November 16, 2025 • 32 mins
Segment 1: Offroad bikes and the Child Crisis Center!
.
Amber Banda interviews Cesar Garcia, Director and Founder of Doomsday Offroad Racing, and Andrew Castaneda, Director of Operations for the Child Crisis Center of El Paso.
.
Doomsday Offroad Racing is non-profit in itself, and they are having an Off Road Show to benefit the Child Crisis Center of El Paso Saturday Nov 22nd at Barnett Harley-Davidson from 10am-2pm. This event will be open to the public and feature off-road vehicles, a jumping balloon, face painting, food trucks, raffles, and more! Come learn more about the dirt-riding community and help out El Paso's Child Crisis Center.
.
You are also welcome to bring non-perishable food items for the center, from canned goods as well as new toiletry items.
.
For more information follow the Child Crisis Center and Doomsday on Instagram and Facebook, and go to https://childcrisiscenterofelpaso.org/
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Segment 2: Cops and Comedy!
.
Amber Banda interviews Detectives Joe Rosales and George Jimenez of the El Paso Municipal Police Officer's Association (EPMPOA) on their upcoming Code 3 Comedy Show! they talk about the Association, how it helps officers and their families through difficult situations, their personal ties to the association, as well as their joke writing process for the upcoming show and how they have evolved as comedians.
.
This year's show will be Friday Nov 28th and Saturday Nov 29th at Bart Reed's Comic Strip on Airway. 2 shows each day at 7:30pm and 10pm. This year starring Raymond Orta, and featuring George Jimenez, Joe Rosales and Ponchi Herrera. Get your tickets now at laff2nite.com
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Segment 3: El Paso Health
.
Health Plans for El Pasoans by El Pasoans. Amber Banda interviews Viri Garcia, Medicare Manager for El Paso Health. They talk about different types of health insurance while focusing on Medicare Advantage. They discuss who it covers, deadlines to apply, how to apply and how to get free assistance to apply, what to look for when choosing a plan, and more.
.
For plans, assistance choosing a plan, and more information visit ephmedicare.com
NEW EPISODES EVERY SUNDAY AT 8AM! Follow Amber Banda, 96.3 KHEY Country, Power 102.1 or Sunny 99.9 on Instagram and/or Facebook for pictures of our guests and leave a comment. Be a part of the good going on in our community!
.
Amber Banda interviews Cesar Garcia, Director and Founder of Doomsday Offroad Racing, and Andrew Castaneda, Director of Operations for the Child Crisis Center of El Paso.
.
Doomsday Offroad Racing is non-profit in itself, and they are having an Off Road Show to benefit the Child Crisis Center of El Paso Saturday Nov 22nd at Barnett Harley-Davidson from 10am-2pm. This event will be open to the public and feature off-road vehicles, a jumping balloon, face painting, food trucks, raffles, and more! Come learn more about the dirt-riding community and help out El Paso's Child Crisis Center.
.
You are also welcome to bring non-perishable food items for the center, from canned goods as well as new toiletry items.
.
For more information follow the Child Crisis Center and Doomsday on Instagram and Facebook, and go to https://childcrisiscenterofelpaso.org/
_______________________________________________________________________________
Segment 2: Cops and Comedy!
.
Amber Banda interviews Detectives Joe Rosales and George Jimenez of the El Paso Municipal Police Officer's Association (EPMPOA) on their upcoming Code 3 Comedy Show! they talk about the Association, how it helps officers and their families through difficult situations, their personal ties to the association, as well as their joke writing process for the upcoming show and how they have evolved as comedians.
.
This year's show will be Friday Nov 28th and Saturday Nov 29th at Bart Reed's Comic Strip on Airway. 2 shows each day at 7:30pm and 10pm. This year starring Raymond Orta, and featuring George Jimenez, Joe Rosales and Ponchi Herrera. Get your tickets now at laff2nite.com
_______________________________________________________________________________
Segment 3: El Paso Health
.
Health Plans for El Pasoans by El Pasoans. Amber Banda interviews Viri Garcia, Medicare Manager for El Paso Health. They talk about different types of health insurance while focusing on Medicare Advantage. They discuss who it covers, deadlines to apply, how to apply and how to get free assistance to apply, what to look for when choosing a plan, and more.
.
For plans, assistance choosing a plan, and more information visit ephmedicare.com
NEW EPISODES EVERY SUNDAY AT 8AM! Follow Amber Banda, 96.3 KHEY Country, Power 102.1 or Sunny 99.9 on Instagram and/or Facebook for pictures of our guests and leave a comment. Be a part of the good going on in our community!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm your host,
Amber Banda, and today we have mister Andrew.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Is how I know you?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Andrew Castaniada, director of operations at the Child Crisis Center
of al Paso. Mister Andrew, thank you for being with
us today.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Yes, ma'am absolutely, thank you for having us this summer.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Is it okay? So I'll call you mister Andrew.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Yez, Absolutely, I okay, I appreciate it. It It brings back
great memories of one of our time together.
Speaker 5 (00:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So, for those of you that don't know, I used
to work at a child crisis center. I loved it there.
And we also have Caesar Garcia. He is the director
and founder of Doom Today off Road Racing.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
Caesar, thank you for talking with us today, Amber, thank
you so much for inviting me again. I'm pleasure to
be here, of.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Course, Yes, welcome back both of you, your seasoned veterans. So, okay,
the Child Crisis Center of al Paso and Doomsday off
Road Racing. What do motorcycles and kids have in common?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We're going to find out.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
But first, the Child Crisis Center of all Passo nom strategy.
You're no stranger to the show, but for people that
may have never heard of the Child Crisis Center are
very unfamiliar with it. What is this organization?
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Yes, ma'am, so, the Child christ Center of Apaso has
a rich history of being a support service program for
the community of members of al Paso for forty five years.
The mission of the center has been to protect children
and preserve families, and so our goal has been in
the protection of children from child abuse and neglect. So
everything that we do, all the services we offer, is
really with that in mind. We offer an emergency shelter
(01:47):
placement for any family who may be going through a
crisis for their children and so the children can stay
with us a short term while we help families to
kind of find what resources they may need fill the
gaps to improve the quality of life for the family exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And are there any maybe misconceptions. I know, like I said,
when I worked there, there was a lot of people that, Oh, well,
the child Crisis center does this, or do they do that?
Are there any misconceptions you might want to address about
the child Crisis Center.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
That's a great question, Misamber, Thank you for asking.
Speaker 5 (02:15):
Well, that's always that's you know that.
Speaker 6 (02:16):
I would say that's.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Probably one of the highest priorities I have whenever I'm
spreading awareness, right, because we really are. Our goal is
in family preservation, So we want to keep families together.
And I think there's always that misconception that if I
ask for help, it may somehow come back to me negatively, right,
And so it's quite the contrary. I always say that
it takes so much courage to ask for help, and
(02:37):
so we really encourage anyone in the community who who
might be needing assistance with resources, maybe a food basket,
one of the services we offer, to just come knock
on our door. It takes courage, but ultimately, you know,
we always like to say that we're here to help
families to be the best that they can be.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And do you work with any other child advocacy agencies
in the community.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
We do.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
The Child crist Center has had a long standing partnership
with with all the local nonprofits in our community. We
do work with the Apastole Police Department, the File Department,
child Protective Services. But we are simply a resource when
a crisis occurs. So if a child and the family
may be at high risk of abuse neglect, our center
is a safe haven for those children.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, and while the kids are there, what a lot
of people don't know is, you know, if they're in
extracurricular activities, if they're doing anything like that, like the
Child Crisis Center takes them. You know. You guys provide transportation,
you provide all the meals, you provide all the toys,
you provide all the clothing. I mean, you know, anything
for people out there that have raised a child, and
I know a majority of people out there maybe even
(03:40):
raising grandchildren like that is what the Child Crisis Center
helps with. And Caesar, I'm gonna throw it over to
you for a little bit. Now. You are going to
be helping with an event for the Child Crisis Center.
But before we get into that event, you're the director
and founder of Doomsday off road Racing.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
So what is Doom's off road Racing?
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Doomsday off road Racing is just h just a group
of my friends and family. We've been doing it, uh
for thirteen years now. Come January twenty twenty six, it'll
be our fourteenth annual. So we'll put on this information
for a barbecue or cookout for that. But we just
get together and we off road and we write dirt
bikes and we have a good time, and we invite
a lot of people that uh that are new to it,
(04:24):
and we don't mind uh teaching people. We also invite,
you know, we also catch the guys the eye of
a veteran and season you know, off road off road enthusiasts,
and they you know, they come on, they come along
and we go out and we camp and we trail
and we ride bikes, and we break stuff and we
get together and we fix it.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Phones.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Yeah, we break bones.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
How many injuries have you yourself had, because.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
I know you love two good ones one one major
one one major one Alamagordo, New Mexico. That was a
time too.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, I'm sure you have to kind of have a
specialist relationship with pain. When to do that kind of
sport because me, the minute I break a pinky, I'm done.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
Oh yeah, it's definitely fun. It's part of it's part
of the deal.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
You know.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
We'll break it and get better and get right back
on it.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Now, before we go into the event, I just want
to ask you what made you decide to make the
Child Crisis Center the beneficiary of this event.
Speaker 6 (05:26):
We did it, We did.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
They were the beneficiary of this event last year as well,
and we change it up every year. We've done the
Reinolds Home before the Annunciation House is which one I
want to do again in the future. But just just
just you know, talking to people that I know, you know,
I kind of can just figure out for myself where
(05:48):
the help is needed. Yeah, So you know, I called
the I got in touch with my people at the
center and uh and we're just gonna do the event
this year again.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah for them.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
Oh yeah, especially again.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
We were saying this earlier off air with you know,
the government shutdown as of the airing of this recording.
Who knows what it's going to be, but even then,
like people are still going to be recovering from it.
So with that being said again, I am talking here
with Caesar Garcia, he's founder and director of Doomsday off
Road Racing, a nonprofit in itself, as well as Andrew Castanieeda,
who I will affectionately refer to as Mister Andrew, Director
(06:24):
of operations for the Child Crisis Center of All pass
So now, especially during this time of year. I remember
when I worked there during the holiday season, it was
just so hectic, but in a good way. People wanting
to help. Now, if you are a fan of motorcycles,
you're a fan of fun, you're a fan of helping kids.
Off Road show benefit for Child Crisis Center put on
by Doomsdayroad Racing. It's going to be happening Saturday, November
(06:47):
twenty second, so ten am to two pm at Barnett
Harley Davidson. Caesar, can you tell the listening audience a
little bit more about what is going to be happening
at this event, at this off road show.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Yeah, for sure. So what we do is we just
asked the community to bring out their cool cars and
cool motorcycles and especially old trucks, vintage trucks. We just
have some friends of mine that will bring some some.
Speaker 8 (07:10):
Cool uh air cooled old volkswagens that are you know,
desert vehicles. Yeah, so we'll have a variety of areaiting
rock crawlers and Baja vehicles, and we're gonna take a
bunch of our race bikes out there too.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
So all my crew will be on hand to answer
questions and just talk to people about what we do
and how we do it and when.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
We do it.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
Also as a question that we get asked a lot. Yeah,
but if you've never been to this show, to this
event before, this is gonna be the fourth.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
Year that we do that with Barnett.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
So big thank you to Mark Barnett and all of
my associates, everybody that I know at Barnett for helping me,
you know, keeping this going. And you know, it's very
very proud to know that they enjoy doing it. That
this is the fourth that we're gonna do it at Barnett,
So that's pretty cool. So that's, you know, something I'm
really proud of.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
But yes, the people that are registering for this event,
that's those funds, that's what's going to be used for
the child crisis.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Yes, okay, yes, yeah, so we will. It is free
for the public to attend, but we do, uh, you know,
ask for donations will be there'll be several raffles going
on throughout the day. We do ask the community if
you'd like to bring your you know, your old jeep
or you got an old cool Tayota, you know, come
bringing ten fifteen bucks, twenty dollars, you know, give it
(08:32):
to us at the gate and you know, shine your
car up. And you know there's gonna be food trucks
and some of our sponsors bring a couple of jumping balloons.
And I've got a buddy of mine that paints kids' faces.
So that's fun all day long, just looking at cool stuff. Yeah,
and you know, jumping balloons and hopefully I can find
somebody to get some some kind candy. You know, we're
(08:54):
just yeah, just stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
So you're listening to this and you think that you
may be able to add to this event or you know,
you said shine them up or maybe get them as
dirty as possible and then show up right.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Yeah, you want to bring your money thing over, like,
bring it on, kids love it.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
I bring your money thing over.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
So you know, another thing that we were talking about
earlier is donate. Mister Andrew, you kind of touched on
it earlier. You do you are a resource for people
that may be facing food and security, especially right now,
so you will be able to take food donations, food
items to this event and they'll take them for you.
Mister Andrew. What kind of items can people donate?
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Yes, thank you, Miss Amber. Any really anything that a
family could use in their home to help to to
really sustain them and and you know, and making sure
that the children are safe, that they're clean and they're safe.
And I mentioned that because hygiene items are definitely appreciated.
Nonperishable food items, anything that really keeps a longer shelf life. Yeah,
(09:52):
you know, we also always request people keep in mind
child related things, so like juices and snacks, things that
you would give your kidd's at home. Those are things
that we would use not only for our children in
the shelter, but also the individuals who are seeking us
out who have families and they may need those items
for their children as well.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Perfect So again you can take those items. You can
donate them at the off Road Show to benefit the
Child Crisis Center, put on by Doomsday off Road Racing Saturday,
November twenty second, from ten am to two pm at Barnett,
Harley Davidson, and this information will also be available on
poun O two Sunday, ninety nine point nine and ninety
six point three k Country, Instagram and Facebook. And if
(10:30):
you're listening on the free iHeart app, there will be
links and more information there as well. Caesar and Andrew,
thank you so much for being here with me today.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yes, man, thank you for having us.
Speaker 6 (10:38):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Welcome back to the Alpaso Public Forum. I'm our host, Amberbanda,
and we have two detectives in the station today. Don't worry,
I'm safe. We have Detective Joe Rosalez, Detective Jo Dosalas.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Thank you for being here with us today.
Speaker 9 (10:56):
Thank you for having us. Thank you so much, of course.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And we also have Detective George Hemenaz George, thank you
for being here.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
With us today.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Hello Amber, and thanks for having.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Us of course. So today we're going to be talking
a little bit about the Alpaso Municipal Police Officers Association.
I would say e p m POA.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
For sure, but it's not really that much shorter.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
We're we're also going to be talking about a really
cool comedy show fundraiser for the ep m po A.
But first, Detective George, can you tell us a little
bit about this police Officers Association.
Speaker 6 (11:27):
Absolutely, it's kind of a tongue twister, So you.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Got that pretty good cut on my tongue, kind of
sound like at.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
That's how you know you're a professional.
Speaker 10 (11:35):
So what we do is we the Passo Police Officer
Municipal Officers Association hasn't a fund.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
It's called the Ernie Gomez Fund, which was established in
nineteen eighty seven.
Speaker 10 (11:45):
The benefits officers that have been through any kind of
catastrophic incident, either the officer or their family. That fund
obviously comes from the association. It's not associated with the
actual police department. It's our association that's towards us, kind
of like our you know, way of giving back to
officers within ourselves, Yes, within officers. So every year we
(12:09):
have different types of fundraisers that put money into the
fund because unfortunately, officers do go through catastrophic events. It
could be a non duty accident, some of our officers
get sick. I mean, there are different things that create
instances where officers are in need. So what we decided
to do is to trade in our badges for some
mics and we're going to go up there and we're
going to put on This is going to be our
(12:31):
third annual Code three Comedy show, and we're really asking
for support because all the proceeds, all the ticket sales
go to the Earning Go Misfund.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And we're going to talk about the event in a
little bit. But Detective George, so this isn't like you said,
it's an association that helps the police officers their families
when they've gone through some sort of catastrophic event. One
what type of catastrophic events? Then I'll ask you a
second question a little bit.
Speaker 10 (12:54):
Well, you know, unfortunately we're living at time now where
everybody knows somebody that's been affected by cancer.
Speaker 6 (12:58):
We've had officers that had answer.
Speaker 10 (13:00):
We've had officers that have had on duty incidents, accidents,
whether it be uh a non duty car accident, uh
some kind of injury that prevents them from doing their.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
Day to day jobs.
Speaker 10 (13:10):
Well, the Earning Gomez Fund comes in to help that
officer when it comes to medical expenses and different things
that hardships that we we all of us have day
to day within like means that that we can't pay
for stuff, right, I mean, it could be something as
as simple as you know, paying for some pro wheelchair.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Or something like that, you know what I mean, of course, yeah.
Speaker 10 (13:32):
And that's what it that's what it's about personally. You know,
in my life, my my younger daughter, uh did have
some medical issues going on early in her life, and
and and the Dirny Gomes Fund, you know, comes into
help and supporting things that we needed to do. We'd
have to take her to the Children's hospital and Phoenix
and those are things that that you know, the officers
(13:52):
all rally around and they help out. And that's that's
what this fund does. But it doesn't fund itself. So
we have to come up with creative ways to do that.
And this is a way to like kind of get
engaged with the community and have you know, we work
very serious jobs. So for us to just like I said,
training our badges for mikes and have a good time,
you know, laugh it off, that's that's the best way
(14:13):
we could do that.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
And you actually answered my second question, which was why
did you decide to be a part of this association
to help you, you know, your fellow police officer.
Speaker 10 (14:21):
Well, well, it's kind of like a two point approach here,
right they I was a stand up comedian before I
became a cop, so I became like, I literally went
comedian two cop, and I kept that kind of a
secret in the department.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
But a few years ago after covid UH, the fund.
Speaker 10 (14:38):
Was running kind of low, so somebody thought of like
coming up with a comedy show and they found out, hey,
there's a dude that's tucked away at a unit that
they did some jokes. They approached me and asked me
if I do this, So to me it was a calling.
I guess it gave me purpose to say, hey, how
can I use my old talents to help out my
you know, fellow officers. And then we came up with
the clever thing. We came up with the Code three
(14:58):
Comedy Show because for those who don't know, Code three
means lights and sirens, which is exactly what the show
is all about, you know, no holding back, comedy with
a purpose. Every laugh goes to the fund, which helps
officers and their families. And you know, if you guys
come out with some laughs and help us answer that
call for those who like you know that we've answered
calls for you know, so it's going to be a
(15:19):
great night.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
It is. And again, if you're just tuning in. I
have here with me Detective Joe Rosales and Detective George Jimenez,
both a part of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association. Joe,
can you tell us a little bit about this upcoming
event that George alluded to, the Code three Comedy Show.
When is it going to be, Where's it going to
be at? What can we expect?
Speaker 9 (15:40):
So the dates are going to be November twenty eighth
and twenty ninth, So we're gonna have two shows each
night at seven point thirty and at ten pm. Ages
are seventeen and up. It'll be at the l Paso
Comic Strip on Airway where we just create an event
on Facebook and you can also get tickets at the
El Pasocomicstrip dot com. The opposite of George. I was
(16:00):
actually a cop first and then I, you know, I
wanted to dabble into comedy.
Speaker 6 (16:05):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (16:06):
And one of our mutual friends told George about it,
and George hit me up, say, hey, I heard you know,
I heard you you're trying to do comedy. I heard
you do open mics and stuff like that. So, yeah,
this is our third year doing this. The first two
years were very successful. So even if even if you've
attended prior events a code three, come to this one.
This is going to be the best one.
Speaker 5 (16:26):
I assure you.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Correct me if I'm wrong the first two did you
have two nights before or this is the first.
Speaker 9 (16:32):
First night we had one night, that's right, and then
the second year we had two events in one night.
This one is why you say it's going to be
the best one because we have two nights, two shows each.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Night Thanksgiving Day weekend, so a lot of people should
be off.
Speaker 9 (16:46):
You're stressed out about you know, your your shopping, your
Black Friday shopping, if you're if you're stressed out because
you're dealing with your in laws on Thanksgiving, come out,
have a good time, you know. Blofso steam, but it's
gonna be really really fun.
Speaker 8 (16:57):
You know.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
Ember just just a piggyback on that. You know.
Speaker 10 (17:00):
The first year we just kind of put this show together, right,
it was right after COVID. We did one night, one
show and it sold out. It was like four hundred people.
So then the next year we're like, let's see we
can do two shows, which we had eight hundred people.
Speaker 6 (17:09):
Lines were wrapped around the place.
Speaker 10 (17:11):
We outgrew our Association Hall, so we wanted to take
us to another level. We partnered up with Bart Reid.
I mean, Bart Reid has been a comedy owner in
the city.
Speaker 6 (17:19):
For over forty almost forty years.
Speaker 10 (17:21):
And I worked for Bart like when I first started out.
I started out as a waiter at the club and
I worked my way up to comedian. Came up to
Bart with the idea we had. He said, let's do
it Thanksgiving Day weekend. We were able to partner up
with Raymond North that who's a nationally touring really big
comedian who supports law enforcement, loves the apassive community and
the Dallas Cowboys by the way, so go Cowboys.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
And now you can't see Joe's face right.
Speaker 10 (17:43):
So it's two nights. It's two nights of comedy, you know.
And I'm not gonna lie. The reason why we were
so packed is the shows are good. We bring in
comedians and know what they're doing. We're gonna have another
comedian by the name of Ponchierretra who's been doing stand
up for over twenty years. I have a background of
twenty five years of comedy. We were just talking about
Steve Travino earlier, and those are guys that I came
up with when I started doing comedy back.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
In the day.
Speaker 10 (18:06):
So this is a really fun night, Like you're really
going to get your left on. This isn't just us
going up there and doing knock knock jokes and see
what hits the wall. We're really really going to be
doing that. So we it's a great time.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
And let me tell you, like you know, law enforcement
and comedy, it does go hand in hand. I did
one time I did stand up. It was for a
fundraiser for one of my coworkers, Mike D's and Pono two.
Speaker 5 (18:27):
Would you do it?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Okay, I've readen motorcycles, I have done some scary stuff,
and that was by far the scariest thing I had
ever done. So kudos to both of you. I'm going
to ask each of you the same question. So I'm
going to ask you first, Joe, when you're writing your jokes,
like what is your process to write jokes? Like do
you Because when I was in that those couple of
those months leading up to it, like looking for joke
(18:49):
like everything, I was like, how can I make a
joke out of that? How can I make a joke
out of that, like, what's your process like?
Speaker 9 (18:53):
So it's evolved obviously, and George could tell you that.
I you know, I ask him for advice all the time,
just because he's he's the guy, he's a pro, you know, right,
he's going in my eyes. But it started, like you said,
like I didn't open mic once. You know, my buddies
were like, hey, you're funny, you make a slap. Why
don't you go try it? And I was like, yeah,
why not. It was a really hard lesson to learn
(19:15):
that going out there without preparation it's terrible. Yeah, bombs
so bad. I never wanted to go up on stage again.
But I said, you know what, why don't you write prepare?
And you know, the second time I went up, I
got one laugh, so I was like, hey, hey, it's
one more. But yeah, my process would be just I
think of something funny at work or you know, when
(19:35):
with my friends, and then I sit there and I'll
just like, well, how can I make it funnier if
I had this like a tag, or if I make
it a little longer my I think my writing's still
evolving and obviously needs a little more work, but I've
gotten a lot better since three years ago.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
And what I love about the shows at bart Reads
because I've been at a few, is they're so targeted
to all Passo. You know, there's you know, general jokes,
but I think all Passo loves all Passo. So it's
great to.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Your comedy coming.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Like you know, they're making fun of that side of
town or that side of town. And so George, your
process of writing jokes, how to write.
Speaker 10 (20:05):
And there's gonna be a mix of that. So we're
gonna have comics that push the edge a little bit.
You know, We're gonna have guys that appel to the Latino.
And then you know, like for example, for me, everything
is about internal right, like things that happened to me
that I get a kick out of that I think,
how can I sell this to a crowd. I'll give
you a good example. Like my girlfriend says, I'm really dramatic,
right like that I overdo everything. And she's probably right,
(20:26):
but like she even says like I'm dramatic and overdue,
like hand washing, like something like like she hates the
way I wash my hands, yeah, which is a tough
thing to do, right, Like I didn't know hand washing
was something you could just mess up. It's not orgami,
it's not a Rubik's cube. It's soap and water. That's it, right,
But like, I'm not lying you.
Speaker 6 (20:43):
The other day, she looks me dead in the eye
and says, why is it direct quote that you wash
your hands? And it's like a golden retriever that just
got out of a lake. I mean water everywhere, like
SuDS everywhere. I didn't realize that.
Speaker 10 (20:55):
Just washing my hands was such a big deal. But
I take a story like that and then I think,
you know, that's probably something that I can do on stage.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
It might be kind of funny.
Speaker 10 (21:03):
So it kind of seguays into that, and then I
find out how how we can, like, you know, do
it so that it's cleverly appeal to everybody.
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Because I'm sure I'm not the only one. His girlfriend
or wife calls him dramatic, right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, my husband does wash his hands pretty violently. And
I don't know how my husband parked before me either,
because you know, I have to tell him every time we're.
Speaker 10 (21:21):
Going, like you describe it, so what he washes this
has violently and I think it's where we strew our
hands out, you know, like and I know we're on
radio so you can't see that.
Speaker 11 (21:28):
But she's like, why do you have to do that?
Like she's like, did you just riot soap on the ceiling.
It's like it's like Shamood just came out of the
freaking tank and splashed everything.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
He's like trying to wash his bones. No, but I
get it.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
I mean, I'm excited for this one. The Code three
Comedy Show again Thanksgiving weekend November twenty eighth and twenty nine.
That's a Friday and Saturday. Make plans. You can get
tickets at alpassocomicstrip dot com. It's gonna be at Bart
Reid's Comic Strip on Airway, starring Raymond Orta, George he Menaced,
Joe Rosales and it's going to be a really good
show again to benefit the al Paso Municipal Police Officers
(22:05):
Association Detectives.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Thank you for being here with me today.
Speaker 6 (22:08):
Thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm your
host Amber Banda, and today we have VD Garcia, she's
the Medicare manager for al Paso Health VID. Thank you
for talking with us today.
Speaker 7 (22:25):
Hetti, Goodrning, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Of course, good morning. Now I'm going to have a
lot of questions because I know the mere basics about
health insurance. Now al Paso Health this is a local
nonprofit health plan serving al Paso and Hudsmith Counties. Now,
I didn't even know that the city could make a
health insurance for their own community, So that's very interesting.
(22:47):
And again, health plans for al passowins by al Paso
wins now Vida. Can you tell us first a little
bit more about the nonprofit al Paso Health.
Speaker 7 (22:56):
So, al Paso Health we offer various health plans for
different individuals. One of the main focus that we have
right now is the Opasta Health Medicare advantage, so a
health plan to sign for individuals who are already retired,
disabled and who have Medicare.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Okay, and is it like because you before the interview
you kind of mentioned that right now is the time
to be signing up for that because I know there's Star,
there's CHIP, there's Star Plus. I guess there's certain times
to enroll for that. So for Medicare advantage, is there
a particular reason like it's at the end of the day,
I want to have a lot of weird questions. You
(23:34):
probably never heard about. Okay, I just like to know
how things work. But for Medicare Advantage, why is it
like this time of year that people sign up or it's.
Speaker 7 (23:40):
Just so right now? It's super important because right now
for individuals who are already on Medicare, it is a
timeframe for them to enroll. So what we mean by
that is make any changes to their current plan. If
you've never had a Medicare Advantage plan, this is the
time to actually sign up for it. And the plan
in started till January twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Okay, so if they have Medicare now, of course they're
going to have Medicare. But Medicare Advantage doesn't.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
Is this a new plan, No, so it's different programs
under Medicare. What we don't really understand and know when
we qualify for Medicare is that we have a lot
of options. We have a lot of resources that we
can obtain right and based on what we need, we
can actually choose a health plan that is going to
(24:28):
suit us for the entire year.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
And for Medicare Advantage, you had said it's for seniors,
it's for people who are retired, and you clarified this
for me. This may be common noge to a lot.
But if you're disabled, and that includes not just older
people that are disabled, but anyone that is disabled and
qualifies for Medicare. Now for these people, why are there
It's Medicare advantage. But are there different other like Medicare this,
(24:53):
Medicare that, or is this like the only like I
guess add on if you will, And I'm thinking I'm
thinking Netflix for Medicare.
Speaker 7 (25:01):
So think about as Medicare is just being your basic coverage, right,
and so the Medicare advantage plans give you the ability
to add on to Medicare already and so you pick
a plan that is based on your needs. So a
lot of these Medicare Vantage plans actually do cover tons
of coverage throughout that year, like your hospitalization, your doctors.
(25:24):
It even covers additional services that traditional Medicare does not.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Okay, and how many like different types of plans are
there for Medicare advantage.
Speaker 7 (25:34):
There are a lot of plans, and that is the
reason why it's so important to obtain the information because
not all plans are suitable for just one individual. You know, again,
it's based on coverage, based on necessity. The Medicare advantage
plans are pretty much designed and structure the same, but
they do offer different coverages and then different costs, so
(25:55):
different cost on your copays things like that.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Oh okay, and then if you feel comfortable again, I
just found out that al Paso could create a health
insurance for al Paso. Ands, Now can that also be
done like on the state level and the government level obviously, right,
like different health insurances that you can get either from
the city, from the state, or you know, or the country.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Is that correct, correct?
Speaker 7 (26:19):
So every coverage is different. The good thing and the
neat thing about al Pasco Health is that we did
create these plans, these Medicare vantaged plans based on what
we think, you know, the community needs. So based on
the needs of you know, whether it's dental coverage, vision,
you know, health coverage, things like that, and then basing
(26:42):
it on copies that are suitable and that are also
affordable for individuals in our community.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
So I'm assuming when you're when you talk about like
things that are more suitable for our community. Obviously you
know we're predominantly Hispanic. Hispanics have higher rates of diabetes
and stuff like that. But then you also mentioned like
like dental, h does that have to go by like
maybe the economic status of the whole city? Like what
(27:08):
do you kind of base it on when you say,
like when it's targeted for our community.
Speaker 7 (27:14):
So basically, what we did is that we designed the plans,
you know, based on certain allowances that we can provide
the community with. So for example, for dental, right, they
do get an allowance based on each of our plans
so that they can actually be able to take care
of that and not have to pay so much out
of pocket.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Oh okay, I see I'm learning a little bit here.
And again, if you're just tuning in, I have vd
Garcia Medicare manager for al Paso Health, So Medicare manager,
I just want to address that first. I mean there's
again this is like legal jargon to me. I know
very basics about insurance. So I want to ask you
Medicare manager, like what does your job entail?
Speaker 3 (27:54):
What is that?
Speaker 7 (27:55):
So? First of all, I am a license agent, meaning
that when whenever you are offering Medicare advantage plans to individuals,
you do have to speak to someone who is licensed
to do so. Okay, So that's one of our regulations
that we have, and that is so that we can
provide you with the correct information not just about Medicare,
but general questions that you might have regarding social security,
(28:17):
Medicare advantage plans, things like that. So I do work
a lot with our community as far as you know,
assisting individuals obtaining the information about Medicare, just because it
is so confusing and a lot of the times when
you qualify for Medicare, you do not know where to start.
So that's why we're here to help.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
And you're you know, when you qualify for Medicare, if
you have a disability, or you're retired, or you're a senior,
it's probably a little bit more difficult for you, right
to find this informational and everything like that. So when
does the deadline end for Medicare advantage?
Speaker 7 (28:51):
So the deadline is December seventh, That is the last
day that you can actually make a change to be
effective for the following year.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Okay, and is there any like how do you enroll
in it? How do you go about that?
Speaker 7 (29:04):
So, again, like I mentioned, you can either do so
yourself by logging into the website, you know, looking at
the information, or speaking to one of our licensed agents
license agents are everywhere, you know, right now, it's the
time that they assist individuals more than any time, and
especially like with example for us, you know, we do
have licensed individuals that can assist, I even assist individuals
(29:28):
that want to come into the office and actually ask
any questions. So you're able to roll that way, okay.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
And that ephmedicare dot com is that where people can
go to enroll.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
That's the website you're talking about.
Speaker 7 (29:40):
Yes, you can enroll on our website. You can also
contact us. There's a lot of our phone numbers there
in case do you have any questions or you just
kind of want guidance as far as how to go
about it.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
So that's where they would contact an agent find the
information there. Okay, ephmedicare dot com. And again, your facility
is one one, four or five Westmoreland Drive. What area
of town is that.
Speaker 7 (30:03):
That is towards? I would say the Syllavista area, okay, right,
next two stems okay?
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
And if people wanted to get information and have an
agent help them out, does that cost that assistance?
Speaker 7 (30:14):
No, And it actually doesn't. There's no costs for providing
the information or helping you enroll. Into the plan.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Okay, perfect, Are there any common questions that you might
want to address one or two here that you know
people are always calling and it's the same theme. Is
there any questions you might want to answer for people here?
Speaker 7 (30:33):
Not so much answer questions, but I would say when
you're looking for a plan, it's very important that you
verify that your providers, your doctors, your prescriptions more than anything,
are covered by the plan. You know, you don't want
to start in a plan where you're having to not
be covered because your doctors do not accept the plan
or just because your prescriptions are not part of it.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Very important, exactly and Vida, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 7 (31:00):
No, just you know, basically, we're here to assist. We
are local and Oliver. Our staff is here to help
anyone that has any questions.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Okay, awesome, So again, ephmedicare dot com if you want
to find an agent, you want to try and rolling yourself.
And like VD said, if you are going to enroll
in the Medicare advantage, make sure that your doctors or
prescriptions are covered under the plan that you choose. They
do have a physical building one one four five Westmoreland Drive,
Clovis to area, and all of this information is going
(31:30):
to be on the Power one oh two Sunday ninety
nine point nine and ninety six point three k Hey,
Instagram and Facebook, and if you're listening on the free
iHeart app, that information will be there as well as
a link.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
To that website.
Speaker 5 (31:42):
VD.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Thank you so much for talking with us today.
Speaker 7 (31:44):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
You've been listening to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio l Passo. If you, your
organization or event would like to be featured on an
upcoming program, please email to ep Forum at iHeartMedia dot
com call us at nine one five three five one
five four zero zero. Tune in again next week for
(32:06):
another additional of El Paso Public Forum. The preceding program
was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio El Paso.
Welcome to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly half hour
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio El Paso for over twenty years,
featuring local news and interviews of interest to our listeners
in West Texas and southern New Mexico. All views and
opinions expressed on this program are those of the host
and guest, and not necessarily those of iHeartRadio Management and
now El Paso Public Forum.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm your host,
Amber Banda, and today we have mister Andrew.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Is how I know you?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Andrew Castaniada, director of operations at the Child Crisis Center
of al Paso. Mister Andrew, thank you for being with
us today.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Yes, ma'am absolutely, thank you for having us this summer.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Is it okay? So I'll call you mister Andrew.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Yez, Absolutely, I okay, I appreciate it. It It brings back
great memories of one of our time together.
Speaker 5 (00:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
So, for those of you that don't know, I used
to work at a child crisis center. I loved it there.
And we also have Caesar Garcia. He is the director
and founder of Doom Today off Road Racing.
Speaker 5 (00:55):
Caesar, thank you for talking with us today, Amber, thank
you so much for inviting me again. I'm pleasure to
be here, of.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Course, Yes, welcome back both of you, your seasoned veterans. So, okay,
the Child Crisis Center of al Paso and Doomsday off
Road Racing. What do motorcycles and kids have in common?
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We're going to find out.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
But first, the Child Crisis Center of all Passo nom strategy.
You're no stranger to the show, but for people that
may have never heard of the Child Crisis Center are
very unfamiliar with it. What is this organization?
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Yes, ma'am, so, the Child christ Center of Apaso has
a rich history of being a support service program for
the community of members of al Paso for forty five years.
The mission of the center has been to protect children
and preserve families, and so our goal has been in
the protection of children from child abuse and neglect. So
everything that we do, all the services we offer, is
really with that in mind. We offer an emergency shelter
(01:47):
placement for any family who may be going through a
crisis for their children and so the children can stay
with us a short term while we help families to
kind of find what resources they may need fill the
gaps to improve the quality of life for the family exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And are there any maybe misconceptions. I know, like I said,
when I worked there, there was a lot of people that, Oh, well,
the child Crisis center does this, or do they do that?
Are there any misconceptions you might want to address about
the child Crisis Center.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
That's a great question, Misamber, Thank you for asking.
Speaker 5 (02:15):
Well, that's always that's you know that.
Speaker 6 (02:16):
I would say that's.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Probably one of the highest priorities I have whenever I'm
spreading awareness, right, because we really are. Our goal is
in family preservation, So we want to keep families together.
And I think there's always that misconception that if I
ask for help, it may somehow come back to me negatively, right,
And so it's quite the contrary. I always say that
it takes so much courage to ask for help, and
(02:37):
so we really encourage anyone in the community who who
might be needing assistance with resources, maybe a food basket,
one of the services we offer, to just come knock
on our door. It takes courage, but ultimately, you know,
we always like to say that we're here to help
families to be the best that they can be.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And do you work with any other child advocacy agencies
in the community.
Speaker 6 (02:58):
We do.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
The Child crist Center has had a long standing partnership
with with all the local nonprofits in our community. We
do work with the Apastole Police Department, the File Department,
child Protective Services. But we are simply a resource when
a crisis occurs. So if a child and the family
may be at high risk of abuse neglect, our center
is a safe haven for those children.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, and while the kids are there, what a lot
of people don't know is, you know, if they're in
extracurricular activities, if they're doing anything like that, like the
Child Crisis Center takes them. You know. You guys provide transportation,
you provide all the meals, you provide all the toys,
you provide all the clothing. I mean, you know, anything
for people out there that have raised a child, and
I know a majority of people out there maybe even
(03:40):
raising grandchildren like that is what the Child Crisis Center
helps with. And Caesar, I'm gonna throw it over to
you for a little bit. Now. You are going to
be helping with an event for the Child Crisis Center.
But before we get into that event, you're the director
and founder of Doomsday off road Racing.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
So what is Doom's off road Racing?
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Doomsday off road Racing is just h just a group
of my friends and family. We've been doing it, uh
for thirteen years now. Come January twenty twenty six, it'll
be our fourteenth annual. So we'll put on this information
for a barbecue or cookout for that. But we just
get together and we off road and we write dirt
bikes and we have a good time, and we invite
a lot of people that uh that are new to it,
(04:24):
and we don't mind uh teaching people. We also invite,
you know, we also catch the guys the eye of
a veteran and season you know, off road off road enthusiasts,
and they you know, they come on, they come along
and we go out and we camp and we trail
and we ride bikes, and we break stuff and we
get together and we fix it.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Phones.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Yeah, we break bones.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
How many injuries have you yourself had, because.
Speaker 5 (04:48):
I know you love two good ones one one major
one one major one Alamagordo, New Mexico. That was a
time too.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Yeah, I'm sure you have to kind of have a
specialist relationship with pain. When to do that kind of
sport because me, the minute I break a pinky, I'm done.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
Oh yeah, it's definitely fun. It's part of it's part
of the deal.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
You know.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
We'll break it and get better and get right back
on it.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Now, before we go into the event, I just want
to ask you what made you decide to make the
Child Crisis Center the beneficiary of this event.
Speaker 6 (05:26):
We did it, We did.
Speaker 5 (05:27):
They were the beneficiary of this event last year as well,
and we change it up every year. We've done the
Reinolds Home before the Annunciation House is which one I
want to do again in the future. But just just
just you know, talking to people that I know, you know,
I kind of can just figure out for myself where
(05:48):
the help is needed. Yeah, So you know, I called
the I got in touch with my people at the
center and uh and we're just gonna do the event
this year again.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah for them.
Speaker 5 (06:00):
Oh yeah, especially again.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
We were saying this earlier off air with you know,
the government shutdown as of the airing of this recording.
Who knows what it's going to be, but even then,
like people are still going to be recovering from it.
So with that being said again, I am talking here
with Caesar Garcia, he's founder and director of Doomsday off
Road Racing, a nonprofit in itself, as well as Andrew Castanieeda,
who I will affectionately refer to as Mister Andrew, Director
(06:24):
of operations for the Child Crisis Center of All pass
So now, especially during this time of year. I remember
when I worked there during the holiday season, it was
just so hectic, but in a good way. People wanting
to help. Now, if you are a fan of motorcycles,
you're a fan of fun, you're a fan of helping kids.
Off Road show benefit for Child Crisis Center put on
by Doomsdayroad Racing. It's going to be happening Saturday, November
(06:47):
twenty second, so ten am to two pm at Barnett
Harley Davidson. Caesar, can you tell the listening audience a
little bit more about what is going to be happening
at this event, at this off road show.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
Yeah, for sure. So what we do is we just
asked the community to bring out their cool cars and
cool motorcycles and especially old trucks, vintage trucks. We just
have some friends of mine that will bring some some.
Speaker 8 (07:10):
Cool uh air cooled old volkswagens that are you know,
desert vehicles. Yeah, so we'll have a variety of areaiting
rock crawlers and Baja vehicles, and we're gonna take a
bunch of our race bikes out there too.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
So all my crew will be on hand to answer
questions and just talk to people about what we do
and how we do it and when.
Speaker 6 (07:32):
We do it.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
Also as a question that we get asked a lot. Yeah,
but if you've never been to this show, to this
event before, this is gonna be the fourth.
Speaker 6 (07:42):
Year that we do that with Barnett.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
So big thank you to Mark Barnett and all of
my associates, everybody that I know at Barnett for helping me,
you know, keeping this going. And you know, it's very
very proud to know that they enjoy doing it. That
this is the fourth that we're gonna do it at Barnett,
So that's pretty cool. So that's, you know, something I'm
really proud of.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
But yes, the people that are registering for this event,
that's those funds, that's what's going to be used for
the child crisis.
Speaker 5 (08:11):
Yes, okay, yes, yeah, so we will. It is free
for the public to attend, but we do, uh, you know,
ask for donations will be there'll be several raffles going
on throughout the day. We do ask the community if
you'd like to bring your you know, your old jeep
or you got an old cool Tayota, you know, come
bringing ten fifteen bucks, twenty dollars, you know, give it
(08:32):
to us at the gate and you know, shine your
car up. And you know there's gonna be food trucks
and some of our sponsors bring a couple of jumping balloons.
And I've got a buddy of mine that paints kids' faces.
So that's fun all day long, just looking at cool stuff. Yeah,
and you know, jumping balloons and hopefully I can find
somebody to get some some kind candy. You know, we're
(08:54):
just yeah, just stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
So you're listening to this and you think that you
may be able to add to this event or you know,
you said shine them up or maybe get them as
dirty as possible and then show up right.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Yeah, you want to bring your money thing over, like,
bring it on, kids love it.
Speaker 6 (09:08):
I bring your money thing over.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
So you know, another thing that we were talking about
earlier is donate. Mister Andrew, you kind of touched on
it earlier. You do you are a resource for people
that may be facing food and security, especially right now,
so you will be able to take food donations, food
items to this event and they'll take them for you.
Mister Andrew. What kind of items can people donate?
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Yes, thank you, Miss Amber. Any really anything that a
family could use in their home to help to to
really sustain them and and you know, and making sure
that the children are safe, that they're clean and they're safe.
And I mentioned that because hygiene items are definitely appreciated.
Nonperishable food items, anything that really keeps a longer shelf life. Yeah,
(09:52):
you know, we also always request people keep in mind
child related things, so like juices and snacks, things that
you would give your kidd's at home. Those are things
that we would use not only for our children in
the shelter, but also the individuals who are seeking us
out who have families and they may need those items
for their children as well.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Perfect So again you can take those items. You can
donate them at the off Road Show to benefit the
Child Crisis Center, put on by Doomsday off Road Racing Saturday,
November twenty second, from ten am to two pm at Barnett,
Harley Davidson, and this information will also be available on
poun O two Sunday, ninety nine point nine and ninety
six point three k Country, Instagram and Facebook. And if
(10:30):
you're listening on the free iHeart app, there will be
links and more information there as well. Caesar and Andrew,
thank you so much for being here with me today.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yes, man, thank you for having us.
Speaker 6 (10:38):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Welcome back to the Alpaso Public Forum. I'm our host, Amberbanda,
and we have two detectives in the station today. Don't worry,
I'm safe. We have Detective Joe Rosalez, Detective Jo Dosalas.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Thank you for being here with us today.
Speaker 9 (10:56):
Thank you for having us. Thank you so much, of course.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And we also have Detective George Hemenaz George, thank you
for being here.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
With us today.
Speaker 6 (11:02):
Hello Amber, and thanks for having.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Us of course. So today we're going to be talking
a little bit about the Alpaso Municipal Police Officers Association.
I would say e p m POA.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
For sure, but it's not really that much shorter.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
We're we're also going to be talking about a really
cool comedy show fundraiser for the ep m po A.
But first, Detective George, can you tell us a little
bit about this police Officers Association.
Speaker 6 (11:27):
Absolutely, it's kind of a tongue twister, So you.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Got that pretty good cut on my tongue, kind of
sound like at.
Speaker 6 (11:33):
That's how you know you're a professional.
Speaker 10 (11:35):
So what we do is we the Passo Police Officer
Municipal Officers Association hasn't a fund.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
It's called the Ernie Gomez Fund, which was established in
nineteen eighty seven.
Speaker 10 (11:45):
The benefits officers that have been through any kind of
catastrophic incident, either the officer or their family. That fund
obviously comes from the association. It's not associated with the
actual police department. It's our association that's towards us, kind
of like our you know, way of giving back to
officers within ourselves, Yes, within officers. So every year we
(12:09):
have different types of fundraisers that put money into the
fund because unfortunately, officers do go through catastrophic events. It
could be a non duty accident, some of our officers
get sick. I mean, there are different things that create
instances where officers are in need. So what we decided
to do is to trade in our badges for some
mics and we're going to go up there and we're
going to put on This is going to be our
(12:31):
third annual Code three Comedy show, and we're really asking
for support because all the proceeds, all the ticket sales
go to the Earning Go Misfund.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And we're going to talk about the event in a
little bit. But Detective George, so this isn't like you said,
it's an association that helps the police officers their families
when they've gone through some sort of catastrophic event. One
what type of catastrophic events? Then I'll ask you a
second question a little bit.
Speaker 10 (12:54):
Well, you know, unfortunately we're living at time now where
everybody knows somebody that's been affected by cancer.
Speaker 6 (12:58):
We've had officers that had answer.
Speaker 10 (13:00):
We've had officers that have had on duty incidents, accidents,
whether it be uh a non duty car accident, uh
some kind of injury that prevents them from doing their.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
Day to day jobs.
Speaker 10 (13:10):
Well, the Earning Gomez Fund comes in to help that
officer when it comes to medical expenses and different things
that hardships that we we all of us have day
to day within like means that that we can't pay
for stuff, right, I mean, it could be something as
as simple as you know, paying for some pro wheelchair.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Or something like that, you know what I mean, of course, yeah.
Speaker 10 (13:32):
And that's what it that's what it's about personally. You know,
in my life, my my younger daughter, uh did have
some medical issues going on early in her life, and
and and the Dirny Gomes Fund, you know, comes into
help and supporting things that we needed to do. We'd
have to take her to the Children's hospital and Phoenix
and those are things that that you know, the officers
(13:52):
all rally around and they help out. And that's that's
what this fund does. But it doesn't fund itself. So
we have to come up with creative ways to do that.
And this is a way to like kind of get
engaged with the community and have you know, we work
very serious jobs. So for us to just like I said,
training our badges for mikes and have a good time,
you know, laugh it off, that's that's the best way
(14:13):
we could do that.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
And you actually answered my second question, which was why
did you decide to be a part of this association
to help you, you know, your fellow police officer.
Speaker 10 (14:21):
Well, well, it's kind of like a two point approach here,
right they I was a stand up comedian before I
became a cop, so I became like, I literally went
comedian two cop, and I kept that kind of a
secret in the department.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
But a few years ago after covid UH, the fund.
Speaker 10 (14:38):
Was running kind of low, so somebody thought of like
coming up with a comedy show and they found out, hey,
there's a dude that's tucked away at a unit that
they did some jokes. They approached me and asked me
if I do this, So to me it was a calling.
I guess it gave me purpose to say, hey, how
can I use my old talents to help out my
you know, fellow officers. And then we came up with
the clever thing. We came up with the Code three
(14:58):
Comedy Show because for those who don't know, Code three
means lights and sirens, which is exactly what the show
is all about, you know, no holding back, comedy with
a purpose. Every laugh goes to the fund, which helps
officers and their families. And you know, if you guys
come out with some laughs and help us answer that
call for those who like you know that we've answered
calls for you know, so it's going to be a
(15:19):
great night.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
It is. And again, if you're just tuning in. I
have here with me Detective Joe Rosales and Detective George Jimenez,
both a part of the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association. Joe,
can you tell us a little bit about this upcoming
event that George alluded to, the Code three Comedy Show.
When is it going to be, Where's it going to
be at? What can we expect?
Speaker 9 (15:40):
So the dates are going to be November twenty eighth
and twenty ninth, So we're gonna have two shows each
night at seven point thirty and at ten pm. Ages
are seventeen and up. It'll be at the l Paso
Comic Strip on Airway where we just create an event
on Facebook and you can also get tickets at the
El Pasocomicstrip dot com. The opposite of George. I was
(16:00):
actually a cop first and then I, you know, I
wanted to dabble into comedy.
Speaker 6 (16:05):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (16:06):
And one of our mutual friends told George about it,
and George hit me up, say, hey, I heard you know,
I heard you you're trying to do comedy. I heard
you do open mics and stuff like that. So, yeah,
this is our third year doing this. The first two
years were very successful. So even if even if you've
attended prior events a code three, come to this one.
This is going to be the best one.
Speaker 5 (16:26):
I assure you.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Correct me if I'm wrong the first two did you
have two nights before or this is the first.
Speaker 9 (16:32):
First night we had one night, that's right, and then
the second year we had two events in one night.
This one is why you say it's going to be
the best one because we have two nights, two shows each.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
Night Thanksgiving Day weekend, so a lot of people should
be off.
Speaker 9 (16:46):
You're stressed out about you know, your your shopping, your
Black Friday shopping, if you're if you're stressed out because
you're dealing with your in laws on Thanksgiving, come out,
have a good time, you know. Blofso steam, but it's
gonna be really really fun.
Speaker 8 (16:57):
You know.
Speaker 6 (16:57):
Ember just just a piggyback on that. You know.
Speaker 10 (17:00):
The first year we just kind of put this show together, right,
it was right after COVID. We did one night, one
show and it sold out. It was like four hundred people.
So then the next year we're like, let's see we
can do two shows, which we had eight hundred people.
Speaker 6 (17:09):
Lines were wrapped around the place.
Speaker 10 (17:11):
We outgrew our Association Hall, so we wanted to take
us to another level. We partnered up with Bart Reid.
I mean, Bart Reid has been a comedy owner in
the city.
Speaker 6 (17:19):
For over forty almost forty years.
Speaker 10 (17:21):
And I worked for Bart like when I first started out.
I started out as a waiter at the club and
I worked my way up to comedian. Came up to
Bart with the idea we had. He said, let's do
it Thanksgiving Day weekend. We were able to partner up
with Raymond North that who's a nationally touring really big
comedian who supports law enforcement, loves the apassive community and
the Dallas Cowboys by the way, so go Cowboys.
Speaker 6 (17:40):
And now you can't see Joe's face right.
Speaker 10 (17:43):
So it's two nights. It's two nights of comedy, you know.
And I'm not gonna lie. The reason why we were
so packed is the shows are good. We bring in
comedians and know what they're doing. We're gonna have another
comedian by the name of Ponchierretra who's been doing stand
up for over twenty years. I have a background of
twenty five years of comedy. We were just talking about
Steve Travino earlier, and those are guys that I came
up with when I started doing comedy back.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
In the day.
Speaker 10 (18:06):
So this is a really fun night, Like you're really
going to get your left on. This isn't just us
going up there and doing knock knock jokes and see
what hits the wall. We're really really going to be
doing that. So we it's a great time.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
And let me tell you, like you know, law enforcement
and comedy, it does go hand in hand. I did
one time I did stand up. It was for a
fundraiser for one of my coworkers, Mike D's and Pono two.
Speaker 5 (18:27):
Would you do it?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Okay, I've readen motorcycles, I have done some scary stuff,
and that was by far the scariest thing I had
ever done. So kudos to both of you. I'm going
to ask each of you the same question. So I'm
going to ask you first, Joe, when you're writing your jokes,
like what is your process to write jokes? Like do
you Because when I was in that those couple of
those months leading up to it, like looking for joke
(18:49):
like everything, I was like, how can I make a
joke out of that? How can I make a joke
out of that, like, what's your process like?
Speaker 9 (18:53):
So it's evolved obviously, and George could tell you that.
I you know, I ask him for advice all the time,
just because he's he's the guy, he's a pro, you know, right,
he's going in my eyes. But it started, like you said,
like I didn't open mic once. You know, my buddies
were like, hey, you're funny, you make a slap. Why
don't you go try it? And I was like, yeah,
why not. It was a really hard lesson to learn
(19:15):
that going out there without preparation it's terrible. Yeah, bombs
so bad. I never wanted to go up on stage again.
But I said, you know what, why don't you write prepare?
And you know, the second time I went up, I
got one laugh, so I was like, hey, hey, it's
one more. But yeah, my process would be just I
think of something funny at work or you know, when
(19:35):
with my friends, and then I sit there and I'll
just like, well, how can I make it funnier if
I had this like a tag, or if I make
it a little longer my I think my writing's still
evolving and obviously needs a little more work, but I've
gotten a lot better since three years ago.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
And what I love about the shows at bart Reads
because I've been at a few, is they're so targeted
to all Passo. You know, there's you know, general jokes,
but I think all Passo loves all Passo. So it's
great to.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Your comedy coming.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Like you know, they're making fun of that side of
town or that side of town. And so George, your
process of writing jokes, how to write.
Speaker 10 (20:05):
And there's gonna be a mix of that. So we're
gonna have comics that push the edge a little bit.
You know, We're gonna have guys that appel to the Latino.
And then you know, like for example, for me, everything
is about internal right, like things that happened to me
that I get a kick out of that I think,
how can I sell this to a crowd. I'll give
you a good example. Like my girlfriend says, I'm really dramatic,
right like that I overdo everything. And she's probably right,
(20:26):
but like she even says like I'm dramatic and overdue,
like hand washing, like something like like she hates the
way I wash my hands, yeah, which is a tough
thing to do, right, Like I didn't know hand washing
was something you could just mess up. It's not orgami,
it's not a Rubik's cube. It's soap and water. That's it, right,
But like, I'm not lying you.
Speaker 6 (20:43):
The other day, she looks me dead in the eye
and says, why is it direct quote that you wash
your hands? And it's like a golden retriever that just
got out of a lake. I mean water everywhere, like
SuDS everywhere. I didn't realize that.
Speaker 10 (20:55):
Just washing my hands was such a big deal. But
I take a story like that and then I think,
you know, that's probably something that I can do on stage.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
It might be kind of funny.
Speaker 10 (21:03):
So it kind of seguays into that, and then I
find out how how we can, like, you know, do
it so that it's cleverly appeal to everybody.
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Because I'm sure I'm not the only one. His girlfriend
or wife calls him dramatic, right, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, my husband does wash his hands pretty violently. And
I don't know how my husband parked before me either,
because you know, I have to tell him every time we're.
Speaker 10 (21:21):
Going, like you describe it, so what he washes this
has violently and I think it's where we strew our
hands out, you know, like and I know we're on
radio so you can't see that.
Speaker 11 (21:28):
But she's like, why do you have to do that?
Like she's like, did you just riot soap on the ceiling.
It's like it's like Shamood just came out of the
freaking tank and splashed everything.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
He's like trying to wash his bones. No, but I
get it.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
I mean, I'm excited for this one. The Code three
Comedy Show again Thanksgiving weekend November twenty eighth and twenty nine.
That's a Friday and Saturday. Make plans. You can get
tickets at alpassocomicstrip dot com. It's gonna be at Bart
Reid's Comic Strip on Airway, starring Raymond Orta, George he Menaced,
Joe Rosales and it's going to be a really good
show again to benefit the al Paso Municipal Police Officers
(22:05):
Association Detectives.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Thank you for being here with me today.
Speaker 6 (22:08):
Thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Welcome back to the al Paso Public Forum. I'm your
host Amber Banda, and today we have VD Garcia, she's
the Medicare manager for al Paso Health VID. Thank you
for talking with us today.
Speaker 7 (22:25):
Hetti, Goodrning, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Of course, good morning. Now I'm going to have a
lot of questions because I know the mere basics about
health insurance. Now al Paso Health this is a local
nonprofit health plan serving al Paso and Hudsmith Counties. Now,
I didn't even know that the city could make a
health insurance for their own community, So that's very interesting.
(22:47):
And again, health plans for al passowins by al Paso
wins now Vida. Can you tell us first a little
bit more about the nonprofit al Paso Health.
Speaker 7 (22:56):
So, al Paso Health we offer various health plans for
different individuals. One of the main focus that we have
right now is the Opasta Health Medicare advantage, so a
health plan to sign for individuals who are already retired,
disabled and who have Medicare.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Okay, and is it like because you before the interview
you kind of mentioned that right now is the time
to be signing up for that because I know there's Star,
there's CHIP, there's Star Plus. I guess there's certain times
to enroll for that. So for Medicare advantage, is there
a particular reason like it's at the end of the day,
I want to have a lot of weird questions. You
(23:34):
probably never heard about. Okay, I just like to know
how things work. But for Medicare Advantage, why is it
like this time of year that people sign up or it's.
Speaker 7 (23:40):
Just so right now? It's super important because right now
for individuals who are already on Medicare, it is a
timeframe for them to enroll. So what we mean by
that is make any changes to their current plan. If
you've never had a Medicare Advantage plan, this is the
time to actually sign up for it. And the plan
in started till January twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Okay, so if they have Medicare now, of course they're
going to have Medicare. But Medicare Advantage doesn't.
Speaker 7 (24:07):
Is this a new plan, No, so it's different programs
under Medicare. What we don't really understand and know when
we qualify for Medicare is that we have a lot
of options. We have a lot of resources that we
can obtain right and based on what we need, we
can actually choose a health plan that is going to
(24:28):
suit us for the entire year.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
And for Medicare Advantage, you had said it's for seniors,
it's for people who are retired, and you clarified this
for me. This may be common noge to a lot.
But if you're disabled, and that includes not just older
people that are disabled, but anyone that is disabled and
qualifies for Medicare. Now for these people, why are there
It's Medicare advantage. But are there different other like Medicare this,
(24:53):
Medicare that, or is this like the only like I
guess add on if you will, And I'm thinking I'm
thinking Netflix for Medicare.
Speaker 7 (25:01):
So think about as Medicare is just being your basic coverage, right,
and so the Medicare advantage plans give you the ability
to add on to Medicare already and so you pick
a plan that is based on your needs. So a
lot of these Medicare Vantage plans actually do cover tons
of coverage throughout that year, like your hospitalization, your doctors.
(25:24):
It even covers additional services that traditional Medicare does not.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Okay, and how many like different types of plans are
there for Medicare advantage.
Speaker 7 (25:34):
There are a lot of plans, and that is the
reason why it's so important to obtain the information because
not all plans are suitable for just one individual. You know, again,
it's based on coverage, based on necessity. The Medicare advantage
plans are pretty much designed and structure the same, but
they do offer different coverages and then different costs, so
(25:55):
different cost on your copays things like that.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Oh okay, and then if you feel comfortable again, I
just found out that al Paso could create a health
insurance for al Paso. Ands, Now can that also be
done like on the state level and the government level obviously, right,
like different health insurances that you can get either from
the city, from the state, or you know, or the country.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
Is that correct, correct?
Speaker 7 (26:19):
So every coverage is different. The good thing and the
neat thing about al Pasco Health is that we did
create these plans, these Medicare vantaged plans based on what
we think, you know, the community needs. So based on
the needs of you know, whether it's dental coverage, vision,
you know, health coverage, things like that, and then basing
(26:42):
it on copies that are suitable and that are also
affordable for individuals in our community.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
So I'm assuming when you're when you talk about like
things that are more suitable for our community. Obviously you
know we're predominantly Hispanic. Hispanics have higher rates of diabetes
and stuff like that. But then you also mentioned like
like dental, h does that have to go by like
maybe the economic status of the whole city? Like what
(27:08):
do you kind of base it on when you say,
like when it's targeted for our community.
Speaker 7 (27:14):
So basically, what we did is that we designed the plans,
you know, based on certain allowances that we can provide
the community with. So for example, for dental, right, they
do get an allowance based on each of our plans
so that they can actually be able to take care
of that and not have to pay so much out
of pocket.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Oh okay, I see I'm learning a little bit here.
And again, if you're just tuning in, I have vd
Garcia Medicare manager for al Paso Health, So Medicare manager,
I just want to address that first. I mean there's
again this is like legal jargon to me. I know
very basics about insurance. So I want to ask you
Medicare manager, like what does your job entail?
Speaker 3 (27:54):
What is that?
Speaker 7 (27:55):
So? First of all, I am a license agent, meaning
that when whenever you are offering Medicare advantage plans to individuals,
you do have to speak to someone who is licensed
to do so. Okay, So that's one of our regulations
that we have, and that is so that we can
provide you with the correct information not just about Medicare,
but general questions that you might have regarding social security,
(28:17):
Medicare advantage plans, things like that. So I do work
a lot with our community as far as you know,
assisting individuals obtaining the information about Medicare, just because it
is so confusing and a lot of the times when
you qualify for Medicare, you do not know where to start.
So that's why we're here to help.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
And you're you know, when you qualify for Medicare, if
you have a disability, or you're retired, or you're a senior,
it's probably a little bit more difficult for you, right
to find this informational and everything like that. So when
does the deadline end for Medicare advantage?
Speaker 7 (28:51):
So the deadline is December seventh, That is the last
day that you can actually make a change to be
effective for the following year.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Okay, and is there any like how do you enroll
in it? How do you go about that?
Speaker 7 (29:04):
So, again, like I mentioned, you can either do so
yourself by logging into the website, you know, looking at
the information, or speaking to one of our licensed agents
license agents are everywhere, you know, right now, it's the
time that they assist individuals more than any time, and
especially like with example for us, you know, we do
have licensed individuals that can assist, I even assist individuals
(29:28):
that want to come into the office and actually ask
any questions. So you're able to roll that way, okay.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
And that ephmedicare dot com is that where people can
go to enroll.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
That's the website you're talking about.
Speaker 7 (29:40):
Yes, you can enroll on our website. You can also
contact us. There's a lot of our phone numbers there
in case do you have any questions or you just
kind of want guidance as far as how to go
about it.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
So that's where they would contact an agent find the
information there. Okay, ephmedicare dot com. And again, your facility
is one one, four or five Westmoreland Drive. What area
of town is that.
Speaker 7 (30:03):
That is towards? I would say the Syllavista area, okay, right,
next two stems okay?
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Perfect.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
And if people wanted to get information and have an
agent help them out, does that cost that assistance?
Speaker 7 (30:14):
No, And it actually doesn't. There's no costs for providing
the information or helping you enroll. Into the plan.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Okay, perfect, Are there any common questions that you might
want to address one or two here that you know
people are always calling and it's the same theme. Is
there any questions you might want to answer for people here?
Speaker 7 (30:33):
Not so much answer questions, but I would say when
you're looking for a plan, it's very important that you
verify that your providers, your doctors, your prescriptions more than anything,
are covered by the plan. You know, you don't want
to start in a plan where you're having to not
be covered because your doctors do not accept the plan
or just because your prescriptions are not part of it.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Very important, exactly and Vida, is there anything else that
you would like to tell the listening audience.
Speaker 7 (31:00):
No, just you know, basically, we're here to assist. We
are local and Oliver. Our staff is here to help
anyone that has any questions.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Okay, awesome, So again, ephmedicare dot com if you want
to find an agent, you want to try and rolling yourself.
And like VD said, if you are going to enroll
in the Medicare advantage, make sure that your doctors or
prescriptions are covered under the plan that you choose. They
do have a physical building one one four five Westmoreland Drive,
Clovis to area, and all of this information is going
(31:30):
to be on the Power one oh two Sunday ninety
nine point nine and ninety six point three k Hey,
Instagram and Facebook, and if you're listening on the free
iHeart app, that information will be there as well as
a link.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
To that website.
Speaker 5 (31:42):
VD.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
Thank you so much for talking with us today.
Speaker 7 (31:44):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
You've been listening to El Paso Public Forum, a weekly
public affairs presentation of iHeartRadio l Passo. If you, your
organization or event would like to be featured on an
upcoming program, please email to ep Forum at iHeartMedia dot
com call us at nine one five three five one
five four zero zero. Tune in again next week for
(32:06):
another additional of El Paso Public Forum. The preceding program
was recorded at the studios of iHeartRadio El Paso.
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