The Bay

Earlier this month, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin announced his entry into the race for mayor in November.  Peskin has been in San Francisco politics for a long time, and is the first prominent mayoral candidate from the city’s progressive camp. KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez tells us how Peskin shakes up this mayoral race. Links: Episode Transcript Chinatown Rally Lau...

Darius Simpson is the author of the collection “Never Catch Me.” In this episode in celebration of National Poetry Month, Simpson talks about how his poetry has changed over the years, his involvement in People’s Programs in Oakland, and how he hopes his poetry can inspire people to organize towards liberation of all oppressed people.  This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo,...

It’s official: The A’s are leaving Oakland. The Athletics announced last week that they’ll play their home games for the 2025-27 season at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento as part of bigger plans to relocate to Las Vegas for the 2028 season. But A’s fans vow to continue speaking out about the move and how its long goodbye to Oakland has been handled. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by...

Have you ever noticed how few school buses there are in California? A survey by the Federal Highway Administration found that nationally, almost 40% of school-aged kids ride a school bus. In California, that number is only 8%. Why? It goes back to a state constitutional amendment passed in 1978. In this episode from Bay Curious, producer Katrina Schwartz dives into how this proposition led to Cali...

This episode contains graphic descriptions of death and violence. At least 33,000 Palestinians — including an estimated 13,000 children — have been killed by Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza. The region’s health care infrastructure has been decimated, as an estimated 12 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are considered operational.  Dr. Mohammad Subeh, an emergency room physician from the South Bay,...

California’s salmon are still in decline — so much so that fishery managers may cancel the state’s salmon season for the second straight year.  Lawmakers, environmental groups and tribes have identified one part of the problem: toxic dust that comes from our tires. KQED’s Ezra David Romero tells us how we can fix this problem. Links: Toxic Dust Threatens California Salmon Population, Lawmaker Seek...

There are no signs of a doom loop in Oakland’s queer nightlife scene, where brick and mortar nightclubs and bars quadrupled in the last year, and the events to go along with them have grown too. KQED Arts and Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya explains what’s behind this flourishing scene. Links: A Queer Party Renaissance Brings New Life to Downtown Oakland 'Something's blooming': Queer nightlife i...

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about the resurgence of the East Bay’s Street Spirit newspaper, a new non-emergency phone line for Oakland residents, and Aaron Peskin’s potential bid for San Francisco mayor. Links: Berkeleyside: Street Spirit homeless newspaper is back in print The Oaklandside: MACRO, Oakland’s non-emergency crisis response team, now...

Every child in California under 3 is entitled to early intervention services like physical, speech, and occupational therapy if they show signs that they need developmental support. Experts say getting these services early and in-person is critical for babies’ development, and that it can actually reduce the need for special education services later in life. But many families aren’t receiving the...

Well, it’s been a minute since the March 5 primary, but we finally know the results of Proposition 1. California voters narrowly approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to build new treatment facilities and direct a larger share of mental health funding to housing. KQED politics correspondent Guy Marzorati joins us to unpack the results, and what this could mean for the state moving forward. This ep...

The Bay is home to a new professional women’s soccer team. Bay FC, founded by four former U.S. Women National Team players, kicks off its home opener at PayPal Park in San Jose on Saturday, March 30. Marisa Ingemi with the San Francisco Chronicle joins us to talk about how this team got started, which players to watch, and the Bay Area’s history as a hotbed for women’s soccer. Links: ‘I’m here to...

Advocates and lawyers are scrambling to provide immigration legal assistance in Contra Costa County, where a new immigration court has opened to help tackle a nationwide deportation backlog and record numbers of asylum claims.  KQED’s Tyche Hendricks takes us to a high school gym in Concord where nonprofit groups helped provide free legal advice to people ahead of their court hearings. Links: Epis...

This episode discusses sexual abuse. For decades, the Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, a women’s prison, has been known for a pervasive culture of sexual abuse towards the women incarcerated there. There have been firings, settlements, and trainings, but the problems haven’t gone away. Now, the FBI has raided the prison as a group of survivors have filed a total of 63 lawsuits against the...

Activists and scientists have been sounding the alarm about radioactive contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, the site of former U.S. Navy activity, for years.  In January, the Navy released a report acknowledging that, through human-caused climate change, toxic chemicals could rise with groundwater in parts of the site.  Today, we’re sharing an episode from August 2022 with KQED clim...

Alameda County is notoriously slow at counting votes, but we do have some results to discuss. Today, KQED’s Annelise Finney dives into the Board of Supervisors elections, a very expensive state Senate race, and a measure that aims to change the county’s recall rules. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn...

San Francisco moderates, especially Mayor London Breed, are celebrating after Propositions C, E and F appear headed to victory. Props E and F will expand police powers and drug screen welfare recipients. Now that they’ve passed, Mayor London Breed hopes to show voters she’s addressing the worries on voters’ minds ahead of a competitive mayoral race this November. Links: Episode transcript This epi...

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey finished in the top 2 in the race for California’s U.S. Senate seat, with Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee finishing third and fourth. KQED’s Guy Marzorati gives a quick rundown of some of the local races we know about so far, and then breaks down the results of the biggest race on the California primary ballot. Links: Episode Transcript Li...

Election Day is over, and the votes are being tallied. And while we don’t know what the final voter turnout numbers will be, we do know that most people don’t vote in primaries. Primary elections aren’t sexy. They never turn out as many voters as a November general election because most people are motivated by national stuff, like presidential races.  But the issues on a primary ballot, especially...

Are you voting in the March Primary today? Why or why not? Maybe there’s a particular issue you’re fired up about where you live. Maybe you’re not happy with the candidates in your area. Or maybe you’re just hella confused by all the measures with letters on your ballot. Either way, we wanna hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 415-710-9223. And maybe you’ll hear yourself in an upcoming episode...

In Napa County, 3 out of the 5 seats on the Board of Supervisors are on the ballot, in nonpartisan races that will be decided in the March 5 primary. (In these races, nobody is advancing to November— voters will pick the winner in this election!) The wine industry looms large, but so do issues about housing, wildfire protection, and environmental conservation. KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli tells us...

This episode contains explicit language. Race has been a mostly silent character in criminal courtrooms. Historically, people accused of crimes haven’t been able to raise claims of racial bias in the justice system to defend themselves from a criminal accusation. But in 2020, California passed the Racial Justice Act, a groundbreaking law that allows criminal defendants to argue that racism may hav...

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about an assembly race where housing development has taken center stage, the mother of Oscar Grant getting his cell phones back 15 years after his killing, and how the politics of fast food are heating up in San Jose. Links: Palo Alto's Lydia Kou Channels Anti-Sacramento Anger in Challenge to Assemblymember Marc Berman...

When one of your appliances or electronics breaks, do you buy a new one or try to fix it yourself? Manufacturers have made it hard for consumers to fix their own stuff. But people have been pushing back in what's called the "right to repair" movement. KQED's Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a "Fixit clinic" in Redwood City, where people learn how to fix their broken items. Episode Transcript This...

This March, the politics of crime in San Francisco can be found up and down the ballot, from judicial races to local ballot measures.  KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez joins us to unpack Proposition E, a measure put forward by Mayor London Breed that would expand the power of the San Francisco Police Department. Links: KQED Voter Guide: Proposition E Subscribe to KQED's Political Breakdown newslett...

Queer Palestinian artists in the Bay are calling for a ceasefire as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza. Some say that the conflict has forced them to “come out as Palestinian” to the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community. KQED’s Nisa Khan talks to us about how Palestinian artists are pushing San Francisco’s queer community to stand up for Palestine.  Links: Episode Transcript ‘This Is Resistance’: Queer...