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The Bay

797 EpisodesProduced by KQEDWebsite

Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra talks with local journalists about what’s happening in the greatest region in the country. It’s the context and analysis you need to make sense of the headlines, with help from the people who know it best. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morn… read more

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Theft and Vigilante Justice in the Oakland Estuary

September 25th, 2023

17:18

Boats are being stolen and stripped of precious metals in the Oakland Estuary, in a crime spree that has divided the community of traditional boat …

Saving SF’s Ferry Building from the Sea

September 22nd, 2023

17:24

Sea level rise threatens communities along the Bay and some iconic cultural heritage sites along the San Francisco shoreline.

So when the water comes …

A New Home for La Pulga?

September 20th, 2023

22:20

San Jose city leaders are looking for a new site for the nearly 500 vendors at the Berryessa Flea Market, which will be moved to make way for the new Berryessa BART Urban Village. 

The Singleton Road landfill has risen …

California is On the Verge of Banning Caste Discrimination

September 18th, 2023

28:56

California might become the first state in the nation to ban discrimination based on caste, a hierarchical system based on birth that affects South Asians all over the world. Senate Bill 403, which was introduced by …

BART’s Plan to Win Us Over

September 15th, 2023

21:53

On Monday, BART rolled out a new schedule and changes to its system. They’re calling it a ’reimagined’ service plan. Combine that with increased …

Tell Us How You Feel About BART

September 13th, 2023

0:56

On Friday's episode, we’re going to talk BART and discuss some of the big changes the agency has made, including the new scheduled that began this …

Nancy Pelosi is Running Again. Should She Step Aside?

September 13th, 2023

22:03

On Friday, Nancy Pelosi — former Speaker, minority leader, and representative in Congress since 1987 — announced plans to run again. KQED’s Marisa Lagos breaks down what this means for San Francisco amid debate over …

How Santa Clara County is Fighting Wage Theft

September 11th, 2023

17:20

California faces a big problem in labor law enforcement: when businesses are found to have committed wage theft, many still don’t pay workers what they’re owed. KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero tells us how Santa Clara …

You’re Not Imagining It: COVID Cases Are Up Again

September 8th, 2023

16:19

A full transcript will be available 1–2 workdays after the episode’s publication.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise (again). But this isn’t the surge of …

‘I Think of Him Every Day’: A Conversation With Banko Brown's Trans Family

September 6th, 2023

25:09

This episode contains explicit language.

Banko Brown was a Black trans man who was shot and killed by a Walgreens security guard in late April. Today, …

Are the Redwood Trees OK?

September 4th, 2023

20:47

On this Labor Day weekend, we're sharing an episode from KQED's Bay Curious podcast about what's happening to our state's iconic redwood trees, and how we can support them.

This episode originally published on June 22, …

A Group of Tech Billionaires Want to Build a New City in Solano County

September 1st, 2023

22:15

Some of the richest, most outspoken investors in the tech world are behind a company that has bought nearly 60,000 acres of mostly farmland in Solano …

S.F.’s Encampment Sweep Debate

August 30th, 2023

19:31

Under what circumstances should San Francisco be able to clear homeless encampments? Last week, protesters and counter-protesters went head-to-head …

Belmont Students Honor Classmate’s Life After Fentanyl Overdose

August 28th, 2023

19:27

In 2021, students at Carlmont High School in Belmont were shocked when 17-year-old senior Colin Walker died of a fentanyl overdose. In this episode …

Our August News Roundup

August 25th, 2023

20:53

We bring you 3 stories a week, but there’s so much more that’s happening in the Bay Area than we can get to. Today, Ericka, Maria and Alan each bring …

How Silicon Valley Ate Hollywood

August 23rd, 2023

19:49

Hollywood is no stranger to changes brought on by technology. But KQED’s Rachael Myrow says that for writers and actors currently on strike, this …

‘All That’s Old is New Again’: OPD’s Long Road to Reform

August 21st, 2023

19:53

Oakland is looking for a new police chief after Mayor Sheng Thao fired LeRonne Armstrong back in mid-February. Whoever takes the job next will …

How a Coffee Boycott Helped End a Civil War

August 18th, 2023

20:00

An often-overlooked moment in Bay Area activism took place in the 1980s and 90s, when a broad coalition of activists targeted San Francisco’s coffee industry to protest the civil war in El Salvador. KQED’s Sebastian …

Get Ready For More Robotaxis in S.F.

August 16th, 2023

22:07

This episode contains explicit language.

San Franciscans can expect to see more driverless cars on the road after California regulators approved a …

College-Bound Californians Prepare For Abortion Bans Out of State

August 14th, 2023

21:27

I’laysia Vital is about to leave Oakland to start college in Texas, where she’s excited to attend a historically Black college. But Texas is also one …

‘The Bay Area Was Hip-Hop Before There Was Hip-Hop’

August 11th, 2023

27:32

This episode contains explicit language.

Hip-hop turns 50 years old today, and it’s no secret that the Bay Area gets overlooked.

Today, Eric Arnold and …

San Jose City Workers Are About to Go on Strike

August 9th, 2023

16:34

Next Tuesday, nearly 4,500 San Jose city workers are planning to walk off the job for 3 days. Garbage, fire, and police won’t be affected, but many …

In Martinez, More Residents Want to Hold the Refinery Accountable

August 7th, 2023

19:34

On the morning after Thanksgiving last year, Martinez residents woke up and found a strange, white powder coating their neighborhoods. It came from the nearby refinery. 

Will McCarthy from the Mercury News tells us what …

Why California’s Salmon Season Was Canceled

August 4th, 2023

24:01

For the first time since 2009, there is no salmon fishing season in California. This decision has hit fishers, coastal towns, and Native communities hard. 

But it wasn’t inevitable. KQED climate and science reporter …

A Campaign to Recall Alameda County’s Progressive DA Kicks Off

August 2nd, 2023

25:52

A committee called Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE) has filed documents for a recall campaign against progressive Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez explains why this is …

Bay Listeners, We Want to Hear From You!

July 14th, 2023

3:44

We hope you’re having a lovely Summer, Bay listeners.

We’re spending this month gaming out the next year of our show, and we need your help! It’s important to us to hear from you and what you want to hear more (or less) …

Baycation: It’s Time For Our July Break

July 3rd, 2023

4:23

Breaking news from the Bay Team: we are taking our annual break from making new episodes for the month of July. We’re using this time to reset, rest, …

California Now Has a Reparations Proposal

June 30th, 2023

22:47

California’s Reparations Task Force, the first of its kind in the nation, wrapped up 2 years of work studying reparations for Black Californians on …

A Queer Elder’s Reflections on SF Pride

June 28th, 2023

21:11

One of the longest running pride celebrations in the country, SF pride has brought generations of queer communities together to march, celebrate, grieve, and organize. For this episode we hear from Gwenn Craig, a queer …

Growing Up With Gun Violence

June 26th, 2023

21:02

A generation of young people has been traumatized by gun violence. Mass shootings year after year, especially at schools, draw international …

Saving Downtown San Francisco

June 23rd, 2023

18:52

You’ve probably seen and heard the stories about downtown San Francisco. Fears about crime and safety, as well as low foot traffic because of the …

Mayors Want to Get Unhoused People Off the Streets Faster

June 21st, 2023

25:28

Fear of crime and blight in some of California’s biggest cities is increasing pressure on mayors to reduce visible street homelessness fast — even if it means not putting everyone into permanent affordable housing.

To do …

South Berkeley’s Black History Walking Tour

June 19th, 2023

20:43

If you have ever driven down Sacramento Street in South Berkeley, you have probably seen the statue of William Byron Rumford Sr that is prominently displayed on the median just off of Ashby Ave. Rumford was a civil …

Oakland Event Series Aimed at Gun Violence Prevention Returns for Summer 2023

June 16th, 2023

18:28

A spate of deadly shootings across the Bay are highlighting an ongoing surge in gun violence in the region, especially since the pandemic, which in …

Armed Security Guards Are Taking On More Responsibility. California Wants to Train Them Better

June 14th, 2023

23:32

The recent killing of Banko Brown by an armed Walgreens security guard has put a focus on the work of these employees. While they often take on …

Finding Community in the Oakland Pickleball Scene

June 12th, 2023

16:53

Designated “the fastest-growing sport in America” by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in the last three years, pickleball is blowing up here in the Bay Area, too. Local enthusiasts say the sport has helped …

One Neighborhood’s Strategy For Curbing Homelessness? Turn Off the Library Wi-Fi

June 9th, 2023

19:06

So much of life is online these days, but barriers to internet access remain, especially for folks who are unhoused. Resources at public libraries, …

The Ethics of Photographing Addiction in the Tenderloin

June 7th, 2023

23:15

San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood has been at the forefront of the opioid epidemic, amassing a reputation as a place of open air drug dealing, crime, and homelessness. Viral images and videos of open-air drug use …

Caste Has Hit a Nerve in South Asian Communities

June 5th, 2023

30:00

Caste is a hierarchical system, based on birth, that affects South Asians on the subcontinent and around the world. 

Many hesitate to discuss it out in the open. But over the years, people from marginalized caste …

The Headache of Catalytic Converter Thefts

June 2nd, 2023

24:03

San Francisco is re-upping a program to make catalytic converters more traceable, in hopes of slowing down the theft of the highly sought-out car part containing highly valuable metals.

The program comes months after …

San Francisco Prepares to Roll Out CARE Court

May 31st, 2023

18:20

Gov. Gavin Newsom has been talking a big game about CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment) Court, the state’s new plan for treating people with severe mental illness. CARE Court, which every county in …

Rightnowish: Protecting Sacred Land in the South Bay

May 29th, 2023

21:17

In Santa Clara County, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is fighting for one of their most sacred sites, known as Juristac. Beginning In the late 1700s, …

The A’s Are One Step Closer to Leaving Oakland

May 26th, 2023

20:15

It’s a bad time to be an Oakland Athletics fan.

First off, they're just having an awful season. But the A's are also the latest pro sports team to …

Workers Accuse an East Oakland Popeye’s of Child Labor Violations

May 24th, 2023

21:53

Two 17-year old girls working at a Popeye’s in East Oakland have filed labor complaints, alleging harassment and potential violations of child labor …

East San Jose is Ready to ‘Welcome the Stranger’

May 22nd, 2023

18:53

With the end of a pandemic-era immigration policy known as Title 42, Bay Area cities and nonprofits in Santa Clara County have been preparing for the …

Sean Moore’s Mother Waits for Justice

May 19th, 2023

17:37

Cleo Moore has been waiting for justice for years. On Jan. 6, 2017, SFPD Officer Kenneth Cha shot her son, Sean Moore, outside of his home after responding to a noise complaint. Moore died in 2020 from complications …

The End of the Oakland Teacher Strike

May 17th, 2023

13:12

The Oakland teacher’s strike ended on Monday, when the teachers union reached a tentative agreement with the district. Classes were canceled for tens of thousands of students for seven days. The deal not only includes …

Child Care is Getting More Affordable in S.F.

May 15th, 2023

21:03

Child care is too expensive and inaccessible for kids and families. That’s why in 2018, San Francisco voters approved Baby Prop. C, a tax on …

Banko Brown's Killing is 'a Tragedy of San Francisco's Making'

May 12th, 2023

20:37

In late April, a 24-year old transgender Black man named Banko Brown was shot and killed by an armed Walgreens security guard on San Francisco’s …

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Turns 100. How Will Climate Change Affect Its Future?

May 10th, 2023

18:19

For the last 100 years, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite has supplied millions of Bay Area residents with some of the cleanest water in the country. A feat of human engineering, Hetch Hetchy has both an impressive …

Living with Long COVID

May 8th, 2023

19:11

The federal COVID emergency will officially end on Thursday. But for those living with long COVID, the end of the pandemic couldn’t feel farther from …

Oakland Public School Teachers Go On Strike

May 5th, 2023

17:08

On Thursday morning, nearly 3,000 educators and staff at the Oakland Unified School District went on strike in a push for higher wages and better …

San José Plans to Build More Temporary Housing Sites. But Housed Neighbors Are Pushing Back

May 3rd, 2023

20:41

San José Mayor Matt Mahan has been pushing to build more emergency interim housing as a cost-effective approach to get unhoused residents off the streets more quickly. It’s intended to be a temporary step toward more …

BART Director Lateefah Simon is Running for Congress

May 1st, 2023

27:52

BART Board Director Lateefah Simon is running to replace East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee in Congress, who herself is running to replace Sen. Dianne …

The End of Alameda County’s Eviction Moratorium

April 28th, 2023

22:32

Alameda County’s eviction moratorium helped keep hundreds, potentially thousands of people housed during the pandemic.

But after increased pressure …

One of the Nation’s First Asian American Bookstores is Closing

April 26th, 2023

20:32

Eastwind Books, one of the nation’s first Asian American bookstores, has closed its doors after more than four decades in business.

The store has been run by Harvey and Beatrice Dong, two activists who were part of civil …

How an Antisemitic Propaganda Group Started in the Bay

April 24th, 2023

25:45

There were more than 2,700 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in 2021, the highest count since the Anti-Defamation League’s …

‘I Need to Feel Safe More Than I Need Forever’: Poet Antmen Pimentel Mendoza

April 21st, 2023

17:47

To commemorate National Poetry Month, producer Maria Esquinca talks to Bay Area-based poet Antmen Pimentel Mendoza about his Chapbook collection, “My …

Call The Bay! We Want to Hear Your Thoughts About the Oakland A’s

April 20th, 2023

3:31

On Wednesday night, the Oakland A's announced that they have signed an agreement to buy land for a stadium in Las Vegas. This news doesn't mean the move is complete, but it does make it even more likely that yet another …

'I've Been Contributing': The Push to Extend Unemployment Insurance to Undocumented Workers

April 19th, 2023

18:01

An estimated 1.1 million undocumented immigrants work in California, with large numbers laboring in low-wage jobs like agriculture, construction, and …

The Antioch Police Department's Racist Text Messages

April 17th, 2023

21:38

This episode contains explicit, racist and offensive language, as well as descriptions of violence.

For years, police officers in the city of Antioch …

Sactown vs. The Bay

April 14th, 2023

24:05

The last time the Sacramento Kings made the NBA playoffs, the iPhone hadn't been invented yet. For 17 years, Sacramento-area sports fans have endured losing season after losing season. 

But not this year. The Kings …

A New Bill Could Help Get Teens Closer to Recovering From Addiction

April 12th, 2023

21:41

This episode contains descriptions of drug addiction and attempted suicide. The national crisis and suicide hotline is 988.

In 2021, about 1 in 5 deaths among people ages 15-24 were from fentanyl overdoses in California. …

‘I’m Literally Not Going to be Able to Eat:' CalFresh’s Pandemic Benefits Expire This Month

April 10th, 2023

15:51

From extra unemployment assistance to free COVID testing and eviction moratoriums, pandemic-era assistance is fading away. 

The latest to fall are extra payments for recipients of CalFresh, the state’s version of the …

The Oakland Program Helping Khmer Rouge Survivors Heal

April 7th, 2023

24:25

Nearly 320,000 Cambodians live in the US, with about a third living in California. Many are survivors or descendants of those who fled the country during the Cambodian genocide. An estimated 2 million people died under …

An End of an Era for Oakland's Wood Street Commons

April 5th, 2023

22:27

The city of Oakland plans to evict the 60 remaining residents of the Wood Street encampment on Monday, April 10. This comes after months of ramping up sweeps in order to move forward with plans to build 171 affordable …

Tech Boom? What About A Carbon Removal Boom?

April 3rd, 2023

23:39

We’ve delayed action on climate change for so long that scientists say eliminating greenhouse gas emissions isn’t enough anymore — we also need to explore ways of removing carbon from the atmosphere.

One potential method …

S.F’s Iconic Castro Theatre is in Limbo

March 31st, 2023

23:17

The iconic Castro Theatre faces an uncertain future. Historically operated as a movie palace, the building’s new managers want to renovate the space for more events — like concerts, performances and weddings.

The plans …

As a Therapist, I See the Damage of Anti-Trans Hate Firsthand

March 29th, 2023

19:19

Anti-trans hate is on the rise. Republicans have introduced more than 400 anti-trans bills in state legislatures around the country. 1 in California …

These Proven Schizophrenia Treatments Work. Why Won't Insurance Companies Cover Them?

March 27th, 2023

31:33

This episode contains mentions of suicide.

Too often, psychosis isn’t treated until it’s too late. But studies from early psychosis clinics show that patients see a greater reduction of symptoms, like voices or …

We Don’t Know Whether Most of the Bay’s Levees Are Safe

March 24th, 2023

17:38

Residents of Pajaro in Monterey County were finally allowed to return home Thursday after destructive flooding from last week’s storms. When the levee broke, causing the town to flood, it wasn’t a huge surprise; …

These Affordable Housing Projects Are Affected by Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse

March 22nd, 2023

18:32

Silicon Valley Bank is best known for its relationships with the tech industry. But the bank also had billions out in loans to developers working on affordable housing projects in the Bay Area.

Unlike larger banks, …

In East San Jose, One District is Seeing Success with Universal Preschool

March 20th, 2023

22:15

California is in the middle of rolling out a plan to make preschool universal across the state. Also known as “transitional kindergarten,” it’s all …

Alameda County’s Answer to Black Maternal Mortality is Working

March 17th, 2023

21:22

The U.S. ranks 55th in the world in maternal mortality rates. Those rates are even worse for Black women, whose maternal mortality rate is more than two times higher than any other racial or ethnic group. Patients and …

In Monterey County, the Town of Pajaro Has Flooded

March 15th, 2023

18:43

As residents across California continue to cope with heavy wind and rain, perhaps no community has been hit harder than Pajaro, where thousands of residents have evacuated after a levee broke late last Friday, flooding …

The Success of S.F’s Mobile Opioid Treatment Clinics

March 13th, 2023

20:21

San Francisco’s mobile opioid treatment clinics popped up as a way to address overcrowding at San Francisco General Hospital during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. These vans distribute methadone, a medication …

The Oakland Tech Girls Basketball Team’s ‘Mini Dynasty’

March 10th, 2023

21:29

A potential dynasty is building at Oakland Technical High School, where the girls’ basketball team is on its way to clutching its 3rd state …

Bay Area Men Sentenced for Plot to Blow Up Democratic Party HQ

March 8th, 2023

24:30

Two men who worked at an auto shop in Napa have been sentenced to federal prison for plotting to blow up the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento in 2021. Ian Benjamin Rogers, of Napa, was sentenced to …

Dianne Feinstein’s San Francisco Roots

March 6th, 2023

26:12

Sen. Dianne Feinstein is retiring after more than 30 years in Washington. Her retirement has gotten many people talking about her legacy and career in the U.S. Senate.

But before that, Feinstein was a local official in …

BART is Staring Down a Fiscal Cliff

March 3rd, 2023

23:40

People just aren’t taking public transit like they used to.

BART’s ridership is still less than 40% of what it was before March 2020. On top of that, …

How Alameda Became the First Bay Area City to Set Its State Housing Goals

March 1st, 2023

23:13

If you’ve been to the City of Alameda, you’ve probably noticed its beautiful Victorian homes lining the shore of the San Francisco Bay. This has been …

Getting Ready for the Big One

February 27th, 2023

17:11

In early February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.

Here in California, we know the Big One is coming someday. …

An Uphill Battle to Unionize at One of the Bay’s Oldest Nonprofits

February 24th, 2023

23:59

Workers at nonprofits like the Felton Institute are on the front lines of our region’s biggest problems, like poverty, homelessness, and addiction. …

California’s COVID Emergency Ends Feb. 28

February 22nd, 2023

20:12

For many members of the public, COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror. People are tired. Governments have dropped things like mask and vaccine mandates. And the virus isn’t as lethal as it once was.

On the other hand, this …

Tracing Hip Hop’s Beginnings in the Bay With Davey D

February 20th, 2023

24:57

Originally from The Bronx, New York, Dave “Davey D” Cook was there when this thing we call hip-hop was in its nascent form, before it even had a name. When he arrived in the Bay Area in the early ’80s, one of his …

In Deep Blue California, Anti-Abortion Centers Outnumber Abortion Clinics

February 17th, 2023

23:26

Crisis pregnancy centers, or anti-abortion centers, are designed to look like community health clinics. But the vast majority of them don’t have a medical license, and all of them have an explicit goal: to persuade …

Brooke Jenkins Plans to Drop Charges Against SFPD Officer Who Killed Keita O’Neil

February 15th, 2023

22:05

In November 2020, then-San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin filed criminal charges against former SFPD officer Christopher Samayoa. In 2017, Samayoa, who had been on the force for just 4 days, shot and killed …

Did Chevron Fire Workers in Richmond for Going on Strike?

February 13th, 2023

20:04

Last spring, workers at Chevron’s Richmond refinery went on strike for 10 weeks, demanding higher pay, better health benefits, and safer working conditions. When the strike ended, union leaders say that Chevron …

After 6 Years, South Berkeley's Here/There Encampment Closes

February 10th, 2023

21:29

The Here/There homeless encampment was familiar to anybody who drove between Oakland and Berkeley. The camp had its roots in the Bay Area’s Occupy movements in the early 2010s, and was founded in 2017 to highlight the …

Oakland’s Police Chief and the Long Road to Police Reform

February 8th, 2023

21:21

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong was placed on administrative leave last month, after an external investigation into the handling of two police …

Her Murder Conviction Was Overturned. ICE Still Wants to Deport Her.

February 6th, 2023

33:23

Sandra Castañeda was convicted for a murder she didn’t commit and was sentenced to 40 years to life. She thought she was going to spend the rest of …

‘Under the Radar’: Half Moon Bay and the Vulnerability of Farmworkers

February 3rd, 2023

23:36

The mass shooting last Monday in Half Moon Bay that left 7 farmworkers dead has brought renewed attention to the living conditions of California farmworkers. State and local officials say they plan to investigate …

A Layoff Spree At Bay Area Tech Companies

February 1st, 2023

17:25

You’ve seen the news by now: tech companies are laying people off in droves. Nearly 60,000 people have been laid off from Bay Area-based tech companies since November 2022, according to the latest estimates from …

Why Sewage Flooded the Bay

January 30th, 2023

18:51

An estimated 62 million gallons of sewage — or about 94 Olympic-sized swimming pools — spilled into the San Francisco Bay during the storms in late …

Oakland's Lunar New Year Parade

January 27th, 2023

19:06

Organizers of Oakland’s Lunar New Year Parade hope it marks a new start for Chinatown and the city’s Asian communities. Over the past few years, the …

7 Farmworkers Killed in Half Moon Bay Mass Shooting

January 25th, 2023

16:22

7 people were killed and 1 injured in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay on Monday afternoon. The suspect, 66-year old Chunli Zhao, is in police …

The Great Soaking is Over. What Now?

January 23rd, 2023

19:46

The sun is back, and it’s a huge relief. And while the state largely avoided widespread, catastrophic disaster, communities all over California were …

Alameda County’s New DA Wants to Shake Things Up

January 20th, 2023

23:17

Pamela Price has been sworn in as Alameda County District Attorney. In the 2022 Election, Price won the seat with 53% of the vote, defeating her more tough-on-crime opponent, Terry Wiley. 

She is the first Black woman …

‘You’re Taking On A Lot of Risk’: Rain and Recovery in the Santa Cruz Mountains

January 18th, 2023

18:47

When the rain storms first started to hit Hannah Hagemann’s community in the Santa Cruz mountains, she was lucky enough to evacuate before landslides …

Blues Town: Remembering Russell City

January 16th, 2023

25:36

Etta James, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker all played in Russell City, a once thriving blues town located in Hayward. The town was home to Black and …

A ‘Rare’ Archive of Angela Davis’ Life On Display At OMCA

January 13th, 2023

21:54

A rare showcase of archives and memorabilia from the life of Angela Davis is on display at the Oakland Museum of California. The exhibit includes …

Rain and Eviction Loom Over Oakland’s Wood Street Encampment

January 11th, 2023

23:43

California’s temperate weather is one reason why homelessness is so visible. But with climate change, warmer and wetter weather are making the emergency on the streets even more dire. 

At what remains of the Wood Street …

Oakland Swears in Mayor Sheng Thao

January 9th, 2023

26:47

On Monday, Oakland will swear in Sheng Thao as the city’s new mayor and now one of the most prominent Hmong-American politicians in the country. Last …

Storms Pummel the Bay Area With More to Come

January 6th, 2023

19:30

Storms caused by back-to-back atmospheric rivers pummeled the Bay Area this week;, prompting evacuation orders, heavy flooding on roads and in rivers, and bringing down power for 100 thousand PG&E customers Thursday.

Matt Mahan Begins His First Year As San Jose’s New Mayor

January 4th, 2023

23:36

The new mayor of the Bay Area’s biggest city started his new job this week, and he has to work fast. Matt Mahan’s first job is to address a winter …

The Bay’s Favorite Episodes of 2022

December 16th, 2022

28:00

It’s our last episode of the year! Today, host Ericka Cruz Guevarra, producer Maria Esquinca, and senior editor Alan Montecillo unpack 2022 and share their favorite episodes. We’ll have new episodes for you starting …

Is Vallejo Rushing Its Police Oversight Commission?

December 14th, 2022

18:20

It’s been a bad few months for people in Vallejo who are fighting for police accountability. The police chief who promised reforms abruptly stepped …

tbh: The Problem With The 'Clean Girl Aesthetic'

December 12th, 2022

29:18

Teenagers like Elise Muchowski aspired to the “Clean Girl Aesthetic,” a trend that blew up on TikTok and that prioritizes looking clean and effortless, with videos of skincare, makeup routines, and a minimalist wardrobe.

When the Tenderloin's Addiction Crisis Goes Viral

December 9th, 2022

23:59

San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood has a reputation for drug addiction, poverty, and homelessness — all big problems that have not been solved …

Will Casual Carpool Ever Come Back?

December 7th, 2022

19:47

Before the pandemic, there were a few ways to endure the traffic into downtown San Francisco. One very Bay Area method was the casual carpool, a …

A Frantic Job Hunt for H-1B Visa Holders in Tech

December 5th, 2022

20:57

Silicon Valley companies rely on thousands of H-1B visa holders who have come to the Bay Area from all over the world. H-1B visas grant temporary …

In the Bay, Hundreds Are Coming Out to Support Chinese Protesters

December 2nd, 2022

21:57

Even in the Bay Area, it’s a big risk for Chinese residents to protest against the Chinese Communist Party. Many fear retaliation against themselves and their loved ones in China. 

But over the past week, hundreds of …

Got Climate Anxiety? Here’s How to Deal With It

November 30th, 2022

17:45

Leaders from nearly 200 countries recently met during COP27, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. While some gains were made, like the creation of a “loss and …

Oakland Plans to Return 5 Acres to East Bay Ohlone

November 28th, 2022

26:43

Oakland is on the verge of returning 5 acres of Joaquin Miller Park to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan. This would …

Thousands of UC Academic Workers Are on Strike

November 18th, 2022

19:27

Universities across the country rely on students and academic workers to grade papers, run classes, conduct research, and provide student support. It’s demanding work, often for little pay. 

But now, the unions …

Twitter's Implosion is Hurting Local Charities

November 16th, 2022

17:16

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has led to complete chaos: layoffs, advertiser panic, and concerns all around the world about what this means for speech on the internet.

But here in the Bay, what happens at Twitter has …

A Settlement in the Vallejo Police Killing of Angel Ramos

November 14th, 2022

32:49

The city of Vallejo is notorious for being forced to pay out millions in legal settlements to victims of police violence. In the latest example, The …

How California Voted on the 7 Statewide Ballot Measures

November 11th, 2022

24:58

Votes are still being counted, but the races for all 7 statewide propositions have been called. Californians approved Prop. 1 (abortion rights), Prop. 28 (arts education funding), and Prop. 31 (ban flavored tobacco), …

Election Night in the Bay

November 9th, 2022

29:12

The last day to vote in the 2022 election has come and gone. Californians overwhelmingly approved an amendment to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution, and both Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Alex Padilla …

Oakland's Measure S Would Open the Door to Noncitizen Voting in School Board Elections

November 7th, 2022

20:06

In the past few years, a handful of California cities have explored allowing noncitizens to vote in various local elections. The most famous example …

Who Will be Oakland’s Next Mayor?

November 4th, 2022

23:43

Oakland voters will decide on a new mayor this month. It’s a packed race; 10 candidates are vying for the seat, including 4 current and former members of Oakland City Council. The issue taking center stage in this …

'It’s a Despicable Act’: Rep. Jackie Speier on the Attack on Paul Pelosi

November 2nd, 2022

17:11

On Tuesday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced charges against David DePape, the 42-year-old man accused of breaking into House …

‘Making Something That’s Our Own’: Día de Los Muertos in the Bay

October 31st, 2022

27:56

The roots of Día de los Muertos celebrations in San Francisco can be traced back to 1972, when a collective of Chicano artists formed the first day …

For the First Time in 24 Years, Santa Clara County Will Have a New Sheriff

October 28th, 2022

26:04

In the Bay’s most populous county, Laurie Smith has served as sheriff since 1998. But in this election, amid a wave of scandals and an ongoing …

A Sanctuary State for Gender Affirming Care

October 26th, 2022

23:54

21 states have attempted to limit, ban, or criminalize access to medical care for transgender and nonbinary youth. 

California is going in the opposite direction. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that ensures …

California's Only Gubernatorial Debate

October 24th, 2022

1:04:10

On Sunday afternoon, incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom debated his Republican challenger, State Senator Brian Dahle. This was their first and only debate, which was held at KQED's headquarters in San Francisco. The …

San Francisco’s District Attorney Race

October 21st, 2022

27:37

Back in June, San Francisco voters recalled Chesa Boudin from the office of District Attorney. In his place, Mayor London Breed appointed Brooke Jenkins, who once worked in Boudin’s office and became a paid spokesperson …

In Benicia’s City Council Race, Valero is on People’s Minds

October 19th, 2022

24:13

Benicia is home to an oil refinery operated by Valero, which employs hundreds of people and contributes tax revenue totaling an estimated 20% of the …

KQED Live: A San Jose Mayoral Candidates Forum

October 17th, 2022

1:01:15

This November, San Jose residents will make a big decision about the future of the nation’s 10th largest city. The San Jose’s mayor’s race is between two candidates: Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and San …

A Rise in Catalytic Converter Thefts

October 14th, 2022

23:17

Unless you work on cars for a living, you probably weren’t very familiar with catalytic converters until the last few years, when reported thefts of …

‘Who Are We Here For? Iran!’

October 12th, 2022

18:12

After protests erupted in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Kurdish Iranian woman who died in police custody after being arrested for …

Preventing Gun Violence Through Arts and Culture

October 10th, 2022

20:14

Several Bay Area cities, including Oakland, are dealing with increased levels of gun violence. In Oakland, the city has hit triple-digit homicides …

Prop. 31: Banning Flavored Tobacco

October 7th, 2022

17:48

In 2020, California lawmakers passed SB 793, which banned the retail sale of flavored tobacco products that can be smoked, vaped, or eaten statewide.

But shortly after that, tobacco companies worked to put Prop. 31 on …

Prop. 30: Green Infrastructure

October 5th, 2022

18:20

We need to spend a lot of money on green infrastructure if we want to lower emissions and adapt to the climate crisis. Supporters of Proposition 30 …

Prop. 29: Dialysis Clinics

October 3rd, 2022

17:52

Launched for a third time by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, Prop. 29 would add new rules on dialysis …

Prop. 28: Arts and Music Education Funding

September 30th, 2022

18:47

Studies show that arts and music education benefit students, reducing things like depression and truancy. However, when budgets are slashed, they’re the first programs to go. The problem is exacerbated in low-income …

Props 26 and 27: Sports Betting

September 28th, 2022

21:31

There’s a pair of dueling ballot measures in California that would affect whether we have legalized sports betting in the state, and what form it …

Prop. 1: Reproductive Freedom

September 26th, 2022

22:12

For the next 2 weeks, we’re teaming up with our friends at Bay Curious to bring you Prop Fest, where we’ll break down the 7 statewide ballot propositions in the November election.

First up: Proposition 1. It was added to …

Pushing to Make BART Safer for Women and Girls

September 23rd, 2022

19:05

The Not One More Girl campaign launched in 2020 after a survey of Bay Area youth found that women and girls feared for their safety when using public transportation. Spearheaded by youth, the campaign outlined ways to …

San Jose Sweeps One of Its Largest Homeless Encampments

September 21st, 2022

20:04

At its peak, an estimated 500 people lived in tents, vehicles, and camper vans at an encampment near San Jose’s airport. The city has tried to clear it for years, under pressure from the Federal Aviation Administration. …

Black Women Are Changing California's Victim System

September 19th, 2022

24:52

Communities of color in California are the most affected by violent crime. But historically, they haven't had a seat at the table when it comes to …

Poetry, Burritos, and The Border: Meet Our Producer, Maria Esquinca!

September 16th, 2022

25:32

Maria Esquinca is the newest producer for The Bay, taking over after Ericka Cruz Guevarra left the position to become the host of the show. 

In this episode we get to know Maria a little bit more. We talk about her …

Last Week’s Historic Heat Wave

September 14th, 2022

19:52

The Bay Area experienced record-setting heat last week, with temperatures reaching up to 115 degrees in some parts, threatening to overload the state’s power grid. 

It won’t be the last. Climate change makes it even more …

'Welcome Black to the Land'

September 12th, 2022

20:34

In California, less than 1% of farmland is Black-owned, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. One such farm is in Sebastopol in Sonoma County. 

Naatak Marks 100 Productions of Indian American Theater in the Bay Area

September 9th, 2022

21:41

Naatak is one of the largest Indian American theater companies in the country. Started in 1995 out of a dorm room at UC Berkeley, Naatak is staging its 100th production this month. 

In that time, an estimated 1,000 …

In Sonoma County, Cities Are Banning New Gas Stations

September 7th, 2022

18:51

Sonoma County is trying to set a trend for other cities in banning the construction of new gas stations. In 2021, Petaluma became the first city in …

‘It’s an Unimaginable Number of Fish’

September 2nd, 2022

23:31

You’ve probably seen pictures or even smelled them by now. This past week, thousands upon thousands of dead fish have washed up on shorelines all over the Bay Area. And there are way more beneath the surface. 

So, what's …

How Safe Injection Sites Can Help Address Our Addiction Crisis

August 31st, 2022

23:51

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed a trial run of safe injection sites in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. These sites, …

Taking Your Eviction to Court

August 29th, 2022

32:45

More than 2 years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, most emergency housing protections have expired. This means millions of renters are facing eviction.

Today, in an episode of The California Report Magazine, …

California Will Phase Out New Gas-Powered Cars by 2035

August 26th, 2022

12:46

It’s official: by 2035, California will end the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. State air regulators approved the plan yesterday, but it started …

The Future of Street Vending at the 24th Street Mission BART Plaza

August 24th, 2022

29:31

Over the weekend, protesters tore down a fence that had been put up around the 24th Street Mission BART plaza at the request of San Francisco Supervisor Hilary Ronen. 

Proponents of the fence said it was necessary to …

S.F's Noncitizen Voting Law Was Struck Down. What's Next?

August 22nd, 2022

22:35

Noncitizen voting isn’t a brand new idea. White, landowning, noncitizen men were once allowed to vote in 40 states.

Today, a handful of cities have …

How We Talk About Wildfires

August 19th, 2022

20:02

A heat wave that swept through the Bay Area this week made way for fires again. That, plus a slew of other fires burning across California sent smoke hovering over areas of the state. So we thought it’d be a good time …

A Year Later, One Afghan Family’s Resettlement in the Bay

August 17th, 2022

25:54

It’s been one year since the Taliban took control of Kabul. Millions of Afghans have fled the country, in many cases becoming separated from their …

High School in the Shadows of Silicon Valley

August 15th, 2022

20:15

At elite high schools in Silicon Valley, the pressure to succeed is intense. And according to Sophia Shao, a senior at Los Altos High School, her …

SFUSD Teachers (Still) Haven’t Been Fully Paid

August 12th, 2022

18:23

School starts again at San Francisco Unified next week. But some teachers and staff still haven’t been fully paid what they’re owed for last year. 

Project Roomkey is Closing Its Doors

August 10th, 2022

29:27

Project Roomkey is coming to an end. Its goal was to temporarily house some of the state’s most vulnerable homeless people in hotel rooms during the …

Remembering Joy: A Personal Story from ECG

August 8th, 2022

28:33

Ericka here, bringing you all something different for today’s episode. 

Every week, our job here at The Bay is to tell stories about this place and the people in it. But recently, I got the chance to tell a different …

A Standoff Over People’s Park in Berkeley

August 5th, 2022

23:43

In 1969, a group of protesters took over a plot of land owned by UC Berkeley and turned it into a green, public space now known as People’s Park. Since then, it’s become a place synonymous with Berkeley’s history of …

What's Going On with Monkeypox?

August 3rd, 2022

24:20

A state of emergency over monkeypox has been declared in San Francisco and in the state of California. More than 5,800 cases have been confirmed …

Why Cleaning Up Bayview-Hunters Point is an Issue of Reparations

August 1st, 2022

25:46

If you talk to longtime residents of San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, you'll hear lots of stories about people getting sick from …

A Message From The Bay: We’re Taking July Off!

July 1st, 2022

7:53

We work really hard to bring you three episodes a week. But we’ll admit: Sometimes, it's good to take a break from the news. The Bay is taking a …

‘We Will Continue to Be Here’: Accessing Abortion Services After Roe

June 29th, 2022

18:46

We've known for a minute that, if Roe v. Wade was overturned, California would play a big role in helping Americans access abortion services.

Now, …

'I Knew It Was Coming, But I Still Can't Believe It'

June 27th, 2022

22:33

Here in California, abortion is still legal. And an overwhelming majority of Bay Area residents support the right to have one.

Which is why, over the weekend, many people marched in protest against the Supreme Court’s …

Black, Queer, and Searching for Safe Spaces

June 24th, 2022

24:07

Before moving to the Bay Area from Jacksonville, Florida, friends told KQED Rightnowish production intern Corey Antonio Rose he was heading to ‘gay …

The Story Behind the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco

June 22nd, 2022

15:47

The National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is the nation’s first and only federally designated memorial of those who have …

He Designed a Garden at UC Santa Cruz from Death Row. Now Students Want Him Free

June 17th, 2022

26:42

In California, the death penalty is in limbo. On the one hand, the state hasn’t executed anyone since 2006. On the other, the death penalty in still legal. In practice, this means that hundreds of incarcerated people …

Dub Nation Against the World

June 15th, 2022

20:03

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from another NBA championship, which would be their fourth since 2015. But as OG fans know, they haven’t …

Organizing a Gun Buyback in San Mateo County

June 13th, 2022

22:50

This episode contains mentions of suicide.

On a weekend in early June, hundreds of San Mateo County residents drove to a courthouse parking lot in …

Chesa Boudin Has Been Recalled. So What Does it Mean?

June 10th, 2022

24:59

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has been recalled. This race has gotten a ton of attention both inside and outside the Bay Area, which is uncommon for a local DA race. And shortly after election night, …

We Need to Talk About Wage Theft

June 8th, 2022

25:10

In California, tens of thousands of workers aren’t getting paid what they’re owed by their employers. Many of these workers are low-wage earning immigrants in industries like construction, home care, and food service.

Will ‘CARE Court’ Help People Dealing with Mental Illness and Homelessness?

June 6th, 2022

24:25

California’s mental health care system is a mess. And at the same time, unsheltered homelessness is increasing and voters want their leaders to do something about it.

Those are some of the reasons why Gov. Gavin Newsom …

Attacks on Asians in SF Shook the Community and Went Viral. What Happened Next?

June 3rd, 2022

31:06

There are so many horrifying incidents of attacks on Asians that have gone viral. Many of them took place in San Francisco. There’s a lot of fear, anxiety, and anger among Asian communities in the city. And many people …

San Jose is Choosing a New Mayor

June 1st, 2022

29:39

For the first time since 2014, the race for mayor in San Jose has no incumbent running, since Mayor Sam Liccardo is term-limited. On June 7, San Jose voters will decide between 7 candidates, ranging from current elected …

Solano County’s Race for District Attorney

May 27th, 2022

21:04

In Solano County, two high-profile police killings loom large over the race for District Attorney on June 7. That’s because the incumbent, Krishna …

Mindshift: Community, Trauma, and Helping Children Heal

May 25th, 2022

31:25

On Tuesday, an armed gunman killed at least 18 children and 3 adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

There’s still a lot of questions …

Your Biggest Ideas on How to Solve the Housing Crisis

May 23rd, 2022

29:08

More than 35,000 people are living unhoused across the Bay Area – up 9 percent in the last three years, according to an annual count of folks living …

The Workers’ Right to COVID Sick Pay in California

May 20th, 2022

22:03

Just because COVID sick pay exists doesn't necessarily mean employees always feel comfortable using it. Between Americans’ unhealthy relationship with work and a sense that the world is opening back up again, employers …

An Extremist Plot to Blow Up the California Democratic Party HQ

May 18th, 2022

26:09

The threat of domestic extremist violence is all over the country. Just last weekend, an 18-year old white man drove to a predominantly Black part of …

Activists Lobbied for a New, Diverse District. An Old White Congressman is the Frontrunner

May 16th, 2022

23:03

California’s new 8th Congressional district, which includes Vallejo, Fairfield, Richmond, Pittsburg, and part of Antioch, is the most diverse in the region. It’s the only district in the entire state with at least 15% …

SFPD’s Former Comms Director is Now on the Board of Supervisors

May 13th, 2022

21:14

Lots of high-profile jobs in San Francisco have opened up lately — whether it’s because of a recall, a corruption scandal, or a simple job promotion. …

A New Wave of COVID is Hitting the Bay. How’s it Different?

May 11th, 2022

16:55

Currently, the Bay Area is California’s COVID hot spot.

The good news? Fewer people are being hospitalized or dying from COVID, thanks to the vaccine and the increased availability of treatments. This wave might also be …

KQED Live: An Interview with Chesa Boudin

May 9th, 2022

1:00:18

It’s election season again. On June 7, Californians have some big decisions to make in elections both locally and statewide. 

In San Francisco, voters will decide whether or not District Attorney Chesa Boudin will keep …

In Sebastopol, Students Want Adults to Do More About Racist Bullying

May 6th, 2022

25:43

At West County High School in Sebastopol, there are way fewer students of color compared with schools in many Bay Area cities. And the students there …

Even in California, Abortion Services Can Be Hard to Find

May 4th, 2022

19:50

A majority of the Supreme Court plans to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to leaked documents obtained by Politico. In California, most public …

Letting go of La Pulga

May 2nd, 2022

19:59

Growing up, Katrina Ramos White helped her immigrant parents run a toy stand at the Berryessa Flea Market in San Jose. A few years ago, with hopes of buying her own home in SIlicon Valley, she took over the family …

Bay Curious: Oakland’s 16th Train Station Helped Build West Oakland and the Civil Rights Movement

April 29th, 2022

22:42

Now a derelict building, the 16th street train station in West Oakland was once a thriving center of transportation during the golden age of rail …

‘Love me Before the City Disappears’: Poet Nijla Mu’min

April 27th, 2022

24:05

Tell me memories mean something

and I will carve your face on a tree.

Never cut it down.

Guarded with what slaps and surprises

sage and old E-40 …

An Immigrant Visa Problem is Hitting Silicon Valley

April 25th, 2022

24:10

For many families waiting decades for the right to live and work permanently in the U.S. through the crazy, byzantine rules of America’s immigration …

Masks Are Optional. But Not For the Medically Vulnerable.

April 22nd, 2022

23:58

A federal judge in Florida ruled on Monday that the federal mask mandate was unlawful. Hours later, the Transportation Security Administration lifted …

San Francisco is Limiting What Police Can Do With Your DNA

April 20th, 2022

20:57

On Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that would limit how police store and use DNA profiles obtained …

Could Schools Be Held Accountable in Court for How They Handle Sexual Assault?

April 18th, 2022

25:39

When a student makes an allegation of sexual assault, their options for redress are often unsatisfying. Few cases end up in the legal system, and …

San Francisco’s Redistricting Disaster

April 15th, 2022

24:29

Redistricting is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to redraw a city’s political map. It’s an important yet arcane process that should ultimately lead to …

Why Does Uber Want to Team Up with Taxis?

April 13th, 2022

17:43


The rise of Uber in San Francisco a decade ago marked the beginning of the end for much of the taxi industry. Taxi companies went bankrupt and drivers struggled to pay off their medallions, pushing many of them into …

Support for Mutual Aid Came and Went, But the Need is Still There

April 11th, 2022

20:39

In 2020 call outs for mutual aid donations flooded social media, and people responded with an abundance of money, food and time. Two years later, interest and support has waned while the needs have not gone away. As …

A Mass Shooting in Downtown Sacramento

April 8th, 2022

21:57

It may feel a little far from the Bay Area, but Sacramento is home to our state Capitol. And just a stone’s throw away from that building, in the …

‘It’s Like Groundhog Day’: Another Year of Drought

April 6th, 2022

21:49

The rainy season is over. But it didn’t feel like much of a rainy season at all. And now, California is in another year of drought. In the Bay Area, the North and South Bay are getting hit the hardest.

Being asked to …

Bay Curious: The History of the Bay’s 425 Shellmounds

April 4th, 2022

18:13

Before the Emeryville shoreline was a shopping center and commercial area, it was the site of a sacred burial site belonging to the Ohlone people, natives of the San Francisco Bay Area.

There were once more than 425 of …

The ‘Sustained Excellence’ of Stanford Women’s Basketball

April 1st, 2022

21:58

When it comes to basketball in the Bay Area, there’s no team that’s done more winning than Stanford’s women’s team.

Since 1990, the Cardinal have won 15 conference championships, 3 national championships, and have made …

How BART Removed — and Then Reinstated — Director Lateefah Simon

March 30th, 2022

24:31

It’s been a weird month for BART’s Board of Directors. In the span of just 2 weeks, the agency removed — and then reinstated — Director Lateefah …

KQED Live: Finding Asylum in California

March 28th, 2022

30:30

Landing in a new country is never easy, even if you’re landing in a place like the Bay Area, which is already home to so many immigrants, refugees, and people who’ve sought asylum. And between Russia's invasion of …

What Happened at Vallejo's Project Roomkey?

March 25th, 2022

31:00

In April 2020, Vallejo became one of the first cities to opt into the state’s Project Roomkey, a program designed to provide hotel rooms for …

A Strike at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery

March 23rd, 2022

19:18

About 500 operators and technicians at Chevron’s Richmond refinery went on strike starting Monday. It’s the first labor strike at the plant in more than 40 years.

The union representing these workers says that Chevron …

Paying for Gas as a Ride Service Driver

March 21st, 2022

15:38

It’s no fun getting gas these days. The average price in many Bay Area counties reached $5.80 a gallon. And that's making it tough for people who drive for gig companies like Uber and Lyft, or who are taxi drivers.

Guest

Many SF Teachers Haven't Been Getting Their Paychecks

March 18th, 2022

17:58

From Monday to Thursday, a group of teachers staged a sit-in at the SF Unified School District building to protest the fact the district mishandled …

Finally, California's Unemployment System Adds More Language Support

March 16th, 2022

21:00

For the last 2 years California’s unemployment system has been completely overwhelmed. One of the biggest issues: The lack of language access for people who don’t speak English or Spanish.

Now, the Employment Development …

Remembering the Atlanta Spa Shooting — And How We Move Forward

March 14th, 2022

19:03

This week marks one year since a gunman killed 8 people in Atlanta, Georgia in a targeted attack against Asian massage parlors. 6 of those killed …

Rightnowish: Self Love is a Communal Act

March 11th, 2022

19:48

It's been an intense few weeks. And we believe that all of us deserve to take a break and take care of ourselves. So in the spirit of that, we’re going to play an episode to help keep us all going despite all that’s …

Students, Growth, and Housing at UC Berkeley

March 9th, 2022

22:34

A group of homeowners sued over UC Berkeley's plans to increase enrollment, claiming that the university has not adequately studied the environmental …

SF Students Are Still Pushing for a Reckoning With Sexual Abuse

March 7th, 2022

28:52

Since the summer of 2020, SFUSD has seen waves of protests against sexual harassment and assault. Students say a familiar pattern has …

How the War in Ukraine is Affecting Former Soviet Immigrants

March 4th, 2022

19:37

KQED’s Nastia Voynovskaya was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. In the late 90s, she and her family immigrated to the Bay Area.

Growing up, Nastia’s community included Russians, Ukrainians, Armenians, Georgians, …

For 15 Years, Valero’s Benicia Refinery Released Toxic Chemicals — And No One Knew

March 2nd, 2022

18:49

Valero’s Benicia oil refinery is one of the largest refineries in the state. And from 2003 to 2018, it secretly released excessive amounts of …

Remembering the Fight for Japanese American Reparations

February 28th, 2022

24:30

Reparations in California is a series of KQED stories exploring the road to racial equity in the state.

California is in the process of a 

Reacting to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

February 25th, 2022

14:29

On Wednesday night, Berkeleyside journalist Ally Markovich sat in front of her living room TV with her housemates and watched as Russian forces invaded Ukraine, where she was born.

Ally is one of the more than 100,000 …

How Disaster Planning Leaves Out Queer People

February 23rd, 2022

21:14

Living with climate change means we’re going to have to plan for more disasters. That includes things like emergency shelters, food, and financial help. 

But there are many people who don't feel safe or welcome accessing …

The SF School Board Recall Won in a Landslide. Now What?

February 18th, 2022

22:23

San Francisco voters decided overwhelmingly to recall 3 board of education members from office: Board of Education President Gabriela López and …

SOLD OUT: A Suburb with an Eviction Problem

February 16th, 2022

30:26

Antioch has been a destination for Bay Area residents looking for affordable housing. But now, it’s at the center of a growing eviction crisis. 

In …

California Will Close Death Row at San Quentin. The Next Steps Are More Complicated

February 14th, 2022

20:48

California is in limbo with the death penalty. We have an execution moratorium, and no one has been put to death in the state since 2006. But it’s still legal to sentence someone to die, which means there are hundreds …

'You Think You Can Just Close My School Down? No.'

February 11th, 2022

22:20

Over the past few weeks, students, families and educators in Oakland have pushed back hard against plans by OUSD's Board of Education to close or …

Have You Felt 'COVID Shame?'

February 9th, 2022

13:24

Way more people gotten sick with COVID-19 during these past few weeks. If you've tested positive, you may have felt a range of emotions: Surprise, fear...even anger.

There's also another emotion members of KQED's …

Is ‘Uber for Nurses’ Coming to California?

February 7th, 2022

19:12

A proposal to spread the gig economy to health care could be on the ballot this fall. A group calling itself Californians for Equitable Healthcare …

An Example of 'Land Back' in Northern California

February 4th, 2022

17:21

A conservation group representing Northern California tribes has gotten 523 acres of land back.

The Sinkyone call the land Tc'ih-Léh-Dûñ, meaning "Fish Run Place,” located about 170 miles north of San Francisco in …

The SF School Board Recall is Motivating First-Time Chinese Voters

February 2nd, 2022

24:53

The recall election of 3 San Francisco Board of Education members has motivated many Chinese voters to get involved in local politics for the first …

San Francisco’s School Board Recall Election

January 31st, 2022

32:55

Whether you have a kid in San Francisco public schools or not, if you’re a registered voter, you’ll have a say in the potential recall of three San …

‘Crowchella’ in Sunnyvale

January 28th, 2022

19:02

Clouds of crows have taken over downtown Sunnyvale like a scene out of The Birds. A combination of factors are leading them there, including the increase of outdoor dining due to the pandemic.

Now, the city is trying to …

‘There’s an Element of Risk No Matter Where I Go’

January 26th, 2022

23:48

We've all had to weigh the risks of leaving our homes during this pandemic that has lasted for nearly 2 years. For lots of people, the risk of getting severely ill from the coronavirus is currently very low, even amid …

Santa Clara's County Sheriff is Being Investigated

January 24th, 2022

25:16

Trouble could be ahead for Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith. A civil grand jury has accused her office of 7 counts of misconduct related to …

Why Are There So Many Driverless Cars in San Francisco?

January 21st, 2022

16:23

A self-driving car is not an uncommon sight in San Francisco. And it can feel like more and more of them are out there on the roads. But why?

Today, an episode from our friends at Bay Curious about this, and whether …

‘I Hope a Lawyer Will Answer’

January 19th, 2022

22:33

The U.S. currently has an immigration court backlog that surpasses 1.5 million cases — and that includes many people who are seeking asylum from …

San José Considers Expanding the Vote to Noncitizens

January 14th, 2022

18:56

On Tuesday, the San José City Council voted to study the possibility of giving noncitizens the right to vote in local elections. Community organizers …

A Chaotic Return to School

January 12th, 2022

23:02

Last week, students, teachers and staff returned to class after the winter holidays…and right in the middle of a record-high surge in confirmed …

RIP Traxamillion, an Architect of the Hyphy Movement

January 10th, 2022

19:56

Traxamillion, born Sultan Banks, was a producer from San Jose who helped define the Bay Area’s sound and propelled the Hyphy Movement to the national …

Examining January 6 with Rep. Zoe Lofgren

January 7th, 2022

15:16

Rep. Zoe Lofgren was in the U.S. Capitol a year ago when a mob of Trump supporters, white supremacists, and conspiracy theorists stormed the building …

Keeping Up With California's COVID Testing Surge

January 5th, 2022

23:11

Long COVID test lines and empty shelves where the rapid at-home tests used to be — all signs of another post-holiday pandemic surge.

It’s hard to know …

The Cost of Crossing Bay Area Bridges, And Who Pays the Most

January 3rd, 2022

19:14

As of Jan. 1, 2022, it’ll cost $7 to cross a bridge in the Bay Area. But if you thought that was expensive, wait until you hear how much it has cost those who don't pay: One Bay Area resident racked up $30,000 in unpaid …

The Bay Looks Back at 2021

December 17th, 2021

18:45

New year, same pandemic. The Bay team reflects on another year of covering local news from the Bay Area, and discusses both the hard — and hopeful — …

When a Covid Expert Gets Covid

December 15th, 2021

21:32

Alexis Madrigal was super-cautious about COVID-19 from the beginning. He co-founded the COVID Tracking Project through The Atlantic and has been reporting on the virus since the earliest days of the pandemic.

But in the …

Vallejo Plans to Fire the Cop Who Killed Sean Monterrosa

December 13th, 2021

29:28

This episode contains descriptions of police violence.

After Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn shot and killed Sean Monterrosa on June 2, 2020, the …

Rightnowish: A Bay Area Rollerskating Legend

December 10th, 2021

16:54

Ericka took up roller skating during the pandemic, and a lot of other people have, too. Maybe you've seen it along Lake Merritt or in front of City …

Abortion Services Are Still Hard to Find for Rural and Low Income Californians

December 8th, 2021

18:40

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Californians won’t lose the right to an abortion. The right to have one is codified into state law.

But having the right to an abortion isn’t the same as having good access to …

When Police Need PR Help, Many Turn to One Firm in Vacaville

December 6th, 2021

23:27

When the police kill or hurt someone, the public has a right to know what happened. But in many cases, the police’s story is carefully crafted to …

A Second Pandemic Holiday Season for Food Banks

December 3rd, 2021

15:49

During the first few weeks of sheltering in place, food banks saw a huge explosion in demand as thousands lost their jobs and income. Food banks also …

Omicron: What We Know (and Don't Know)

December 1st, 2021

19:19

Federal health officials are expanding the search for the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the U.S, including at San Francisco International Airport, where there’s increased testing for some international travelers.

For Afghan Artists in the Bay, It’s a Painful Time

November 29th, 2021

24:01

Artists in Afghanistan are in trouble now that the Taliban are back in charge. Visual artists and performers are fleeing the country for fear of being harassed, persecuted, and even killed.

This has ripple effects here …

Meeting My Husband During the Pandemic

November 24th, 2021

19:31

Meeting new people as an adult is hard enough, whether it’s dating or meeting new friends. Then the pandemic happened, and it got even more difficult.

A Win For Indian Farmers and Their Bay Area Supporters

November 22nd, 2021

17:17

A movement to support Indian farmers scored a win this past week. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced plans to roll back three …

'That Walgreens Was Essential'

November 19th, 2021

21:57

This month, Walgreens closed 5 stores in 5 different San Francisco neighborhoods. The company claims it was because of “organized, rampant retail theft,” although available information doesn't quite back that up.

These …

How to Overcome Climate Anxiety

November 17th, 2021

21:03

The United Nations COP26 climate summit was billed by conference organizers as the “last, best hope” to save our warming planet. In the end, …

Remembering the Native American Occupation of Alcatraz

November 15th, 2021

19:18

52 years ago this month, a group of Native Americans began to occupy Alcatraz to assert their right to self-determination. The 19-month occupation is still known as one of the most important actions in contemporary …

The California Latinos at COP26

November 12th, 2021

19:28

California sent many representatives to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland — including many Latinos, who are California's largest ethnic group and are also more likely to say that …

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Rolling Out for Kids Ages 5-11

November 10th, 2021

18:16

After a review process from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pediatric COVID-19 shots are now …

Drawing the Bay Area's New Political Maps

November 8th, 2021

19:02

What if parts of the Bay and parts of the Central Valley were represented by the same person in the U.S. House of Representatives? What about Filipino voters in Daly City and Chinese voters in the western part San …

Our New Host

November 5th, 2021

18:46

On this very special episode, meet the new host of The Bay.

The SFUSD Board Recall Election is Set. We Revisit Student Voices

November 3rd, 2021

19:29

3 members of the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education will be facing a recall vote in February. The special election encompasses …

Oscar Grant, Rob Bonta, and Upcoming Police Reforms

November 1st, 2021

20:17

Less than six weeks after our KQED colleagues from On Our Watch published an episode that revealed new information about the police killing of Oscar …

An Investigation Into COVID-19 Outbreaks at Foster Farms

October 29th, 2021

33:21

In 2020, hundreds of workers at Foster Farms plants in California tested positive for COVID-19. 16 people have died and at least 20 others have been hospitalized.

A KQED investigation found that as Foster Farms' Central …

The Struggle to Hold Chevron Accountable

October 27th, 2021

16:59

Over the past few days, the Chevron refinery in Richmond has been intermittently sending flames and toxic fumes into the air, and people living in the area have complained of a strong gas smell. 

Meanwhile, the public …

The ‘Invisible’ HelloFresh Workers Trying to Unionize in Richmond

October 25th, 2021

17:21

During the pandemic, the meal kit delivery company HelloFresh has made record profits. But some employees at HelloFresh factory kitchens like the one in Richmond say they’re not sharing in those gains, and that they …

Rain!

October 22nd, 2021

18:41

We’re getting an unusual amount of rain this week, with the potential for strong storms during the weekend. And after a summer of drought and wildfires, the rain’s just got us feeling some type of way.

So this all begs …

30 Years Ago, the Oakland Hills Burned. Could it Happen Again?

October 20th, 2021

16:48

On Oct. 19, 1991, a fire started to burn and spread in the Oakland Hills. By the time it was done, an estimated 25 people were killed and thousands of homes were destroyed.

30 years later, a warmer climate and drier …

Vallejo's 'Participatory Budgeting' Process

October 18th, 2021

24:20

Nearly a decade ago, Vallejo launched an experiment: what if citizens played a more active role in deciding how to spend public money?

It's a process …

‘40 Acres and a Tesla’? California Considers Reparations for Black Americans

October 15th, 2021

16:46

California’s Reparations Task Force has a huge challenge before them: to study and recommend reparation proposals for Black Californians and descendants of enslaved people.

The task force wrapped up a series of meetings …

Unpacking the Rise in Gun Violence

October 13th, 2021

18:08

In 2020, homicides in the Bay Area increased by about 25%, according to a Guardian analysis of census and state data. Many of those deaths involved …

How Tahoe Protected Itself From the Caldor Fire

October 11th, 2021

19:20

The Caldor Fire came very close to burning thousands of homes and businesses in South Lake Tahoe. But in the end, while the wildfire has done a lot of damage, the city was largely spared.

That’s no accident. South Lake …

Sonoma County Vineyard Workers are Demanding More Protections

October 8th, 2021

18:14

Vineyard workers already have hard jobs that usually don’t pay high wages. And as wildfire season increasingly overlaps with harvest season, their work has gotten even more dangerous.

Now, advocates and farmworkers in …

California Can Soon Strip Badges from Cops for Serious Misconduct

October 6th, 2021

15:51

Currently, there's little stopping a police officer accused of serious misconduct from simply resigning and moving to a new department.

But that's …

What’s the Deal with COVID-19 Booster Shots?

October 4th, 2021

17:54

The news about COVID-19 booster shots has been confusing. In mid-August, President Biden announced that a COVID-19 booster shot would roll out to all …

An Intergenerational Welcoming for Afghan Refugees

October 1st, 2021

24:00

Since July, at least 2,000 refugees from Afghanistan have arrived in California, with most settling in Northern California and the Bay Area.

Since the …

The Immigrant Renters the Eviction Moratorium Didn't Protect

September 29th, 2021

23:59

California’s eviction moratorium is set to expire tomorrow, September 30. But in many parts of the Bay, Latino immigrant tenants have still been getting evicted by their landlords.

That’s because protections on paper …

How Two Wineries are Dealing With Climate Change

September 27th, 2021

23:09

Wineries have been affected by heat, drought and wildfires. Many have seen lower yields and have even lost grapes. But winemakers are also adapting, and finding creative ways to make sure their livelihoods continue.

California Passed a Law to End Single-Family Zoning

September 24th, 2021

18:54

Two days after the recall election, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 9, which effectively ends single-family zoning in California. The law is part of a larger effort to increase the supply of housing, at a time when …

Will Oakland Require COVID-19 Vaccinations for Public School Students?

September 22nd, 2021

19:43

Oakland Unified’s Board of Education is considering a proposal that would require all students 12 and older to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Some …

Mountain View's Mobile Home Parks Could Have Rent Control Soon

September 20th, 2021

20:40

In Mountain View, residents of mobile home parks are on the verge of winning protections under the city’s rent control law — which they have been …

Where Our Water Comes From

September 17th, 2021

19:00

Most Bay Area residents rely on water that travels a long way to get here. And as we experience another drought, it’s more important than ever to understand how our water works, especially in our different local …

Gov. Gavin Newsom Easily Defeats the Recall

September 15th, 2021

16:40

19 months, 46 candidates, and hundreds of millions of dollars later, Gov. Gavin Newsom has easily defeated the effort to remove him from office. It …

Two Latino Families on the Recall Election

September 13th, 2021

31:45

Latinos are roughly 28% of the voting public in California. And over the past 20 years or so, most have voted for Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom. Now, the recall election is here, and millions of Latino voters …

What Could A Republican Governor Do?

September 10th, 2021

23:10

The last day to vote in the recall election is Tuesday, Sept. 14. And if Gov. Gavin Newsom is replaced, his most likely successor is conservative …

Many Communal Housing Residents in SF's Chinatown Want More Distance Learning

September 8th, 2021

19:07

Residents of communal housing in San Francisco’s Chinatown are organizing to keep their students home. According to a survey of residents living in Single Room Occupancy hotels in Chinatown (or SROs) by the Chinatown …

Why Was Angelo Quinto’s Death Ruled an Accident?

September 3rd, 2021

26:38

In December 2020, 30-year old Angelo Quinto died after an encounter with Antioch police. His family says that, after calling 911 for help, they …

What’s at Stake as the Caldor Fire Threatens Lake Tahoe

September 1st, 2021

19:15

The Caldor Fire continues to burn, and tens of thousands of people have evacuated areas around Lake Tahoe, including the 22,000 residents of the city of South Lake Tahoe. The fire is threatening homes, livelihoods, and …

Benicia Breaks with Solano County on Masks

August 30th, 2021

18:49

In early August, 8 Bay Area counties reinstated mask mandates in indoor public spaces due to the spread of the Delta variant. Solano County was the …

A Farewell to Our Host, Devin Katayama

August 27th, 2021

18:54

It’s time to say goodbye to our host. Devin Katayama is leaving The Bay to become KQED’s first Editor of Talent and Development, where he'll help support interns and on-call staff develop their careers.

To commemorate …

Meet the Top 6 Recall Election Candidates

August 25th, 2021

28:49

When California voters look at their ballots for the Sept. 14 recall election, they will see 46 candidates who are running to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. If a majority of voters mark “Yes” on the recall, Newsom will be …

Some Santa Clara County Leaders Want the Sheriff Out

August 23rd, 2021

24:44

In Santa Clara County, there are a series of controversies surrounding Sheriff Laurie Smith. They range from abuse in jails, to bribery — to even …

Our Fire Conversation Needs to Change

August 20th, 2021

20:24

Several wildfires are burning in Northern California — again. Fire is now a regular part of our lives, and we need to address it with the nuance and …

An ‘All-Hands-on-Deck’ Moment for Afghan Refugee Resettlement

August 18th, 2021

15:30

The Bay Area is home to some of the largest Afghan communities in the U.S. And now, as the Taliban have taken over control of Afghanistan, refugee …

A Bay Curious Guide to Gov. Newsom’s Recall Election

August 16th, 2021

18:52

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election is coming. Ballots have been mailed out and the last day to vote in Sept. 14.

Feeling unprepared? Here’s a primer with nitty-gritty voting details, some context for the campaign, and …

Some Families Still Want Virtual Learning This Fall

August 13th, 2021

21:51

For the vast majority of families, this fall means a return to in-person school. But some have opted to stick with remote learning because of …

Getting Ready to Teach in Person Again

August 11th, 2021

21:14

Bay Area teachers have been preparing to teach in-person again. There’s so much to get ready for — whether it’s taking steps to keep people safe from COVID-19, or figuring out how to navigate student group projects. But …

Bay Area Students Are Going Back to School. Are Families Ready?

August 9th, 2021

22:35

Many Bay Area students are starting school this week, and in California, classes will mostly be in-person. At the same time, COVID cases are rising …

The Youth Making BART Safer for Women and Girls as Service Increases

August 6th, 2021

21:22

Even before the pandemic, public transit did not feel safe to many women and girls. That’s why the #NotOneMoreGirl initiative was launched and spearheaded by Bay Area youth — and they've already helped create changes at …

The Race Against Time to Stop the Delta Variant in the Bay

August 4th, 2021

19:22

Just when there was a palpable sense that everything might be OK, the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 came along.

The race to vaccinate more people is now even more urgent; healthcare workers who are seeing …

Eating Inside? This Restaurant Requires Proof of Vaccination

August 2nd, 2021

16:46

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, fueled by the contagious Delta variant. And over the past few weeks, many Bay Area restaurants and bars have …

We’re Taking a Break in July

July 5th, 2021

3:27

For the next few weeks, we’re taking a break from making new episodes. It’s a lot of work to bring you 3 shows a week, and we’re going to use this time to rest up and reflect. 

We’re still going to be accessible if you …

On Our Watch: The Brady Rule

July 2nd, 2021

44:21

Our colleagues at KQED and NPR have spent countless hours analyzing the world of police discipline, thanks to a police transparency law that unsealed …

California Extended Its Eviction Moratorium (Again). Now What?

June 30th, 2021

18:30

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law that extends California’s eviction protections for people economically impacted by COVID-19 — and who have paid at least 25% of the rent they owe — until Sept. 30. The state also has a …

‘We Don’t Want to See a Drop Wasted'

June 28th, 2021

19:36

California is in a second year of drought. And depending on where you live, you might already have water restrictions in place. Healdsburg, for example, has a mandatory 40% water restriction, while Santa Rosa has a …

Tips on How to Address Your City Council (Also, It’s Our 500th Episode!)

June 25th, 2021

26:05

It’s our 500th episode! One of the great joys of working on the show has been using our space to help people in the Bay Area get excited about or …

From AIDS to COVID-19, Gay Activists in San Francisco Have Been Organizing in Public Health for Decades

June 23rd, 2021

19:35

Forty years after the AIDS epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens those most at risk in the LGBTQ community across the world. Community organizers in the Bay Area have been building on the work of people like Bobbi …

A Pivotal Moment for Regulating Oil Companies in the Bay

June 21st, 2021

18:42

On June 2, so many people spoke during a Bay Area Air Quality Management District board meeting that the agency had to postpone a vote to regulate …

The Uncertain Future of La Pulga in San Jose

June 18th, 2021

19:40

On Tuesday, San Jose’s City Council will vote on a plan to rezone parts of the Flea Market on Berryessa Road, where hundreds of immigrant vendors …

Live Events Are Coming Back, But Challenges Remain for Arts Workers and Venue Owners

June 16th, 2021

17:23

Many live concerts and events are returning to the Bay Area, as COVID-19 cases remain low and the state ends capacity limits, social distancing and mask requirements in most places. 

But not everyone working in live …

Why Some Fully Vaccinated Californians Will Keep Wearing Masks After June 15

June 14th, 2021

21:26

California will fully reopen for “business as usual”on June 15. That means, among other things, that fully vaccinated people will no longer be …

One Native American Tribe in Lake County is Creating Housing for Homeless Members

June 11th, 2021

20:00

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians doesn’t have its own reservation. Like many Native communities, many members also struggle with poverty and homelessness.

But recently, using funds from California’s ‘Project …

Can California's 'Red Flag Law' Stop Gun Violence Before it Happens?

June 9th, 2021

18:32

After the mass shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard in San Jose two weeks ago, some politicians started talking about …

The ‘Golden State Stimulus’ Includes Undocumented Californians, But Many Can’t Access Their Checks

June 7th, 2021

17:02

Undocumented Californians have been mostly shut out of three rounds of federal stimulus checks. So when the ‘Golden State Stimulus’ was approved in …

Why The Vote to Recall Gov. Gavin Newsom Could Happen Sooner Than You Think

June 4th, 2021

17:10

The effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom picked up steam in late 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

Now, COVID-19 has slowed down in California, …

Fentanyl Overdoses are Claiming Younger People’s Lives in Santa Clara County

June 2nd, 2021

18:48

Deaths from fentanyl overdoses have been on the rise during the pandemic. In Santa Clara County, the ages of the victims are trending younger, according to an analysis by KQED and the Documenting COVID-19 project at …

The #VTAfamily is Mourning the Loss of Friends and Co-Workers

May 28th, 2021

18:41

The deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history happened Wednesday at a rail yard for the Valley Transportation Authority, the Santa Clara County transit agency made up of around 2,000 employees. The 9 victims who died …

The Black and Brown Families in Oakland Reimagining Education for Their Kids

May 26th, 2021

18:54

For years, Black and brown parents of Oakland Unified students have been pushing the district to do more to support kids in low-income communities of …

South Hayward’s Trailing Vaccination Rate — and What’s Being Done About It

May 24th, 2021

17:47

South Hayward has one of the highest rates of per capita deaths in Alameda County. It also has one of the lowest vaccination rates. Some aren’t sure whether they want the vaccine, but there are also many other barriers …

San Francisco’s ‘Guaranteed Income’ Pilot for Artists Starts Today. But Some Arts Groups are Unhappy with the Process So Far

May 21st, 2021

22:36

Starting Friday, May 21, 130 artists in San Francisco will receive $1,000 a month for the next 6 months through the city’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, which was announced in March to help artists from marginalized …

After Nearly A Year, California’s New AG Will Investigate Vallejo Police Killing of Sean Monterrosa

May 19th, 2021

16:52

It’s almost been a year since Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn shot and killed Sean Monterrosa on June 2, as protests against police violence were …

PPP Loans Were Meant to Help Businesses, But Many in Bay Area Communities of Color Didn’t Get Them

May 17th, 2021

18:43

On International Boulevard in East Oakland, just 5% of businesses received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from April to August of 2020. …

The California Republicans Who Are Still Enabling Trump's Election Lies

May 14th, 2021

15:57

Just four months ago, a pro-Trump mob violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in support of the former president's conspiracy theories about the 2020 …

The PG&E Fire Victim Trust Owes Billions to Survivors — and Most Are Still Waiting

May 12th, 2021

21:33

The vast majority of the nearly 70,000 fire survivors are waiting for the compensation they're owed as a result of PG&E's bankruptcy settlement — …

Are More Hate Crime Charges A Solution to Anti-Asian Violence?

May 10th, 2021

19:43

When people see attacks on Asians — including a recent near-fatal stabbing on San Francisco’s Market Street — many refer to them as hate crimes, in …

A New Generation of Filipinx Organizers is Building on the Legacy of Stockton’s Little Manila

May 7th, 2021

25:10

In the 1920s and 1930s, Stockton’s Little Manila grew into the largest Filipino community outside of Manila itself. Thousands of Filipinos worked as farm laborers in the San Joaquin Valley, and over the years they …

As Pandemic Slows in the Bay, Diaspora Turns Attention to India

May 5th, 2021

17:16

Indians and Indian Americans in the Bay Area are facing a dual reality when it comes to COVID-19: while businesses start to reopen here, COVID-19 cases and deaths are exploding in India — and many are worried for the …

Sea Levels Are Rising in the Bay — and East Palo Alto is on the Front Lines

May 3rd, 2021

24:41

When it comes to sea level rise, East Palo Alto will be one of the first and hardest-hit areas of the Bay Area. It’s already prone to flooding now, and the city is leading the way when it comes to community-led …

What’s Next for Public Transit in the Bay Area?

April 30th, 2021

18:35

Bay Area transit agencies lost huge numbers of riders during the pandemic — and with it, enormous amounts of revenue. Federal money has saved them from big layoffs and service cuts. But as the region reopens and more …

The Lasting Impact of COVID-19 in San Quentin State Prison

April 28th, 2021

20:36

Last summer, confirmed COVID-19 cases ballooned inside San Quentin State Prison. Now, with many incarcerated people and staff now vaccinated, infections are very low and the worst of the outbreak seems to be over.

But …

Rob Bonta Supports Police Accountability. Now He’s California’s Attorney General

April 26th, 2021

17:14

The state legislature last week confirmed East Bay assembly member Rob Bonta California’s new Attorney General. His confirmation happened the same week Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. Bonta, the …

What Derek Chauvin's Conviction Means for the Bay Area’s Ongoing Anti Policing Work

April 23rd, 2021

16:48

Oakland has been the epicenter of on-the-ground anti-policing efforts since Oscar Grant was killed by BART police in 2009. That same movement saw its …

A Quick Message From The Bay on George Floyd

April 21st, 2021

3:39

A jury has convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of all three charges for murdering George Floyd. There’s a lot to process, so …

Amid SFUSD Controversies, Where Are the Student Voices?

April 19th, 2021

18:56

San Francisco Unified School District has been mired in several controversies over this past year, and the politics around its school board have been …

Nursing Home Residents Are Finally Starting to See Their Loved Ones

April 16th, 2021

18:23

About 9,000 nursing home residents in California have died of COVID-19. At the height of the winter surge, more than 80 residents were dying every day.

But now, thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines, there are now fewer than …

Uncle Bobby X on Supporting Families Who’ve Lost Loved Ones to Police Violence

April 14th, 2021

24:46

Oscar Grant’s name has been circulating after police in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center claimed that 20-year-old Daunte Wright was …

A Grandmother’s Fight to Keep Her Home — From a Corporation Paying in Cash

April 12th, 2021

24:40

A corporation known for flipping houses in the Bay Area has been buying even more homes at foreclosure auctions during the pandemic. Jocelyn Foreman lives in one of these homes and is now trying to compete with …

What California’s June 15 ‘Reopening’ Goal Means

April 9th, 2021

20:56

On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California’s economy will ‘reopen’ by June 15, as long as there’s enough vaccine supply for everyone 16 …

Will Anti-Asian Violence Lead to More Policing in Oakland’s Chinatown?

April 7th, 2021

23:39

After months of local and national attacks against people in the AAPI community, Oakland Chinatown has rallied together to support their elders and businesses.

But the community is divided — and a generational gap …

California’s Unemployment System Still Isn’t Working for Many People Who Need It the Most

April 5th, 2021

17:25

California’s Employment Development Department (or EDD) is responsible for paying out the state’s unemployment insurance. Ever since the pandemic began, the agency has struggled to close its huge backlog of claims. The …

Strategies for Finding a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment — Now That Everyone 16+ Will Be Eligible April 15

April 2nd, 2021

19:56

Californians ages 50 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. They have two weeks to book appointments before the state opens up …

How the Bay Area Shaped Mills College (and Vice Versa)

March 31st, 2021

18:40

Earlier this month, leaders at Mills College announced that the school, which has been in the Bay Area for 169 years, will no longer be awarding …

The Long Fight Against Ableism and Ageism During the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 29th, 2021

19:33

Throughout this pandemic, disabled people and seniors have been at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. And all this time, advocates and community organizers have been pushing to make sure that people in power …

Oakland and Marin County Are Starting ‘Guaranteed Income’ Pilot Projects

March 26th, 2021

17:37

Oakland and Marin County are the latest California jurisdictions to announce plans to launch guaranteed income pilot programs. The idea is to give …

With Calls to #StopAAPIHate, Specificity Matters

March 24th, 2021

18:20

The killing of 8 people in Georgia, 6 of whom were women of Asian descent, has led to marches and rallies in the Bay Area in support of the AAPI community. It’s also prompted many people to share experiences they’ve had …

Tracking Anti-Asian Hate Through Stories and Stats

March 22nd, 2021

16:49

This past year, a group of organizations have been keeping count of reports of anti-Asian hate incidents across the country. Nearly 3,800 reports have been submitted since the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center was …

Bay Curious Asks How This Year of COVID-19 Has Changed Us

March 19th, 2021

24:09

Over the last year there has been a lot of heartbreak caused by the pandemic. There have also been moments of joy and communities coming together to help each other out. KQED’s Bay Curious podcast honors how lives have …

Local School Boards Have a Lot of Power. Will the Pandemic Change That?

March 17th, 2021

19:05

School boards in California have historically had a lot of power over decisions at the local level, but the choice to reopen for in-person learning …

‘A Big First Step’: Bay Area Cities Are Rethinking Single-Family Zoning

March 15th, 2021

20:49

The single-family neighborhood has been foundational to American housing policy for decades. It’s also been a tool to keep Black and brown people out …

Why the Attempt to Recall Gov. Gavin Newsom Has Gained Traction

March 12th, 2021

21:54

Organizers behind the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom believe they will collect enough verified signatures to trigger a special election later …

Navigating This Fragile and Hopeful Moment in the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 10th, 2021

18:19

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people. New, confirmed cases of COVID-19 are …

Will Angelo Quinto’s Death Lead to Police Reforms in Antioch?

March 8th, 2021

22:41

Angelo Quinto was having a mental health crisis when his family called 911 for help. After Antioch Police arrived at Quinto’s home, his family says …

What Students Think About Reopening Schools

March 5th, 2021

16:53

On Thursday, the California state legislature approved a $6.6 billion plan to encourage school districts to resume in-person learning for the …

'All Eyes Should Be on Marin': A Racial Reckoning in the Bay’s Whitest County

March 3rd, 2021

22:29

Mill Valley in Marin County is one of the 10 most segregated cities in the Bay Area. During the rise of protests following George Floyd’s death in …

'Our People Are Not Disposable': How East San Jose is Coping with the Pandemic

March 1st, 2021

20:08

The ZIP codes in and near East San Jose have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 in the Bay Area. They’re predominantly immigrant neighborhoods with thousands of essential workers, many of whom work for the Silicon Valley …

The Hosts of ‘SOLD OUT’ Update Us on the Housing Crisis

February 26th, 2021

27:25

Last fall, KQED launched a new, five-part podcast about possible solutions to the housing crisis. It’s called SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in …

Why It’s Hard to Stop Chevron From Polluting the Bay

February 24th, 2021

20:14

An oil spill from Chevron’s Richmond refinery earlier this month and the toxic fumes released last November are part of a long trend of dangerous spills into the Bay Area’s water and air. So why’s it so hard to keep the …

We’re Learning the Wrong Lessons from the Tuskegee Experiment. That Matters for Vaccinating Black Americans.

February 22nd, 2021

26:08

Several surveys show that Black Americans are, on average, more hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine compared with white people. And when it comes to Black communities showing less trust in the health care system …

How the Pandemic Opened the Door for Organizing Bay Area Strippers

February 19th, 2021

20:34

After the pandemic forced strip clubs in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood to close and protests against police violence erupted in the …

Helping Oakland's Chinatown From the Street Level

February 17th, 2021

16:39

Sakhone Lasaphangthong spends his work day in Oakland's Chinatown helping people get the resources they need. He walks the streets and connects with merchants, elders, and people who don't have housing.

Over the last few …

The Asian Americans Reclaiming Traditional Medicine in the Bay

February 12th, 2021

17:51

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a complicated history in the Bay. In the 70s, a Chinese immigrant in Palo Alto named Miriam Lee was arrested and put on trial for practicing acupuncture — even though she learned it from …

The Messy Path to Reopening Public Schools

February 10th, 2021

19:11

After months of debate on whether to reopen public schools in the Bay Area's largest districts, some families have finally had enough of distance …

‘There Would Be No Black Panther Party Without the Women’

February 8th, 2021

33:53

There’s a long history of Black women in the Bay Area leading social justice work — including the hundreds of women who led the Black Panther Party. One West Oakland resident believes a celebration of these women and …

There's Rising Toxic Groundwater in the Bay. But It's Not Too Late to Address it.

February 5th, 2021

22:02

The climate crisis isn't just about big tropical storms and deadlier wildfires. Rising sea levels — as a result of climate change — are forcing …

California’s COVID-19 Vaccine Information Void

February 3rd, 2021

17:18

California’s vaccine rollout has been…confusing. Many people have been writing into KQED with basic questions about eligibility or where they go to …

Are You Really Protected From Evictions? Depends On Your Local Government.

February 1st, 2021

23:41

It’s easy to think that California’s eviction moratorium means people can expect to remain in their homes during the economic crisis and global pandemic.

But a KQED investigation found that hundreds of evictions are …

Gun Violence in the Bay Was Decreasing. Then the Pandemic Happened.

January 29th, 2021

17:02

It takes a lot of hard work to curb gun violence at the community level. For the past few years, those efforts in Richmond and Oakland were paying …

The Bay Live! What Will Living in the Bay Area Be Like in 2021?

January 27th, 2021

1:00:57

In our first virtual live event of 2021, we invited KQED reporters to share what stories they’ll be looking out for this year. We want to share this conversation and ask what matters to you as the Bay Area adjusts to …

By the People: How the Last Four Years Changed KQED

January 25th, 2021

20:03

KQED wasn't alone in struggling to cover former President Trump. These last four years changed how many journalists think about their responsibilities to the public. It's also forced more members of the news media to …

Introducing: A Series On Creators From the Bay Area, From Rightnowish

January 22nd, 2021

19:30

It’s been a week. So now, music.

We’re bringing you the first episode of a new series from our friends at Rightnowish that shines a light on all sorts of creators this year. In this episode, Pendarvis Harshaw introduces …

By The People: A New Presidency and A ‘Window’ of Opportunity for the Iranian Diaspora

January 20th, 2021

22:45

It's Inauguration Day in the U.S. The end of the Trump administration, and the beginning of the Biden administration is a monumental moment for the country –and for the rest of the world. Today, we hear from members of …

Social Media Giants Banned Trump, But They Still Have Lots of Problems

January 15th, 2021

16:36

Silicon Valley giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google have long struggled to deal with violent language and misinformation on their platforms.

But …

Why California’s Vaccine Rollout Has Been So Slow

January 13th, 2021

17:09

On Monday, California’s COVID-19 death toll reached 30,000. Gov. Gavin Newsom and health officials are relying on mass vaccinations to slow the …

By The People: You’ve Protested, Voted, and Donated. Cat Brooks on What’s Next

January 11th, 2021

19:24

It takes a lot of work to undo white supremacy. For many who have been committed to this work, it’s a lifetime of protests, campaigning, donating, and showing up. And sometimes, it can feel like an impossible task.

The California Republicans Who Helped Enable Wednesday's Attack on the Capitol

January 8th, 2021

16:13

California is a state run by Democrats. But we have elected officials who have either ignored or enabled President Trump through the years — …

It’s Not Easy to Unionize at Tech Companies. But Google Employees Are Doing It.

January 6th, 2021

18:36

This week, 200+ employees at Google announced that they've formed a union. The Alphabet Workers Union, which is supported by Communications Workers of America (CWA), is the first of its kind at Google, and will include …

By The People: Oakland’s Longtime City Clerk On How to Make Use of City Council Meetings

January 4th, 2021

22:43

If you want to get involved in local politics, your city council meeting can be a good place to start.

But it can also be a lot. It's where your …

We Remember Our Favorite Episodes of 2020

December 18th, 2020

31:42

This year in news has changed us all in so many ways. And as we wrap up 2020 with our final episode of the year, we thought we'd take some time to reflect on the stories that have stuck with us the most.

Remembering San …

We're Missing A Lot of Information About the COVID-19 Outbreaks at Foster Farm Plants

December 16th, 2020

21:36

In August, a Foster Farms poultry processing plant in Livingston was temporarily shut down because of a a COVID-19 outbreak where at least 392 …

By The People: The Plight of Farmers in India Hits Home for Thousands in the Bay

December 14th, 2020

17:00

This is the fourth episode of By The People, The Bay podcast’s new series highlighting the way democracy shows up in the places around us, and how we can all plug in.

It's been called one of the biggest protests the …

A Transgender Asylum Seeker's Quest to Come to the Bay Area

December 11th, 2020

46:05

The Bay Area has a long history of providing refuge to migrants seeking asylum. And for some, like Luna Guzmán, a transgender woman who left Guatemala at 22, places like San Francisco are one of the few places where …

Why Parents, Doctors and Lawmakers Pushed Back Against Playgrounds Closing

December 9th, 2020

17:57

Over the weekend, another surge in COVID-19 cases once again led to playgrounds being closed in many communities across California and in five Bay Area counties.

But some parents felt like this part of the new …

By The People: How Black Activists Transformed Voting in Oakland

December 7th, 2020

22:13

This is the third episode of By The People, The Bay podcast’s new series highlighting the way democracy shows up in the places around us, and how we can all plug in.

A vote in Oakland today goes farther than it did prior …

Why California Is Factoring in Historical Social Injustice in the Vaccine Rollout

December 4th, 2020

22:19

California is planning its rollout of a coronavirus vaccine. Healthcare workers have already been prioritized, but figuring out who comes next and …

Charges Have Been Filed Against Police Officers in The Bay This Year. Why Just Now?

December 2nd, 2020

21:02

It's always been difficult to charge a police officer after they've killed someone while on the job. But in the Bay, it's happened a few times within …

By The People: Shakirah Simley's Journey From Activist to Local Government

November 30th, 2020

20:47

This is the second episode of By The People, The Bay podcast's new series highlighting the way democracy shows up in the places around us, and how we …

A Filipino Nurse and The Patients She Won’t Forget

November 25th, 2020

19:43

When Evelyn Legarte migrated from the Philippines to the Bay Area in 1980, she was part of a growing number of Filipinos that now make up about 20% …

By The People: Young, Queer Candidates of Color are Changing the Bay Area Political Scene

November 23rd, 2020

22:14

One way to change your hometown? Run for office. That’s what Alex Lee, James Coleman, and Lucy Shen decided to do in the 2020 elections. All three …

Some Hotels for Unsheltered People Are Closing. Where Will They Go?

November 20th, 2020

18:08

When the pandemic hit, thousands of unsheltered people were moved into hotels under a plan known as Project Roomkey. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the goal was to eventually move people into permanent housing. But early data …

California's COVID-19 'Emergency Brake'

November 18th, 2020

20:49

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that California has seen the fastest two-week increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started. Now, most counties, including six in the Bay Area, are under the state’s …

Why Some Seniors Are More Resilient During the Pandemic

November 16th, 2020

23:00

We've heard a lot about how older people are vulnerable during this pandemic. And it's true that they're more vulnerable to the virus and that …

With Prop. 22 Approved, Regulating Gig Companies Just Got A Lot Harder

November 13th, 2020

19:50

California Proposition 22 was a big win for tech companies. Its passage allows a handful of corporations — like Uber and Lyft — to create a new "gig" …

What Measure P in Sonoma County Says About Police Accountability

November 11th, 2020

17:58

The Bay Area passed a number of local measures related to civilian oversight of police this election. This means an increase in access for what …

Laughing Through the Tears With Luna Malbroux

November 9th, 2020

20:30

Things are still really stressful right now. But comedian Luna Malbroux navigates that stress but choosing laughter and joy in a time of extreme …

How Voting Went Down in the Bay Area

November 6th, 2020

18:01

Voting in the Bay Area seemed to go smoothly on Tuesday, thanks in part to California's efforts to get people to vote early and by mail. That says a lot, in an election where there's been so much misinformation about …

The Poll Workers Who Made Election Day in the Bay Area Possible

November 4th, 2020

28:28

California may have mailed all voters a ballot, but a lot of people still chose to cast their ballots in person. And thousands of people worked long …

The Generational Political Divide in South San Francisco

November 2nd, 2020

28:48

The killing of George Floyd led to protests in South San Francisco, and the creation of a youth-led activist group called Change SSF.

These last few months have also exposed a generational divide about how quickly the …

The Seeds of Activism in Martinez

October 30th, 2020

32:44

Martinez isn't known for its activism. But after George Floyd was killed, and after a white couple defaced a Black Lives Matter mural in Martinez, many residents decided it was time for that to change.

Now, they've …

The Police Shooting That Motivated Walnut Creek Residents to Run for City Council

October 28th, 2020

32:07

Miles Hall was shot and killed by Walnut Creek police a year before many residents joined national protests supporting Black lives this past summer. …

What It's Like to Have Parents Who Are Essential Workers

October 26th, 2020

24:53

Bela Gonzalez and Louie Licea are 15. Both of their parents are essential workers and need to leave the house every day.

It's all pretty stressful. …

The Beginnings of San Quentin's COVID-19 Outbreak

October 23rd, 2020

17:25

On Tuesday, a California court ruled that officials at San Quentin State Prison have to either transfer or release half of the facility's population. …

What Would it Mean to Make Housing a Human Right?

October 21st, 2020

25:46

Housing is not a human right in the United States. But more people are saying it should be.

That growing movement has roots here in the Bay Area, …

Armenians Came to SF to Escape Genocide. Now, Fears of That History Are Resurfacing

October 19th, 2020

18:33

Generations of Armenians and descendants of those who escaped the Armenian Genocide have found refuge in San Francisco. That’s the epicenter of a robust church community center and where Armenian Americans can celebrate …

What Mutual Aid Means — And Why It’s Worth Protecting

October 16th, 2020

20:21

Community fridges have been popping up all over the Bay since the pandemic began as a form of mutual aid, which has deep roots here. There's a long history of this kind of community care, especially around food …

Is Prop 25 California's Best Chance to End Cash Bail?

October 14th, 2020

19:03

Proposition 25 is the culmination of a long fight over the bail system in California. A win for the "Yes" vote would uphold a law that abolishes cash …

The Digital Divide for Latino Immigrant Families in Oakland

October 12th, 2020

19:38

Distance learning is hard enough. And once you get past acquiring the technology needed to make it happen, there’s an additional step for many …

A Bay Curious Guide to Statewide Propositions

October 9th, 2020

24:15

Bay Curious is exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions with its Prop Fest series. Today, we're sharing their guides to Props 16 and 17, which …

Immigrant Workers Make ‘Wine Country’ Possible. Now Many Have Evacuated.

October 7th, 2020

19:08

Latino and immigrant workers keep the economy of "wine country" going. And while many in the Bay Area sheltered in place at the start of the pandemic, farmworkers in Napa and Sonoma counties continued working.

Now, the …

South Asian Activist Kala Bagai Was Once Driven Out of Berkeley. Now There's A Street Named After Her.

October 5th, 2020

20:55

Berkeley recently renamed a street after a South Asian activist Kala Bagai. But her story isn’t the typical one you hear about people who get streets or monuments named after them.

Nearly 100 years ago, Bagai and her …

The North Bay Journalist Providing Vital Fire Information for Her Neighbors

October 2nd, 2020

17:11

North Bay journalist Sarah Stierch has become a resource for locals looking for critical fire information, down to their specific block. That’s because when the North Bay was burning in 2017, she knew the streets and …

The Final Push to Count Everyone in the Bay

September 30th, 2020

16:59

There are still Californians who need to be counted for the 2020 Census. Here in the Bay Area, there’s the extra challenge of making sure we count people who don't have housing and families whose homes have been …

More Than A Million Californians Are Still Waiting for Unemployment Benefits

September 28th, 2020

18:42

California wasn’t ready for the spike in unemployment since the pandemic. And one big reason is because the agency that handles unemployment benefits …

Gov. Newsom Wants to Ban Gas-Powered Car Sales by 2035. Is This A Big Deal?

September 25th, 2020

19:55

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state plans to eliminate the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035 in order to keep cutting California's greenhouse gas emissions.

Many environmentalists say we need to move …

We Still Need to Solve Our Housing Crisis

September 23rd, 2020

25:32

Before the coronavirus, orange skies from wildfires, and huge protests against police violence, housing was the issue in California. But still, even …

The District Attorneys Pushing Back on 'Tough on Crime' Politics

September 21st, 2020

20:52

Since the 90s, law enforcement groups like police unions, correctional officer unions, and sheriffs' associations have had a huge influence on …

'These Communities Have the Knowledge That Will Save Us': Building Climate Resilience with Youth of Color

September 18th, 2020

24:27

After the Tubbs Fire in 2017, Lil Milagro Henriquez felt she had to do more than just tell her students to mask up for the smoky air. She wanted to empower her students to face the challenges of climate change head on. …

The Bay Area Teen Who's Been Trying to Save TPS (And Isn't Backing Down Now)

September 16th, 2020

19:06

Sixteen year-old Crista Ramos was in her high school Zoom class when her family got some stressful news: A federal court ruled in favor of ending the …

A Hunger Strike in Antioch — And What it Says About the Changing Suburbs

September 14th, 2020

31:31

Suburbs are some of the most diverse spaces in America. It's one reason why — more and more — they’ve become the backdrop of tensions between police …

Photographing Orange Skies and a Historic Year

September 11th, 2020

15:12

When KQED photojournalist Beth LaBerge woke up to orange skies in San Francisco Wednesday morning, she rushed out the door to document the extraordinary moment.

In a year with the coronavirus pandemic, racial justice …

California’s Going All In On Vote By Mail. Will Some People Get Left Behind?

September 9th, 2020

20:32

The pandemic has set off a chain of events that will make this year’s election in California different from years past. For one, the state can’t bet …

'Healing Through Resistance' with Uncle Bobby X

September 4th, 2020

26:42

Uncle Bobby Johnson, also known as the People’s Uncle, has been standing up to police brutality ever since his nephew Oscar Grant was shot by a BART …

Why The Latest Battle Between California And Gig Companies Is A Big Deal

September 2nd, 2020

19:01

For the last eight years, Uber and Lyft have successfully beaten state and local attempts to change its core labor model: treating drivers as …

California Had an ‘Eviction Moratorium.’ Thousands of People Were Evicted Anyway

August 31st, 2020

21:33

Soon after the pandemic started and Californians began to lose their jobs, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued what he called an 'eviction moratorium' to …

'Megafires' Don’t Have to be Our New Normal

August 28th, 2020

17:52

Fire season doesn't have to be this bad. There are lots of things we can do to prevent more and more extreme wildfires.

It'll take a big shift in the way we do things. California has spent decades reacting to and …

The ‘Brittle’ System of Incarcerated Firefighters

August 26th, 2020

20:01

California is low on firefighters at a really bad time. It’s partially because the state released thousands of incarcerated firefighters to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

But it’s also because this system of relying on …

What A WeChat Ban Would Mean for Organizing in San Francisco's Chinatown

August 24th, 2020

17:24

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that could ban WeChat, the popular Chinese messaging app, from operating in the …

The Grassroots Group Helping Oakland Mask Up (Again)

August 21st, 2020

18:59

Back in 2017, Quinn Jasmine Redwoods saw a long line of people at a food distribution center in Oakland. Nobody in line had a mask, even though the most deadly and destructive wildfires in Californian’s history were …

California’s Overloaded Power Grid

August 19th, 2020

19:06

People across the state lost power with almost no warning over the weekend, and there’s a risk it could happen again soon. The California Independent …

The Pandemic Feels Like Déjà Vu For Some Survivors of the HIV/AIDS Crisis

August 17th, 2020

19:41

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jesus Guillen overheard a woman ask why those being held on the Grand Princess cruise ship docked at the …

COVID-19 Has Made ICE Detention Centers Even More Dangerous

August 14th, 2020

18:44

A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered a privately-run immigrant detention center in Bakersfield to stop transferring people to the facility and to provide weekly COVID-19 tests to those inside. Now more than a …

How San Francisco Shaped VP Nominee Kamala Harris

August 12th, 2020

16:25

Sen. Kamala Harris will be the first Black woman and person of Indian descent to run for Vice President on a major party ticket. Many Americans got to know her when she ran for president last year. But we here in the …

Older and Overlooked: What One Fire Tells Us About the Vulnerability of Senior Care Homes

August 10th, 2020

19:48

Many senior care homes in the Bay Area are in fire risk areas, according to a KQED investigation. These facilities are supposed to have emergency …

How Will Pandemic ‘Learning Pods’ Impact Our Public Schools?

August 7th, 2020

19:15

Almost all Bay Area schools are required to start the school year remotely to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 this fall. In response, many …

How Open Vallejo Uncovered the Story of Bent Police Badges

August 5th, 2020

20:46

A secret clique of Vallejo police officers commemorate killings by bending the tips of their star-shaped badges — and the city’s top leaders did …

The Cost of Amazon's Drive For Speed

August 3rd, 2020

17:04

Last week, Congress questioned leaders of four of the largest tech companies in the world - Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple - about just how much power they’ve gained over the years. Today, we're revisiting an …

A Rec From The Bay: Catching Babies With a Go-To Doula For Black Parents

July 31st, 2020

15:50

Some doulas are seeing an uptick in business during the pandemic. Hospitals are limiting the number of people who can be present at births, and many …

The Moral Case Behind 'Housing Is a Human Right'

July 29th, 2020

20:08

From November of 2019 to January of 2020, two Black mothers occupied a vacant West Oakland property without permission from the company that owned the house, Southern California-based Wedgewood Properties.

Since then — …

'We're Still Here': Remembering the 1969 Native American Occupation of Alcatraz

July 27th, 2020

19:23

On October 14 of last year, Native people from across the West Coast gathered in San Francisco for a ceremonial canoe journey to Alcatraz Island. Each canoe represented a territory, tribe, community or family. They …

A Rec from The Bay: How Learning Emotional Skills Can Help Boys Become Men

July 24th, 2020

26:11

Ashanti Branch started Ever Forward Club because he wanted the young men in his classroom to have what he didn't have as a student: a safe place to be themselves. After Ashanti gave them that, he saw them start to …

'Yes, Asians Go To Jail Too'

July 22nd, 2020

19:40

Jason Mai didn’t know why his father was taken to jail when he was 12 years old. As a kid growing up in the Bay Area, he was told by his Chinese …

The Bay's Birthday Field Trip

July 20th, 2020

23:47

We've produced more than 300 stories about the Bay Area. Today, we're taking a break from the headlines to revisit a show from March (before shelter in place orders) where we traveled to three of our favorite spots …

Part III: How Did Things Get So Bad Between Vallejo and Its Police

July 17th, 2020

31:05

At one point in Vallejo, the city was paying so much money in salaries and pensions for its police and firefighters that the city went bankrupt. It’s …

Part II: One Night in Vallejo, Two Narratives

July 15th, 2020

35:33

In 2017, Vallejo Police shot and killed Alicia Saddler's brother, Angel Ramos, in their mother's backyard. What began as a family gathering was …

Part I: The Life And Death of Willie McCoy

July 13th, 2020

30:47

Before Sean Monterrosa was shot and killed by Vallejo police on June 2, VPD officers killed Willie McCoy. Police fired 55 shots into McCoy's vehicle …

How We Got Here, Part 5: Meaningful Work

July 10th, 2020

32:24

Gig work is often marketed as 'flexible work.' But it's also precarious and unprotected work, and today gig workers are continuing to put themselves at risk because they struggle to earn the income they need to survive.

How We Got Here, Part 4: Disempowerment and Debt

July 9th, 2020

37:08

Many Americans are in deep debt. Household debt has reached an all time high at over $14 trillion. This means many workers have to do a lot more just …

How We Got Here, Part 3: The Road to Shareholder Capitalism

July 8th, 2020

39:20

Big companies spend more of their profits on enriching shareholders and executives than they do on increasing compensation for employees. Today, we …

How We Got Here, Part 2: The Attack on Worker Power

July 7th, 2020

44:57

Only 1 in 10 workers in America are part of a union. And for many people, having one would make it a lot easier to advocate for better pay and …

How We Got Here, Part 1: The 'Great Risk Shift' From Companies To Workers

July 6th, 2020

38:27

Tens of millions of people in the US are either out of a job or still working without meaningful protections, benefits, or wage increases. And if …

Workers Have Lost Benefits, Power, And Protections

July 3rd, 2020

7:45

On Monday, we're airing the first in a special five-part series by KQED reporter Sam Harnett and editor Alan Montecillo. It digs into how workers in the US have lost benefits, power, and protections over the last few …

The People of Color Tasked With 'Fixing' Silicon Valley's Race Problem

July 1st, 2020

16:29

Tech companies in Silicon Valley are turning to Black employees and other workers of color to help them respond to Black Lives Matter protests …

Why Are Bay Area Hospitals Still Struggling To Get Personal Protective Gear?

June 29th, 2020

17:44

New records obtained by KQED show local Bay Area hospitals have reported supply chain problems and the need for support and equipment from public agencies to deal with the coronavirus pandemic since January. Today, …

The COVID-19 Outbreak At San Quentin State Prison

June 26th, 2020

17:07

Within one week in June, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases at San Quentin State Prison grew more than 700 percent. Prison authorities have now reported that more than 500 incarcerated men have the virus, and that …

Artists Reimagine Where Money Goes in A Police-Free Oakland

June 24th, 2020

17:36

In Oakland, a city that’s seen school closures and a rapid rise in homelessness in recent years, the police budget takes up around 44% of the general …

'This Is A Fight For Everyone': Asian Parents And Black Lives Matter

June 22nd, 2020

19:11

Growing up, Sarah Mizes-Tan's father encouraged her to always stand up to anti-Asian racism whenever she saw it. That's because he had experienced discrimination in the U.S. since immigrating from Singapore as a kid. …

Bay Area Dockworkers Continue Decades of Fighting Oppression on Juneteenth

June 19th, 2020

16:13

You can’t separate labor from the police violence and oppression that’s being called out this Juneteenth - the day that commemorates the end of …

What One Alternative to Policing Looks Like

June 17th, 2020

19:50

In January, the Anti Police-Terror Project launched a community first responder program in Sacramento called Mental Health First. Throughout the …

The Mad Dash to Hire 20,000 Contact Tracers in California

June 15th, 2020

20:15

Lisa Fagundes is a San Francisco librarian who also helps track and prevent the spread of COVID-19. As more Bay Area residents leave their homes, the state is hiring thousands of people like Lisa to contact people who …

‘Joy, Sadness, Rage, and Passion’ in Santa Rosa’s Streets

June 12th, 2020

16:05

There have been dozens of Bay Area cities protesting against police violence since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Most of the protests …

The Yearslong Movement To Get Police Out Of Oakland's Public Schools

June 10th, 2020

16:52

Oakland Unified is the only school district in Alameda County with its own police force. And for nearly a decade, activists with the Black Organizing …

Reflections From Vallejo Families Seeking Justice for Police Killings

June 8th, 2020

16:59

Vallejo Police killed another person of color last week. Sean Monterrosa of San Francisco was shot after police say they mistook a hammer for a gun.

The Layers Of Protections for Police Who Use Violence

June 5th, 2020

16:26

Californian police officers are rarely disciplined, even internally, when they do something wrong. That's what KQED reporters have learned by looking …

It’s Been More Than 10 Years Since Oscar Grant — And Not Enough Has Changed

June 3rd, 2020

18:58

On Jan. 1, 2009, Oscar Grant was shot and killed by a BART police officer. The killing was recorded and the video went viral.

There are so many other …

'The Weight of Living in a Racist World': Finding Emotional Support as a Black Man

June 1st, 2020

47:10

This past week has been a lot. Several Bay Area cities joined other communities across the country protesting the police shooting of George Floyd in …

What Disability Justice Activist Stacey Park Milbern Taught Us

May 29th, 2020

20:30

Stacey Park Milbern was an expert at organizing people. A self-identifying queer disabled woman of color, Stacey organized to help her move from …

What We Can Learn From Stockton’s Universal Basic Income Experiment

May 27th, 2020

19:50

Since early 2019, 125 random Stockton residents have been receiving $500 a month to spend however they want. And while the final data hasn't been released yet, we're starting to learn a little more about how that money …

One Bay Area Filipina Nurse's Long History of Caring for People

May 22nd, 2020

18:39

When Evelyn Legarte migrated from the Philippines to the Bay Area in 1980, she was part of a growing number of Filipinos that now make up nearly 20% of nurses in California. Many of them are on the front lines of the …

What Isolation During Ramadan Has Meant for Bay Area Mosques

May 20th, 2020

19:01

Ramadan is an important time for mosques to receive donations that help them operate throughout the year.

But fundraising is hard when people can't attend mosques to pray, be with people, and donate. While some Bay Area …

Campaigning And Voting In A Pandemic

May 18th, 2020

21:36

This time of year is a critical point in the run up to the November elections. Normally, campaigns would spend the next few months organizing …

People In Senior Care Homes Are Still Vulnerable Right Now

May 15th, 2020

19:41

More than half of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in California come from senior care homes. And for family members and workers at these facilities, the …

How Virtual Learning Exposed Inequities In Education

May 13th, 2020

19:42

Around 1.2 million California students lack adequate access to the internet right now, despite the fact that public schools have moved classes …

How Will The Pandemic Affect Our Response To The Climate Crisis?

May 11th, 2020

19:28

Thanks to shelter-in-place orders, we car-lovin’ Californians are driving 75% less, according to one recent estimate from UC Davis. That's good for the environment in the short-term, but it's not a sustainable way to …

'My Mom Is Beyond A Superwoman': Mother's Day While Locked Up

May 8th, 2020

23:50

Pedro Archuleta and his mother, Connie Archuleta, have gotten closer since Pedro's incarceration in 2002.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow …

70,000 Wildfire Survivors Are Voting On A Settlement From PG&E — And It's A Mess

May 6th, 2020

22:48

PG&E needs to reach a settlement agreement with nearly 70,000 survivors of the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Camp Fire. The deal needs a two-thirds majority to pass and must be approved by May 15.

But the process …

The Future Of The Bay Area’s Restaurant Industry

May 4th, 2020

21:19

This pandemic has upended the Bay Area’s restaurant industry. Huge numbers of people have been laid off, restaurants have closed, and the businesses that are still open are trying to make it work through delivery and …

'It's Not Enough': What Help Is There For California’s Undocumented Immigrants?

May 1st, 2020

18:49

An estimated 2 million Californians are undocumented. And whether they're essential workers or have recently lost employment, none of them are …

'It's Pretty Clear Who's Responsible': Activist Shot in Philippines Recovering in San Francisco

April 29th, 2020

22:30

Brandon Lee is paralyzed from the chest down and recovering at his parent’s home in San Francisco’s Sunset District. Lee had been working as an environmental activist in the Philippines when he became what's believed to …

What’s the Path Forward for Bay Area Public Transit?

April 27th, 2020

15:52

Leaders at the Bay Area's public transit agencies are dealing with a massive fiscal crisis that happened seemingly overnight.

How San Francisco’s Chinatown Avoided Covid-19 Panic

April 24th, 2020

15:15

Chinatown community leaders were taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus in early February.

‘I Don’t Want Anything to Happen to Them:’ Being Children of Essential Workers

April 22nd, 2020

22:10

For the kids of essential workers, saying goodbye to their parents each workday brings its own kind of stress.

Apple and Google Want to Help Track the Coronavirus — Using Your Phones

April 20th, 2020

16:09
Health officials have been trying to trace where COVID-19 came from and where it’s going. In some countries, including China, South Korea, Singapore and Israel, they’ve used cellphones and apps to identify and monitor …

Most Artists Have Lost Their Income. What’s Next?

April 17th, 2020

17:38

Many artists are still making creative work. But without live events, they're still in big financial trouble.

Remembering San Francisco Lesbian Rights Activist Phyllis Lyon

April 15th, 2020

21:02

Phyllis Lyon's activism throughout the years helped lay the groundwork for the LGBT rights movement to come.

Why We Need Race, Ethnicity and Language Data to Beat COVID-19

April 13th, 2020

15:33

Anyone can get sick from the coronavirus, but it's having an unequal impact on communities of color.

‘There Isn’t A Lot I Can Do:’ Protecting Loved Ones In Senior Care Homes

April 10th, 2020

23:18

Jonathan Hirsch is one of many people worrying about a loved one in a Bay Area senior care home.

Can You Get Shelter Right Now If You Don’t Have A Home? It Depends.

April 8th, 2020

17:15

Hotel rooms, RVs, and other shelter spaces are being made available. But it's going to take a lot more to keep people experiencing homelessness safe from the coronavirus.

How KQED Is Making Radio During the Coronavirus Pandemic

April 6th, 2020

16:57

News outlets are considered 'essential' businesses. Here's how we're (still) bringing you stories.

Why Local News Is Suffering When People Need It Most

April 3rd, 2020

18:47

The San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly are cutting the pay and hours of their journalists by 40 percent.

The Confusing ‘Patchwork’ of Renter Protections

April 1st, 2020

18:07

How much help do you have right now if you can't make rent? It depends on where you live.

Inside a Bay Area Courtroom During Shelter in Place

March 30th, 2020

15:05

Courts are considered "essential," but it doesn't mean a jury trial is a safe place for people to gather right now.

Tracking the Latest Chapter of Anti-Asian Racism in America

March 27th, 2020

14:10
Asians and Asian-Americans are being harassed by people who think looking Chinese means you have the coronavirus. Three California organizations have

‘The Rest of Our Season Got Canceled’

March 25th, 2020

14:27

Students may be taking online classes, but their extracurriculars have been canceled.

The Bay Area Photojournalist Taking Portraits From a Distance

March 23rd, 2020

13:45

Jessica Christian wants to take photos of where the people are.

Even Before the Coronavirus, Working Class People Were Barely Getting By

March 20th, 2020

17:51

The new coronavirus is highlighting just how precarious life has been for many workers and contractors.

When People Can’t Go to Their Houses of Worship

March 18th, 2020

14:01

Religious communities are trying to stay connected while also staying safe from the coronavirus.

Will Daly City’s Only Hospital Survive?

March 16th, 2020

15:25

Seton Medical Center is in financial trouble. But closing the hospital could put many vulnerable people at risk.

Don’t Panic: Your Questions Answered About the Coronavirus in the Bay Area

March 13th, 2020

17:59
News about the coronavirus in the Bay Area is changing every day. Schools are closing, white collar workers are working from home and officials are …

Working From Home? Not an Option for Gig Workers

March 11th, 2020

15:33

Lots of workers, including gig workers, can't work from home to stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak.

The ‘Disease Detectives’ Tracing the Spread of the Coronavirus

March 9th, 2020

11:38

Reported cases of the new coronavirus are increasing, and it's up to public health officials to try and figure out where those cases came from.

The Bay’s Birthday Field Trip

March 6th, 2020

21:19

To celebrate The Bay turning two, the team went on a little field trip.

Sanders Won California, But Hella Votes Are Still Being Counted

March 4th, 2020

16:37

The AP called California for Bernie Sanders, but we won't know the full results for a while.

Volunteering for Sanders and Warren in the Bay When Politics Is Personal

March 2nd, 2020

18:36

Most people don't volunteer for presidential campaigns. So we spoke to two volunteers, to learn about what led them to spend their free time helping …

There’s a Familiar Distrust in West Oakland After Contaminated Water Closes McClymonds High

February 28th, 2020

19:12

Groundwater contamination has forced McClymonds High School in West Oakland to temporarily close.

How Do Mobile Homes Fit Into Mountain View’s Rent Control Debate?

February 26th, 2020

15:00

Mountain View could make changes to its rent control policy on March 3. But no matter what happens, mobile home renters will continue to be left out …

What Companies Know About KQED’s Silicon Valley Editor

February 24th, 2020

17:25

Californians can now request their personal data from companies that have them. So KQED's Rachael Myrow tried it out.

The A’s Are Abandoning Local Radio – And Oakland’s In Its Feels

February 21st, 2020

17:06

Baseball on the radio is special to many longtime fans. So some of them aren't thrilled that the A's are dropping their local English-language broadcast.

‘That’s Where I Grew Up’: The Wuhan Natives Organizing Aid From The Bay

February 19th, 2020

15:34

Thousands of college graduates from Wuhan live in the Bay Area. Some of them have formed a non-profit to help their hometown fight the coronavirus.

Reckoning With Sexual Assault at Berkeley High School

February 17th, 2020

22:16

Why protesters at Berkeley High School say they're fed up with how their school responds to allegations of sexual assault.

The Story of Change in Oakland Through the Old Capwell Building

February 14th, 2020

16:31

The building in Oakland now known as Uptown Station has a long history. And if you follow that history, you can see just how much the city has …

San Francisco’s Man-Made Taxi Medallion Crisis

February 12th, 2020

16:53

In 2010, San Francisco started selling taxi medallions. Now, some drivers are in so much debt that the stress causes physical pain.

A Black Chef’s Dream of Returning to the Fillmore

February 10th, 2020

23:08
Fernay McPherson has built up her business, piece by piece, for six years. Today, you can find Minnie Bell's Soul Movement at the Emeryville Public …

‘Fui Muy Afortunado’: How One Asylum-Seeker Made It to the Bay Area

February 7th, 2020

17:44
It’s been about one year since the Trump administration changed how seeking asylum works at the U.S-Mexico border. The so-called “Remain in Mexico” …

To Be Asian With a Face Mask During the Coronavirus Outbreak

February 5th, 2020

16:15
When Santa Clara University's provost sent an email reminding people to be aware of their racial biases around the coronavirus, Sherry Wang, a …

Why One of California’s Biggest Housing Bills Failed

February 3rd, 2020

13:50

SB 50 would have made big changes to the way housing in California gets built. So why did it fail?

The ‘Casual Corruption’ of San Francisco’s Mohammed Nuru

January 31st, 2020

15:42
Mohammed Nuru has been in San Francisco city government for a long time. He was appointed to the Public Works department in 2000 by then-Mayor Willie Brown and eventually became the director of that department in 2011.

Is Your Food Delivery Order Legit?

January 29th, 2020

12:12

What happens when food delivery apps add local restaurants without the owners' permission?

What ‘American Dirt’ Gets Wrong

January 27th, 2020

16:26
Many Latinx writers, including here in the Bay Area, have expressed frustration with American Dirt, a new book by Jeanine Cummins that has been called the next great American novel. Oprah even selected it for her book …

A Six-Year Journey to Find a Home

January 24th, 2020

16:52
Eddie Thomas lost his housing when he was 55 years old after working at Intel for five years. He's part of a growing trend of people becoming …

What It Takes to Help ‘Newcomer’ Immigrant Students in Oakland

January 22nd, 2020

14:51
Many local leaders in the Bay Area have made it a point to say that their communities are welcoming places for new immigrants, including those who are undocumented, are seeking asylum or are refugees.

Oakland Unified …

Indie Artists Vs. The Frida Kahlo Corporation

January 17th, 2020

14:26
You can find Frida Kahlo's image all over the Bay Area. The Mexican painter lived in San Francisco for a little bit in the '30s and '40s with her husband, Diego Rivera.

She became even more famous in the years after …

The Anonymous Companies That Buy Up Homes

January 15th, 2020

13:52

Even if you can afford to buy a home in the Bay Area, you might get outbid by an anonymous shell company paying cash.

‘Unapologetic’: Jerry Brown’s Legacy in Oakland

January 13th, 2020

22:05
Oakland feels a lot different today than it did when Jerry Brown was elected mayor in 1998. That’s because he had a lot to do with how the city …

What Does Safety For Trans People In Prison Look Like?

January 10th, 2020

17:41
Prison can be a brutal place for anyone. But for trans people who are incarcerated, it's even more dangerous.

A new bill in California's state …

For Many Immigrants With Advanced Degrees, It’s ‘Sink Or Swim’

January 8th, 2020

16:30
When Dr. Wilmer Garcia Ricardo came to the U.S. from Cuba he couldn't find work as a physician, and he had to figure out the licensing process almost …

One Iranian-American’s Identity In This Moment

January 6th, 2020

16:15
There are 180,000 people who claim Iranian ancestry living across California, according to the most recent census data. Many left Iran around the …

The Moral Case Behind ‘Housing Is a Human Right’

January 3rd, 2020

17:32
On Monday, two black mothers who occupied a vacant West Oakland property had their day in court. Southern California-based Wedgewood Properties, which owns the home, argued this is a clear case of theft. But the moms …

An Unspoken Guide to Riding BART

December 30th, 2019

17:25
When our new editor Alan Montecillo moved to the Bay Area earlier this month he noticed that people loved talking about BART. It's one of the few spaces where people from all over the Bay Area are forced to be around …

Can PG&E Be Forced To Change?

December 20th, 2019

18:30
This week, PG&E took a big step towards emerging from bankruptcy after a judge approved billions of dollars in settlements with fire survivors …

After 161 Years, an Era of Local News Ends in Martinez

December 18th, 2019

14:54

The paper will print its final issue this Sunday, ending a 161-year run covering the county seat of Contra Costa.

Welcome to Oakland’s Indigenous Red Market

December 16th, 2019

16:28
In the late fifties, the U.S. government promised Native Americans good jobs and stable housing if they left reservations for urban centers, including Oakland. Those promises were never realized. But something else …

How Maria Isabel Bueso Beat Back the Trump Administration

December 13th, 2019

25:41
Maria Isabel Bueso and her family have waited months to learn whether they could stay in the country. Bueso has lived in the Bay Area for 16 years …

An Audio Journey Through Our Turbulent Decade

December 11th, 2019

21:26
The Giants’ first World Series win in 56 years, the Occupy Oakland protests, and the Ghost Ship warehouse fire are just a few moments from the last decade that shaped and changed the Bay Area. With the help of reporters …

To Be Filipino, Gay, And HIV Positive in San Francisco

December 9th, 2019

36:09
Jaime Geaga moved to San Francisco in 1981. He was ready to start a new chapter of his life when he tested positive for HIV. Among Asian Americans, Filipino men were some of the most affected by HIV/AIDS. Filipinos also …

The Problem With Police Neck Holds

December 6th, 2019

14:09
A Petaluma man named David Ward died last week shortly after a sheriff’s deputy put him in a neck hold, according to the Sonoma County sheriff's …

The Cost of Amazon’s Drive For Speed

December 4th, 2019

14:08
When you order from Amazon in the Bay Area, your order is probably coming from a fulfillment center in Tracy. The serious injury rate for employees …

San Francisco Debates How to Honor Women With Monuments in the Era of Toppling Statues

December 2nd, 2019

16:29
San Francisco's Arts Commission wants a public monument honoring poet Maya Angelou. It's part of an effort to fix the fact that just 2 percent of …

Why Did Fresno Police Create an ‘Asian Gang Task Force’ to Solve a Crime With No Clear Connection to Gangs?

November 27th, 2019

15:28
After the mass shooting in Fresno earlier this month, police responded by creating an Asian Gang Task Force. Yet so far, police have provided no …

‘We Don’t Want Shelter, We Want Homes’

November 25th, 2019

13:46
The fight over housing rights took a turn recently when two homeless moms occupied a vacant three-bedroom home in West Oakland with their children. Their group, Moms 4 Housing, wants the city to make it possible for …

What Makes BART Such A Politicized Space?

November 22nd, 2019

14:26
Steven Foster was detained and cited by BART police for eating a sandwich on a train platform. This isn't the first time BART has been the backdrop …

The Thinking Behind KQED’s Mass Shooting Coverage

November 20th, 2019

15:42
Since the days of Columbine, America's reference point for mass shootings has shifted over and over again. These shootings have happened at schools, …

‘Yes, Asians Go To Jail Too’

November 18th, 2019

17:16
Jason Mai didn’t know why his father was taken to jail when he was 12 years old. As a kid growing up in the Bay Area, he was told by his Chinese …

Why San Francisco’s New District Attorney Chesa Boudin is a ‘Leap of Faith’

November 15th, 2019

18:32
Chesa Boudin wants to shake up San Francisco's criminal justice system. Boudin comes from an unconventional background: His parents were jailed for participating in a robbery that led him to a career as a public …

From the Bay to the Supreme Court: A Doctor’s Fight for DACA

November 13th, 2019

19:06
Jirayut "New" Latthivongskorn immigrated to the United States with his family as a kid. They settled in the Bay Area, where they spent years living in the shadows as undocumented immigrants. They avoided visits to the …

Who Owns Silicon Valley?

November 8th, 2019

16:24
Stanford has more property value than Apple, Google and Intel combined. And right now in the Bay Area, everyone is watching how these big property …

Let’s Talk About Race and the Orinda Shooting

November 6th, 2019

20:32

Why has the "mass shooting" element of this tragedy been largely overlooked?

Olympic Legends for Black Power Salute, Now Hall of Famers

November 4th, 2019

13:52
John Carlos and Tommie Smith were shunned after their infamous Black Power salute on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. The were kicked out of the Olympics and lost their track and field careers. Now, 50 years …

The Tiny Radio Station Relaying Critical Kincade Fire Information in Indigenous Languages

November 1st, 2019

13:16
During the 2017 North Bay fires, bilingual radio station KBBF in Santa Rosa became a lifeline for many Spanish speakers in Sonoma County. At the time, emergency alerts and information were poorly translated, if at all. …

How the 2017 North Bay Fires Prepared Sonoma County for the Kincade Fire

October 30th, 2019

12:55

It's been one week since the Kincade Fire started in Sonoma County, but this time residents say the county is more prepared.

A Bay Farewell to Editor Erika Aguilar

October 28th, 2019

16:26
Some bittersweet news from The Bay team: Our editor Erika Aguilar is leaving to head KQED’s new Housing and Affordability Desk. Erika is a founding member of The Bay and helped launch the podcast in March 2018. In this …

Living Between Fires and Blackouts

October 25th, 2019

12:41
PG&E said there were failures on one of its high-voltage transmission lines just minutes before the Kincaid Fire erupted in Sonoma County. It's …

San Francisco’s Car-Free Market Street Makeover

October 23rd, 2019

16:16
Starting in January, San Francisco will ban private cars from Market Street as part of a major overhaul to make the city’s main thoroughfare safer …

Why the S.F. District Attorney’s Race Matters and What You Need to Know

October 21st, 2019

17:58
This year’s race for San Francisco district attorney has been a doozy. The four-way race to replace George Gascón is wide-open. The Nov. 5 election took on some extra controversy this month when Gascón abruptly …

Shaky Shaky Shaky: How to Prepare for the Next Earthquake

October 18th, 2019

14:12
This week, the Bay Area felt a series of earthquakes in less than 24 hours. Thursday marked the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. That prompted KQED Science reporter Peter Arcuni to come up with a disaster …

‘We’re Still Here’: Canoe Journey to Alcatraz to Remember the Native American Occupation 50 Years Ago

October 16th, 2019

17:00
On Monday, Native people from across the West Coast gathered in San Francisco for a ceremonial canoe journey to Alcatraz Island. Each canoe represented a territory, tribe, community or family. They paddled to celebrate …

KQED’s Podcast #Rightnowish Tackles How Art Shapes the Bay

October 14th, 2019

13:58
Bay Area artists have a tendency to embed politics and messages for society into their creative work. KQED's newest podcast Rightnowish highlights …

In Paradise, Power Shutoffs and PG&E’s Unreliability Feel Like the New Normal

October 11th, 2019

15:32
PG&E shut off the lights to 800,000 customers in Northern California, including 141,000 in the Bay Area. The utility company says the goal is to reduce the risk of wildfires. These latest shutdowns come almost a …

Should San Francisco Force People With Mental Illness Into Treatment?

October 9th, 2019

16:49
San Francisco is moving forward with a conservatorship program that would force people experiencing chronic homelessness, substance abuse and severe …

How Nancy Pelosi’s Beginnings Prepared Her to Lead Democrats on Impeachment

October 7th, 2019

15:11
Although Nancy Pelosi didn’t run for elected office until she was 47, politics is in her blood. Born into a prominent Baltimore political family, …

How the Fair Pay to Play Act Could (Finally) Lead to a Profitable Future for Female Athletes

October 4th, 2019

13:46
Female athletes in the Bay Area are at a disadvantage when it comes to opportunities to play at the professional level. There are no professional women's sports teams in the Bay, compared to seven professional sports …

What Boulders Say About San Francisco’s Inability to Find a Solution to Homelessness

October 2nd, 2019

15:07
Residents with a place to live on Clinton Park, a street in San Francisco, pooled their money together to buy boulders for the neighborhood's …

Why Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto Is a Problem (For Some)

September 30th, 2019

13:52
North Berkeley’s “Gourmet Ghetto” is considered the birthplace of California cuisine. It’s where the original Peet’s Coffee is located, and the …

When Should Vallejo Officers Be Required to Test for Drugs or Alcohol?

September 27th, 2019

18:13
Vallejo residents attended a city council meeting this week wearing bright yellow stickers that read "Coked Cops Kill." They opposed efforts by the …

Unplugged: PG&E Shuts Down Power In Several Northern California Cities

September 25th, 2019

14:00
It’s hot. It’s dry. And your power might get shut off. PG&E has been making daily decisions this week on whether to shut off power to wildland areas in Northern California that are at risk of fire. The utility …

The Voice Behind ‘I Got 5 On It’

September 23rd, 2019

17:20
Mike Marshall has a voice you've probably heard before. He was the vocal on the 90s anthem I’ve Got Five On It. More recently, Marshall covered San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) in the movie The Last …

Ordered Out But Fighting for Her Life to Stay

September 20th, 2019

18:04
Maria Isabel Bueso immigrated to the United States from Guatemala 16 years ago so she could receive treatment in the Bay Area for a rare genetic …

Housing is Healthcare: One Doctor’s Prescription for Solving Homelessness

September 18th, 2019

19:13
President Trump and HUD Secretary Ben Carson visited the Bay Area on Tuesday. Trump attended a fundraiser but made time to call attention to the state's housing and homeless crisis. Carson toured a public housing …

Living With Parents (Cause the Rent is Too Dang High)

September 16th, 2019

12:39
In California, living with parents has become necessary for many young adults trying to save money on rent. Around 37 percent of young people ages 18 …

The Gig is Up: Lawmakers Pass AB 5 to Protect Gig Workers

September 13th, 2019

14:54
Tech companies like Lyft and Uber have introduced America to a new way of working. They've touted a flexible, be-your-own boss work model -- though without benefits or worker protections. This week, California lawmakers …

Out of the Blocks Takes Us On A Listening Tour Through West Oakland

September 11th, 2019

14:20
Heritage and gentrification intersect in West Oakland's Lower Bottoms neighborhood. That's the historical headquarters of the



Black Panther Party, and the last train stop in the East Bay before San Francisco. The …

The Conception Had An Excellent Reputation. One Bay Area Diver Asks ‘What Happened?’

September 9th, 2019

12:05
The tragedy of the Conception boat fire off the Santa Barbara coast has rippled throughout the diving community. Several of the 34 people who died on Labor Day were from the Bay Area. The boat and Truth Aquatics …

‘I’m in Shock’: What the Ghost Ship Verdict Means to Those Who Survived

September 6th, 2019

12:03
The Ghost Ship trial is over, for now. The jury acquitted Max Harris, one of the two men accused of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the 2016 …

Local Officials Calling to Bring Home SF Activist Shot in Philippines

September 4th, 2019

17:59
Brandon Lee remains in critical condition after he was shot outside his home in the Philippines last month. The San Francisco native warned that the Philippine government had been intimidating him for working as a human …

‘There’s a Lot of Mistrust and Fear on Both Sides.’ Vallejo Residents React to Police Violence

August 30th, 2019

15:08
Our reporting on deadly police shootings that have happened in Vallejo has struck a nerve with listeners, especially those who live in the city. A …

My Kid Has Anxiety. Can Their Schools Help?

August 28th, 2019

15:58
Brianna Sedillo is a student at El Cerrito High School in the East Bay. After her grandfather passed away, the pressures of high school intensified …

The Oakland Property Owners Who Chose Ethics Over Money

August 26th, 2019

18:02
When the Cabellos listed their Oakland property for sale, they got offers from developers and corporate businesses. The property sits in the gentrified Temescal neighborhood, which is part of the reason they closed …

How Did Things Get So Bad Between Vallejo and Its Police?

August 23rd, 2019

27:32
This isn’t the first time Vallejo has experienced a cluster of high profile police shootings and incidents that have caused residents to demand …

One Night, Two Narratives

August 21st, 2019

33:06
The recent wave of protests for police accountability in Vallejo started back in 2017. That’s when Angel Ramos, 21, was fatally shot by an officer …

The Life and Death of Willie McCoy

August 19th, 2019

27:51

Willie McCoy had a hard childhood, but his dreams of making music professionally kept him alive until he was shot 55 times by Vallejo police in …

There’s Something Wrong in Vallejo

August 16th, 2019

4:51
In February, Vallejo police officers shot a young black man 55 times after he was found unconscious in his car. Another was killed last year after an …

Bay Area Filipinos Stand Up For Activist Shot in the Philippines

August 14th, 2019

15:05
A San Francisco native was shot in the Philippines earlier this month in what friends and family believe was an attempted extrajudicial assassination by the Philippine government. Brandon Lee became an activist through …

The Long, Hard Search for a Missing and Homeless Loved One

August 12th, 2019

16:30
More than 34,000 people are homeless in the Bay Area. There's not enough housing or resources to help them all. Some have friends or family who have been searching for their loved ones to bring them home, but finding …

From El Paso to the Bay: Latinos Look for Community After Shootings

August 9th, 2019

20:40
Latinos this week have expressed fear, anger and unity after a gunman shot and killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The suspect wrote a racist manifesto blaming immigrants and Hispanics for economic changes …

Young People Fighting For Gun Control Want to Know: What Will It Take?

August 7th, 2019

16:36
The three victims from the Gilroy Garlic Festival were young -- ages 6, 13 and 25. Many of the victims from the shootings in El Paso and Dayton were …

When The Media Descended On Gilroy

August 5th, 2019

14:00
After the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on July 28, a local newspaper photographer criticized how media quickly descended on the small city …

Banning RV Life in the Heart of Silicon Valley

June 28th, 2019

17:20
Google pledged $1 billion earlier this month to help ease Silicon Valley's housing crisis. That crisis is playing out in Google's home city of Mountain View, where city leaders want to ban RVs from parking overnight on …

How Gay Activists in San Francisco Educated the World About AIDS

June 26th, 2019

17:31
A San Francisco nurse named Bobbi Campbell was the first person to publicly announce he had a cancer associated with AIDS in 1981. Around this time, he convinced a Castro drugstore to display pictures of his lesions to …

A Mural That Doesn’t Age Well: The Debate Over the George Washington Murals in S.F.

June 24th, 2019

16:54
Can an artist’s original intentions withstand the test of time and modern sentiment? A mural at George Washington High School in San Francisco that …

A Migrant’s Journey from El Salvador to the Bay Area

June 21st, 2019

21:17
President Trump on Monday announced that federal immigration officers were gearing up for deportations next week. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf responded by urging her community to be prepared. It’s unclear whether the …

The Woman Who Kept Juneteenth Alive in San Francisco

June 19th, 2019

14:12
San Francisco's Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery, is one of the largest gatherings of African Americans in California every year. This year's Juneteenth parade was named in honor of Rachel Townsend, a …

The Price of Owning the Power Grid

June 17th, 2019

15:50
Environmental activists in San Francisco have long called for the city to have its own public power system. The idea never took off until PG&E went bankrupt, again, in January. The private utility company owns most …

From Quentin to the Kitchen: Preparing for Life After Prison in the Bay Area

June 14th, 2019

16:03
Formerly incarcerated people who can’t find work after prison face a 50 percent chance of returning to prison. Those who do find work have a better …

Why San Francisco Wants to Stop Charging Inmates for Phone Calls

June 12th, 2019

13:30
The cost of going to prison is both personal and financial. That’s exacerbated by the price of phone calls from the inside. In San Francisco, a 15-minute phone call can cost $2.10. Other jails charge about $5. And it's …

A ‘Surreal’ and Emotional Graduation for Paradise High

June 10th, 2019

20:07
"Surreal" is the word Paradise High School seniors used over and over again to describe their graduation months after the deadly Camp Fire that …

Teachers Strike Close to Graduation Leaves Students in Limbo

June 7th, 2019

13:41
The teachers strike at the New Haven School District in Union City and South Hayward has been going on for two weeks now. Unlike more recent teachers …

The Exploitation of Creative People and Their Passions

June 5th, 2019

14:57
It’s hard enough to live, work and survive in the Bay Area. But people whose work is their passion often make additional sacrifices to do what they love. Many of you shared stories of “passion exploitation” after KQED …

Mental Healthcare for All?

June 3rd, 2019

13:39
It's not uncommon to see people struggling with mental health in San Francisco. People experiencing the trauma of homelessness often have their worst …

The New Resistance to Vallejo Police Violence

May 31st, 2019

18:19
A series of police shootings in Vallejo over the last few years has mobilized residents to city hall in protest. This week, the families of Angel …

A Prescription Your Doctor Can’t Write: Housing as Health Care

May 29th, 2019

18:59
When Bay Area cities clear homeless encampments, proponents of such plans often say they're trying to fix a public health issue, or that encampments have become too unsafe or unhealthy. But some are making the case that …

Why We Need ‘Truth Be Told’: A New KQED Advice Podcast About Race for People of Color

May 24th, 2019

17:24
When Tonya Mosley thinks about conversations she's had with friends and family about race, she's usually asking for advice. Now, there's a podcast …

Why San Jose Ain’t San Jose Without the Sharks

May 22nd, 2019

10:20
San Jose has undergone dramatic change since the Sharks first came to the city in 1993. The population has spiked to more than 1 million, the median …

Why Is My Restaurant Server Always White?

May 20th, 2019

13:35
When you get your check at a restaurant, there’s a good chance your server is white. There’s an even better chance that the cooks and dishwashers in the back of the house are POC who get considerably less money, …

PG&E Blamed For Sparking Deadly Camp Fire. Now What?

May 17th, 2019

19:40
It's confirmed: A PG&E transmission line sparked the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history last November in Butte County. Cal …

San Francisco Bans Facial Recognition Technology

May 15th, 2019

13:09
We use facial recognition technology to unlock our cell phones, doors, and find friends on social media apps. But there's a real fear about how tech …

Would You Stop Driving Through Downtown San Francisco if You Had to Pay to Do It?

May 13th, 2019

16:20
Driving through downtown San Francisco has always been hell (good luck getting across Market Street). Traffic has gotten worse with job growth and …

Should SF’s Chinatown Muni Station Be Named After Rose Pak?

May 10th, 2019

17:34
The legacy of Rose Pak returns to San Francisco. A proposal to name a future Muni rail station after the late Chinatown activist provoked a protest at City Hall this week, and debates over how to recognize her …

In Silicon Valley, the Color of Your Badge Is A Status Symbol

May 8th, 2019

15:31
Uber drivers are planning to strike Wednesday by turning off their apps ahead of the company's public offering, which is expected to be the largest of the new tech IPOs this year. Drivers say they want higher pay and …

Oakland Ghost Ship Trial: What We Learned From Opening Statements

May 6th, 2019

17:04
A new narrative surfaced about what could have caused the deadly Oakland warehouse fire in 2016 that killed 36 people. Defense attorneys have …

Why Are There No Filipina Disney Princesses? #YouthTakeoverKQED

May 3rd, 2019

16:04
Filipinos are huge part of life and culture in the Bay Area. But the spotlight rarely falls on them, especially in media. El Cerrito High School …

Basically, Nothing in the Bay Area is Affordable to Someone Making $64,000

May 1st, 2019

13:59
We all know it's expensive to live in the Bay Area. But just how unaffordable is it? Reporters with the Mercury News and the East Bay Times looked at how high rents and mortgages have climbed since 2012, and it will …

The Bay Live: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

April 29th, 2019

54:05

High rent. Long commutes. Expensive food. Childcare. Sea level rise. Gentrification. These are just some of the challenges of living in the Bay Area. …

Why You Can’t Talk About Food Without Talking About Identity, According To S.F. Food Critic Soleil Ho

April 26th, 2019

17:55
The San Francisco Chronicle's newest food critic has been on the job for about three months now. Since starting, Soleil Ho has written about ethical …

Report Validates Women’s Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against S.F. Yoga Guru

April 24th, 2019

15:19
More women came forward after KQED published an investigation last year showing sexual misconduct allegations against Manouso Manos, a prominent international yoga teacher based in San Francisco. The reporting prompted …

#Rightnowish: KQED’s Newest Show Spotlights Artists With a Message

April 19th, 2019

14:56
There are a ton of artists, creators and thinkers in the Bay Area who have messages for society. KQED's newest radio show Rightnowish highlights them. Author and KQED Arts writer Pendarvis Harshaw brings us into …

Will High-Speed Rail Ever Make It to the Bay Area?

April 17th, 2019

18:32
California’s bullet train project was designed to get people from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours. But after years of legal and …

The Fight Over Building a Homeless Navigation Center on San Francisco’s Embarcadero

April 15th, 2019

13:53
Neighbors of San Francisco's Embarcadero waterfront community were fired up when the city proposed building a 225-bed navigation center for the homeless. First, competing Go Fund Me pages were set up to raise money for …

How Screwed is the Bay Area Because of Tech IPOs?

April 12th, 2019

12:40
First it was Lyft. Next is Pinterest. Eventually, Uber, Slack, Airbnb and Postmates. All these tech companies are expected to go public this year. …

Does East Bay Presidential Candidate Eric Swalwell Stand a Chance?

April 10th, 2019

13:42
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell doesn’t have the name recognition or the money that the other presidential candidates have. As the 18th Democratic candidate …

Watching Yosemite’s Lyell Glacier Die

April 8th, 2019

14:29
As a geologist, Greg Stock never imagined he'd witness the death of a glacier. The Lyell Glacier is Yosemite National Park's largest ice mass, and …

It’s Baaack! Controversial Housing Bill SB 50 Passes First Test

April 5th, 2019

15:13
Unlike its epic failure last year, SB 50 passed its first test this week in the state Senate Housing Committee hearing. The bill introduced by San …

SF’s Transgender Nightclub Closes: ‘If Divas Wasn’t There, I Wouldn’t Be Here’

April 3rd, 2019

11:15
Divas celebrated 31 years of serving the trans community before closing its doors for good on March 30. Some trans people say the club represented a space of inclusion and community in a city that’s becoming more …

These Are the Bays of Our Lives

April 1st, 2019

15:31
The Bay Area bubble is real. Sometimes living in the bubble means have tunnel vision on how the rest of the country lives. So today, we thought we'd leave this bay and visit some others. Travel with us as we hop around …

It’s Expensive to Keep Juvenile Detention Centers Open, Especially When They’re Nearly Empty

March 29th, 2019

16:56
An investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle found juvenile detention centers across California were nearly empty but the costs to run these facilities have skyrocketed. In San Francisco, it cost $266,000 to keep a …

More than 30 Newsrooms Join KQED’s Police Records Project

March 27th, 2019

21:55
Dozens of reporters across California have been working to obtain records from police departments on misconduct and accountability under a new state …

Can’t Park Here. Berkeley Votes to Ban RV Parking Overnight

March 25th, 2019

10:31
When a group of RVs was forced to leave Berkeley’s marina last year, many moved to West Berkeley, near Gilman Street where RVs line the sidewalks. Business owners and residents complain that the wheeled-homes leave …

Apple Gets A Cool Image, What Do Artists Get?

March 22nd, 2019

14:12
Local bands and artists are being asked to perform at San Francisco's Apple store in Union Square. As payment they get Airpods, Apple TV, or a watch. Not money. It's a story that KQED Arts music editor Nastia …

A Parking Spot for the Homeless: Oakland Churches Open Their Lots

March 20th, 2019

11:23
Nearly a quarter of the people experiencing homelessness in Oakland are living out of a car, truck or some type of vehicle. That's why four Oakland churches announced a new plan this week to allow homeless people to …

Corporate Influence on the Bay Area’s Music Scene

March 18th, 2019

11:51
The Bay Area’s eccentric reputation is built from its arts and culture. Music is a centerpiece. So it’s no wonder some in the music scene worry about …

What Bay Area Students Think About the #CollegeAdmissionScandal

March 15th, 2019

13:17
Many people were not surprised that 13 of the 50 people charged in the college admission scandal this week are from the Bay Area. Among those not …

Berkeley’s ‘Welcome’ Signs Acknowledge Ohlone Land and the Bay Area’s Original People

March 13th, 2019

17:42
Berkeley unveiled new city limit signs this week that say “Welcome to the City of Berkeley - Ohlone Territory.” Colonizers have wiped away much …

NIMBY. YIMBY. Now PHIMBY? The Housing Debate’s Newest Slogan

March 11th, 2019

15:19
Fights over housing policies in the Bay Area often include these two sides: The NIMBYs (not in my backyard) and the YIMBYs (yes in my backyard). Let …

No Charges For Officers Who Shot Stephon Clark. Will There Ever Be?

March 8th, 2019

16:15
People are outraged that two Sacramento police officers will not face criminal charges for killing 22-year old Stephon Clark last year, an unarmed …

It’s The Bay’s One-Year Anniversary!

March 6th, 2019

10:38
The Bay officially launched on March 6, 2018. Since then, we’ve covered some of the biggest Bay Area stories: elections, ICE raids and all kinds of housing laws. Plus, we've had some real conversations about Bay Area …

Oakland Teachers Strike Ends, But Not Everyone Is Happy

March 4th, 2019

17:31
The Oakland teachers strike is over. Teachers and other educators approved an agreement Sunday night to end the seven-day strike and give parents a …

In the Bay Area, Deadly Heat Waves Are For Real

March 1st, 2019

14:45
It’s cold in the Bay Area now. But in 2017, two heat waves killed 14 people in the Bay Area. KQED reporting has found that most of those people who …

Three Taser-Related Deaths and San Mateo Activists Demand Changes

February 27th, 2019

2:30
Chinedu Okobi died last October after being tased by San Mateo sheriff deputies. His death was one of three that happened last year involving tasers …

‘Unwavering Belief in Justice’: San Francisco’s Public Defender Jeff Adachi Dies

February 25th, 2019

15:34
Jeff Adachi died suddenly Friday night. While details of how he died are still under investigation, many are remembering Adachi and his tireless efforts as a public defender who provided fair legal representation to the …

Empty Halls and Picket Lines: Oakland Teachers Strike

February 22nd, 2019

2:30
It's Day 1 of the Oakland Unified school teacher strike. Teachers, parents and students began picketing Thursday for more pay, support, and smaller …

Skimming Off the Tips: InstaCart Changes Its Tipping and Pay for App Shoppers

February 20th, 2019

11:23
Lots of gig workers earn tips. So, when InstaCart started paying its full-service shoppers and deliverers on a sliding scale based on how many tips …

Can PG&E Be Trusted to Not Start a Fire This Summer?

February 15th, 2019

2:30
PG&E is under pressure to not spark a wildfire this summer. A federal judge overseeing the investor-owned utility's probation case is demanding they take prevention measures. This week, PG&E presented its …

Meth on Monday, Heroin on Friday: San Francisco Sees A New Drug Wave

February 13th, 2019

2:30
The opioid crisis has dominated the news, but there is growing evidence that methamphetamine has made a return to San Francisco. Overdoses from meth have more than doubled and about half the people admitted to San …

#10YearChallenge: What Has Changed in the Bay Area?

February 11th, 2019

13:47
Ten years is a lot of time. For the Bay Area, it's meant more money, new problems, and getting more serious about climate change. Today on the podcast, we apply the #10YearChallenge to the Bay Area and see how the past …

No More Ridin’ the Rails at 4 A.M. — BART Ends Early-Morning Service

February 8th, 2019

15:02
BART will stop offering its 4 a.m. train service on Feb. 11 in order to retrofit the Transbay Tube to better withstand major earthquakes. Workers will install a new liner in the 3.6-mile underwater structure to prevent …

Hyphy Music Legend Keak Da Sneak Says Prisons ‘Have No Compassion’ For Disabilities

February 6th, 2019

16:30
East Bay rapper Keak Da Sneak is credited with pioneering the Hyphy style. This Thursday he has to turn himself in to serve a 16-month state prison sentence. Since being shot in 2017, he’s confined to a wheelchair and …

A Teen’s Fight to Save TPS for Her Family

February 4th, 2019

15:05
High school freshman Crista Ramos had no idea her mom was living under Temporary Protected Status, a federal humanitarian program that allows about …

How the Camp Fire Made Chico’s Housing Problem Even Worse

February 1st, 2019

11:06
Chico is bursting at the seams right now. The ripples of displacement from the Camp Fire, which killed at least 86 people and destroyed about 14,000 homes, are far from over as people cram into Chico to stay living …

Oakland Unified’s Hella Hard Week Dealing With School Closures

January 30th, 2019

17:25
School closures. Teacher strike. Budget cuts. It hasn’t been a great week for Oakland Unified. The school board voted to close Roots International …

Bye, Bye Vinnee and Good Luck!

January 28th, 2019

15:08
If you're a fan of The Bay, you can thank Vinnee Tong. She helped launch the podcast last year and has helped shape the shows from choosing what we cover and how we talk about it, especially around race, identity and …

How S.F. Helped Make Kamala Harris

January 25th, 2019

15:02
Kamala Harris announced this week she’s running for president. She's certainly not the first Californian to be groomed by Bay Area politics for the …

CASA and the Push for a Regional Housing Solution

January 23rd, 2019

14:01
What if we looked at solving the Bay Area's housing crisis from a regional lens? Could we come up with solutions that actually work? It's often said …

Can Gavin Newsom Broker a Deal Between Gig Workers, Tech and Unions?

January 18th, 2019

12:47
The debate over whether gig workers are employees or contractors has been a slow, messy conversation. Now, California’s new governor, Gavin Newsom, is trying to help broker a deal between the two sides. But some drivers …

PG&E’s Road to Bankruptcy

January 16th, 2019

18:47
PG&E says it has no choice but to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and that it's going to file papers around Jan. 29. A lot of things led …

Big Oil, Small Town: Valero’s Election Influence in Benicia’s Politics

January 14th, 2019

14:39
Valero spent $200,000 in last year's Benicia city council election to help elect two candidates who were less critical of the company than others. That's created tension between the oil refiner and the city, leading …

How Housing Prices Are Hurting Salinas Schoolkids

January 11th, 2019

16:13
About 40 percent of students in the Salinas City Elementary School District are considered homeless. This can mean living in a shelter or living in …

Documents Show Fired Police Officer Asked for Sex From Woman He Arrested

January 9th, 2019

13:14
The San Mateo County district attorney is looking to reopen an investigation against a fired Burlingame police officer. The cop was accused by three …

Why S.F. Chronicle’s New Food Critic Is Focusing on Race and Identity

January 7th, 2019

17:09
Food says a lot about who we are. It can identify where we come from and what we like. In some cases, it may even let us know when we’re being racist. In a way, that’s a starting point for the San Francisco Chronicle's …

Bay Area Leading Fight to Make Police Records Public

January 4th, 2019

16:29
Getting access to police records has never been easy. Especially when the records involve allegations of police wrongdoing. A new California law - SB …

Happy New Year! From The Bay

January 2nd, 2019

11:00
See ya, 2018. What up, 2019! We’ve produced almost 150 episodes of The Bay covering all kinds of local news from e-scooters, to housing policies and …

Oscar Grant: A Killing That Changed How We View Police Shootings

December 31st, 2018

21:50
Ten years ago, in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, Oscar Grant was shot and killed by Bart police officer, Johannes Mehserle. This was one …

New Bay Area Bridge Tolls Begin Jan. 1. Here’s What That Means

December 28th, 2018

14:08
We jump into a stranger's car and take a ride over the Bay Bridge in the "casual carpool lane" to talk about higher bridge tolls. Our carpool driver …

Remember Oakland’s Response to #GrillingWhileBlack? Electric Slide

December 26th, 2018

13:29
#WhileBlack was a popular hashtag in 2018. This year we watched several videos on social media that included white people harassing black people …

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Is What A Lot of People Have Been Waiting For in 2018

December 24th, 2018

14:28
This was a big year for people of color in lead movie roles — especially for culture, language and accents that are not English or American. One of …

Who Created the Bay Area’s Mess? One Urban Planner’s Argument

December 21st, 2018

13:01
What happens when the people most invested in trying to make the Bay Area a better place decide to LEAVE entirely? Gabriel Metcalf is the outgoing president of the Bay Area think tank SPUR, and he's moving to take a …

Two Years Later, Still No Answers for Mission District Double Killing

December 19th, 2018

16:20
In December 2016, Lindsay McCollum and Eddie “Tennessee” Tate were shot and killed in San Francisco’s Mission District. The two were homeless and …

What Electric Scooters and Shopping Carts May Soon Have in Common

December 17th, 2018

12:28
Mention electric scooters and people usually react with an eye roll. It's associated with the newness of the tech culture of the Bay Area. Some see …

Oakland Parents Want ‘Opportunity Tickets’ If Schools Close

December 14th, 2018

12:00
Oakland is considering closing 24 schools. Most of these schools are likely in East Oakland, where many of the poorest students live. A group of …

‘No Section 8’

December 12th, 2018

10:42
Most landlords in San Jose don't take Section 8 housing vouchers. And housing advocates see the vouchers as a proxy for race, or keeping out people …

Waiting in Pinole: A Mother’s and Son’s Migrant Caravan Journey to the Bay Area

December 10th, 2018

20:56
Veronica Aguilar crossed the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum from El Salvador earlier this year. She's staying with a host family in Pinole while …

Homes on Top of Buses

December 7th, 2018

11:56
Here’s a new one: stacking homes on top of a city bus yard. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency wants to build housing on top of its Potrero bus yard right across the street from KQED studios. Their idea …

SB 827 Revived: A Failed Housing Bill Gets a Second Try

December 5th, 2018

13:44
We need homes near transit. But the first time state Sen. Scott Wiener introduced a bill, SB 827, that would have required cities to approve dense …

A $220 Million Google ‘Village’ in the Bay Area’s Largest City

December 3rd, 2018

12:24
This isn't supposed to be your traditional tech campus. Google says it wants to build a village inside San Jose that will be open to the public, different from how most tech campuses operate. It's expected to have …

Homelessness in San Francisco: ‘It Doesn’t Take Miracles … It Takes Money’

November 30th, 2018

12:10
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced a $6 million donation he is making to subsidize five years of rent for formerly homeless residents who will move into a renovated apartment …

Homeless Oaklanders Take Over City-Owned Lot

November 28th, 2018

13:17
The city of Oakland wasn't pleased when a group of homeless people moved to a vacant lot in East Oakland in October. After the city posted a notice to vacate, the homeless residents went to court to stop the eviction. …

‘You Got To Give Them Hope,’ Harvey Milk’s Lasting Words, 40 Years Later

November 26th, 2018

13:15
Harvey Milk and the city of San Francisco gives many people the "permission" they need to fight for gay rights in other places. The Castro became a …

Waiting in the Rain: What Paradise Fire Victims Need In Addition to Shelter

November 21st, 2018

17:16
When rain begins to fall on Butte County this week, some will be sleeping on the streets. The Camp Fire displaced tens of thousands of people, many of whom are struggling to do basic things: find shelter, see a doctor, …

What Silicon Valley Could Lose If Trump Revokes H-1B Spousal Work Visas

November 19th, 2018

14:43
A small number of people -- spouses of H1B visa holders -- were given the right to work under a special type of visa created under President Obama in …

Trauma Before and After the Camp Fire

November 16th, 2018

18:21
Paradise was a city where a lot of people already carried more than their share of trauma from childhood. Now, as many work to piece their lives back together they have the added weight of trauma from the Camp Fire. Our …

Paradise Prepared for Fire — But It Wasn’t Enough

November 14th, 2018

13:30
After two fires burned right up to the edge of town in 2008, the town of Paradise made a plan. It divided itself into evacuation zones. It went so …

For Here or To Go? The Rise of Food Delivery Apps in SF

November 12th, 2018

13:11
Caviar, Postmates, Uber Eats…the Bay Area’s tech family gave us food delivery apps. And there are plenty of gig workers willing to drive us this …

Bay Curious: How Do You Define the “Bay Area?”

November 9th, 2018

11:44
People from the Bay Area or those who live here are a proud bunch. But how do you define this magical place? Do you use geography to draw the boundaries? Maybe it’s about sports teams and their fan bases or where BART …

Bay Voters Bring Outrage and Hope to Midterms

November 7th, 2018

14:24
Resistance. That's been the call of many, including those in the Bay Area who have led the country in resisting President Trump’s attacks on marginalized people and the state’s liberal ideals. We'll hear from those who …

Voters Love School Bonds. But Should They?

November 5th, 2018

15:15
School bond measures almost always pass. More money for schools – and by extension, kids – seems like an obvious yes. But less attention is given to …

Google Employees Say ‘Time’s Up’ for the Patriarchy

November 2nd, 2018

11:19
About 1,000 Google employees walked out of work Thursday and staged a rally on the company's main Mountain View campus. The impetus was a New York Times report published last week about dozens of sexual misconduct …

Silicon Valley Is Trying To Prevent Hate Speech. Is It Working?

October 31st, 2018

15:57
Gab.ai is like Twitter without any restrictions. Gab is also where a man named Robert Bowers posted comments before allegedly shooting and killing 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Today: what Silicon Valley is doing …

How Much Do You Get Paid? *Crickets*

October 29th, 2018

12:36
Are you embarrassed to share your salary? Yeah, a lot of us are. Software engineer Jackie Luo makes the case that we can’t improve the pay gap (for …

A Building Burns. Oakland Suspects Arson.

October 26th, 2018

11:25
A big construction site of new housing went up in flames early Tuesday morning, and people immediately suspected arson. Some Oaklanders say it's motivated by anger against gentrification. The five-alarm fire in West …

Priest Abuse and an Exorcism: One Santa Clara Woman’s Story

October 24th, 2018

12:35
We don't often hear about priests abusing their adult parishioners. As advocates renew calls for accountability for priests accused of abusing …

Should S.F.’s Big Businesses Be Taxed to Pay for Homelessness?

October 22nd, 2018

12:55
A Twitter fight between two of San Francisco's biggest, and wealthiest, tech leaders says a lot about the city's problem with homelessness. Proposition C calls for taxing the city's most profitable companies to double …

A Raised Arm and a Clenched Fist at the 1968 Olympics

October 19th, 2018

13:34
John Carlos and Tommie Smith both won medals in the same track event at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City. On the medal stand, both raised …

Who Has Power and Who Doesn’t: Changes at PG&E

October 17th, 2018

10:20
Power is important. Both the kind that lets us switch on the lights and the kind that gives people the ability to make decisions for us. Tens of thousands of Northern California residents lost power over the weekend …

Fighting Homelessness in Oakland, One Vacant Lot at a Time

October 15th, 2018

13:53
Oakland sure has a lot of vacant properties, despite being in the middle of a housing crisis. In November, voters will decide whether the city should …

Should We Rebuild Where Fire Could Happen Again?

October 12th, 2018

14:13
New homes are popping up in Santa Rosa one year after the Northern California fires. Some are rebuilding in the exact same spots. Others are worried about losing everything again when the next fire comes, including …

Struggling to Return Home After the Fire

October 10th, 2018

12:51

Kayla Swaim's home was destroyed a year ago in the Tubbs Fire. She lost everything, including her sense of safety.

Proposition 5: Extending Tax Breaks for Homeowners

October 8th, 2018

13:31
Do you ever wish you had a coupon that would give you a discount on what you pay for your house? Proposition 13 is kind of like that. Now Proposition …

Live Event: The Bay Interviews Pulitzer-Winning Fire Reporters

October 5th, 2018

18:49
Most people run from a fire. Some journalists go toward it. Two reporters at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, winner of a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for its …

One Crack Too Many for SF’s Salesforce Transit Center

October 3rd, 2018

15:21
First there was one crack. Then two. Now San Francisco's new $2.2 billion Salesforce Transit Center could be shut down for weeks. In an earlier …

Yosemiteland! El Capitan With a Latte

October 1st, 2018

11:49
Airbnb, caramel macchiatos and luxury dining. Yosemite is starting to feel more and more like the Bay Area. There are more visitors, more traffic, and now a Starbucks. Today, we'll introduce you to Yosemiteland, a …

‘I Believed He Was Going to Rape Me:’ The Hearing That Gripped the Bay Area

September 28th, 2018

12:13
Christine Blasey Ford’s and Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony riveted Americans to their screens on Thursday. People gathered in Oakland, Palo Alto, San Francisco and elsewhere to watch the historic Supreme Court nomination …

Judge To Decide Whether Mario Woods Civil Case Moves Ahead

September 26th, 2018

14:45
After a police killing, it can be hard to get a clear picture of what exactly happened. Like the case of Mario Woods, who was shot and killed by San …

From $250,000 to $0: Taxi Medallions in S.F.

September 24th, 2018

14:31
If you use Uber or Lyft in San Francisco, you're no doubt helping to kill the taxi cab industry. But the city didn't help either when it started charging $250,000 for taxi medallions as the ride service companies were …

How the SF Schools ‘Lottery’ Failed

September 21st, 2018

11:53
Parents hate it, for sure. But more than that, the schools selection process has created even more segregated student bodies. The goal was the exact …

Can Oakland Out-Regulate S.F. on Scooters?

September 19th, 2018

10:19
First came electric scooters. Then came policies to regulate them. The Oakland City Council passed new rules Monday with an eye on equity, requiring …

A Dark History of Silicon Valley

September 17th, 2018

11:51
Silicon Valley got its start with a man who was regarded as a genius and won a Nobel prize. But William Shockley was also a racist and eugenicist who promoted sterilizations of black Americans. A new monument in …

Are Electric Cars Too Uncool?

September 14th, 2018

11:23
Your car says a lot about you. It can tell people how much money you have. It can say, "I care about the environment." And while we know that the adoption of electric cars is key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, …

Yoga and #MeToo: ‘I Trusted Yoga, So I Trusted Him.’

September 12th, 2018

15:05
Imagine attending a yoga class and finding yourself in a situation where your instructor has violated your personal space by sexually abusing you. …

The Whitening and Erasure of the Asian-American Identity

September 10th, 2018

14:29
Writer Iris Kuo knows what it feels like to forget her wallet and still walk out of a fancy department store with a bag full of merchandise: It feels …

The Bay’s 100th Episode. What?!

September 7th, 2018

12:16
We can't freakin' believe it! The Bay has produced 100 episodes that represent the moment in time the Bay Area's going through. Today, Devin, Erika and Vinnee (The Bay team) talk about some of their favorite episode …

The Drug With No Street Name: Fentanyl

September 5th, 2018

14:46
Fentanyl is partly to blame for a rise in *drug* overdose deaths, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control report. Officials say the …

Bay Area Women Candidates and ‘The Long Run’ For Political Office

September 3rd, 2018

14:26
Trump may have been the catalyst for some California women seeking political office, but their campaigns are driven by local issues. The KQED special …

Bay Curious: Hetch Hetchy Water’s Epic Journey, From Mountains to Tap

August 31st, 2018

12:04
We know San Francisco cherishes its pristine water source, which comes from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir located in Yosemite. The Bay recently told you …

MindShift: Can Inviting Teachers Over to Your Home Improve How Kids Learn?

August 29th, 2018

15:48
A teacher visit at home can be intimating - for everyone. Today on The Bay, we're featuring the latest episode of KQED's education podcast MindShift, which launched its third season this week. The show is tackling the …

Q’ed Up: The West Oakland Teacher Everyone Knows

August 27th, 2018

9:50

LuPaulette Taylor has worked for decades at McClymonds High School in West Oakland. McClymonds is a school where only around 15 percent of teachers …

Verizon Squeezes the Internet Hose on Firefighters During Mendocino Fire

August 24th, 2018

11:32
Imagine fighting the largest wildfire in California history and Verizon says you'd have to upgrade your plan if you want faster internet to get your maps and documents. That's what happened to a couple of Santa Clara …

‘Cover the Important Bits’: Alameda Schools Change Their Dress Code

August 22nd, 2018

12:34
Midriffs, pajamas, and ball caps are all allowed this year at Alameda schools. A group of middle school students worked for three years to change a …

Fight for Water Makes Strange Bedfellows: Farmers…and San Francisco

August 20th, 2018

10:31
Green bins, blue bins, black bins. San Francisco is known for being super progressive when it comes to the environment. But some say the city's behind the curve on this one thing: water. This week state water officials …

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Is What A Lot of People Have Been Waiting For

August 17th, 2018

13:18
Mansions. A multimillion-dollar wedding. Sexy characters in swank settings. The release of Crazy Rich Asians is a cultural event onscreen and off. …

Back to the Future: SF’s New Transbay Terminal

August 15th, 2018

12:28
There aren't that many people riding buses into San Francisco's new $2 billion transbay terminal. At least not when compared to the city's first terminal that opened in 1939. So how will the new transit hub that opened …

A Lesson in How to Die

August 13th, 2018

15:47
Kelly Johnson’s last days were his final act. He was a Bay Area musician, a dancer, a vaudeville act -- a performer for life. Johnson used the End of Life Option Act that has been legal in California since June 2016. …

These Fires Break All the Old Rules

August 10th, 2018

14:21
Fire drip torches, dozers, and prevailing winds – just some of the tools firefighters are using to battle the blazes engulfing California. With fires …

One Bay Area City Preps for More Rent Control; Aaand…It’s Berkeley

August 8th, 2018

12:57

If California voters approve Prop. 10 in November, the debate over rent control will continue. Read more from Guy Marzorati on that debate in the Bay …

How the DMV Got Worse

August 6th, 2018

11:09
Waiting at the DMV can be hell, but you gotta go. Over the last year, wait times at Bay Area DMVs increased 48 percent. We take a trip to the DMV (it's more fun than it sounds) and look at what's causing these delays …

Are Democratic Socialists a Thing Now?

August 3rd, 2018

14:20
Some people in the Bay Area paid hundreds of dollars to see a speech by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the new liberal Democratic star from New York. She …

How a Schoolteacher’s Letter Led to the Creation of Schulz’s ‘Franklin’ Character

August 1st, 2018

9:46
This week, the first black "Peanuts" cartoon character turns 50, marking the first time that Charlie Brown and Franklin met. It all started with a …

The Conflicted Capitalist: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky

July 30th, 2018

12:14
Can big tech companies call themselves progressive? One of Silicon Valley's biggest CEOs says he has identified as progressive. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says he felt conflicted once about whether to charge people to use …

The Orwellian Take on San Francisco’s Informal ‘Caste’ System

July 27th, 2018

13:36
Do you work in tech? Have you bought a home recently? Use Uber? Postmates? And you live in San Francisco? Well then, you might be part of the so-called Outer Party, one of the four informal "castes" in San Francisco …

How Bay Area Activists Harness the Power of White Privilege in Border Protests

July 25th, 2018

14:03
No one knows how to run a protest like Bay Area activists. In fact, faith leaders and Black Lives Matter activists from the Bay brought their strategies to the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego to protest family …

Fire Clean-Up Mostly Done, but Now It’s Time to Fix Some Mistakes

July 23rd, 2018

13:42
It cost $1.3 billion for the federal government to clean up after the fires that devastated Northern California last October. Through the process, one worker died, others were injured, and many homeowners still have …

Oakland Is Having a Moment at the Movies

July 20th, 2018

10:56
Oakland is having a moment on the big screen. This weekend Blindspotting will be released, the third movie this year featuring the city that is …

A Bay Area Newspaper Publisher Uses the N-Word and Then Steps Down

July 18th, 2018

14:30
A journalist at the East Bay Express wrote about Napa’s BottleRock music festival and criticized it for being by and for white people. Then the paper's publisher took down the stories and used the N-word in a meeting. …

Raising Sam: A Story of Seizures, Marijuana and American Health Care

July 16th, 2018

18:23
Sam Vogelstein was having as many as 100 seizures a day. His parents tried more than 20 different medications. Then they stumbled on research showing the benefits of a marijuana-based drug. After trying to buy and make …

East Palo Alto: Bank Desert

July 12th, 2018

14:32
There are no banks in East Palo Alto – a city surrounded by some of the wealthiest communities in the Bay Area. There is one lone ATM, though. We’ll take you there and meet some people who say being ignored by banks is …

Get to Know London Breed, San Francisco’s New Mayor

July 11th, 2018

12:14

Learn more about London Breed and how she became the person and politician she is today by reading Jamilah King's article in Mother Jones.

Is This the Beginning of a Tech Worker Revolution?

July 10th, 2018

11:24
A standing room-only crowd of tech workers from the most iconic Silicon Valley companies met last week in the Mission District of San Francisco. They were there to talk about how to organize against the very companies …

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Why Some Oakland Fans Have a Complicated Relationship With the Warriors

July 5th, 2018

13:38
The Golden State Warriors have not always been the golden team. Oakland fans supported the Warriors through decades of losing seasons and rode the …

The History of the Oakland Sideshow (via Bay Curious)

July 4th, 2018

13:40
The original sideshows were pop-up parties -- part car show, part block party. They first bubbled up in mall parking lots of Deep East Oakland in the …

The People Who Work in America’s Most Famous Burrito Shop

July 3rd, 2018

10:26
The lines at La Taqueria in San Francisco’s Mission District are long. Business picked up after getting named the No. 1 burrito in the country back in 2014. But some workers say the company wasn’t properly compensating …

Man on the Street: A Story of Homelessness in San Francisco

June 28th, 2018

17:50
Homelessness in Bay Area has become a common sight; one we even try to avoid. When KQED reporter Dan Brekke interviewed one man named Perry Foster, …

Lake County Hit By Wildfire 4th Straight Year

June 27th, 2018

12:43
More than a thousand people have evacuated their homes because of the Pawnee Fire in Lake County. The wildfire that started Saturday has destroyed at least 22 buildings. It's a reoccurring nightmare; wildfires have …

Richmond Asks How It Should Alert Residents in Emergency

June 26th, 2018

12:54
The fire that ignited at the Sims Metal Management scrap yard site in January alarmed a lot of people who live in the city of Richmond. It got them …

Trump v. California Over Sanctuary Policy

June 21st, 2018

10:05
The Trump administration's fight against sanctuary policies is now being litigated in federal court. The first hearing was Wednesday in Sacramento. …

Leaving the Bay Area: Where People Are Going and Why

June 20th, 2018

10:05
A recent survey showed nearly half of Bay Area residents say they'll likely leave the region in a few years. KQED wanted to know where you're going, why and how you feel about that. These are your answers and phone …

When Oil Refineries Flare, What Happens To The Air?

June 19th, 2018

2:30
On May 5th, 2017 the power went out at the Valero oil refinery in Benicia. Above the refinery, flares blazed and released thick clouds of black …

‘Misleading Statements, Otherwise Known as a Lie’

June 14th, 2018

12:01
When ICE raided Northern California cities in February, they arrested more people than they expected. But you wouldn't have known that from the Trump …

Warriors: ‘They Bounce the Ball in Oakland’

June 13th, 2018

12:46
The Golden State Warriors have not always been the golden team. Oakland fans have supported the Warriors through decades of losing seasons and rode …

‘Money Flows North, the Green Goes South’

June 12th, 2018

13:10
Huedell Freeman was hauling 47 pounds of marijuana from a farm in Mendocino County to a medical dispensary in Los Angeles when two Rohnert Park …

San Francisco: 2. Big Tobacco: 0

June 8th, 2018

13:24
Flavored tobacco gets booted out of San Francisco. On Tuesday, voters passed Proposition E with 69 percent of the vote, making the city the first in the nation to pass such a comprehensive ordinance banning all flavored …

Total Recall: Judge Aaron Persky Voted Out

June 7th, 2018

11:41
#TBT on The Bay: Sixty percent of voters decided to remove Aaron Persky from his judgeship in Santa Clara County. He's the judge who handed a six-month sentence to former Stanford athlete Brock Turner after Turner was …

Inside the KQED Newsroom on Election Night

June 6th, 2018

13:11
Hang out with The Bay team as we wait for results from the June 5 primary. It’s time to eat newsroom pizza and hit the refresh button over and over …

Your Identity, Your Vote

June 5th, 2018

12:38
The three top candidates running for mayor in San Francisco will have the chance to be the city's "first" in some way. But does a candidate's …

Fire Inspections Go Undone: An Investigation by the Bay Area News Group

June 1st, 2018

12:22
Many of the Bay Area's largest fire agencies are failing to inspect apartment buildings and schools. An analysis by the Bay Area News Group looked at …

From ‘Just Say No’ to ‘Delay, Delay, Delay’

May 31st, 2018

11:59
Billboards adorned with giant pot leaves line Bay Area freeways. This can make it hard for parents to ignore that awkward coming of age conversation about drugs. Our health editor, who's also a parent, says drug …

Waiting For BART in Antioch

May 30th, 2018

9:09
Antioch has waited decades for a BART station. The city has seen a population boom led by the Bay Area's housing crisis, which has pushed people …

Ranked-Choice Voting Explained

May 29th, 2018

13:25
If you’re voting in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley or San Leandro ... you get three votes! Kind of. Today, we explain how ranked-choice voting works, why some people like it, why some people hate it, and how …

Reasonable vs. Necessary: What Keeps the S.F. District Attorney From Prosecuting Officers

May 25th, 2018

15:19
Two deaths by police. Zero charges. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón said Thursday that his hands are tied and he won't be prosecuting …

East Bay Candidates Get A Little Woo-Woo

May 24th, 2018

13:34
District 15 isn’t your normal district. At a forum in Berkeley, East Bay candidates for State Assembly are asked to do something they almost never do on the campaign trail: validate their opponent's point of view.

Journalists in Carpools Talking Bridge Tolls

May 23rd, 2018

13:48
We jump into a stranger's car on the Bay Bridge in the "casual carpool lane" to talk about raising bridge tolls. Our carpool driver and rider join in …

‘A Severe Inability to Pay’ Criminal Processing Fees in S.F.

May 22nd, 2018

10:58
The costs of processing crime in San Francisco has left the city’s convicted criminals with millions of dollars in unpaid debt. Many people can’t …

Can Cultural Districts in San Francisco Really Stop Gentrification?

May 18th, 2018

12:33
Calle 24. Japantown. The Leather District. These are all neighborhoods in San Francisco that the city has formally recognized as cultural districts. …

Oakland Loses Battle With Developer Phil Tagami Over Coal

May 17th, 2018

8:47
Oakland has lost a battle with coal. A judge ruled Tuesday to uphold a contract that lets a developer ship coal through an Oakland port. Developer …

Hunter’s Point Gets a Hearing at SF City Hall

May 16th, 2018

11:37
San Francisco supervisors were not happy with answers they got on Monday from the company accused of falsifying soil data at Hunters Point. In recent weeks, we learned two pleaded guilty to faking reports, and there is …

Oakland’s Response to #GrillingWhileBlack: Electric Slide

May 15th, 2018

13:27
Oakland’s Lake Merritt is supposed to be a public space for everyone. But it doesn't feel that way when white residents complain about the way black residents use the park. So how did people respond when a white woman …

The Toxic Site in Our Backyard

May 11th, 2018

17:11
For a housing starved San Francisco, Hunters Point might look like a developers dreamland. The area has large plots of land, a waterfront and …

Black Women Who Code and the Culture That Eats Strategy

May 10th, 2018

12:24
There are few women in tech. There are even fewer women of color in tech, which can be isolating. At a women's mixer in Mountain View for Google …

What’s So Wrong With Recalling Judges?

May 9th, 2018

11:33
Judge Aaron Persky is facing a recall election in June after sentencing a former Stanford student-athlete Brock Turner to six months in jail for …

What Does One UC Berkeley Gardener Make?

May 8th, 2018

11:13
Thousands of University of California union employees are on strike this week amid failed contract negotiations. Among them are gardeners, janitors, nurses aides and food service workers who say the Bay Area's expensive …

Renaming Julius Kahn Playground

May 4th, 2018

16:05
San Francisco named the Julius Kahn Playground located in the Presidio after the congressman who represented the city in the early 1900s. But his …

Fighting For 80 Square Feet In Chinatown

May 3rd, 2018

12:34
Chinatown is one of the few San Francisco neighborhoods where lower income residents can still afford to make rent. The tenants living in one Single Room Occupancy - where rooms are 80 square feet - are the latest to …

The ABCs of California’s Gig Economy

May 2nd, 2018

10:14
Working without a boss has its perks. But many gig workers, like those who drive for Uber and Lyft, say they're treated more like employees than …

Can You Find the Cameras Above Street Lights? They See You

May 1st, 2018

12:52
There are license plate readers all over the Bay Area that law enforcement can use to track vehicles coming in and out of a particular area. Many of …

Costa Hawkins: The Housing Law That Renters Hate

April 27th, 2018

12:46
The debate over rent control is at a new crossroads. Tenant advocates say they've collected enough signatures to ask voters in November to repeal …

Golden State Killer Suspect Is Arrested Near Sacramento

April 26th, 2018

10:31
The so-called Golden State Killer raped more than 50 women and murdered a dozen people. Law enforcement officials said Wednesday that they'd arrested …

Teens Get Personal About the Crazy, Rich Bay Area

April 25th, 2018

11:42
What's it like to be a teenager living through the Bay Area's affordability crisis? Today, as part of KQED's Youth Takeover week -- when we hand the mic to the generation that will save us all -- the team asks San …

Straws Upon Request

April 24th, 2018

11:28
Some Bay Area cities want plastic straws out. Oakland and Berkeley are both considering ordinances on Tuesday that would force people to request …

BONUS EPISODE: Elmwood Cafe Closes

April 21st, 2018

8:50
We published an episode on Friday featuring comedian and CNN host W. Kamau Bell who told us about a racist incident he suffered in 2015 when he was …

Race and Coffee

April 20th, 2018

12:59

Comedian W. Kamau Bell knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of some racism. His experience at Berkeley's Elmwood Cafe in 2015 is a prelude to what we saw last week, with the arrest of two black men at a …

The Big (Hayward) One

April 19th, 2018

8:51
The Hayward Fault -- geologists warn this Bay Area fault line that runs through several East Bay cities could unbuckle an earthquake more dangerous, …

NSFSchool

April 18th, 2018

14:22
Some parents in Fremont don't want comprehensive sex ed to be taught to their fourth and fifth graders in schools. They've flooded school board …

Silicon Valley Meets Motor City

April 17th, 2018

10:50
Long hours, lots of injuries: That's the story some Tesla workers tell about a factory in Fremont. Elon Musk's electric car company says it's fixed its problem and improved worker safety. But a new story by Reveal from …

Locked Out

April 13th, 2018

10:47

Buying a house while black or brown is tough, especially in Vallejo. Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found that white people are more likely than black people to be approved for a conventional home …

Where Were You Last Time?

April 12th, 2018

11:02
A San Francisco doctor grabbed headlines right after the YouTube shooting last week. Trauma surgeon Andre Campbell took the press to task for showing up that day but not for other shootings in the community.

Guest: …

Scoot Scoot

April 11th, 2018

11:32
First came dockless bikes. Now -- scooters. These zippy, motorized, human transporters have descended upon San Francisco sidewalks. Local politicians …

Black Mirror IRL

April 10th, 2018

10:40
I know your name. Your face. The way you walk. And what you like. But should I? While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies in Washington D.C. this …

The Real of Hip Hop

April 6th, 2018

12:41
How has the Bay Area shaped and defined hip hop? A new exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California looks at the legacy of the music and culture. We …

Coal Dust

April 5th, 2018

11:40
Oakland has banned coal from being shipped through its East Bay port. But well-known (and well-connected) developer Phil Tagami says he has the right …

Active Shooter

April 4th, 2018

11:37
On Tuesday afternoon there were reports of an active shooter on the campus of YouTube in San Bruno.

In the moments after a potential mass shooting it can be hard to know what has happened, even as first responders, …

Sanctuary Loophole

April 3rd, 2018

13:02
It's now easier for ICE to arrest immigrants in Contra Costa County. The sheriff's office is making public the names and release dates of inmates …

‘Righteous Black Rage’

March 30th, 2018

17:16
Stephon Clark. Family, friends and the Sacramento community buried the 22 year-old who was shot at at least 20 times by police. We talk to one Bay …

Section 149

March 29th, 2018

11:16
The Raiders and Warriors are leaving Oakland. But the A’s say they’re committed to staying. The team is choosing between two locations for a new stadium. We talk to a reporter who happens to be a superfan.

Guest: Nina …

For Sale (But Not For You)

March 28th, 2018

10:56

Buying a home in the Bay sucks. That's why Sally Kuchar is tweeting about it. And her message has gone viral. Here's her story.


Guest: Sally Kuchar, editor for Curbed, @sallykuchar

Out of the Fire & Into the Street

March 27th, 2018

12:10

A year ago today, a West Oakland fire killed four people, displaced dozens and destroyed a halfway house that was the very last housing option for …

The Judge Who Wanted To Be Atticus Finch

March 23rd, 2018

16:31

A San Francisco judge wearing a space tie (yes, outer space) is setting the tone for future climate change court battles. But who is he? We learn about Judge William Alsup.


Guests: Sarah Jeong, senior writer for The …

Sans Driver

March 22nd, 2018

12:11

Cars without humans are coming. On April 2, California will allow tech companies to test driverless cars that don't have people behind the steering …

Smash and Grab

March 21st, 2018

12:17

San Francisco's got a problem with car break-ins. Police have been trying to solve it and the first month of the year is looking good. But the city …

We Reserve The Right

March 20th, 2018

11:11

An Oakland coffee shop that refuses to serve uniformed police officers attracts pro-Trump protesters. Coffee shops are often seen as symbols of …

A Taser For Every Cop

March 16th, 2018

9:50

San Francisco is one of the last major U.S. cities to arm police officers with Tasers. The city’s Police Commission approved a Taser policy on …

‘Not Scared of Guns Anymore’

March 15th, 2018

11:10

What if you saw gun violence all the time? Some Bay Area students do. We check in with high schoolers in Oakland where shootings are common, as other …

Eight Stories Tall

March 14th, 2018

11:10

The housing bill that could remake Bay Area neighborhoods. SB 827 would make it easier to build higher near transit. It pits city versus state. We …

Invisible Scars

March 13th, 2018

11:40

Combat veterans fight invisible but very real battles at the Pathway Home in Yountville. We talk to a reporter who visited the facility months before last Friday’s deadly shooting to see how veterans struggle with the …

BONUS EPISODE: A ‘Vulture’ in the Newsroom

March 10th, 2018

8:47

Journalists cover protests. They don't organize them. So it's rare when they pick a side. That's what a group of Bay Area journalists did this week, …

‘No Fire Engines Here’

March 9th, 2018

12:57

Delayed evacuations, communication gaps, the North Bay on fire. KQED investigated emergency alerts during the North Bay fires. Today, we trace the first eight hours of October 8.


Guest: KQED News reporter Sukey Lewis. …

How DARE You

March 8th, 2018

10:17

The U.S. attorney general calls out Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf after filing a lawsuit against California over its sanctuary state laws. During a speech in Sacramento, Jeff Sessions targeted The Town, specifically. …

A Lesson in How to Protest Guns

March 7th, 2018

10:01

One Bay Area school is preparing students to join a national movement for stricter gun laws following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. We’ll …

What Happens After An ICE Arrest

March 6th, 2018

11:30

Immigration officials made mass arrests of hundreds of undocumented Bay Area residents last week. Today, we’ll walk you through an ICE arrest and what happens next.

Two Types of Homeless

February 27th, 2018

12:31

The Tubbs Fire in the North Bay created a whole new group of homelessness in Santa Rosa. Since October, those who lost their homes have received most …

Death of the Taxi Cab

February 21st, 2018

9:47

The San Francisco taxi driver is going extinct. And it seems nothing cab companies try is enough to survive the competition of app-based ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft. The recent suicide of a driver in New …

Introducing The Bay

February 17th, 2018

4:34

Hey! Welcome to The Bay, KQED’s latest podcast for daily news in the Bay Area. Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.

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