Salinas Underground

The news cycle seems to be a 24-hour scare-a-thon about the current COVID-19 outbreak around the world. We should be taking it seriously and following all possible precautions, but we must also remember that other parts of life are still moving forward. Like the re-building of three blocks of Oldtown sidewalks and the change of Main St traffic from one-way to two-ways. Also, it looks like a new pedestrian bridge is going up at the Sports Complex, and a new truck stop is being built by the airport. Lots to talk about, none of it doomsday related.

The world is going crazy over a virus, and Oz doesn't have health insurance, so he got creative when seeking medical advice. Dr. John Silva and Dr. Blair Cushing are two family health doctors that did not come on the podcast to talk about Coronavirus. Instead, they talk about their work with families in the Salinas Valley. Dr. Cushing also talks about traveling twice a month to the Texas/Mexico border to help out with the awful situation that is going on.

Monterey County, as a whole, and Salinas, in particular, has been at the center of California's legal cannabis revolution. Other than consuming it, Oz knows little about how a plant ends up in neat little packages on store shelves. Abraham, David, and Benny are three guys that have seen the industry grow from all sides. They sit down with Oz to talk about what is going on in Monterey County and where they expect the industry to grow.

Rob from Masa for the Raza is back to talk about all the events he has heard about and made it out to this year. If you do not follow his page on Instagram then you are missing out on a lot of cool stuff that is happening not only in Salinas but the whole Monterey Bay area as well!! This week he talks about some of the more memorable events of the last year and what he is looking forward to in 2020.

This week on the podcast, we talk to the hosts of one of the newest podcasts on our network. Sam and Frenchy are the two people behind 831 Comadres where "nothing is off the table cuando estas entre comadres!" They are here to tell us all about how they met, where the idea came from, and what they plan to talk about on the podcast. If you like what they have to say, follow then on Instagram and be on the lookout for their first episode!

Starting your own business is tough. Taking over an established business with a loyal clientele might be tougher. That is the challenge that three guys from Salinas took when they bought XL Publichouse earlier this year. We sit down with two of them to discuss their history and how they ended up owning Salinas' first craft beer bar and what their plans are for the future.

One day you are traveling around the country putting on events and the next day you learn that you are in a fight for your life. At 30-years-old this was the reality that Sergio Alejo was facing but he didn't give up. Now 7 years later he opened up his second brick-and-mortar location in Salinas. Stonies Taphouse and Bistro is part craft beer bar part BBQ joint and Sergio is here to tell us his amazing story of how it all came together.

Housing is one of the most significant issues faced by a lot of Salinas residents. Viviendas Para Todos is a group of people from different walks of life with one common goal, fair and affordable housing for all citizens of Salinas. They came together after meeting each other at various community events, and now they are one group working towards a common goal. In this conversation, we talk about how they came together and what they are asking for from city officials.

There are around 160,000 people in Salinas, each with their own unique story to tell. We probably won't get to all of them, but in this episode, we talk to Silvia Trejo, who has a fantastic story to tell. From arriving in the US in style in a Grand Am to eating well to live a healthier life, our conversation was a great learning experience for us.

Flying through the air and getting slammed on canvas is not something that seems like a good time to us but our guest lives for it. Grace Jackson is a member of Big Time Wrestling a company that puts on wrestling shows all over the Bay Area including Salinas. She talks about her experiences in the independent wrestling circuit how she got involved and what her plans are for the future.