The Bay

A new superintendent is taking the helm of the embattled San Francisco Unified School District as it faces a December deadline to close a $113 million budget deficit. That’s after a series of crises, including a botched process around school closures, led to the resignation of Superintendent Matt Wayne over the weekend. Links: Apply to be The Bay's next intern! Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

In Sonoma County, no ballot measure has gotten more attention than Measure J. Put on the ballot by animal rights groups, Measure J would ban “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations” in the county. It would be the first law of its kind in the nation.  Supporters say this ban on so-called factory farms is an issue of animal welfare and environmental protection, while opponents see it as an existenti...

Night markets have exploded in popularity over the past few years in the Bay Area. Many local downtowns and shopping districts have invested in night markets as a way to regain the foot traffic of the pre-pandemic years.  In this episode, we go to the Story Road Night Market in San Jose’s Little Saigon neighborhood to eat some delicious food and talk about whether night markets are here to stay. L...

Voters in Alameda County and the city of Oakland could recall District Attorney Pamela Price and Mayor Sheng Thao in November.  Price and Thao are progressives who some residents blame for issues like crime, homelessness, and drug use. Opponents say the recalls are undemocratic and unfairly target two women of color who took office less than 2 years ago. Links: Apply to be our intern! Vote for us...

Online campaigning has changed dramatically since the early days of dial-up modems. In a new miniseries from KQED called Close All Tabs, internet culture journalist Morgan Sung takes us on a trip down digital memory lane to understand how internet culture is influencing this year’s election.  Links: Listen to Close All Tabs on KQED's Political Breakdown feed, every Saturday until the election. App...

Deep East Oakland used to be a thriving community with movie theaters and bowling alleys. But the crack cocaine epidemic and decades of disinvestment hit the community hard. Now, a $100 million philanthropic investment is coming to this part of Oakland, and people from the community will decide how to use it.  Reporter Olivia Cruz Mayeda joins us to talk about ‘Deep Down,’ a new series on KQED Art...

Some Bay Area cities like Oakland and San Francisco use a system known as ranked choice voting in the November election. Ranked choice voting is also used in Alaska and Maine and dozens of other American cities. Today, KQED Political Breakdown host Scott Shafer speaks with Lisa Bryant, professor of political science at California State University, Fresno, about how ranked choice voting works. Link...

One year ago, Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in an attack on Israel and took at least 250 hostages. In response, Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza has killed more than 41,500 Palestinians and displaced millions.  This conflict has sparked huge reactions all over the world, especially here in California. Today, we hear from four local residents about how it has affected them over the p...

10 years ago, Californians passed Prop. 47, which reclassified certain petty theft and drug possession crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies. At the time, it was part of an effort to reduce prison overcrowding and promote alternatives to incarceration. Supporters of Prop. 36 say that it's time to roll back parts of that ballot measure in order to address drug crimes and retail theft. Opponent...

In recent years, the expansion of Medi-Cal has allowed millions of low-income Californians to get access to health care. But while demand for services has increased dramatically, providers have not seen the same increase in payments, leading to many patients being denied care.  Prop 35 would make an existing tax on health insurance companies permanent and restrict the allocation of funds to certai...

Prop. 34 takes aim at how revenues earned through a federal drug pricing program are spent by a very specific number of providers. On the surface, it seems like a health care ballot measure — but underneath it all is a proxy war over rent control. Prop Fest is a collaboration from Bay Curious and The Bay podcasts, where we break down each of the 10 statewide propositions that will be on your Novem...

Since 1995, California has banned certain types of local rent control laws — specifically, on single family homes, condos, properties built after 1995, and new tenants. If Prop. 33 passes, this ban would be repealed and cities would be allowed to impose these kinds of new rent control laws in the future. Links: Is Rent Control Working and Should We Have More or Less of It? Prop Fest is a collabora...

California is an expensive place to live. That's why advocates for Prop. 32 believe it's important to raise the minimum wage for all employees to $18 an hour. Some business groups warn that it will lead to job losses and increased prices.  Prop Fest is a collaboration from Bay Curious and The Bay podcasts, where we break down each of the 10 statewide propositions that will be on your November 2024...

After 57 years, the A’s played their final game in the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday afternoon. Next season, they’ll begin play in Sacramento ahead of a planned move to Las Vegas in 2028. Today, we bring you sounds from the Oakland A’s last home game.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for convicted crimes. In dozens of states, including California, this exception has meant that thousands of incarcerated people have been forced to work or risk punishment, oftentimes for less than $1 per hour. Prop. 6 would amend the state constitution to ban forced labor in prisons. This e...

Right now, passing a local bond measure requires a two-thirds majority to pass. Supporters of Prop. 5 this should be easier, and want to amend the state constitution to lower the threshold for local bonds for affordable housing and infrastructure. If Prop. 5 passes, local bonds would require 55% of voter support instead of two-thirds. This episode has been updated to clarify ramifications of Propo...

Earlier this year, the state legislature passed a $10 billion climate bond on the ballot. Supporters of Prop. 4 say it is urgently needed to address the wildfires, floods and other extreme weather events that are becoming more commonplace in the state. Opponents say the state should not incur more debt to pay for these projects. Prop Fest is a collaboration from Bay Curious and The Bay podcasts, w...

Same-sex marriage is already legal in the state and across the nation. But thanks to Prop. 8, passed in 2008, California still has an unenforceable "zombie law" on the books that bans it. Prop. 3 would formally repeal that ban and explicitly establish marriage as a fundamental right afforded to everyone in the state constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the next 2 weeks, we're collaborating with our friends at Bay Curious to bring you Prop Fest — a breakdown of all 10 statewide ballot measures. First up: Proposition 2. Roof leaks, faulty air conditioning and contaminated water are just some of the issues facing many California school buildings. Supporters of Prop. 2 want the state to borrow $10 billion to help address these problems, especial...

On Thursday night, KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle hosted an hourlong debate with 5 of the candidates for mayor of San Francisco: London Breed, Mark Farrell, Daniel Lurie, Aaron Peskin, and Ahsha Safai.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Palestinian Americans have been trying — for nearly a year — to evacuate family members out of Gaza. But evacuating loved ones is an opaque process with rapidly changing conditions at the borders.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big changes are coming to the Oakland Coliseum.  Next Thursday, the A’s will play their last home game there. And earlier this month, the stadium was sold to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, whose vision for the land includes a $5 billion housing and business development.  The Oaklandside’s Eli Wolfe explains what this sale means for the future of the Coliseum — and for the cit...

Nearly 1 in 5 San Francisco residents are Chinese American. So if you want to be mayor, you need to win over the city’s Chinese communities. KQED’s Sydney Johnson tells us how the candidates are trying to woo voters in this year’s mayoral race, especially when it comes to public safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moonridge is an affordable housing community of 160 homes for low-income residents and farmworkers just outside of Half Moon Bay. It was built more than 20 years ago. As Half Moon Bay debates the issue of farmworker housing construction, reporter Sebastian Miño-Bucheli visits Moonridge to see how living there stacks up with negative comments from city residents. Links: Take a closer look at Moonri...

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This summer, activists and families of people who have lost loved ones to suicide commemorated the official completion of a stainless steel safety net under the Golden Gate Bridge. Back in January, KQED’s Lesley McClurg told us the story of how family members advocated fo...