The Bay

At elite high schools in Silicon Valley, the pressure to succeed is intense. And according to Sophia Shao, a former student at Los Altos High School, her proximity to California’s tech capital is a big reason why.  In this special collaboration with KQED’s Youth Takeover, a yearlong project to highlight compelling stories written and produced by local teens, Shao talks with us about going to schoo...

The ruins of Sutro Baths, at the far western edge of San Francisco, are mysterious. Clearly something big used to stand here. Today, the folks from the Bay Curious podcast take you back in time to what visiting this grand swimming facility would have been like. Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is in the middle of figuring out exactly how it wants to regulate artificial intelligence. CalMatters’ Khari Johnson joins us to explain how these efforts are going — and how AI could affect all of our lives soon. Links: Episode Transcript How California and the EU work together to regulate artificial intelligence Apply to be The Bay’s Producer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Applying for student aid this year was supposed to be easier for incoming college students, with a more simplified application process for FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  But technical problems and missed deadlines for the new form’s rollout has led to disastrous results for students, especially those who are undocumented or come from mixed status families. These issues are li...

The company that owns the Regional Medical Center of San Jose says it plans to close the hospital’s trauma center on August 12. The trauma center is the only one of its kind on Santa Clara County’s east side. Now, local leaders, patient advocates, and even some doctors from the hospital want the state to intervene, warning that this closure will have devastating ripple effects on the entire region...

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Alan, and intern Ellie talk about a possible tax on oil refining in Richmond, the debate over farmworker housing in Half Moon Bay, and Berkeley’s baby falcons. Plus, an interview with Tamuna Chkareuli, a visiting journalist from the Republic of Georgia who has been working at KQED for the past few weeks. Links: After 'Foreign Agent' Law De...

If you ride BART, you may have seen uniformed employees with the words ‘Crisis Intervention Specialist” on their backs. About 20 of these ‘CIS-es’ — who are not police officers — can be seen walking through trains, seeking out and offering help to the many people in the sprawling transit system struggling with lack of shelter, mental health problems or addiction.  KQED’s Matthew Green joins us to...

During his 12 years with The Golden State Warriors, DJ D Sharp has seen it all — from the team’s lowest point to the championship rings. Raised in East Oakland, D Sharp talks Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw about his journey, inspiration and a go-to Warriors song. This episode originally aired May 2, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020, California voters passed Proposition 22, which allowed app-based companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors and not employees with full benefits. It was a big win for companies like Uber and Lyft, who spent unprecedented amounts of money to get the measure passed. Now, the issue is back — this time before the California Supreme Court, which heard a case on Prop. 22 thi...

Less than half of all San Francisco pharmacies carry buprenorphine, one of the most powerful medications used to treat opioid addiction, according to San Francisco’s Department of Public Health. The city hopes to change that. This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Maria Esquinca, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Last week, protesters blocked the entrance of Google’s largest development conference in Mountain View to protest the tech giant’s ties with the Israeli government. At issue is Project Nimbus, Google and Amazon’s $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, including the Israeli Defense Ministry. But as KQED’s Rachael Myrow explains, Silicon Valley’s ties to Israel run much d...

Back in the 60s, BART was just a plan in the making. And located through its path were communities of mostly low income people of color. But thanks to a legal tool known as eminent domain, many in that community were forced to sell their homes or face eviction.  This is an episode of Bay Curious that originally aired on May 16, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Jacobo was a rising star in the progressive wing of San Francisco politics when a colleague publicly accused him of rape in 2021. At that time, he largely escaped scrutiny from members of his own party. But as Josh Koehn of the San Francisco Standard reported in mid-April, three more women have publicly accused Jacobo of sexual abuse and domestic violence. And they say that leaders treated the...

This Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, we’re replaying this look back at a thriving Indian American theater company in the South Bay. This episode originally aired Sept. 9, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel testified before Congress on the district’s handling of antisemitism allegations in public schools.  The hearing comes after a group of Jewish parents, along with the Brandeis Center and Anti-Defamation League, filed a federal complaint in February alleging “severe” antisemitism in the district. However, many pro-Pal...

California Forever, the billionaire-backed group behind an effort to build a city from scratch in Eastern Solano County, is plowing ahead in its campaign to convince voters.  Last week, the company announced that it has gathered enough signatures to qualify its measure for the November ballot. KQED’s Adhiti Bandlamundi unpacks the last few months of campaigning and speaks to voters. This episode w...

Making this podcast is a lot of work, but we do it because we care. Help us keep it going by becoming a KQED member. Today, we take you behind the scenes and show you how an episode gets made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pro-Palestine protests have popped up on college campuses nationwide, with some becoming the epicenters of violent counter-protests and arrests by police. In the Bay Area, however, what have become known as ‘solidarity encampments’ have remained largely peaceful so far.  Today, we hear from student journalists at San Francisco State, UC Berkeley, and Sonoma State about what’s been happening on the...

Some of the state’s sickest patients are stranded in hospitals for weeks, months, and even years as they wait to be moved into nursing homes and psychiatric facilities. This backup is caused in part by nursing home staffing shortages, coupled with a rapidly aging population.  KQED’s Lesley McClurg tells us the story of one Berkeley resident’s struggle to find adequate care for his wife. Links: Epi...

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about Berkeley’s newest (and youngest) District 7 city councilmember, allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in death row sentencing in Alameda County, and efforts to bring giant pandas to San Francisco.  Episode Transcript Links:  Cecilia Lunaparra declares victory in District 7 race for Berkeley City Council Allegati...

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, in what’s been described as the most significant case on homelessness in decades.  Many Californians are watching this case closely — from politicians, to advocates, to unhoused residents. KQED housing reporter Vanessa Rancaño breaks down the basics of this case, and why people in the Bay are closing...

Ballots are being recounted in the race for California’s 16th Congressional house seat, which ended in a tie for second between Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. One or both of them will move on to face former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in November. KQED’s Guy Marzorati explains how the recount is working, and why it’s gotten a little ugly. Episode transcript...

Oakland officials are moving ahead with a plan to rename the city’s airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”  Residents, business groups, and airlines all have a lot to say about it, and San Francisco has also filed a lawsuit to try and stop the renaming from happening. The Oaklandside’s Eli Wolfe joins us to talk about why the name change feels existential.  Episode transcrip...

After last year’s mass shooting at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay, officials learned that some of the farmworkers had been living in shipping containers. State, federal, and local officials promised to do something about it. Now, the city is close to breaking ground on housing for the survivors and other low-wage farmworkers in the area. Links: Episode transcript Half Moon Bay Prepares to Bre...

The Federal Bureau of Prisons abruptly announced that it will shut down Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, the federal women’s prison infamous for an alleged culture of sexual abuse. KQED's Alex Hall tells us why this news took many people by surprise, and what it could mean for the hundreds of women inside. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Ellie Prickett-Morgan, with product...