Talk of the Bay from KSQD

On this episode of Talk of the Bay , host Howard Feldstein welcomes Remington and Ida Hoffman , a husband-and-wife filmmaking team with roots in Santa Cruz, to discuss their short film, Christmas Angels , featured in the Santa Cruz Film Festival’s Human Touch Dramatic Shorts program. Ida shares how becoming a mother inspired her to begin screenwriting, drawing on memories of growing up with a hard...

This week on this special edition of Talk of the Bay , Nyanko and Howard welcome Logan Walker, director of programming for the Santa Cruz Film Festival, to discuss the return of the festival for its 26th annual celebration, October 14–18. A film lecturer and curator who teaches at UC Santa Cruz and San Jose State University, Walker shares the festival’s history, its commitment to independent cinem...

Worried about election fraud or interference in our midterms? Wondering when the deadline is to register to vote or how safe mailing in your ballot might be? Our election clerks address these and other topics.

We hear from Rebecca Downing of the Regional Transportation Commission of Santa Cruz County and Metro Santa Cruz about an initiative to get people out of their cars. What would change in your life if driving was not an option? Week Without Driving (WWD) is a community challenge that invites people across Santa Cruz County to step out of their cars and experience how they would get around if drivin...

Poet Gabriel Kittle-Cervine talks about the first annual Ink Faire he’s organizing in collaboration with the Museum of Art and History, focusing on the arts of poetry, tattoos, and ink drawing. It happens on October 17th near the Evergreen Cemetery in Harvey West Park. Food booths, art and poetry workshops, and more! Kids welcome.

On this episode, we hear from Susan Willats, ED of The Community Music School of Santa Cruz about Redwood Music Camp, a three-day music workshop and jam camp for adults. Every wish you could go back to summer camp or just play music all day and night? The camp takes place October 16-20 at Monte Toyon in Aptos. Workshop leaders are William Coulter, Shelley Phillips, John Weed, Rebecca Lomnicki, Mar...

  Talk of the Bay’s Wednesday host Len Beyea was invited to attend the PolicyLink Summit that took place August 24-28 in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington DC. There were over 3000 attendees at the Summit. PolicyLink is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to fulfilling the promise of a true democracy. This program includes excerpts from two recordings provide...

We hear from Darrow Feldstein, organizer of Santa Cruz Porchfest, a one-day free outdoor festival featuring 54 local bands.  More info: https://santacruzporchfest.lovable.app/ Porchfest started in Ithaca, New York in 2007 and has since spread to hundreds of neighborhoods across the country. The idea is simple and wholesome: neighbors with porches host neighbors with instruments, and the rest of us...

Holly Near sat down with me for a wide-ranging interview ahead of her Carmel appearance on October 3rd. Holly Near has written a large body of music that reflects her activism, with many songs becoming movement anthems.

We hear from constitutional lawyer, Danny Sheehan and his son, Daniel Paul Nelson about a new voting rights initiative of the Romero Institute. We discussed redistricting, the Supreme Court, and the perilous moment we are in before the mid-term elections. Daniel Sheehan (also known as Danny Sheehan) is a Harvard-trained constitutional and public interest lawyer, author, educator, and political act...

An 8-million dollar grant program will support art in California’s state, regional, and local parks, including painting, performances, and other arts presentations with the goal of drawing more people to the parks and increasing support. When Armando Quintero, head of California’s State Parks system brought his mom to Ano Nuevo State Park, she danced along the path, asking in Spanish i...

The Santa Cruz Guitar Company celebrates 50 years as one of the most influential guitar shops in the world. Richard Hoover, the company’s founder, looks back on fifty years of making steel-string guitars.  Eric Clapton and Tony Rice have played Santa Cruz Guitar Company guitars, among other luminaries. Lutherie is an art, a science, and a business, a labor of love and more. The celebration c...

  Sarah Goodyear is a journalist and author who has covered cities and transportation for publications such as Grist, CityLab, and Streetsblog . Doug Gordon is a TV producer and writer who is also a neighborhood safe streets advocate. They are authors, along with Aaron Naparstek, of the book Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile . They are the hosts of the podc...

UCSC professor Nolan Higdon has a unique take on the impact of the recent court settlement of nearly $18 billion, plus some changes in the platform. How much will it matter to the overall impact of the platform on society at large? We also discuss AI and its impact on the classroom.

Athlete Catherine Breed is fearless as she aims to swim the 900- mile coast of California. She has endured jellyfish stings and whale poop to set records for the fastest swim and now she has set her sights on this audacious project titled “Swim California”. I caught up with her during one of her rest days in Monterey. As the Trump administration seeks to open California waters to oil d...

Each year for the past five years, I have taught a podcasting course in Dingle,Ireland, in the far westernmost, rural part of the country. This year 35 UCSC students spent six weeks studying podcasting and writing there. Listen to the whimsical results of their assignment to create 7-minute pieces of audio fun.    

On Nov. 3, voters across California will have an opportunity to weigh in on Proposition 44. The measure, if passed, would require federally qualified health centers, or FQHCs, to spend at least 90% of their annual revenue on expenses that advance the mission of the health centers. If the FQHCs fail to do so, they’ll face monetary penalties levied by the state. Proponents of the measure believe it...

Longtime Monterey and Santa Cruz County resident Kate Hitt calls her small poetry press Many Names Press , but she’s a woman who has worn many hats. After a long career in printing and graphic design, Kate got a job with benefits driving a school bus for Pajaro Valley Unified School District. It was physically hard work, but spiritually rewarding as she got to know the great variety of child...

In June, healthcare providers, elected leaders and community advocates gathered in Watsonville to celebrate the grand opening of Encompass Community Services’ new state-of-the art Sí Se Puede Behavioral Health Center. While Encompass has been providing support to those struggling with mental illness and substance use disorder at facilities in Watsonville for decades, this newly-renovated health ce...

  Saime Matsu is an Associate Professor at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, where she has taught the Turkish language for more than 20 years. Throughout her career, she has played a significant role in teaching the Turkish language while serving as a valuable cultural bridge between the United States and Turkey, fostering mutual understanding and strengthening educational and cultu...

On this episode of Talk of the Bay , host Chris Krohn examines the growing surveillance state and its impact on privacy, civil liberties, and public safety. Guests Peter Gelblum of the ACLU, community activist Steve Pleich, and mayoral candidate and Get the Flock Out activist Ami Chen Mills discuss automated license plate readers (ALPRs), AI-powered surveillance, body cameras, Ring cameras, and th...

If you spend enough time walking the California coast you’re bound to eventually see some signs of whale activity — the signs are just gonna be really small; a tiny spout of white water, the breach of a dark blue figure that spins and slaps the waves as it tumbles into the sea. Don’t get me wrong, these images inspire real joy and awe in the hearts of those lucky enough to witness them, not matter...

Host Omar Dieguez welcomes Ana Nallely Mendoza Hernández to Talk of the Bay/From the Streets. Ana is a first-generation college graduate, a single mother, and the proud daughter of migrant farm-working parents. Her life has been shaped by housing insecurity, mental health challenges, and the struggle of navigating systems that often leave working families behind. Ana overcame those hardships to ea...

For almost 50 years Hospice of Santa Cruz County has provided end-of-life care to patients and their families throughout the Central Coast region. That work, and its broad reach throughout the community, was publicly honored late last year by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, which awarded the nonprofit its 2025 Organization of the Year honors at its annual gala. As the chamber’s Executive...

  Lizbeth Silva is the Program Manager at Watsonville Law Center , where she oversees community-based legal programs, outreach initiatives, and partnerships that expand access to justice for families across Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. Having lived most of her life in San Benito County, Lizbeth’s roots in the region and her family’s experience in local agriculture have shape...