The Bay

This summer, a new right to repair law went into effect in California, giving consumers more access to information and tools to fix their own electronics and appliances. In one of our most popular episodes (ever!) from February, KQED’s Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a Fixit Clinic in Redwood City. Links: Fixit Clinic Calendar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been 4 years since Alameda County voters passed Measure C, a sales tax measure aimed at increasing access to social services for low-income families. After years of legal battles, the county can finally use the money it has been collecting, and advocates hope it will provide relief to families struggling with child care costs. Links: As state cuts loom, a court ruling provides a lifeline for...

This episode contains explicit language. This Labor Day, Bay Curious brings us the story of Carol Leigh — better known as “Scarlot Harlot” — the woman who coined the term “sex work,” and the history of the sex worker rights movement in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, KQED California politics and government senior editor Molly Solomon joins us to talk about how Kamala Harris tells her life story to a national audience — and why she might be reluctant to mention Berkeley. Also, we discuss a lead water crisis at Oakland schools, and why some journalists are dismayed with a deal Google just reached with state lawm...

In 2016 and 2020, Berkeley and Oakland passed ballot measures giving 16 and 17-year olds the right to vote in local school board races.  It took years — and a lot of pressure from student activists — but in this election, Alameda County is finally ready to let students cast their ballots.  Links: Register to vote online (click “pre-register”) How Teen Voters in Berkeley, Oakland Can Shape Upcoming...

It seemed like California Forever, the billionaire-backed company intent on building a brand new city in Solano County, was going full speed ahead with a ballot measure that would have authorized construction.  But late last month, the group abruptly pulled the measure, promising to bring it back in 2026. So what changed? Background: This Tech-Backed Company Tried to Disrupt California’s Housing C...

In 1973, the Black Panthers opened the Oakland Community School in East Oakland. It is regarded as one of the nation’s first community schools — a model where public schools partner with community organizations to provide comprehensive support services alongside academic instruction.  Many of the school’s practices formed the blueprint for community schools today. Today, our friends at KQED’s Mind...

Last week, the Richmond City Council scrapped a November ballot measure that would have imposed a new oil-refining tax on the nearby Chevron refinery. Instead, the council voted unanimously to approve a $550 million settlement with the company. KQED’s Dan Brekke explains why city leaders chose to strike a deal instead of taking the issue to the ballot box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Nearly 500 Californians are in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, where Democrats will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee for president.  One of them is Igor Tregub, a newly elected member of the Berkeley City Council and chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever driven an electric vehicle, you know that finding a public charging station can be stressful. But we’ll need a lot more of them soon. California plans to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035, and by then the charging crunch could get much worse. Today, our friends at Bay Curious explore what it will take to get more charging stations across the Bay Area. Learn mor...

52 Bay Area public schools are already at risk of being inundated with ocean and groundwater, according to a new analysis by KQED and Climate Central. KQED’s Ezra David Romero tells us how the threat of sea level rise has already ignited a debate over rebuilding a middle school in Marin County. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, edited by Alan Montecillo, and ho...

Last week, Jon Jacobo, a once-rising star in the progressive wing of San Francisco politics, was arrested on charges of sexual assault and domestic violence. These charges come nearly 3 years after a former colleague, Sasha Perigo, publicly accused him of rape. Earlier this year, reporting in the San Francisco Standard found that three more women filed police reports against Jacobo, detailing alle...

Dr. Mohammad Subeh, a Palestinian-American ER doctor from the South Bay city of Saratoga, went to Gaza for his first medical mission in February. When we spoke with him back in April, his next steps were clear: he wanted to go back.  Today, Dr. Subeh tells us about his second trip to Gaza. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Le...

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has promised ‘very aggressive’ sweeps of homeless encampments this month, on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gives cities more leeway to fine or jail people for camping in public. KQED’s Sara Hossaini joins us to talk about what’s changed on the ground — and what hasn’t.  This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, a...

This week, Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. But before she burst onto the national stage, Harris got her start here in the Bay Area. She was born in Oakland, raised in Berkeley, and worked as a prosecutor in Alameda County and in San Francisco, where she served as District Attorney from 2004 to 2010.  So today, we're revisiting th...

In late July, voters in the city of Millbrae, in northern San Mateo County, overwhelmingly recalled 2 of their 5 city councilmembers.  It’s a fight that started nearly a year ago, when former Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman declined to publicly oppose a permanent supportive housing project. KQED’s Adhiti Bandlamudi tells us how that dispute snowballed into yet another recall el...

We’re still technically on our July break, but...breaking news is breaking. Today, we bring you reactions to Sunday’s news that President Joe Biden will not be running for re-election. Links: How San Francisco Shaped VP Nominee Kamala Harris Biden Drops Out, Endorses Kamala Harris. Now What? This episode was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and produced by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad c...

We work really hard to bring you 3 episodes a week. But we’ll admit: sometimes it's good to take a break from the news. We won't be making new episodes during the month of July. We’re using this time to reset, rest, do some team bonding, and brainstorm what we want to make for you in the coming year. We will resume our regular schedule starting on Friday, August 2. You can still reach us on Twitte...

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, we discuss last week’s FBI raid on the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, what lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom cut in order to close California’s budget deficit, and what climate experts are expecting this fire season. Plus, we. say goodbye to our intern, Ellie Prickett-Morgan. In this episode we state that the FBI raided three homes belonging to t...

For the past 5 years, KQED’s Rightnowish podcast spotlighted artists and culture keepers from all over the Bay Area. In doing so, Host Pendarvis Harshaw and producer Marisol Medina-Cadena showed a love for the culture that is unmatched. On July 18, Rightnowish will air its last episode. Today, we sit down with Pen and Marisol to reflect on the rich archive of culture they’ve built. Episode Transcr...

For many queer people, the Bay Area is seen as a place of safety and community. This Pride month, we hear the story of one queer person’s journey to the Bay, in their own words. This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan, Adhiti Bandlamudi, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and Alan Montecillo. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie Mays, the San Francisco Giants’ baseball legend, died Tuesday at age 93. Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants and is considered by many to be the greatest all-around baseball player ever. Today, KQED Morning Edition host Brian Watt brings us a tribute to the ‘Say Hey Kid’. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An election to recall 2 school board members is underway in the 900-person town of Sunol in Alameda County. The recall targets 2 of the town's 3 school board members, who voted in September to ban all flags other than the state and federal flags, which recall supporters saw as an attempt to prevent a LGBTQ Pride flag from being flown at the district's only school. Links: California Recall Election...

San Francisco’s mayor’s race kicked into high gear after 5 candidates took to the stage for their first debate last Wednesday evening.  Today, in Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez’s last act as a KQED journalist, he opens up his reporter’s notebook to break down his key takeaways from the debate, and what it told us about the upcoming race ahead. Links: Watch the first debate here S.F.'s second mayoral deb...

On April 27, 2023, an armed security guard shot and killed a Black trans man named Banko Brown outside of a San Francisco Walgreens. Brown’s killing sparked outrage. But San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decided not to charge the security guard who shot him, saying that he acted in self-defense. And just last Friday, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office announced that it supported that...