right?

So, part of the job is raising the funds.

You are the founder and the chair of the CIELO Fund.

Tell me why the name CIELO, and its meaning.

- Yeah.

Thank you, Lillian.

Really, really excited to launch the CIELO Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

CIELO is an acronym that stands for: Cultivating Inland Empire Latino Opportunity.

But, it's also a nod to the Latino community here in the region.

So, for example, for some of your Spanish-speaking listeners, they'll know that "cielo" means sky, or heaven, in Spanish.

And so, when we think of the CIELO Fund and the work that we're trying to do, it's not only a nod to the resilience and the hopes and aspirations of the Latino community here in the IE, but it's also about, like we said with the acronym, it's about cultivating opportunity for this community where it may not exist.

- So now, I want you to share some more details or its true mission, and how you're gonna go about getting some of those organizations to apply, to be aware of; so, what's the mission?

What's the plan for the fund?

- Yeah.

So, the CIELO Fund's goal is to uplift and invest in Latino-led and Latino-serving organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

We know that Latinos are now the largest population in the Inland Empire.

We make up-- I think latest census data has about 51.5%, 52% of the entire region's population.

We know though at the same time that while we have those numbers, we don't see those levels of investments coming into the organizations, coming into the region, that kind of meet the needs of the community.

So, what we're doing with the CIELO Fund is our initial goal is to raise $80,000 this calendar year to grant out.

So, we're raising money to give money.

We will put out a call for applications in the fall.

Folks will be invited or we'll just push'em out to apply.

Our parameters right now are that you substantively serve the Latino community.

And then, our hope is to make grant decisions in the first part of 2023.

So, that's what the CIELO Fund is about.

We're hoping to-- we're really close to surpassing our $80,000 goal.

We wanna get to the next $80,000 and the next $80,000.

Because ultimately, the level of impact that we have will be determined by how much money we raise.

So, we're really excited to almost be at our current goal, and invite all of your listeners to support us.

- Okay.

So, that was one of my questions.

$80,000 was your initial goal for this year.

How are you going about raising it?

And then, it sounds like you're on target to hit that goal.

So, tell me about that.

- Yeah.

So, we have been pounding the pavement for the last four to five months.

We've been talking to major philanthropies across the state who really wanna do more work here in the Inland Empire.

We've been talking to businesses and corporations.

Our event title sponsor, for example, is Bank of America.

We have investments from folks like the Weingart Foundation; a lot of individuals, as well.

So, while we seek those higher-dollar contributions, we also are trying to build a network of Latino philanthropists in the region.

- Mm hm.

Yeah.

- And so, I think we have about three dozen or so individual donations, and those could range from $20 to $100 to, in some instances, Ofelia Valdez-Yeager and her family donated $5,000.

So, we will accept and seek the dollars wherever we can get them.

And, it's gonna be a constant fundraising drumbeat.

(Lillian chuckles) You know how this works, Lillian!

You wanna raise the dollars now, but then you ultimately wanna keep the impact going.

And so, this is the launch of something, and we're hoping that it continues on.

- So, not only do you wanna raise the dollars, you wanna raise the dollars to give the dollars away, right?

You just need a funnel for it to go through so that it can be done fairly and equitably.

Now, you said $20.

Sometimes when we hear, as you know, we pledge here at KVCR television and radio, and those $20 pledges sometimes mean so much to me, because that means they care about it.

They may not have the wherewithal, but they're gonna give up that $20.

So, do you have any stories like that of someone that you know, without any names, but just the importance of it?

- Yeah, we do.

In the conversations we've had with folks over the last few months, I have a friend who was able to give $20.

They lost their job during COVID, but were able to rebound a little bit; not making as much as they were, but they were like, "We really believe in what it is you're trying to do, and this is great.

I can give $20 now.

Maybe I can give $20 later."

We get a lot of stories like that.

And, what I'm really excited about, Lillian, is this isn't just IECF.

This isn't just me kind of launching this initiative.

We've assembled a leadership and grantmaking committee that includes Latino leaders from across the region.

So, folks who are familiar to your listeners like Tomás Morales who's the president of Cal State-San Bernardino.

Diana Rodriguez who's the chancellor at SBCCD; Elizabeth Romero, Assistant Vice Chancellor at UCR.

So, we've brought together a lot of Latino regional leaders to build out this fund.

They all have invested their time, energy, and resources.

And so, I'm really, really excited about what we're building together.

- Now, will you share some of the examples or the projects or maybe the initiatives that you either anticipate might be applying or what you see how these funds will go?

Do you have any kind of people at the starting line that are ready to submit?

Or have you heard anything?

Who do you think you'll be funding?

- Yeah, that is a great question.

That's a question we get a lot.

So, one of the things I should mention is we're also funding research through our work, 'cause one of the things we wanna do, to your question, is identify where the needs exist.

And so, at our launch event at the Cheech- really excited to kind of have a community celebration as we launch- we're gonna also be releasing a report.

It's a data profile that takes the latest census data.

And, it looks at things like educational attainment rates for Latinos.

It looks at things like home ownership, where folks work who are Latino, and a host of other issues.

And so, we're gonna use that as a starting point to help inform our giving.

But, we're looking for all different types of organizations.

So, whether you're a legacy organization who's been around for decades who does incredible work, we wanna fund some of the work that you're doing.

If you're a legal organization helping immigrants with their citizenship papers or getting vaccinations, we wanna help you.

If you're a smaller group, if you're an individual or individuals who are just starting out but really wanna serve the community, we wanna invest in your organization, as well.

So, the answer is "everyone under the sun."

But, we do have limited resources, so we will look to make sure that the grant applications are written in a way that welcomes and invites applicants from folks across the board.

And, hopefully, through the grantmaking, we can help them succeed.

- Now, have you or your committee created criterias, and when do you hope to be actually funding?

You said it's a calendar year.

So, are you hoping to be funding by next year, same time?

- That's correct.

So, we're currently developing the parameters.

We're gonna launch in September publicly.

We hope to work over the next few months to finalize those criteria, have the grant applications go out.

And then, our goal is the early part of 2023.

We'll have met with the grantmaking committee, reviewed all the applications, and hopefully be able to grant out by the first quarter of next year.

So, it's kind of a pretty quick timeline, but we're really excited to get the ball rolling.

- It is a quick timeline and it's happening pretty fast.

You've got it on a fast-track, for sure!

Now, why creating this was it so important to you?

You said you're the chair.

You're the founder.

Why was this so important to you?

- Yeah.

I get that question a lot, too.

And, I am someone who's very proudly from the Inland Empire.

I was born in San Bernardino, raised in Riverside's Northside community, which is where my parents live still to this day.

And, I was fortunate, like I mentioned earlier, to be able to go to UCLA.

I've had a very successful career in state government public service.

And so, when I kind of left my government service and I had time and the ability to do a lot more than I did in those jobs, one of the things I wanted to do was to use the network that I was able to build, use the resources that we have, and help galvanize that towards doing something good.

And so, when I left my last job, I was approached by different boards and organizations to help advance their missions; was really, like I said earlier, impressed with Michelle and Paulette and their vision for the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

And so, in our early conversations, I was like, "I wanna do this.

Yes, I'm in.

"How do we build out something that specifically serves a Latino community?"

'Cause I saw growing up, there wasn't a lot.

And, there still isn't a lot.

There's a lot of great organizations doing important work on the ground, so we wanna be additive.

We wanna support that momentum, but we also wanna amplify it where we can.

So, for me, personally, as someone who's from this region who's had a great career so far, like I just think that this is the right thing to do right now.

And, again, it isn't just me.

There's a whole host of committee folks who are on board that I'm really fortunate and privileged to work alongside.

So, we're excited.

We're excited to see what we can build.

- Okay.

So, you touched on it there.

I am gonna talk about your background.

You grew up here in the Inland Empire, as you just described.

You worked closely with Governor Newsom as his communications director and press secretary.

And, you worked with formerly our California State-- Secretary of State, and now senator, Alex Padilla.

And, you're still so young.

You were a kid in the IE, and how did the kid from the IE make it to California State Capitol?

- I ask myself that question all the time, Lillian.

I was fortunate to be the first and only person in my family to go to college.

And so, a lot of where I ended up since I was that kid in the north side has been a little bit of luck and a little bit of persistence.

At UCLA, I interned with different organizations and campaigns, and one opportunity led to the next.

And, I was fortunate to meet mentors and friends, folks like Jose Medina, who's the assemblyman in Riverside, who was the first campaign I worked on as a high school student.

I still consider him a great friend.

From there, went to work for the Latino Legislative Caucus, was able to do a lot of work on, work with Senator Ricardo Lara at the time.

Now he's our insurance commissioner on a lot of legislation.

Then, Secretary of State Padilla and the governor.

And, I think part of the why for this initiative as well is when I was with the governor, I was his press secretary and comm secretary during COVID-19.

And so, I saw on the inside that government can only do so much: like, we can push what we can and we can help educate the community, but really where we saw impact and effectiveness was those organizations who were trusted partners, trusted messengers for the community.

And so, part of what the CIELO Fund does is it recognizes that government can do what government can do, businesses and organizations can do what they can do.

Philanthropy, though, is a space where there's a lot of growth potential.

And, I think that's where I'm trying to put my resources, my connections into expanding that.

And, I think alongside the leaders that I mentioned before, it's been an incredible journey.

And, I really hope that we're gonna see some really big changes when it comes to philanthropy and the region.

And, again, IECF is carrying that mantle here locally and working alongside a lot of larger philanthropies.

So, I'm really excited!

I don't know how I ended up here, but here I am!

And so, hopefully this is my way of paying it forward.

- So, I'm gonna stay on your journey a little bit longer.

Did you know when you were a little boy growing up in Riverside, that this is what you wanted to do?

Or, did you get to high school and then decide the political world is where I wanna be 'cause that's where I can make a difference?

Or, was it when you got to UCLA?

And, that's when you really got truly invested.

But, you said you were already serving on a committee in high school.

So, you must have had a love right away for government in some capacity.

And, were there mentors for you along the way other than before you got to UCLA?

- Yeah.

So I mean, my journey really starts when I was about nine or ten years old.

My dad who is an immigrant from El Salvador, he fled a civil war.

So, a lot of folks come to seek better opportunities and economic potential.

My dad fled violence in his home country.

He worked his way to getting his GED here at RUSD Adult School.

He ultimately got his citizenship and he started voting.

And, he started paying attention to elections.

And, I was young and watching him watch the news, and he took me with him to the polling locations.

And so, since then, that's where I was kind of intrigued by what this thing called "government" was.

And, I saw the benefit that this thing called "government" had on my family.

So, that's really what piqued my interest.

And, from there started getting more involved locally in the Inland Empire.

And then, went into the same thing at UCLA where I was fortunate to serve in a student-organizing capacity as the chair of the UC Student Association.

And, my interest has always been at the intersection of public policy, communications, and community.

I just think that they're all interrelated, and that there's a lot that can be done if you can navigate the three!

(Lillian chuckles) And, that's what I think makes someone a successful public servant, a successful organizational executive director.

So, that's kind of where my journey has taken me.

I've had mentors definitely along the way.

Like I mentioned earlier, Jose Medina, him and his wife, Linda Fragoso.

They have been incredible, incredible friends, allies and mentors, and we're friends to this day, so we constantly hang out.

And, Ricardo Lara as just such a trailblazer in the Latino community and LGBT community.

He has really paved a path for a lot of others after him.

And so, just looking at their example, looking at folks like Alex Padilla, I mean, such a statesman.

I mean, the first Latino United States senator in California.

And, just an amazing, amazing, great, great human being if you've ever had the chance to meet him.

We're very fortunate I think to have him as our senator.

So, just being in the room with a lot of these folks and seeing how they lead with passion and example, that's been so inspiring to me.

And, I think there's different ways to make an impact.

You don't always have to run for elected office.

You don't always have to have a title.

You could do things at the community level that has just as much, if not more, impact.

And, that's what I'm trying to do with the IECF, and I think that's what we're trying to do with this fund.

- Let me just comment on Alex Padilla.

I have had the opportunity to interview him and meet him in person on some personal occasions.

He's such a delightful human being.

And, I remember when I was interviewing, 'cause he's an MIT graduate, right?

And, I was nervous about that part!

And, I had already known him, and I didn't realize he was an MIT graduate, and so I got a little nervous.

But, he pushed me right through it and we did fine.

And, it was so interesting to learn about his background in Pacoima, and his being a part of the calorie thing on menus.

I mean, he's just done so much.

And, just intelligent and smart and kind; was really nice.

Now, when you were talking about mentors, could you say or would you say that your dad was maybe one of your first influences?

'Cause you said he you were watching him, and he was an immigrant.

And, did he have a profound effect on you?

- Absolutely.

And, he still does.

He came to this country, again, by no choosing of his own.

He was kind of forced out.

But, to capitalize on that opportunity when he was here and get his GED.

A GED may not seem like a lot to folks listening, but when you're an immigrant who was trying to become a teacher back in El Salvador and then you're here in this country, you realize you're probably not gonna be able to go get your education and do that.

But, you could at least get your GED.

You could learn English.

My dad is fluent in English today.

And so, just growing up and seeing his example.

And, my mom as well.

I mean, she's first-generation Mexican American.

When she was growing up, they were picking grapes in Central California.

And so, both of my parents didn't have it very easy growing up, and they were able to make a family.

And, we didn't have a lot growing up.

We definitely did not.

But, we had what we needed.

They were always supportive of my brothers and I.

And, to this day, it makes me proud to see them proud.

- Yeah!

- Of all the things that we've done together, I don't consider my accomplishments mine, at all.

I think everyone, no matter who you are, you are who you are because of the people around you and the people who've lifted you up.

And, that's what I mean.

I've just been a benefit of that.

A beneficiary of that, I should say.

So my dad, my mom, my family members, my brothers.

Right?

I mean, you don't need a college education to have impact in this world.

And, each of them is doing their thing in the arts world, in civil engineering and construction.

I have brothers that kind of do everything in between.

I have younger stepbrother who works at SpaceX.

So, I mean-- I just have a dynamic and resilient family.

And, it was funny-- when I was in the governor's office, he talked about-- he went to Salvador.

It was one of the highlights of my career.

I was able to join the governor in 2019 to El Salvador.

It was his first and only international trip.

And, just to think that my dad emigrated when he did.

One generation later, his son is now going back with the governor of California to observe root causes to migration; it was kind of the point of our trip.

And so, I just had like-- - Wow.

- a 'who am I?'

moment at that point!

I was like, "What is my life at this-?"

There's definitely a responsibility that comes with that, where you're thrust into these positions.

To your earlier question: How did I get there?

I don't know.

But, there I was, right, on this plane flying to the country that my dad had emigrated from.

And, the governor, he would call my story a very California story.

One of the things I would say is absolutely, but if you look at regions like the Inland Empire, my story is very much an Inland Empire story.

And, in the jobs that I've had, we would always push for, when I worked for Secretary of State Padilla, was able to bring him to John W. North High School while he was secretary of state to do a voter registration drive.

Then-Senator Ricardo Lara came to UC Riverside, where I got my MPP, and did a workshop there.

And, the governor swung through Riverside and San Bernardino counties multiple times when I worked for him.

So- I mean, it's just great to be able to have those little wins and bring attention back to where you're from and where you're at.

So, it's just been a very wild journey, Lillian.

And, yeah!

I'm proud of what we've done together, through my family and through everyone else.

And, we'll see.

We'll see where this goes.

- So, you say you don't know how you got there.

Well, it was a lot of hard work and persevering and long hours and dedication: that's how you got there.

And, it's because you're dedicated and you believe in it.

That's how you got there.

So, thank you for serving our community that way.

Before I let you go, tell me what the California 100 is.

It's something else you're involved in.

Tell me what that is.

- Yeah.

So, that's my day job!

- Oh!

- So, I'm a board member- - Is that your paying job?

- That's my paying job!

So, I actually work for the University of California, Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy.

I'm really proud to be on staff there.

We are working through this initiative called California 100, which is one of the research initiatives of the University of California.

And, what we're looking at is long-term solutions to public policy.

It's a futures initiative.

So, a lot of policy solutions are thought of in terms of two-years, four-year, six-year cycles, largely because of elections.

And so, through California 100, what we're doing is like, "That's great.

"But, let's put that aside and let's think about the longer-term outlook."

So, the more commonly thought of things are things like climate change, where folks can see 2035, 2050.

Like, you could see those kind of tangible impacts in your lives.

But, we're looking at things like educational attainment.

Like, what will the public education system look like in a few years?

Water resources: what will that look like?

What's the future of business and agriculture in California?

And so, we're working with 20 different research centers across the state to produce futures reports.

We've released 13, and now we have another two coming out this fall.

So, it's fun.

It's kind of this new startup incubated public policy and engagement initiative.

And so, it's been a lot of fun.

I'm working with the former dean of the Goldman School, the current associate dean, Karthick Ramakrishnan, who's at UC Riverside, who's a good, good friend.

And, just lots of others.

So, it's been a really fun initiative.

I joined the Goldman staff after leaving the governor's office about a year ago.

So, it's been a really fun ride.

- And, lastly, what is your greatest takeaway?

What do you want the community to know about Latinos?

- Yeah.

I think the Inland Empire remains one of the fastest growing regions in the state, and driving that growth is the Latino community.

I don't think we see that enough or say that enough.

And so, what I want folks to know is that for our region to succeed, for this region to continue to grow, for there to be equitable resources for organizations to thrive, we need to build up that infrastructure of those groups who are supporting the community.

And so, for our region to succeed, the Latino community has to succeed.

And, that's part of what we're trying to do with the CIELO Fund.

I think that we can't leave behind anyone as we're moving forward, and too often that's the case.

So, what we're hoping to do is bring attention to that through the CIELO Fund.

And, folks who might be interested in giving, I'm gonna do a shameless plug here!

You can visit iegives.org/cielofund.

It's iegives.org/cielofund.

And, give what you can.

And, join us on the journey.

We're not gonna get it right out of the gate.

We have a lot of growing to do, a lot of building to do.

But, I think we have the right people involved, and a lot of folks who are willing to put in the work.

So, I just think everyone, whether you're a Latino or not, we welcome support.

We welcome whatever it is you can give or do to help us launch this initiative.

We definitely welcome your support.

- Wow.

You did a great job.

So, presidency?

Running for president in 2030?

- Oh no, no, no!

Like I said, you don't need an elected office to do important work.

We have a lot of friends who are already doing that.

I enjoy being behind the scenes.

These kinds of interviews are actually very awkward for me, as you can tell!

(chuckles) But, I'm used to being the guy that trains the folks who do that for a living.

So, no.

I'm really happy to do the kind of work that I'm doing right now.

And, after being, the governor's press secretary and comms director during COVID, it takes a lot outta you!

So, I'm enjoying the downtime right now.

I'll be honest!

(laughs) - Jesse, thank you so much for your time.

It's been a pleasure getting to know you and learning a little bit about you.

And, thank you for serving our community.

This program was originally produced for 91.9 KVCR-Radio.

♪ ♪ Yeah, the simple things in life ♪