Dreaming Big | Working Hard
Dreaming Big | Working Hard
Dreaming Big | Working Hard with David Alvarez is a podcast about people, policy, and the power of opportunity. Hosted by California Assemblymember David Alvarez, each episode dives into the issues shaping our communities, from housing and education to economic and environmental justice. Through candid conversations with policymakers, community leaders, and everyday changemakers, David explores ho…Social links:
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Why Dual Language Learning is the Future of California’s Economy & Schools
In this episode, David Alvarez sits down with education advocates Amber Riehman (Californians Together) and Carolyne Crolotte (Early Edge California) to discuss the vital role of dual language learning, overcoming the legacy of Proposition 227, and creating real pathways for bilingual students to b…
48:34
How Local Government Internships Shape California’s Next Generation of Policymakers
In this episode, David sits down with two inspiring district interns, Jacián Arreola, a Southwestern College transfer student heading to UCLA, and Izayah Ringfield, a South Bay native currently attending Yale University double-majoring in Political Science and Black Studies. Join the conversation…
16:31
Should Community Colleges Offer 4-Year Degrees? Inside Assembly Bill 664
South County San Diego is home to over 585,000 residents, yet it remains a "college desert" without a single local public four-year university. For place-bound students, working parents, and first-generation scholars, commuting or relocating hundreds of miles away simply isn't an option. In this e…
41:06
How We Fix BROKEN State Government Agencies
What does a California State Assemblymember actually do when they aren’t voting on bills in Sacramento? In this episode of Dreaming Big Working Hard, David Alvarez flips the script and sits down with his own front-line team: District Field Representatives Liliana Barba and Ernesto Castañeda. Disc…
43:06
Policing with Purpose: Officer Carlos Lacarra on Relationship-Based Safety
How do we build trust in communities where it has been tested for decades? Join David Alvarez for a powerful conversation with retired SDPD Officer Carlos Lacarra, a man who spent 31 years—nearly 23 of them in South San Diego—redefining what it means to protect and serve. In this episode of Dreami…
36:32
Don Miguel Ruiz: How The Four Agreements Can End Your Emotional Suffering
The "Dreaming Big Working Hard" podcast welcomes a true global icon: Don Miguel Ruiz. In this deeply personal conversation, the author of The Four Agreements sits down with David Alvarez to share the incredible story of his three hearts—literally. From his early days as a surgeon to surviving a nea…
30:25
How 1,300 Neighbors Came Together to Build a Grocery Store From Scratch
What is a food co-op and how does it work? Can a community really build its own grocery store? In this episode of Dreaming Big Working Hard, we sit down with Kim Rivero Frank to share the inspiring real story behind a community-owned grocery store built from the ground up. After becoming a food de…
36:47
From Prison to PhD: How One Man Broke the Cycle and Changed His Life
What does it really take to change your life after prison? In this powerful episode of Dreaming Big. Working Hard., host David Alvarez sits down with Dr. Alberto “Beto” Vasquez, whose life journey defies every statistic. Raised in Barrio Logan, incarcerated as a teenager, and cycling through the p…
53:06
When Faith Meets Fear: Father Scott on Immigration, Trauma, and Hope
As the holiday season invites reflection, family, and hope, this special episode of Dreaming Big, Working Hard asks a deeper question: what does faith really look like when times are hard? David Alvarez sits down with Father Scott Santarosa, SJ, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Barrio Log…
1:01:05
How the San Diego Food Bank Saved Families During the Government Shutdown
In this powerful episode of Dreaming Big Working Hard, Assemblymember David Alvarez sits down with Casey Castillo, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank, to expose the real face of hunger in San Diego — a crisis affecting 848,000 people, including teachers, seniors, nurses, military families, and children…
40:15