Talk of the Bay KSQD - Latest News

On this episode of From the Streets, Omar Dieguez speaks with Rolla Alaydi, a Palestinian American organizer who has spent months fighting to evacuate her family from Gaza. Since November 2023, Rolla has made countless appeals to Representative Jimmy Panetta’s office—pleas that have been met with silence, even as she has lost over 100 loved […]

Talk of the Bay: From the Streets host Omar Dieguez, a mentor with Barrios Unidos, sits down with a group of girls from Pajaro Valley High School to discuss the powerful role mentors play in schools. Listen in as they share how Barrios Unidos creates safe spaces for students to express themselves, connect with their […]

KSQD presents a conversation between Chris Krohn and Mike Rotkin, recorded just 2 months before Rotkin’s death on Wednesday (06/18/2025). Rotkin served 25 years on the Santa Cruz City Council, and 5 terms as mayor. He was active in local political and social issues for more than 50 years, and loved and respected for his […]

  On Tuesday, June 10th, host Meilin Obinata spoke with Dr. John Silva from the Protect Salinas Renters coalition. This coalition is seeking signatures for a referendum campaign to repeal the Salinas City Council’s recent vote to repeal four renters’ rights ordinances including one for rent stabilization. We learn from Dr. Silva, whose years of […]

Host George Cadman discusses the civil rights issues raised by recent ICE deportation raids with constitutional law attorney, Mauni Jalali. Jalali is instituting a call to action, to motivate local electeds to answer to the voters. He has developed expertise in administrative law matters, government regulation, and plaintiff-side antitrust, with particular emphasis on cases involving […]

On this special FanimeCon edition of Inside Education, host Meilin Obinata speaks with Gilles Poitras, an expert in the realms of anime and manga, Japanese forms of comic book and animated entertainment which have caught popularity around the world. What connections do these storytelling formats have upon learning? How do librarians benefit from having manga […]

Our intrepid reporter/intern Maury Burnett-Cavoto asks: How are you dealing with the rise in egg prices?

What happens when a former Soviet state experiments with Silicon Valley-style capitalism – when the worlds of open source hardware collide with proprietary corporate control? What happens when American landlords use the latest and greatest in surveillance tech to terrorize renters? McElroy also shares the origin story of SF BARF which Sonja Trauss led, which […]

Are universities hedge funds? Is knowledge political? What do you think? Join host, Meilin Obinata, for a discussion with Max Sárosi, an organizer of of the Jews Against White Supremacy (JAWS) chapter at UCSC. Sárosi has studied how billionaire philanthropy impacts the University of California, including UC Santa Cruz. What secrets lurk in the gifts […]

In this episode of Talk of the Bay, host Meilin Obinata introduces two members of the Tzimtzum Community, which offers Jewish Gatherings for Personal and Collective Liberation. One is the founder Rabbi Chel Mandell, and the other guest is a Jewish educator and is a dedicated member, Ben Yanowitz (who is also a host on […]

In early May, dozens of nonprofit and health care leaders assembled outside of Watsonville Community Hospital to altogether issue a desperate plea: hands off our health care. The message came hours before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee, which is responsible for health care funding, began debating a Republican-sponsored spending bill in Congress that seeks […]

Sara Barth, executive director of Sempervirens fund, joined Talk of the Bay just a few days shy of a monumental occasion for California’s first land trust — its 125th anniversary. The conservation group, focused on forest protection and restoration since 1900, commemorated the milestone with the first-ever Redwoods Festival at the historic Roaring Camp property […]

We have the pleasure to talk to the family of Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famer Ritchie Valens. He was the first Chicano to reach such accomplishments. On this episode of Talk of the Bay, From the Streets, host Omar Dieguez interviewed multiple members of the Ritchie Valens family, including his brother’s daughters Brenda Morales […]

I am traveling in Italy, in the Garfagnana region, a hilly, remote valley with ancient hilltowns and castles. In the small town of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, we come upon a protest organized by the villagers decrying conditions in Gaza. Here is what we recorded from the few who could speak English.

Our intrepid Squid on the Street, UCSC Humanities intern, Maury Burnett-Cavoto asked people how they feel about traveling out of the country under Trump’s current border security crackdowns.

On KSQD’s Talk of the Bay, host Omar Diegez speaks with Bobby Pelz, Ethnic Studies teacher at the Pajaro Valley High School, and Caroline Kuspa, of Jews for a Free Palestine. They discuss the curriculum in the school district and the recent tensions and controversies, around the failed censure of trustee Gabe Medina.

The host was Omar Diguez. Our guests discussed what it’s like to be in recovery, the sense of desperation, seeking healing though ceremonies. many different forms of recovery through twelve step programs and spiritual practices such as praying at sweat lodges. One guest, Eric, a resident of Salinas, has been in recovery for 14 years. […]

“From the Streets,” is a new Talk of the Bay series, hosted by Omar Dieguez. His guests for this show were Professor Christine Hong of UC Santa Cruz and Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee, Gabriel Medina. They discuss the dedicated community work that recently led to the reinstatement of ethnic studies in the Pajaro […]

“From the Streets,” is a new Talk of the Bay series, hosted by Omar Dieguez. His guests are Roy Recio, Watsonville native and founder of the Tobera Project, preserving Fililpino immigrant history in the Pajaro Valley; and marine ecologist Nat Low of Aptos, director of the Asian American Justice and Innovation Lab. They discuss their […]

On Talk of the Bay host Andrew Schoneberg interviews leaders from the Carmel Foundation, a non-profit service organization that facilitates successful aging by providing a rich spectrum of interactive activities and services for the ever-changing physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs for those 55 and older. Have a listen to learn about the history of the […]

Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and immigration activist. He tells the story of coming to the U.S. as a child, unaware that he was entering without legal documents. His 31-year quest to obtain legal status led to a life of hiding until he “came out” in a New York Times article titled, […]

In this show, engineer Sandy Stone and board chair Rachel Anne Goodman reminisce about the circuitous route that KSQD’s founders took in getting on the air. Here is something I wrote up trying to capture a lot of the milestones. Our story: Once upon a time back in the 1970’s there was a visionary writer […]

It’s no secret that Santa Cruz County loves its weed. Take a trip to UCSC’s campus on April 20th and you’ll get a sense of what I mean. But despite the community enthusiasm for the flowering herb, the industry has struggled to take off both at the local and statewide level after it was legalized […]

Artistic Director for Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Charles Pasternak talks about the bard and how his plays always provide fresh insights, as the four-decade-old company readies for its new season in July.

  Vicki Abeles is a filmmaker, attorney and change agent. She directed the award-winning documentaries Race to Nowhere and Beyond Measure and reached millions of viewers by focusing on social impact. She is the author of the NYT best-selling book Beyond Measure. Additional film credits include Associate Producer on the Sundance favorite Miss Representation (2011) […]

This compilation of audio impressions reflects the sentiments of the people gathered with estimated 8,000 others to protest the takedown of our government by Musk and MAGA.

  David Woodbury is the founder and host of the Central Coast Conference (now in its 2nd year), a weekend-long lecture series dedicated to topics in American history. He earned a degree in History from the University of Evansville, in Indiana, before moving to California 40 years ago. He pursued a long career in publishing, […]

  John Brown Childs is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was born on December 2, 1942, in a public housing project, in the Roxbury section of Boston. In 1963, he co-organized a group of students from the University of Massachusetts to go to the March on Washington […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from our smartphones to electric vehicles, but they also come with risks. In this episode of Talk of the Bay, Meilin Obinata sits down with Patrick Durham, a mechanical engineer and firefighter, to dive deep into lithium battery safety, fire prevention, and risk management.   Who is Patrick Durham? Patrick Durham […]

On this Talk of the Bay, Meilin Obinata interviewed two members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Workers United to find out what is motivating workers to form a union for the first time in the history of the aquarium. In this show, you’ll hear from two members of the organizing committee who are attempting to […]