Talk of the Bay from KSQD

Look up! It’s the night sky and billions and billions of stars and planets, if you are lucky enough to see a few. Join “Cosmic” Joe Jordan, former NASA scientist and dark sky enthusiast of all things astronomy for some star talks up at Costanoa resort or right here on the radio!

An election of a judge is a fairly rare thing, given the governor usually appoints one to a vacancy. Bryan Hackett and Alisa Thomas are both attorneys vying for the judge’s seat on the Santa Cruz Superior Court. KSQD reached out multiple times to Ms. Thomas but did not get a reply to our invitation to appear.  

Meilin Obinata interviews Friends of the Rail & Trail (FORT) board members, Matt Farrell and Sally Arnold about the threats to our rail and trail future and how FORT is launching a Summer of Action to keep our county on track.  Listeners are invited to a Rally to Save Our Tracks on May 20, next Wednesday , which you can learn more about here. Wait, didn’t we already vote on this?  Yes! In 2022...

Omar’s guest, Ricardo Chavez, takes us on a deep dive into the labor movement into which he was born. The year of his birth was the year that the United Farm Workers saw the death of five martyrs: five organizers who were killed for their work in the movement. It is in this crucible of workers organizing for their rights that Ricardo grew up and learned about people who shook the world. You’ll hea...

Chris Upham  interviews Sofia Orlando and Sam, who are apart of  the X Academy Robotics club.

Chirs Upham interviews Becky Steinbruner about the Measure J and Battery Energy Storage Systems.

On this episode of From the Streets, host Omar Dieguez facilitates a raw and powerful conversation with community leaders Elias Gonzalez and Edgar Ernesto Ibarra Gutierrez regarding the true meaning of service. Central to their discussion is the concept of palabra , or the sacredness of one’s word, which both men view as the bedrock of building trust with disenfranchised youth. They share how thei...

Chris Upham  interviews  Tim Sylvester and his students who are apart of  the X Academy Robotics club.

Mark Silberstein is retiring after 43 years as the leader of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, the organization that is a land steward and advocate for scientific research and education about our precious wetlands.  He talks about the importance of protecting these special places in California as fish nurseries, places to enjoy sea otters and birds, and a hub for scientific research. He also addresse...

Awardees of the Queer Youth Leadership awards talk about their experiences and perspectives living in a time of stress and awakening. Guests were Stuart Rosenstein, Everest Vasquez, Dr. Cassie, and Petra King.

Chris Upham interviews Dave Benet about the Scientific Diver Certification Program at UCSC.

It’s always good being a vegan in Santa Cruz County, but April is especially appetizing. A whole new slate of vegan menu items rolled out in restaurants and cafes across Santa Cruz County for the entire month as part of the Santa Cruz Vegan Chef Challenge. To tell us more about the meat and dairy-free initiative, host PK Hattis was recently joined by the organizer of the challenge, Allison Garcia,...

There are seven candidates running to be our next representative in Congress from California’s 19th District, which runs from south San Jose out to the coast, then down the coast all the way to northern San Luis Obispo County, including the cities of Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, Capitola, Seaside, Monterey, Carmel, Paso Robles, and Atascadero. All seven candidates were invited to participate i...

A relatively small earthquake like the one that recently woke up residents from sleep can be a wake-up call for preparedness. Got your go bag ready? This piece was reported by Daymia Rousseau, KSQD’s Humanities intern from UCSC. Transcript: Hello, I’m Daymia Rousseau, a UCSC Intern reporting for KSQD. Even though Earthquake tremors are constant throughout the Santa Cruz area, it’s rare that...

Talk of the Bay host Omar Dieguez brings us a new episode of FROM THE STREETS, where he asks: What’s really being sprayed near our schools… our homes… our children? In this powerful episode, Omar sits down with frontline advocates, educators, and community leaders to break down the truth about harmful pesticides in our communities and the fight to protect our people. We ask the real questions: • W...

In this episode, we peel back the curtain to peek behind the scenes of KSQD and explore the twists and turns that led to the creation of the station.  

Talk of the Bay features an interview with Cindy Cohn. For 26 years she was director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, fighting in court for internet privacy . Her new book Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance, explores today’s surveillance dystopia through the eyes of a lawyer who has been at the legal forefront of fighting it for decades, and who can describ...

Bill Monning represented the Central Coast first as a State Assemblymember and then as State Senator. Bill authored a wide range of legislation. We discussed the governor’s race and how a blue state like California may end up electing a Republican if some candidates don’t drop out of the race. We also discussed the UFW and Dolores Huerta, the proposed General Strike and other current e...

Want to ditch your gas-guzzling car as gas prices spike? Build your strength and endurance? Why not dust off that bike in your garage and feel the wind in your hair?  Bike Santa Cruz County promotes bicycling through advocacy, education and community building. Inn this podcast we hear from Mikey Cohen and Jon Silver, Chair and Vice Chair of this 21-year-old organization. We hear about how communit...

Civil Grand Jury experts explain its history and purpose, application and selection process, training programs, complaint submittals, and topic selections. Judge Stephanie Hulsey, supervisor of the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury, Tom Motley and Gary Hoffmann, former jurors in Monterey, and Kim Horowitz and Arthur Rolston, former jurors in Santa Cruz, share their knowledge of investigations, repo...

The arts community of Santa Cruz County is coming together for this exciting new 11-day celebration showcasing the region’s rich artistic landscape. The festival will feature performances, exhibitions, workshops, and interactive events across venues countywide, inviting audiences of all ages to experience the transformative power of art. Host Christine Barrington interviews Ripple Effect Co-...

On this episode of Talk of the Bay the theme is: sex and rock n’ roll - in the context of labor. Host Meilin Obinata welcomes workers who are fighting for their legal rights in two different industries with surprisingly connected issues: sex work and entertainment. How are modern workers resisting employers who are squeezing workers for intellectual property and exploiting them to avoid paying fai...

  Jeanne Proust has studied Humanities, Philosophy and Visual Arts in Bordeaux, Berlin, and Paris. She has been teaching Philosophy for the last fifteen years in the US and has held multiple leadership positions in ethics education and public philosophy. She currently serves as Vice President of the Public Philosophy Network , where she helps guide national initiatives connecting philosophy t...

My interview with Justin Loza, President of Veterans For Peace of Monterey County. We did the interview in the early days of The War On Iran. It’s one local chapter in an international organization, Veterans For Peace.  They have a commitment to build a culture of peace, expose the true costs of war, and heal its wounds.

ARIEL Theatrical is a Salinas nonprofit that offers year-round programs in theatre arts for kids and teens.  They produce 10 plays a year, and have camps which include classes as well. I interviewed Gail Higginbotham – Ariel’s Founder & Artistic Director, and Heather Kirk – Executive Director.