Talk of the Bay from KSQD

As those of us who live along the Pacific Ocean know, the coastline can be a dangerous and unpredictable place, particularly when strong storm systems pass through. And as climate change continues to supercharge the frequency and intensity of these storms, what can residents — and the local government that supports them — do to prepare? The county will seek to answer that question and many more in this consequential study, and Talk of the Bay was lucky to recently have Santa Cruz County Resource Planner David Carlson on the show to explain what the study is all about and why it matters.   RESOURCES cdi.santacruzcountyca.gov/Planning/PolicyPlanning/SeaLevelRiseVulnerabilityAssessmentProject.aspx

For Kiana Hamzehi, a Santa Cruz-born daughter of Iranian parents, the Iran war is not some distant news story. She has relatives there under bombardment from the US and Israel. She talks about the grey areas of the war as seen from abroad. Information is spotty and when it does trickle in, people are stressed and in survival mode. For Elnaz Sarbar Bocek, an activist for women’s rights, speaking out about the war is personal. She left Iran at age 28 and likely cannot return without endangering herself and her family. As a mother of a toddler, she is aware of what might happen. In this show, we explore the nuances of being a citizen of two countries at war with each other.

  Alice DiMicele is an Americana/Folk artist, rooted in the natural world, using the earth as her primary source of inspiration, threading its essence into her music. Alice’s connection to nature has created a deep bond with her listeners over the decades, gifting people a safe space to express their emotions and heal in the process. Throughout her career, she has released 18 albums, including her latest works ‘Reverse the Flow’ (2025), ‘Every Seed We Plant’ (2022) and ‘Interpretations: Vol 1’ (2024), building a dedicated fanbase along the way. Alice DiMicele weaves a rich tapestry of sounds, from the early days of her folk-inspired songs, through to the sensual influences of jazz and soul and the pulse of funk and rock. Her kaleidoscopic soundscape is grounded by her warm, magnetic vocals, stretching over five octaves, giving her voice both power and intimacy. In this interview with Talk of the Bay host Len Beyea, we get to hear a sampling of songs from four different albums, the stories behind the songs, reflections on the music business and on the importance of staying rooted to the nature around us amidst the imbalance of modernity, and the vitality and vitalness of sharing music in community. Alice’s upcoming shows in KSQD vicinity as of March 2026 include: a March 20th concert at 7 PM at the Resource Center for NonViolence, 612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz; sharing the community singing spirit with famed vocalists Bryan Dyer and Kid Beyond at the 3rd Annual Sing Into Spring on March 21st at 12:30 PM, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County, 6401 Freedom Blvd, Aptos; and an afternoon concert on Sunday March 22nd at 3 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Los Gatos, 15980 Blossom Hill Rd, Los Gatos.

On this episode of Talk of the Bay we take a deep dive into a local documentary which is making its way across the country and the world into film festivals. If you ever wondered what it’s like to call Santa Cruz your hometown, while you are homeless, then you won’t want to miss this Talk of the Bay program when we welcome the filmmakers of “Hometown Homeless” – a short documentary filmed right here in Santa Cruz, in the Potrero neighborhood. Hosts George Cadman and Meilin Obinata will speak with the filmmakers Maleah Welsh, a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz Social Documentation program and Shannan Vudmaska, a poet who lives outside. This film focuses on a circle of women who gather to speak of life, love, and loss — holding space for one another amidst uncertainty and upheaval. This poetic and contemplative documentary takes us through quiet moments and everyday rituals, tracing a tender exploration of land, home, and community. HomeTown HomeLess HomeTown HomeLess is a collaborative documentary film which takes place in the Potrero district of Santa Cruz, California. A space that is the industrial zone of the city, the site of cement plants, garbage processing facilities, graveyards, discarded train tracks and homeless shelters. As the industrial zone ends, the redwood forest begins. Deep in the trees is where we find unhoused poet Momma Shannan and her community of resilient women, who have found a place for themselves out of the public eye. Facing uncertain and precarious circumstances driven by rising laws that criminalize homelessness, the women come together to have conversations about life, love, loss. Anchored by moments of poetry and propelled by both the women’s conversations and events within the community, HomeTown HomeLess offers an intimate portrait of both people and place. Showing: Friday, March 13th 2026, at the Watsonville film festival • 5:00 PM @ CineLux Green Valley Cinema

On Talk of the Bay at 5PM, March 2, 2026, host Meilin Obinata dives into the proposed California Billionaire Tax Act with Seema Kanani from the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers union and Kris Cuaresma-Primm who are supporting this voter initiative aimed at helping make up shortfalls caused by deep cuts to federal programs. Obinata also welcomes activist Langdon Sepulveda from Stop Gilroy Data Center Now and Francisco Leal from NIMBY Imperial. They are both resisting the development of data centers dependent upon lithium ion battery storage. Whether billionaires or data centers, what does it look like when people rise up? That’s today at 5PM, on KSQD’s Talk of the Bay.

To kick off Women’s History Month, on March 6th a very special event returns to the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz. It is called HERstory, and it celebrates the important women of Santa Cruz County—past, present, and future. The event features performances, special activities and, most importantly, talks from extraordinary women who were nominated by the community and selected by a diverse committee representing local organizations dedicated to supporting and uplifting women. In this conversation, we meet event organizers Stephanie Sumarna (County Office of Education) and Jessie Durant (Museum of Art and History), as well as two of the event’s honorees, Amara Anderson (Santa Cruz High Black Student Union President) and Ivory Woodson (Student Leader & Founding Black Student Union President, Soquel High School Black Student Union, Countywide BSU). The guests talk about their backgrounds and the upcoming event. For more information and registration, visit the event page at https://santacruzcoe.my.canva.site/herstory.

In a victory in the indigenous landback movement. The Amah Mutsun Land Trust and Peninsula Open Space Trust have purchased the 2,284 acre Juristac property,(Formerly Sargeant Ranch), preventing the building of a gravel pit mine, and returning the land to its original inhabitants. We hear from Amah Mutsun tribal chairman, Ed Ketchum about the history of his people in relation to this land and what plans are for its future.

Guest Tom Llewellyn grew up in the small rural enclave of Canyon, California, where sharing food, road work days, and fighting fires together as a community was common. Full disclosure, I also grew up there, but we didn’t cross paths until recently in Bonny Doon. Growing out of that belief in the collective wisdom of communities working together, Tom is now Program Director for the nonprofit, Shareable. Far beyond ride shares, this organization promotes libraries of things, lending libraries of tools and other useful items, and leads trainings around the world to fuel this growing movement. If you’ve ever used a tiny neighborhood library or organized a car pool, you know the joy of the sharing economy. So far, there is no tool lending library in Santa Cruz. Anyone want to start one? https://www.shareable.net/about/

Andrew Schoneberg was fortunate to meet and interview Dr. Elisa Lagana. Dr. Lagana is a natural psychic, remote viewer and clairvoyant. For the past 15 years, she has worked professionally as a remote viewer, offering accurate, real-world insight to clients across the globe. Her work has contributed to the prediction of major world events outcomes months in advance. Her skills include locating missing persons, which she’s done for the CIA and law enforcement agencies. Elisa shares that at the heart of her work is a devotion to healing. Her greatest joy comes from helping people understand the language of energy—how it moves, speaks, and guides.

Joan Hammell is a board member with the Santa Cruz County SPCA. More than just a place to adopt or give up a beloved pet, the organization has broadened its mission to help humans and animals help each other in often profound ways.

Fraud and identity theft targeting immigrants are on the rise, according to Claudia Abasto Rivella of Latinan, a legal aid nonprofit serving three central coast counties, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey. Even Ms. Abasto Revilla, a lawyer, has had her identity stolen and used to extort people in North Carolina seeking green cards. She warns people to never conduct business of a legal nature over the phone or internet, but to work in person.

  Consuelo Alba is the Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Watsonville Film Festival. Consuelo is a visionary arts leader harnessing the transformative power of film and culture to ignite social change in Santa Cruz County and beyond. Under her leadership, the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) has grown from a grassroots collective into a nationally recognized cultural force offering year-round programming, supporting local filmmakers and redefining what a film festival can be: an inclusive, community-centered space for dialogue, joy and inspiration. Consuelo was born and raised in Mexico City. Her early career as a journalist laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices. As a documentary filmmaker, Consuelo explores cultural identity, healing and justice. Her award-winning short documentary El Andalón / The Healer screened at more than 30 international festivals, won seven awards, and was broadcast on Mexican public television. She is co-director of a new film, The Long Labor. LiliArlen Gomez is the Production Coordinator of the Watsonville Film Fest. LiliArlen was born in Monterey, California and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, where traditions and storytelling deeply influenced her path as a filmmaker. After earning her degree in Cinematic Arts and Technology from Cal State University Monterey Bay, she worked on projects with Apple, Google, and 20th Century Studios, with her collaborative work reaching festivals like Sundance, SXSW, and Watsonville. LiliArlen is excited to bring her passion, creativity, and production experience to help uplift diverse voices and strengthen the Watsonville Film Festival’s presence in the community. The 14th annual Watsonville Film Festival begins Thursday March 12th, and runs through Saturday March 21st, with showings in Watsonville, and during the second weekend, in Salinas and Santa Cruz. You can view the schedule of films and events here. This recording includes an interview of ~54 minutes with Consuelo Alba, followed by an interview of ~3 minutes with LiliArlen Gomez.

David Hahklotubbe is a Death Doula and Gerontologist, as well as a motivational speaker. Death Doulas serve people who are about to die, their families and loved ones. Their goal is to provide counseling, wisdom, and peace of mind, as well as practical help for families and loved ones navigating the practical aspects of dealing with this life transition. Based on his experience witnessing over 1000 deaths, David believes that the worst pain many suffer at death is regret — regret at wishes and goals not pursued, relationships not healed, etc. So as a motivational speaker and author, David Hahklotubbe advocates for living the lives we truly wish for, while we still can. And he imparts his wisdom about how to have a “good” death. In this interview with Andrew Schoneberg, David shares that many people have communications from loved ones who’ve recently passed. He says if we are open to it, this is a common occurrence, and evidence that consciousness doesn’t end at death.

Host Meilin Obinata takes a deep dive with an environmental activist, professional musician and educator: Adam Scow. In this conversation, we learn about Adam’s musical life, his origin story, and what motivates him to engage in public service. He also provides some surprising lessons for activists about political life, plus advice and encouragement to those who wish to run for office. He even gives out his personal email if you wish to seek his guidance!

The IRS funds a program, Project SCOUT, which offers free help with tax preparation and filing for low-income residents, including seniors and those on disability. In this interview we speak with two volunteers working with Project SCOUT during tax season, Mathilde Rand and Jan Shirchild about how listeners can get assistance in Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.

Members of the Teamsters local 2010 labor union were out on strike all week in the freezing rain, pressing the CSUs to come back to then negotiating table. This interview with Anthony Cardinale, Union Representative for CSUMB explores the who, what, why and how of the strike.

On Monday’s Talk of the Bay, at 5pm, host Meilin Obinata welcomed two Salinas area activists to the show to discuss the role of money in Salinas politics: rapper and activist Cal Paradox, who recently released an album dedicated to Salinas politics called “Politics As Usual”, and president of LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) Salinas Chapter 2055, a leading civil rights organization and community thought leader Christopher Barrera. We will learn about what gets people engaged in local issues and make a difference in their communities. We learned about the inspiration for particular songs from Cal Paradox's album, including Taylor Farms, Salinas City Council and more. We learned from Chris Barrera about LULAC's first president, Crecencio Padilla's suggestion about taxing agriculture. The guests also discuss California's Proposition 50 from November 2025. Barrera's shares experiences of helping renters in his role at LULAC as well as his perspective as a realtor interacting with landlords.You can connect with our guests in the following ways: Chris Barrera's email and phone number are: [email protected], 831-206-9089Cal Paradox's Instagram account is: cal_paradoxThat’s Monday at 5pm, right here on KSQD, KSQT, at 89.5, 89.7 and 90.7 FM, and on your smart device at KSQD.org.

Arts Council For Monterey County is a non-profit, who’s goal is to make arts accessable to everyone in Monterey County. Arts4MC connects local artists and arts groups with local communities and schools. They fund music, theater, dance, and fine arts instuction in schools. Arts4MC sponsors public art, such as murals and exhibitions, and provides grants to arts organizations and individual artists, and provides scholorships for young people persuing arts careers. In August 2025 Andrew Schoneberg interviewed Jacquie Atchison, Arts4MC’s Executive Director.      

This short feature was produced by Daymia Rousseau, Humanities intern from UCSC, with editing help from Rachel Anne Goodman and Howard Feldstein. What follows is the transcript. Hello, I’m Daymia Rousseau, a UCSC Intern reporting for KSQD. AI data centers are a booming business, and California is one of the leading states in building them. Along with concerns about the environmental costs, critics are saying the financial burden of these energy-hungry facilities falls unfairly on customers. One of its biggest critics is alternative energy expert, Amory Lovins. Lovins : “I’m mightily puzzled why 38 states subsidized data centers with tax breaks, and why they’re thought to be economically advantageous. They’re good if you’re in the construction industry; they’re not so good if you’re looking for long-term jobs. These are highly automated operations, and enormous amounts of capital get sucked out of the rest of the economy. ” Professor Lovins is a physicist, AI data center designer, writer, and lecturer at Stanford University. He’s written several critical pieces on the setbacks of Nuclear Energy & AI data centers, as well as many articles on the best ways to utilize alternative, solar & wind-power energy. He’s concerned about customers bearing the brunt of cost overreach. Lovins : “There’s quite a bit of political unease around the country, and protests around burdens falling on other customers. Partly because the contract with the data center may not cover all the costs of data extensions and other expenses needed to keep the grid going with the big new load…And also because many of the data centers proposed will not be built, or when built will not thrive…in other words, it looks like they’re set to earn a tenth as much of the revenue they would need to support the enormous investments they’re making.” So data centers are expected to earn less revenue than it takes to construct them? Currently, data centers consume 1-2% of global energy. However, research from investment companies such as Goldman Sachs project data center’s energy demand will grow 160% by the year 2030. And not even Bill Gates predicts a viable energy plan until the year 2050. So data centers are expected to operate for 25 years, functionally, at an over 100% increase in power usage. And that’s only if AI demand can finance it. According to Professor Lovins, this financial strategy effectively cannibalizes itself. Lovins : “One of the reasons the financial community is concerned, and sees AI as a bubble, is that it’s indulging in what’s known as ‘circular transactions’. My company invests in your company, which then buys my products, so we can both afford to do that. But it doesn’t really sustain an increase in wealth, so much as to conceal that we’re not making money the conventional way by selling a product people wanna pay a lot for. And it’s also concerning that 120 Billion dollars has now been financed off balance sheets, so it doesn’t show up in the financial accounts. Between that and circular transactions, it’s really hard to tell what condition the tech companies are in…and that heightens the risk… So I think the concern about unexpected burdens falling on localities is well founded. I would also suggest that you shouldn’t automatically assume that because AI can make various operations efficient and save energy, that means it’s a net good for climate.” One big worry is the capacity of the grid to distribute heavy energy demand during peak hours. Who will pay for upgrading it? The AI companies or the public? What about blackouts? Many tech companies such as Google & Microsoft, claim they can fund “green premiums” by 2030 to sustain energy demand through market returns. However, the fragility of the “AI bubble” in global markets casts doubt on that strategy. Lovins : “Initially, it was more about making the hardware more effi

  Professor Rebecca Braslau has served on the faculty at UC Santa Cruz since 1991, where she is a professor of chemistry. She has a BA from Reed College, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, and carried out postdoctoral studies with Bernd Giese at Universitat Basel, the oldest university in Switzerland. She has been a visiting professor at other universities, including in Bangkok Thailand, Galway Ireland, Melbourne Australia, Eindhoven the Netherlands, and Paris France. In 2014 she earned the Excellence in Teaching Award at UC Santa Cruz. Professor Braslau is the director of the Braslau Lab at UC Santa Cruz. The Braslau Lab is a synthetic organic chemistry group, currently focused on material science projects. Given the Crisis of Persistent Plastics in our environment, researchers are currently focused on developing methodologies to chemically upcycle post-consumer waste PVC. Over the past decade, they have focused on developing non-migratory “internal” plasticizers to replace phthalates, a pervasive class of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds.

CEO of Santa Cruz County, Nicole Coburn describes SHIELD as an emergency preparedness project, but the emergency is not natural, it’s in the form of a raid by ICE similar to what we saw in Minneapolis. As the DHS expands the scope of its operations, injury, and even death have resulted. What are the protocols in place for County agencies, such as the Sheriff, Health Department, or other employees? How can the County protect its migrant population in the event of a mass deportation roundup? While there are no easy answers, the SHIELD committee, headed by Supervisors Felipe Hernandez and Monica Morales, seeks to be prepared.

Do you ever feel helpless to influence big events? Want to make a difference locally but don’t know where to start? Karen Delaney, the soon-to-be-retiring Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County has some ideas on how to plug in, tune in, and get to work volunteering for a cause you care about.

  Saabira Chaudhuri is a London-based journalist and the author of Consumed – How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic. She frequently writes about sustainability, plastics, corporate strategy, environmental regulation and consumer culture. Her work has been published in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Bloomberg, The New Scientist, The Guardian, Wired, The Times of India, FastCompany.com, Forbes and Business Insider. Saabira Chauduri spent 12 years as a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal in London and New York, stepping down in May 2025. Before that she worked on staff for Dow Jones newswires, Forbes magazine, Mint (the New Delhi-based business newspaper) and Fastcompany.com Saabira grew up in Bangalore and still returns there as much as she can. She earned a BA in sociology from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, then spent a year abroad studying law and sociology at the London School of Economics. She was awarded the Wall Street Journal’s fully-funded Asia fellowship to New York University where she earned an MA in Business and Economic Reporting. Consumed is her first book. It was born out of years of reporting on consumer goods companies’ increasingly difficult relationship with plastic, and it was published by Bonnier Books in May 2025. Consumed was named one of the Financial Times’s Best Books of 2025, longlisted for the FT & Schroder’s Business Book of the Year Award and shortlisted for the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) Best Business Book of the Year Award. She did the impossible task of researching and writing the book while tending to her two children under two.

Andrew Schoneberg interviewed David Bean about his extensive history in radio and the recording industry. He shares interesting information about the history of local radio in the Monterey Bay, including KSQD, KUSP, and KAZU.

Host Chris Krohn welcomes Hector Marin to the airwaves for a deeper dive so we can get to know him beyond his role as the organizer of the “Save the Catalyst” campaign. Krohn and Marin discuss the City of Santa Cruz housing-related ballot measures B and C, as well as the sugar tax, Z. We also learn a bit about Hector’s origins and what drew him to Santa Cruz.

  From a very early age, Parisa Karimi Molan dreamed of becoming a singer. Growing up in a musical family—her father was a singer and tar player—she was surrounded by melodies, even as she lived in Iran, where women are forbidden to sing publicly. Despite this, she studied music for nearly twenty years in secrecy with some of Iran’s most celebrated vocal masters, including Parissa and Pari Maleki, alongside many talented women who shared the same quiet determination. Although the road was long and often uncertain, Parisa continued learning with the hope of preserving this rich musical heritage and one day sharing it freely. In 2017, she moved to Montréal, where she could finally pursue this lifelong dream openly. There, she co-founded Tehrani Drom and began creating music rooted in Persian, Azeri, and Roma traditions—turning a once-impossible dream into reality. Amir Amiri is a santur player, composer, and cultural inventor. He dwells at the center of a unique musical universe where ancient inspiration, dazzling virtuosity, and bold creativity meet. Surrounding himself with outstanding collaborators from the worlds of jazz, classical and world music, Amiri fearlessly transcends genres and borders, exquisitely transporting his ancient instrument into the musical conversations of our time. Throughout his performances with a vast spectrum of ensembles, concerts and tours, Amiri’s down-to-earth and profound connection with audiences always enchants. Born in Tehran, Iran, Amiri is a master of the santur, a 72-string instrument dating from approximately 500 BCE. Since first arriving at the Banff Centre from Iran in 1996, Amiri has forged deep relationships with musicians across Canada and the world. He has collaborated in a variety of ensembles with double bass player Jean Félix Mailloux, violist Richard Moody, and jazz pianist Jean-Michel Pilc. In his enthralling Amir Amiri Quartet, he is accompanied by violist Olivier Marin, percussionist Roméo Monteiro and cellist Myrtille Hetzel. The ground-breaking world music ensemble includes the presence of a Whirling Dervish, a dancer in the act of Sufi meditation. Amir Amiri was awarded the 2003 CBC Artist of the Year, and The Betty Mitchell Best Composition and Sound Design award.

Who ever said awards shows are no place for politics? Former Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold made local history this past weekend when he took home a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music Album. The longtime local politician, who served on the board for 12 years, became the first Santa Cruz County supervisor to take home one of the coveted national music awards. Leopold executive produced an album titled “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,” which honored Louisiana musician Clifton Chenier on what would have been his 100th birthday last year. Chenier died in 1987 at age 62. Roughly 72 hours after his appearance on the national stage, Leopold stopped by the KSQD studio in Santa Cruz to talk about his whirlwind of a weekend, his enduring fascination and passion for music and, of course, his striking sartorial choices. You can stream A Tribute to the King of Zydeco on all major platforms, but John encourages the purchase of the album to directly support the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship fund at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Angel Garcia, our guest, is a spokesperson for Californians for Pesticide Reform which just filed a lawsuit against the state of California for dragging their feet on clarifying pesticide regulations. Here is their recent press release further explaining the reason for the suit. They claim the state’s approach to regulation is both confusing and dangerous, given the hazardous nature of 1,3-D, which is applied by the hundreds of thousands of pounds per year on fields in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Farmworker Advocates Sue California Over Conflicting Regulations for Cancer-Causing Fumigant Pesticide 1,3-D Nine years after landmark court victory, California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s 1,3-D regulations still fall far short, say advocates Lindsay, CA — Nearly a decade after community members first sued the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) for its unlawful regulation of the cancer-causing fumigant 1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D), affected residents and advocacy organizations are back in court. On Friday, community residents Rocio Ortiz and Ana Barrera, along with Californians for Pesticide Reform and Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network, filed suit challenging DPR’s regulations governing the use of 1,3-D. The lawsuit alleges that DPR’s newly adopted regulations violate fundamental requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by failing to provide clarity and internal consistency, and violate the California Food and Agricultural Code, by allowing the public to be exposed to pesticide emissions at levels that cause harm to human health. After nearly nine years of litigation following the 2017 case Vasquez et al. v. Department of Pesticide Regulation, DPR has now issued two separate regulations for 1,3-D that conflict with one another. The first regulation, for people living near pesticide applications (known as residential bystanders), took effect in 2024 and uses a regulatory target air level of 0.56 parts per billion (ppb) per day over a 70-year lifetime. On January 1, 2026, a second regulation took effect, intended to protect people who work near 1,3-D applications, known as occupational bystanders. This second regulation uses a threshold of 0.21ppb per 40 hours per week over 40 years. Each regulation applies different target air concentration levels to essentially the same population, creating regulatory confusion and undermining the state’s duty to protect communities and workers from a known carcinogen. “After everything our communities have endured, it is devastating to see DPR still refuse to do its job,” said Ana Barrera, a plaintiff in the case. “We live, work, and raise our children near fields where this chemical is used. DPR knows it causes cancer, yet they continue to write rules that protect the industry instead of the people breathing this air every day.” Rocio Ortiz, also a plaintiff, emphasized the human cost of regulatory failure. “These regulations are not just words on paper — they’re the difference between families like mine feeling safe at home or living with constant worry. DPR had years to get this right. Instead, they created confusing, contradictory rules that put our communities at risk of harmful exposure. We should not have to keep suing the state just to be protected from cancer-causing chemicals.” The state’s expert cancer risk assessment branch, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), in 2022 established a lifetime cancer risk level for 1,3-D, known as a No Significant Risk Level, or NSRL, equivalent to 0.04ppb — far lower than either of DPR’s regulatory targets. The regulatory target for DPR’s occupational bystander regulation accepts the OEHHA NSRL but allows for far more exposure because it assumes that workers are only exposed to 1,3-D for 40 hours a week

My guest is Kischka Bluspiro organizer of the local Sunday Assembly Santa Cruz, which is a secular (non-religious) gathering that promotes community and inspiration. They gather monthly to listen to inspiring speakers, sing together, and get to know each other. They also have small groups based on specific interests (games, movie night, etc.), and they’ll be doing some community service projects as well. Sunday Assembly Santa Cruz is a part of a global network of Sunday Assemblies that started in London in 2013. The local branch has been going for a couple months now, but in March they’ll be moving to a new, larger space, the community room at the Capitola branch library.

On today’s Talk of the Bay, we explore the role of recalls and censures in electoral politics. Host Meilin Obinata welcomes Raul Urena, former mayor of the border town, Calexico, who was elected into office with 70% of the vote but later the subject of a successful recall by the Republican Party which weaponized Urena’s gender identity. Urena is also a current graduate student at UC Santa Cruz. Obinata also speaks with Peter Szalai, a voter who shares his thoughts about the social media posts and the censure of Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval. That’s today, at 5PM, on Talk of the Bay, right here on KSQD.

Spencer Critchley is an award-winning communication strategist and national media commentator with experience in journalism, digital media, public relations, advertising, and music. He’s the author of Patriots of Two Nations and host of the podcast Dastardly Cleverness in the Service of Good, and founder of Boots Road Group. He talks with me about the moment we are in and how to view it in light of history and philosophy.  

Film maker Ana Blanco and biologist Natasha Benjamin team up for a film about saving the kelp forests and their link to local coastal economies. The local premiere of the film shows on February 6th at the surfshop, the Santa Cruz Boardroom on 41st Avenue and includes a discussion and action talk. Sequoias of the Sea – Community Screening & Ocean Action Night Friday, February 6, 2026 | 6:30–8:30 PM Santa Cruz Boardroom 825 41st Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062  

Representative Jimmy Panetta held a press conference on Thursday, January 28th to affirm his opposition to passing a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security which oversees ICE. Ami Chen Mills and Nyanko Nyasu were there and have this report.

Talk of the Bay, host George Cadman discusses the history and the future of The Catalyst in downtown Santa Cruz with her guests Alyssa Pullen owner of the Teahouse Spa, David Bean host of KSQD’s New Squid in Town music program and local music scene expert, and Hector Marin, organizer of the the Save the Catalyst campaign and local activist. They will discuss how they see the plans to rebuild the Pacific Ave property as seven stories, six of which would be residential units without parking, with ground floor retail. To stay on top of the Save the Catalyst campaign: [email protected] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savethecatalyst/ Official project planning page: https://www.santacruzca.gov/Government/City-Departments/Community-Development/Current-Planning/Significant-Projects-Planning/Projects/Pacific-Avenue-1009-1011-1015 Save the Catalyst from demolition Petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-catalyst-from-demolition

  On this Monday’s Talk of the Bay, your host Meilin Obinata invites you to learn about the latest fiery news regarding the Rail and Trail Project. Guests Lani Faulkner of Equity Transit and former candidate for District 1 County Supervisor, Stephanie Auld a disability and elderly rights transportation advocate and James Weller a land title expert, share their views and expertise regarding what you need to know about the status of passenger rail in Santa Cruz County. What do the recent decisions of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission mean? What is the current vision for supporters of rail? We welcome your questions and comments so please be sure to email us at [email protected]. That’s this Monday, January 26th, at 5PM, on Talk of the Bay.

Talk of the Bay host George Cadman spoke with Jess on January 20th about her Substack & social media videos, her activism, and what motivates her. They also spoke about using anger and grief as fuel for good. There are so many attacks on our democracy, our rights, and our bodies every day, that it is hard to know where to start. It can feel overwhelming. Jess Craven addresses how ordinary working Americans who are raising families and trying to survive can resist this tidal wave of attacks on our freedom, on our democracy, and on our well being – how they can respond in a meaningful way with the time and resources that they have. She curates daily impactful actions to help people to get involved, even if they are short on time or money. She talks about the practical actions ordinary Americans are taking to stand up to this regime, build community & support one another, with examples from Minneapolis and other communities where residents are standing up and standing together. Jess also shares her thoughts on the 2026 mid term elections, public opinion polls, and why she has hope. And how she takes care of herself & finds balance in her life. Jess Craven is an activist, political content creator, and the author of Chop Wood, Carry Water Daily Actions on Substack. Her goal is to help average Americans become more engaged in the political process and help elect more progressive lawmakers everywhere.

On Monday, January 21, thousands of marchers filled the streets of Santa Cruz to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Your Squid on the Street was there! Special thanks to Daymia Rousseau for their help editing.

There are some 5 million Iranians living in the United States. A large population live in the Monterey Bay and the Bay Area. On this program, we hear from activist/student Elnaz Sarbar, Data Scientist, Azadeh Sanjari, and Santa Cruz City Council member, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson about what they are hearing from family members. Since the government of Iran cut off internet, it has been difficult for journalists and families living abroad to find out the fate of their loved ones after what appears to have been a mass killing of protesters in Iran.

Join host Omar Dieguez for a powerful conversation with Yanely Martinez, longtime Safe Ag Safe Schools (SASS) organizer, Camila, a rising future leader in the movement, and Señor Torres, representing a family rooted in generations of activism fighting pesticide exposure in our communities. From Monterey County to Sacramento and the Pajaro Valley, this episode highlights the real work happening on the ground—uplifting youth voices, organizing families, and building collective power to protect our children, our schools, and our land. This podcast centers the next generation of leaders and honors the families who continue to stand strong against pesticide harm. The movement is alive, and the youth are leading the way. ✊🏽🌱 Safe Ag Safe schools, FUTURE LEADERS OF CHANGE, SPRAY DAYS!

One of your Squids on the Street, Suki Wessling, caught up with locals at the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade and rally to find out which of King’s words or deeds especially resonate with them during these difficult time.

Nolan Higdon, profesessor of media studies at UCSC discusses the way the U.S. media is framing what is happening in Venezuela leading up to and after the kidnapping of President Maduro.

Ocean advocate, Dan Haifley discusses the intricacies and urgency of preventing oil drilling and mining off California’s coastline, as the Trump administration goes all in for “drill, baby drill” policies that would open the coastal waters to extractive industries. The deadline for comment is January 23rd. Comments can be submitted to the Federal Register by January 23, 2026, at: Regulations.gov. Contact your Congressional representative Jimmy Panetta at: Congressman Jimmy Panetta | Representing the 19th District of California.  

Hello, I’m Daymia Rousseau, a UCSC Intern reporting for KSQD. In 2023, Santa Cruz county experienced one of the worst storms in the city’s history. In cities like Capitola, streets were flooded , waves crashed into various businesses, and the wharf was destroyed. Meteorologists called it a bomb cyclone with lots of rain and wind. As Santa Cruz county endures storm season once again, many coastal communities remain anxious about another natural disaster, or how California’s coast will handle storms as sea-levels rise. Griggs“What’s gonna be more problematic…in the relatively near-term in the year 2050, or the year 2075, will be these short-term extreme events we witnessed these past three winters… so really high tides, and really large waves.” Daymia: That’s Gary Griggs, Professor of Earth and planetary Sciences at UCSC. He’s, an author, scientific reporter, & board member of the Ocean Science Trust. Professor Griggs’ is an expert in climate modeling and sea-level rise. His recent research has also projected a 0.5-1.2ft sea level rise by the year 2050. What might our future coastline look like with this change? Griggs “So we really have two, well, maybe three different kinds of coastal environments… one is… steep coastal mountains, plunging thousands of feet to the water. A foot or two doesn’t really make a difference…Then we have places like much of Santa Cruz county…these coastal marine terraces, these flat benches. We may have a beach in front of there, we may not. But what happens as sea levels continue to rise, and as storms continue, we erode back that bluff. West cliff might be the best example of this… The third, where we will see this the most, probably the clearest, are lowline areas, which are nearly at sea level now. And we look at, say, the waterfront of Santa Cruz beach, Seabright, Capitola, and Rio Del Mar…many of the homes and businesses were built on the beach, so a foot or two will really make a difference…” Daymia: 2023 saw intense storm damage at places like West Cliff Drive, where whole sections of roadway fell into the sea. The city of Santa Cruz has established a 5-year roadmap to monitor sea level rise and minimize the eroding impacts of storms. This includes a new coastal change monitoring network, incentivized storm water management, and infrastructure redesign. Each project could cost upwards of tens of millions of dollars. Additionally, Beaches like Capitola and Rio Del Mar will be more susceptible to flooding & sand buildup all year, not just in winter. Griggs“So, we’ve got this preoccupation with sea level rise, though we need to keep in mind these short term events, which are gonna be way more problematic.” Daymia: Michael W. Beck, the director of the UCSC Center on Coastal Climate Resilience, raisesd concerns about sea-level rise’s impacts on marine wildlife, as well as coastal communities. In a 2024 article he stated, quote, “it’s not just a huge bummer for future summer vacations…Our beaches also provide a natural buffer from flooding, erosion and other natural disasters for millions of California residents.” Professor Griggs is not so sure all of these beaches will provide a buffer when the really big storms hit. Grigs “A lot of his work is based on the tropics, where we have coral reefs and mangroves that live in salt water that do provide this natural buffer. So if we have this really wide beach – I’m gonna pick Sea Bright beach – they definitely provide a buffer. By the time you get to Capitola… in the winter, there’s not much there, and as you saw, the waves come over that little sea wall into the downtown, into the restaurants… So I’m less optimistic in my consideration of how important those beaches are. They’re definitely important, but when you get a big winter, all bets are off…Capitola’s been hit with at least 15 major storms in the last century..” Daymia: As of January 5th, intense winds & flooding

  Zaya Ralitza Benazzo was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. For as long as she can remember, she has been fascinated with exploring life’s big questions. She feels most at home in nature and, increasingly, within herself. Zaya is a producer and film director with engineering, environmental science, and film degrees. For many years, she worked as an environmental activist in Europe. Her deepest passion is bringing together wisdom from spiritual traditions in service of all life. Zaya believes that individual and collective liberation are inextricably interwoven. Maurizio Benazzo grew up in Italy, and in 1984 came to the United States on a 98-year-old sailing boat. He started working as an actor, model, and filmmaker, but his thirst for knowledge was only satisfied in 2001 upon encountering I Am That, the seminal work by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, while he was in India shooting the award-winning documentary Short Cut to Nirvana. Maurizio and Zaya merged their lifelong passions for science and mysticism when they met in 2007, and their first project together was filming the documentary Rays of the Absolute on the life and teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. This project sparked their next level of creation and collaboration: Science and Non-Duality, a global community inspired by the timeless wisdom traditions, informed by modern science, and grounded in direct experience. Together they have produced and directed several award-winning documentaries including The Wisdom of Trauma, The Art of Life, Rays of the Absolute, Where Olive Trees Weep, The Eternal Song, Mauri, and If an Owl Calls Your Name. They have a new film, In the Circle of Life, which will be shown this Friday, January 16th, at the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz. They live, work and play on the unceded ancestral lands of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people, in Sebastopol, California.

Talk of the Bay’s George Cadman hosts a conversation on the controversy surrounding Flock Safety, and their cameras that appear to track more than just license-plates. After revelations that the police have illegally shared data with ICE and other agencies, the Santa Cruz City Council will meet Tuesday, January 13th, to consider ending the contract with Flock Safety. Can technology and government be reined in to protect our 4th amendment rights of privacy? The city’s two-year contract is set to expire on March 27, 2026. It allows for a termination of the agreement with 30 days’ notice, which would mean the end of the contract would be Feb. 12 at the earliest if the SC City Council decides to terminate it. Peter Gelblum is a retired attorney who has lived in the San Lorenzo Valley since 2008. As an attorney in Los Angeles for 30 years, he worked on such cases as the OJ Simpson civil case, RIAA vs. Napster, and a case involving ownership of Alberto Vargas’s artwork. He was on the Board of the ACLU of Northern California for 10 years and still serves on their Legal Committee. He has been the Chair of the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California for over 10 years, and has been working on issues relating to ALPRs since 2015. Julia has lived in Santa Cruz County over 25 years, and has been active in political and community organizing all her life. Coming both from a privileged background and also a place of intersectional identities, Julia leads with compassion and empathy for the struggles of all people. She has lobbied for political campaigns; organized at her alma mater UCSC; rallied with marginalized groups including LGBT+, disabled, and BIPOC communities; and is actively of service in many community organizations, including Indivisible Santa Cruz County, where she co-leads the Media Team. Sean Dougherty has worked as a software engineer since 1999, including 7 years at IBM and 10 years at Apple, during which he worked on operating systems and hardware modeling. He recently resigned his position at Apple in order to run for office in Congressional District 19 against incumbent Jimmy Panetta. He and his wife have lived in Santa Cruz for 10 years and have a 3 year-old son. Syd Jones is a retired security professional, residing in Santa Cruz County. Meeting Date: January 13, 2026 Time: 2:30PM Council Chambers 809 Center Street To participate on Tuesday’s city council meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94684401344 View Tuesday’s city council meeting live: https://www.santacruzca.gov/Government/City-Council/Council-Meetings/View-Council-Meetings Composite graphic by local artist and musician Russell Brutsche

Your Squid on the Street, Suki Wessling, caught up with Kelly Menehan and Faye Johnson of Indivisible to talk a little bit about the rally and their organization at the January 2026 Get ICE out for Good Rally in Santa Cruz.

Your Squid on the Street interviews rally-goers at the corner of Ocean and Water Streets in Santa Cruz about their reasons for attending the rally on January 11, 2026.

If you’ve had writer’s block — and for all the listeners out there who have ever put pen to paper, chances are a good that you have — there’s no shortage of pithy quotes or “how to” books from famous authors that can help snap you out of it. “Write what you know,” goes one. “No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader,” goes another. As inspiring as some of these aphorisms can be, perhaps our deepest understanding of writer’s block can be gleaned from fictional representations of the commonly experienced phenomena — a meta analysis, if you will, provided by the authors themselves. Because there’s no shortage of those either. And nobody know’s that better than writer, educator Aaron Colton. “Writing Through Writer’s Block: Lessons from Modern American Fiction” is the title of a new book by Colton, an associate teaching professor and director of first-year writing in the Department of English at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Within his authorial debut, Colton offers the first book-length analysis of the archetype of the blocked writer, at once acting as a thorough meditation on literary theory while also providing practical insights into the complex thoughts and feelings of the working writer, novice and veteran alike. In doing so, Colton reframes blockage not as something to be desperately avoided, but as something that could be deputized or even befriended by the aspiring writer. Colton completed his Ph.D. in English at the University of Virginia, and has previously taught at The Georgia Institute of Technology and Duke University. His research focuses on representations of writers and writing in American literature, and his scholarship has appeared in venues including Arizona Quarterly, Studies in American Fiction, College Literature, and Pedagogy, as well as in Public Books and Inside Higher Ed. He also happens to have grown up here in Santa Cruz, so we were extra pleased to welcome a local boy to the show.

Sara Niedzwieck is a professor of politics at UC Santa Cruz and studies South American politics. She offers her analysis of what is currently happening in Venezuela, a developing story.