Talk of the Bay from KSQD

This was a special edition of Talk of the Bay, hosted by Omar Dieguez. His guests were Nane Alejandrez of Barrios Unidos, Mary Lou Alejandrez of Barrios Unidos, and Catarina, a Maori influenced by Barrios Unidos who is visiting from New Zealand. This fascinating conversation included reflections of Cesar Chavez’s enduring impact, the role of indigenous wisdom, restorative justice, and how communities embrace members who return home from incarceration. (Photo includes from left to right – Meilin Obinata, Mary Lou Alejandrez, Nane Alejandrez, Omar Dieguez, and Catarina).

Stephen Zunes is chair of the Middle East Studies program at the University of San Francisco. In recent days, students with a history of protest against the U.S./Israel actions in Gaza have been snatched off the street with no due process. We talk about the war on civil liberties at home and abroad and the increasingly autocratic and undemocratic response to dissent.

Justin Cummings, Third District Santa Cruz County Supervisor, talks about efforts to retain his seat as chair of the powerful California Coastal Commission. He also explains other ordinances under discussion at the county level.

  Jeanne Proust has studied Humanities, Philosophy and Visual Arts in Bordeaux, Berlin, and Paris. She has been teaching Philosophy for the last 14 years in the US and is actively involved in the Center for Public Philosophy at UC Santa Cruz, where she served as director from 2023-2024. She currently holds the position of Vice President of the Public Philosophy Network. Her PhD dissertation (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) focused on the pathologies of willpower, both in philosophical and psychological perspectives, but her interests are wide: among many fields, she does research in Ethics, Philosophy of Technologies, Bioethics, Feminist theory, and Aesthetics. She taught at different universities in New York, advocating for a widening of philosophical education beyond the Academia frontiers by participating in different events open to the general public. She gives many public talks, volunteers in prison (Rikers Island, San Quentin), collaborates on podcast projects (she produced her own, “Can You Phil It?”), and regularly organizes public events in Philosophy. She also collaborates with artists on her photography, drawing and painting works. With the Center for Public Philosophy, she helped launch the first Tech Ethics Bowl in the Bay area, and spearheaded the first Santa Cruz edition of the Night of Ideas. This year’s Night of Ideas is coming up on April 4, 2025, from 5 to 9 PM, at UCSC’s Institute for Arts and Sciences, at 100 Panetta Avenue, at the corner of Delaware Avenue on the westside of Santa Cruz. Jeanne has recently started her own philosophical counseling practice, open to individuals seeking to expand their worldview, and to examine their values and life concerns through the lens of philosophical inquiry.  

This week we honor Jesse Colin Young, the folk-rock icon of the sixties and seventies, who died at 83. His hits included “Get Together” and “Ridgetop” to name just two of his many songs that conveyed the spirit of the times. Our guest is KSQD’s station manager, David Bean, who was Jesse Colin Young’s manager and friend for a decade and a half and who shares stories only he can tell.    

Dan Haifley, a long-time ocean conservationist and former director of O’Neill’s Sea Odyssey and Save Our Shores, gives us an update on the multiple threats to ocean ecosystems and marine sanctuaries posed by the cuts to federal staff and budgets by the executive branch.

In this program we hear from members of the cast and crew of Steel Magnolias, opening at Park Hall in Ben Lomond, CA.

Have libraries been a vital part of your world? Did a librarian ever assist you with an important project? Like so many other public agencies libraries and librarians are under threat, but, you don’t have to take this news lying down, because the non-profit advocacy group EveryLibrary.org emboldens libraries and their communities to achieve political outcomes that keep libraries funded, thriving, and safe. EveryLibrary Co-founder and Digital Director, Patrick Sweeney, lays out the stark realities facing libraries and their staff across the nation and how this organization can offer you and your local library the skills, strategies, and support to achieve remarkable outcomes. Fight for the First is a petition-driven platform offered by EveryLibrary to support local efforts working to protect libraries and librarians. Donations to EveryLibrary go far and have translated into billions of dollars in direct funding to libraries across the nation: Donate to EveryLibrary Talk of the Bay on KSQD. Mondays at 5pm. Tune your dial to 89.5, 89.7 (South Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties) and 90.7 FM in Santa Cruz. Livestream at KSQD.org Talk of the Bay is available on all major podcast platforms.

  Will Rice is a policy consultant and senior writer for Americans for Tax Fairness, a coalition of more than 420 national, state and local endorsing organizations united in support of a fair tax system that works for all Americans. He is co-author and co-editor of the recently-released report “Private Equity, Public Damage”. The report deals with the impact of Private Equity firms on the economy, including healthcare costs and quality, housing affordability and security, climate change, prison privatization, workers’ rights, and debt. It was co-produced by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project and Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund.

We hear from the singing group, the Ukes of Bonny Doon, Suzanne, Laurie, Rizzie and Becca, who recently returned from singing and playing at a protest at the state capital. Then, an interview with Amanda Harris Altice and Jenny Evans with Indivisible Santa Cruz County about their organizing efforts. Then, a visit with United Way CEO, Yvette Lopez Brooks about an upcoming celebration of HERstory honoring local women leaders. The event is March 13th at 5;30PM.  

  Heidi Luckenbach is the Water Director for the City of Santa Cruz. In this role, she is responsible for maintaining the water system’s infrastructure, ensuring a reliable climate-resilient water supply, advancing environmental sustainability initiatives, and maintaining financial stability. Heidi has dedicated over 25 years of her career to the City of Santa Cruz, most recently as the Engineering Manager overseeing the Water Department’s capital improvement program and water supply planning. As director, she is leading her team through upcoming opportunities as they implement projects to create an even more robust water supply. https://www.cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/water The break in the middle of the interview includes a short excerpt from Water Song, by Hot Tuna.

Filmmaker Jon Silver talks about his film “Watsonville on Strike” about the Watsonville cannery strike, an 18-month strike forty years ago and his follow-up film, “Daughters of the Strike”. The films are screening at the Watsonville Film Festival on March 8th. We also hear from Sandina Robbins, one of the festival organizers. Chris Krohn shares audio from the current UCSC strike and we hear from Woody Carroll, an employee on the picket line. Jon Silver’s film screens on March 8th at the Green Valley Cinema. More information at Watsonville Film Fest.org Watsonville on Strike    

Chaos and confusion abound, and immigration lawyers are overwhelmed by the number of clients seeking their services. Here’s the view from Salinas Attorney, Blanca Zarazua.

  Sarah Christensen is the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission. Sarah has nearly two decades of experience in organizational leadership, planning, and implementation of major capital projects along the Central Coast and in the Bay Area. As the RTC’s Senior Transportation Engineer from 2017 to September 2024, she oversaw engineering and capital project delivery for the agency. Sarah Christensen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from San Jose State University, a Master of Science degree in Transportation Management from the Mineta Transportation Institute, and is a licensed civil engineer. Zero Emission Passenger Rail and Trail virtual open house

With Trump threatening to eliminate the Department of Education, we take a deep dive into what it does, what would happen to local schools and programs if it was cut, and how local schools are coping with the current climate around education and immigration.

On KSQD’s Talk of the Bay, Host PK Hattis speaks with Community Bridges’ CEO Ray Cancino. Like so many nonprofits across the country, Community Bridges and Cancino were caught up in a world of chaos late last month when President Donald Trump’s budget office issued a sweeping order that froze all federal grants and loans. The order was later rescinded, but Cancino will walk us through what the experience was like on the ground and just how high the stakes are moving forward. Then, PK will sit down with newly-elected Democratic Central Committee Chair Jenni Veitch-Olson. They’ll talk about where the local Democratic party has been and where Veitch-Olson thinks it’s going as Democrats remain the majority party locally and the oppositional party nationally.

On this episode of Talk of the Bay host PK Hattis is joined by nurses from Dominican Hospital who staged a picket last week in protest of chronic staffing shortages and a lack of investment from hospital ownership Dignity Health and parent company CommonSpirit Health. Nurses say the lack of staffing has led to extended wait times for patients and increasing levels of burnout among the staff, both of which, ultimately, lead to subpar care. We’ll hear about what conditions are like on the ground and what the nurses’ union is asking of ownership to improve the situation.

Rachel Anne Goodman talks with members of the community who are helping immigrants before, during and after Trump’s ICE raids. Guests include Sherry Cassedy, long-time family lawyer and mediator, immersing in immigration law and coordinator of the Childcare Safety Plan Network. Paul Johnston, participant in several networks (Welcoming Network, Interfaith Network, Removal Defense Collaborative, Know Your Rights events, Train the Trainers events, and a UCAFT member.)

On this episode of Talk of the Bay, host Bodie Shargel dedicates the first half of the show to honoring civil rights activist Thairie Ritchie, reflecting on his powerful legacy and the recent tragedy that shook Santa Cruz. Then, we shift gears to the national stage, analyzing the impact of the Trump administration’s first two weeks, featuring a speech from Rep. Ilhan Omar and a live community calls on the state of our democracy. https://www.gofundme.com/f/thairie-ritchies-recovery-fund

Talk of the Bay’s host PK Hattis is joined by longtime Santa Cruz Sentinel photographer Shmuel Thaler. Both Thaler and Hattis, who also works as a reporter at the Sentinel, are mourning the death of colleague Jess York, who died in January after battling a rare form of neuroendocrine cancer for more than four years. York, who joined in the Sentinel in 2014, was known locally as a smart, empathetic, intrepid reporter that most recently covered crime, courts and homelessness. Thaler and Hattis will celebrate York’s life and the immense legacy of diligent, trustworthy reporting that she leaves behind.