Bay Curious

For more than a century California has relied on incarcerated firefighters to help combat devastating wildfires. Bay Curious listener Brittany Powers wanted to know how much these firefighters are paid, and why it's so hard for them to find similar employment when they get out of jail. Brittany's question won our September voting round. Additional Reading What's Next For Incarcerated Firefighters...

Are ballots counted by machines or humans? How sure are we there was no meddling with votes along the way? When do they stop counting ballots? What happens to ballots after they're counted? We explore these questions and more with KQED's Guy Marzorati. Additional Reading: When to Expect Election Results in the Bay Area Featuring KQED politics reporter Guy Marzorati. Bay Curious is made by Olivia A...

What happened to the Donner Party survivors after they escaped the snowy Sierra? In this episode we explore how this notorious disaster struck deep at the heart of everything California held dear — and came to represent everything it wanted to forget. This is part two in our two-part series. Part one recounts the Donner Party Saga in full -- the version you haven’t heard before. Find it now in the...

You probably know the broad strokes of the Donner Party Saga: In 1846, a group of migrants traveling to California got stuck in a surprise October snow storm. After exhausting all their resources, they turn to cannibalism to survive. It's a grisly tale ... but the way it's often told is incomplete. We’ll delve into the details many leave behind. This is part one in a two-part series. Part two foll...

Colin Nichols gets the official California voter guide in the mail like folks in 11 million other households. It got him wondering, who puts it together? And why does one guy -- Gary Wesley -- write so many of the arguments? This question won our February voting round. Additional Reading:  11 Million Households, 10 Languages -- That's Right, It's the Official Calif. Voter Guide: https://www.kqed.o...

Proposition 25 would eliminate the use of cash bail in California, replacing it with a threat assessment system using algorithms and judicial discretion. This episode is part of our Bay Curious Prop Fest series, which explores the 12 propositions on California's ballot. The series runs from Oct. 1-16, with new episodes dropping every weekday. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://www.kqe...

Proposition 24 would expand California's privacy laws, including the creation of a new state agency to regulate how companies collect and use consumer data. This episode is part of our Bay Curious Prop Fest series, which explores the 12 propositions on California's ballot. The series runs from Oct. 1-16, with new episodes dropping every weekday. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://www....

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode takes a closer look at Prop 23, which would require dialysis clinics to have a physician on-site during all hours patients are receiving treatment.  Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://www.kqed.org/news/11842100 Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kqed.org/propfest KQED Voter Guide: http://kqed.org/v...

Proposition 22 asks Californians if they want to define app-based transportation and delivery drivers as independent contractors, instead of as employees, as state law currently requires. This episode is part of our Bay Curious Prop Fest series, which explores the 12 propositions on California's ballot. The series runs from Oct. 1-16, with new episodes dropping every weekday. Additional Reading: E...

Proposition 21 asks voters if local governments should be allowed to enact rent control measures. It would replace the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a state law pass in 1995 that limited what local governments could do. This is part of the Bay Curious Prop Fest series, covering the 12 statewide propositions on the Nov 2020 ballot. This episode has been updated. Additional Reading: Episode tran...

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode takes a closer look at Prop 20, which aims to roll back some criminal justice reforms made over the past decade. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://www.kqed.org/news/11841579 Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kqed.org/propfest KQED Voter Guide: http://kqed.org/voterguide Reported by Marisa Lagos....

Proposition 19 would allow adults 55+, people living with severe disabilities, and victims of natural disasters to transfer their property tax assessment to another home. It would also close the so-called "Lebowski" loophole ... requiring people who inherit property to pay market rate tax assessment if they do not make the home their primary residence. This episode is part of our Bay Curious Prop...

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode tackles Prop 18, which would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections, as long as they will be 18 by the general election and are otherwise eligible to vote. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://www.kqed.org/news/11841211 Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kqed.org/propfest KQED Vo...

Proposition 17 asks Californians if people convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote while on parole. This would impact about 40,000 people in the state. This is part 4 in our 12-part Prop Fest series, which explores the statewide ballot propositions Californians are voting on this year. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://bit.ly/33FygZD Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kqed.org/p...

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode tackles Prop 16, which asks voters to overturn a ban on the use of affirmative action by public institutions. The ban was originally put in place by California voters in 1996. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://bit.ly/3cPYkUU Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kqed.org/propfest KQED Election Covera...

We're digging into the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode tackles Prop 15, which would change how the state assesses taxes on commercial and industrial property to raise money for public schools. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://bit.ly/3cLCvWw Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kqed.org/propfest KQED Election Coverage: https://www.kqed.org/elections...

This year Californians are voting on 12 statewide propositions that will have a big impact on criminal justice reform, taxes, and voting, among other things. Some of them are pretty complicated, so we've broken them down for you. We kick it off with Proposition 14 -- a bond to fund stem cell research. Additional Reading: Episode transcript: https://bit.ly/2G50GU4 Prop Fest Homepage: https://www.kq...

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The area north of San Francisco has come to be known as "wine country," but listener Michael Viray wanted to know, how did it get that way? Bugs, taxes and war all played their part. We take you through 160 years of wine making history. Additional Reading:  The Birth of 'Wine Country' Is A Story of Bugs, Taxes and War Climate Change Offers Up A New Wine List Take Our Podcast Survey, Please! Report...

Listener Ryan heard an eerie noise while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on his motorcycle. He's not the only one -- the sound can be heard from miles away. What's going on? Additional Reading:  The Story Behind the Golden Gate Bridge's New Howl Why the Golden Gate Bridge Is Now A Giant Orange Wheezing Kazoo Engineers discuss the phenomenon on Reddit. Reported by Rob Speight with support from Gabe...

Recent fires in the Bay Area have a lot of us thinking about how to evacuate our homes, maybe for the first time. We answer all the basics about when you'll know it's time to go, what to bring, and where to go. And, we take some hope from the resilience of our redwood forests, even after tragic wildfires. Additional Reading:  What Big Basin's Redwoods Mean to You (and Why They'll Be OK) Fire Evacu...

The lagoon in front of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts has been home to swans since its was built in 1915. Bay Curious listener Mishi Nova loves the spot and the swans. She wondered how the swans survive the night and escape the coyotes. Additional Reading:  The Swans at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts Have Attitude Check out what different birds sound like on the Audubon website A Very Cu...

Now there’s no question that today the nine-county Bay Area is solidly blue, but it hasn’t always been this way. Bay Curious listener Marcus wants to know: When and why did the Bay Area become overwhelmingly liberal? The answer depends on who you ask. Additional Reading: When and Why Did the Bay Area Become So Liberal? Political Breakdown podcast KQED's 2020 Election Coverage Reported by Scott Sha...

On a tucked-away beach in Richmond, Calif., shards of broken pottery outnumber sand or rocks. It’s an odd feeling, like you’ve stumbled on some kind of archaeological site right next to the Costco. Locals affectionately call this place TEPCO beach, after the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company that used to operate in nearby El Cerrito. Bay Curious listener Jo Ann Yada wants to know the story...

The state of California has indecent exposure laws, making it illegal if someone is naked with the intent of being sexual (like masturbating in public), or intentionally offensive (like flashing someone). If you’re just hanging out naked minding your own business, California leaves that up to local governments. Today on the show, we're bring back an episode that first ran in 2017 ... that traces t...