Since 1996, Damian Trujillo has been a NBC Bay Area News reporter, host and producer of “Comunidad Del Valle,” the longest running public affairs program in the Bay Area. Comunidad Del Valle now also airs in Spanish on Telemundo 48.
Damian has been honored with awards from the Associated Press, the Radio and Television News Director's Association (RTNDA), and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Damian was named "2004 Reporter of the Year" by the Associated Press Television and Radio Association for California and Nevada and five times nominated for an Emmy Award.
Damian grew up in Greenfield, about 2 hours south of San Francisco on Highway 101. While in high school, Damian worked in the agricultural fields of the Salinas Valley, with his family, to help make ends meet. He picked garlic, broccoli, cucumbers, and strawberries.
As a former farm worker, Damian now honors his first job, on the Cesar Chavez Holiday. Every March 31, Damian’s family hosts family, friends, and students. They make sacked lunches at the Trujillo home, and distribute them to roughly 250 farm workers in the South Bay. The gesture is a “thank you “ to farm workers, for their tireless work. In addition, each year, the Trujillo family awards a college scholarship to the son or daughter of a farm worker in Greenfield.
In 2012, Carolyn Brown, professor at American University in Washington D.C., produced a half-hour documentary on the life of Damian Trujillo titled “From the Fields: An American Journey”. Damian has screened the film at Stanford, Georgetown, and Harvard universities, at The National Steinbeck Center. And April 2013, Congress invited Damian for a special screening on Capitol Hill.
Damian and his wife Monica have a daughter, Malyna, and twins Isela and Michael Damian.
Follow Damian on social media: @NewsDamian on Twitter, @NewsDamian on Instagram and on Facebook.
The Latest
-
Unhoused man builds roadside Day of the Dead altar in San Jose, but it may not last
In San Jose, a roadside altar for Day of the Dead is sparking a lot of buzz – and catching the attention of the city, which may force the unhoused man who created it to take it down.
-
McDonald's E. coli outbreak: Taylor Farms in Salinas investigated as potential source
Taylor Farms in Salinas being investigated as the potential source of the deadly McDonald’s E. coli outbreak caught many people by surprise, including the agricultural commissioner in Monterey County.
-
San Jose names Paul Joseph its next permanent police chief
San Jose has named its next permanent police chief, and it didn’t have to go far to find him: Acting Chief Paul Joseph will become the city’s top cop, the city announced Tuesday.
-
Cupertino elementary school teacher placed on leave over classroom gender conversations
The Cupertino Union School District is reviewing a new policy regarding controversial subjects. This move comes after a teacher was placed on administrative leave due to parental complaints about the teacher discussing gender identity and expression with students.
-
49ers' Fred Warner celebrates his Hispanic heritage
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner is one of the best players in the NFL, and he’s often said he takes pride in the hard work and preparation it took to reach this level, but the field isn’t the only place Warner is looking to send a message.
-
The Madrid brothers: Legends in Chicano history
San Jose was home to two legends in the arts: brothers Rudy and Sonny Madrid.
-
Family reunites with South Bay firefighter who saved them from a car accident
In a reunion that was never supposed to happen, a family is meeting with a San Jose firefighter who saved their lives.
-
‘The needle will move': San Jose nonprofit aims to end Mayfair community poverty
A San Jose nonprofit is making a mighty pledge to end poverty in one of the city’s poorest communities.
-
Exclusive: San Mateo County Sheriff speaks out amid investigations
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus is speaking out after coming under fire from county administration and multiple unions.
-
Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley urges Bay Area companies to close wage gap
The Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley is hoping to bring to light the “alarming” wage gap between Latina women and their white male counterparts in the Bay Area.
