The Bay

At elite high schools in Silicon Valley, the pressure to succeed is intense. And according to Sophia Shao, a senior at Los Altos High School, her proximity to California’s tech capital is a big reason why. In this special collaboration with KQED’s Youth Takeover, a yearlong project to highlight compelling stories written and produced by local teens, Shao talks with us about growing up in a place where everyone is expected to succeed. Guest: Sophia Shao, senior at Los Altos High School Read the transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

School starts again at San Francisco Unified next week. But some teachers and staff still haven’t been fully paid what they’re owed for last year. Since at least January, SFUSD has had problems with its new payroll system, EmpowerSF. These problems still haven’t been fully resolved, and hundreds of teachers and staff say they’re still being shortchanged. District leaders, including the new superintendent, say fixing this is a top priority. But this problem has left educators feeling furious, and in some cases demoralized, as another school year begins. Guest: Ida Mojadad, reporter for the San Francisco Standard covering education and housing Read the transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Project Roomkey is coming to an end. Its goal was to temporarily house some of the state’s most vulnerable homeless people in hotel rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This would also hopefully serve as a stepping stone to permanent housing. So, how successful was Project Roomkey at getting people out of homelessness? Today, we look at how it worked in Alameda County. Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED housing reporter Read episode transcript Links: Last Days at the Radisson: As State Shelter Program Shutters, Formerly Unhoused Residents in Oakland Brace for Next Steps Project Roomkey Was Meant to Provide Safe Shelter. In Vallejo, At Least 5 People Died in Their Rooms. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ericka here, bringing you all something different for today’s episode. Every week, our job here at The Bay is to tell stories about this place and the people in it. But recently, I got the chance to tell a different kind of story: one about…me. Earlier this summer, the San Francisco chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association hosted a live storytelling event at KQED called Hella Asian. It was a gathering of local journalists and storytellers sharing reflections on how we come back as a community after the last two and a half years. I told a story about a camping trip I went on with my best friend during the pandemic. It’s a story about friendship and photography. It’s also a story about the mental impact of journalism and the news, especially on journalists of color like myself. The story shows how my work has affected me and my sense of safety after covering the pandemic and hate against the Asian community. And that’s the story we’re sharing with you today. Read the transcript Hella Asian: The Comeback Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1969, a group of protesters took over a plot of land owned by UC Berkeley and turned it into a green, public space now known as People’s Park. Since then, it’s become a place synonymous with Berkeley’s history of protest, resistance, and mutual aid. Over the last 2 years, it also became home to dozens of unhoused people, prompting reports of crime and complaints from some residents. Now, UC Berkeley is planning to replace the park with student housing. Supporters say it’s necessary to address a student housing crisis. Opponents say that development would destroy an important community space and displace unhoused people. Guest: Supriya Yelimeli, Berkeleyside housing and homelessness reporter A transcript of this episode is available. This episode was produced and edited by Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also produced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A state of emergency over monkeypox has been declared in San Francisco and in the state of California. More than 5,800 cases have been confirmed nationwide so far. Getting this virus can be a very painful experience. So far, a majority of confirmed cases are among queer men. And here in the Bay, people trying to keep each other safe while also pushing back on stigma. Guest: Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, KQED community engagement reporter A transcript of this episode is available. Links: Monkeypox Resources and Explainers Where Can I Find a Monkeypox Vaccine Near Me? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you talk to longtime residents of San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, you'll hear lots of stories about people getting sick from cancer or respiratory illnesses. Many people believe that the polluted areas in the neighborhood, like the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, are a big reason why. For decades, people in the Bayview have been surrounded by toxic chemicals coming from this Superfund site. Now, the community is facing a combination of this historic pollution and the future threat of sea level rise. And advocates say that the best way forward — to repair the harm that's been done and to help them adapt to climate change — is reparations. Guest: Ezra David Romero, climate reporter for KQED Episode transcript Ezra's digital piece: For These Black Bayview-Hunters Point Residents, Reparations Include Safeguarding Against Rising, Toxic Contamination This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We work really hard to bring you three episodes a week. But we’ll admit: Sometimes, it's good to take a break from the news. The Bay is taking a break from making new episodes for the month of July. We’re using this time to reset, rest, do some team-bonding, and brainstorm what we want to make for you in the coming year. We will resume our regular schedule on August 2. You can still reach us on Twitter @TheBayKQED or via e-mail [email protected]. We always love hearing from you. Thank you for listening and enjoying the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've known for a minute that, if Roe v. Wade was overturned, California would play a big role in helping Americans access abortion services. Now, it's no longer hypothetical: the Supreme Court ended federal abortion rights on Friday, and reproductive justice groups like California-based ACCESS have gotten tons of calls from people both inside and outside the state. Guest: Sasha, healthline coordinator for ACCESS Reproductive Justice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in California, abortion is still legal. And an overwhelming majority of Bay Area residents support the right to have one. Which is why, over the weekend, many people marched in protest against the Supreme Court’s decision to end federal abortion rights. In today’s episode, KQED reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi takes us to one protest in San Francisco. Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED reporter This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, who also edited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before moving to the Bay Area from Jacksonville, Florida, friends told KQED Rightnowish production intern Corey Antonio Rose he was heading to ‘gay mecca.’ As the months went by, Corey Antonio said, as a Black queer man, he felt invisible in the Bay's queer spaces. That experience kicked off a 3-part series called ‘Searching for a Kiki,’ in which he sets out to understand whether the Bay Area actually is a safe place for Black queer people, and finds people who have created those spaces themselves. Guest: Corey Antonio Rose, production intern for KQED's Rightnowish podcast This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also produced. Links: Searching for a Kiki: SF's First Black-Owned Gay Bar Searching for a Kiki: The World's First Transgender Cultural District Searching for a Kiki: The Next Generation of Black and Queer Bars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is the nation’s first and only federally designated memorial of those who have died of AIDS (though ironically, it doesn’t receive federal funding.) The folks behind it say its existence is not just about remembering those who’ve died, but also the activism of the queer community who stepped up when the government wouldn’t. This story is part of the Bay Curious series "A Very Curious Walking Tour of Golden Gate Park." It originally aired on June 3, 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, the death penalty is in limbo. On the one hand, the state hasn’t executed anyone since 2006. On the other, the death penalty in still legal. In practice, this means that hundreds of incarcerated people have been languishing on death for row years, even decades. Timothy James Young, who’s on death row at San Quentin State Prison, believes he was wrongfully convicted of murder and still hopes that someday he will be freed. And he has reason to hope: over the last few years, a garden project with UC Santa Cruz has snowballed into a full-blown campaign by students and faculty to exonerate him. Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporter This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Links: California Will Close Death Row at San Quentin. The Next Steps Are More Complicated How a Garden at UC Santa Cruz Led to an Exoneration Campaign for a Man on Death Row 'I Am More: The Story of Tim Young' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Golden State Warriors are one win away from another NBA championship, which would be their fourth since 2015. But as OG fans know, they haven’t always been this good. Writer and Bay Area native Alan Chazaro remembers those days, when tickets at Oracle Arena in East Oakland were affordable, attracting working class folks from across the Bay Area and street vendors selling hotdogs outside the stadium. Still, the Warriors have represented a kind of underdog mentality that the Bay Area has always identified with, even after their 2019 move to San Francisco and the new Chase Center. And for Alan, this championship just might be the most satisfying of them all. Guest: Alan Chazaro, adjunct professor for creative writing at the University of San Francisco and food writer for KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains mentions of suicide. On a weekend in early June, hundreds of San Mateo County residents drove to a courthouse parking lot in South San Francisco to voluntarily give up their guns. The buyback was conducted by the county sheriff’s office and organized by Citizens for San Mateo Gun Buyback. The group formed in 2018 after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and then raised money from local city governments to pay for the program. There are other events like this happening in the Bay Area, too. It won’t solve our gun violence problem overnight. But it’s one example of communities moving the needle without waiting for the U.S. Senate to act. Guest: Annelise Finney, KQED reporter/producer A transcript of this episode is available. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has been recalled. This race has gotten a ton of attention both inside and outside the Bay Area, which is uncommon for a local DA race. And shortly after election night, national outlets proclaimed that these results show an indictment of criminal justice reforms in California. But the truth is a lot more complicated. Today, we’ll dig into the many different reasons why Boudin was voted out of office. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED political correspondent and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, tens of thousands of workers aren’t getting paid what they’re owed by their employers. Many of these workers are low-wage earning immigrants in industries like construction, home care, and food service. The state actually has a system in place where people can file claims of wage theft. But the system currently has a huge backlog, leaving people waiting years before they can try and and recover their money. In some cases, workers claim their employers stole tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars from them. The result? Many low-wage Californians miss out on rent, food, and can even lose their homes. Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED labor correspondent Related links: Most Fast-Food Workers Are Victims of Wage Theft, Survey Find Despite Record Budget Surplus, California Unlikely to Fix Massive Wage-Theft Claim Backlog Anytime Soon This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s mental health care system is a mess. And at the same time, unsheltered homelessness is increasing and voters want their leaders to do something about it. Those are some of the reasons why Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposal called the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court — or CARE Court. The idea is to provide a coordinated mental health treatment plan for a patient, under the supervision of a judge. But there’s also a catch: if the patient refuses that treatment, that could also be used as grounds for conservatorship, where the judge appoints someone to manage a patient’s care and finances. That has created big concerns among civil liberties and mental health advocates, who worry that this new court system could cause even more problems in a system rife with racial disparities. Guest: Erin Baldassari, KQED housing affordability reporter This episode was edited and produced by Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also produced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are so many horrifying incidents of attacks on Asians that have gone viral. Many of them took place in San Francisco. There’s a lot of fear, anxiety, and anger among Asian communities in the city. And many people want justice for these attacks. Whether that is truly or happening or not is a huge sticking point in Tuesday’s recall election of District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who ran on a progressive platform and says incarcerating people should be a last resort. KQED and The San Francisco Standard reviewed 12 local, high-profile criminal cases involving Asian victims in 2020 and 2021. In this episode, we discuss what these cases show, and what the path forward might look like. Guests: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter and producer for KQED News and Han Li, reporter for the San Francisco Standard A transcript of this episode is available. This episode was edited by Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also hosted. Links: KQED Voter Guide KQED Live: An Interview with Chesa Boudin Why High-Profile Attacks on SF's Asian Community Rarely Lead to Hate Crime Charges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time since 2014, the race for mayor in San Jose has no incumbent running, since Mayor Sam Liccardo is term-limited. On June 7, San Jose voters will decide between 7 candidates, ranging from current elected officials to complete outsiders. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the June primary, the top 2 finishers face a November runoff. Today, we’ll hear from voters and from the candidates who think they should be mayor of the Bay Area’s largest city. Guests: Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, community engagement reporter for KQED and Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer for KQED’s politics & government desk This episode was edited and produced by Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also produced. Candidate audio comes from forums hosted by the San Jose Spotlight and SPUR. A transcript of this episode is available. Links: KQED 2022 voter guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Solano County, two high-profile police killings loom large over the race for District Attorney on June 7. That’s because the incumbent, Krishna Abrams, recused herself from investigating the deaths of Willie McCoy in 2019 and Sean Monterrosa in 2020, citing the public’s lack of confidence in her office.Now she’s running against her own chief deputy DA, Sharon Henry, who argues that the DA’s office hasn’t been independent enough to make tough, politically fraught decisions. Guest: Scott Morris, investigative reporter with the Vallejo Sun Related links: KQED’s 2022 Voter Guide Solano DA candidates Abrams, Henry debate equity, accountability in ACLU forum Incumbents lead fundraising in Solano Sheriff, DA’s race The Life and Death of Willie McCoy This episode was edited and produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, an armed gunman killed at least 18 children and 3 adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. There’s still a lot of questions about what happened. But here’s what we do know: That Robb Elementary is 90% Hispanic. That the students’ last day of school was scheduled for Thursday. And that when the camera crews move on, and the national media leave, this community will be coping with this for the rest of their lives. Because we as a nation have done so little to stop gun violence, this kind of trauma is a reality for millions of surviving families and children. So today, instead of our usual coverage of local news, we’re sharing an episode by KQED’s Mindshift podcast from back in 2018. It’s set in Richmond, and it’s about how people in the community provide love and support to kids who’ve experienced trauma, especially from violence. This episode first aired on Oct. 23, 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 35,000 people are living unhoused across the Bay Area – up 9 percent in the last three years, according to an annual count of folks living on the streets. In light of the release of those most recent statistics, we wanted to re-up an episode of Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America that asks: what are your biggest ideas on how to solve the housing crisis? This episode first published on Apr 25, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just because COVID sick pay exists doesn't necessarily mean employees always feel comfortable using it. Between Americans’ unhealthy relationship with work and a sense that the world is opening back up again, employers have a lot to gain from the lack of widespread knowledge of COVID sick pay benefits in California. But if you work in California and get infected with COVID, you may be able to claim up to 80 hours of paid leave. And now that the Bay Area isin another COVID surge because of the omicron BA.2 variant, learning your rights about sick pay is more important than ever. Guest: Carly Severn, senior engagement editor for KQED Links: COVID Sick Pay in California: How to Claim This New Paid Leave Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The threat of domestic extremist violence is all over the country. Just last weekend, an 18-year old white man drove to a predominantly Black part of Buffalo, New York, and shot 13 people at a grocery store. 10 have died. The Bay Area is not immune to this threat. Last year, two men who worked at an auto shop in Napa were arrested and accused of plotting to blow up the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento. Guests: Julie Small and Alex Hall, KQED reporters This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Alan Montecillo, who also edited. Links: Plot to Blow Up Democratic Headquarters Exposed California Extremists Hiding in Plain Sight The California Republicans Who Helped Enable the January 6 Attack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s new 8th Congressional district, which includes Vallejo, Fairfield, Richmond, Pittsburg, and part of Antioch, is the most diverse in the region. It’s the only district in the entire state with at least 15% white, Latino, Black, and Asian populations. That’s no coincidence. Grassroots activists in Contra Costa and Solano counties pushed for these communities to be included in the same district — and succeeded. Now, there’s an election coming. And in the race to represent this district in the U.S. House, the overwhelming frontrunner is Rep. John Garamendi, a white, 77-year old Democrat who doesn’t live in the district. So how did this happen, and how do people feel about it? Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics and government reporter and producer Episode Transcript Links: KQED Voter Guide for the June 7 Primary Activists Helped Create the Bay Area's Most Diverse Congressional District. Now They're Probably Getting John Garamendi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lots of high-profile jobs in San Francisco have opened up lately — whether it’s because of a recall, a corruption scandal, or a simple job promotion. And as a result, Mayor London Breed has been able to appoint a lot of people. Most recently, Breed was tasked with filling the District 6 Board of Supervisors seat left vacant by the election of Matt Haney to the state Assembly. She picked Matt Dorsey, an openly gay, longtime political insider who most recently served as a spokesperson for the SFPD. Today, we talk about Dorsey’s appointment and what it could signal for the city's politics. Guest: Scott Shafer, KQED senior editor of politics and government and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Currently, the Bay Area is California’s COVID hot spot. The good news? Fewer people are being hospitalized or dying from COVID, thanks to the vaccine and the increased availability of treatments. This wave might also be a window into what life will look like going forward, without the public health mandates we saw at the pandemic’s peak. Guest: Lesley McClurg, KQED health correspondent Episode transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s election season again. On June 7, Californians have some big decisions to make in elections both locally and statewide. In San Francisco, voters will decide whether or not District Attorney Chesa Boudin will keep his job. Boudin was a public defender who grew up with parents in prison. And when he was elected in 2019, he promised progressive reforms around prosecution and police accountability. Now, he faces a recall election. The people who want him out of office say he hasn’t been tough enough on crime, and that the city is less safe under his leadership as DA. So in this episode, we’re sharing an interview between Chesa Boudin and KQED’s Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer. It was recorded in front of a live audience at our headquarters in San Francisco on May 3. Related links: 'We Are All More Than Our Worst Mistake': Five Takeaways From SF District Attorney Chesa Boudin's Appearance at KQED California Primary Election 2022 FAQ: From When to Vote to How to Fix a Ballot Mistake KQED Live Events Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At West County High School in Sebastopol, there are way fewer students of color compared with schools in many Bay Area cities. And the students there have been fighting racist bullying for years. In 2016, the federal government investigated the West Sonoma County Union High School District for how it handled racist bullying at its schools. Over the past month, this issue has gotten a ton of attention from the community again — and students of color say not much has changed. Guest: Julia McEvoy, KQED senior editor This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A majority of the Supreme Court plans to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to leaked documents obtained by Politico. In California, most public officials have pledged to double down on our state’s protections for abortion rights. But that doesn’t mean getting access to an abortion is always easy. An estimated 40% of mostly rural counties in California — home to hundreds of thousands of people in the state — have no clinics that provide abortions. Guest: Katie Orr, former KQED politics and government reporter Episode Transcript This episode originally aired on Dec. 8, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up, Katrina Ramos White helped her immigrant parents run a toy stand at the Berryessa Flea Market in San Jose. A few years ago, with hopes of buying her own home in SIlicon Valley, she took over the family business on top of her tech job. But big change is on the horizon for La Pulga, which sits on privately-owned land and is now slated for redevelopment. For Katrina and her family, saying goodbye to La Pulga could mean saying goodbye to the Bay Area altogether. Guests: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Silicon Valley reporter and Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, KQED en Español reporter Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now a derelict building, the 16th street train station in West Oakland was once a thriving center of transportation during the golden age of rail travel in the 1900s when trains were the only way to get around. The station expanded the working-class Black community in Oakland, who migrated to live and work close to the station. It also played a crucial role in the creation and development of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters — the first Black union in the country. This Bay Curious episode takes a deep dive into the rich history of the station. This episode of Bay Curious first aired on Apr. 14, 2022. Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tell me memories mean something and I will carve your face on a tree. Never cut it down. Guarded with what slaps and surprises sage and old E-40 cassettes from an OG’s trunk. Can we love in a city lost? Can we touch in a city gone? – An excerpt from “Love Me Before The City Disappears” April is National Poetry Month! And before it ends, we want to celebrate contemporary poetry inspired by life in the Bay Area. Producer Maria Esquinca interviews writer and director Nijla Mu’min about her poetry, which explores the Bay as a backdrop of love, growing up here, and feeling unwelcome in a place that’s changed. Guest: Nijla Mu’min (poet and filmmaker) This episode was written by Maria Esquinca, produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Christopher Beale, and edited by Kyana Moghadam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many families waiting decades for the right to live and work permanently in the U.S. through the crazy, byzantine rules of America’s immigration system, a special nightmare occurs when a child turns 21—they age out of their parent’s work visas and are at risk for deportation. In California, there are over 40,000 ‘Documented Dreamers' aging out and labeled foreign nationals, with few options for permanent residency. And in Silicon Valley, where tech companies run on immigrant labor, this crisis is hitting especially hard. Guest: Rachael Myrow, Senior Editor, Silicon Valley desk for KQED This episode was produced by Christopher Beale and Maria Esquinca, edited by Kyana Moghadam and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A federal judge in Florida ruled on Monday that the federal mask mandate was unlawful. Hours later, the Transportation Security Administration lifted mask rules inside airports, airplanes and on public transportation. Transportation agencies around the Bay soon followed suit, raising concerns among disability rights and medically vulnerable communities. In light of the recent changes to public mask mandates, we revisit an episode we aired in January. Two years into the pandemic, as restrictions loosened disabled, immunocompromised, and medically vulnerable people feared that their health would be further jeopardized. Guest: Lesley McClurg, KQED health reporter This episode first aired January 26, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that would limit how police store and use DNA profiles obtained from evidence and kept in their labs. The changes happened after the district attorney’s office found the San Francisco Police Department had used DNA from a survivor’s rape kit to link her to an unrelated crime years later. It’s hard to know just how many people’s DNA was used in this way, raising concerns about what power law enforcement yields with advancements in DNA technology. Guest: Alex Emslie, reporter for KQED This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Christopher Beale, hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and edited by Kyana Moghadam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a student makes an allegation of sexual assault, their options for redress are often unsatisfying. Few cases end up in the legal system, and rarely do schools get sued for how they respond to those allegations. In one rare, recent case, one student’s allegations did end up in a courtroom — and in front of a jury. The student sued the East Side Union High School District alleging administrators didn’t do enough to protect her from further abuse after an alleged explicit video of her circulated around school. And as it turns out, more students are filing cases against school districts’ handling of such allegations. Guest: Holly McDede, reporter and producer for KQED Recommended listening: SF Students Are Still Pushing for a Reckoning With Sexual Abuse This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Redistricting is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to redraw a city’s political map. It’s an important yet arcane process that should ultimately lead to fair, equitable representation in local government — and it’s really hard to do. In San Francisco, the process hasn’t just been hard; it's been chaotic, confusing, heated — and as Mission Local columnist Joe Eskenazi writes, "indefensible." Ultimately, the commission did not meet its legal deadline of April 15 to complete its maps, leaving the future of the city's district lines up in the air. Guest: Joe Eskenazi, Mission Local editor and columnist This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Recommended reading: Task force rejects its final map, will work past legal April 15 deadline, Mission Local Chair of Redistricting Task Force told others he felt mayor’s pressure in voting on maps, Mission Local Redistricting has been a debacle — and we aren’t nearly done, Mission Local Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rise of Uber in San Francisco a decade ago marked the beginning of the end for much of the taxi industry. Taxi companies went bankrupt and drivers struggled to pay off their medallions, pushing many of them into debt. But now, Uber sees an opportunity in the same industry it nearly destroyed. Uber has struck a deal with taxi hailing apps in San Francisco and New York that will allow riders to hail taxis through Uber’s app. Some taxi drivers see an opportunity to boost their pay; others are skeptical that the company can be trusted. So what’s really in it for Uber? Guest: Levi Sumagaysay, senior reporter for Marketwatch Episode transcript Recommended Reading: The Human Cost of Uber and Lyft: Life in the Dying Taxi Industry SF Taxi Drivers Say the Medallion Crisis Is Killing Them, Literally ‘There’s a lot of suspicion about what’s Uber really up to’ — Uber is bringing taxicabs onto its platform, here’s how it will work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020 call outs for mutual aid donations flooded social media, and people responded with an abundance of money, food and time. Two years later, interest and support has waned while the needs have not gone away. As government aid like the child tax credit and stimulus checks expire, organizers across the Bay look at filling in the gaps. Guest: Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, community engagement reporter for KQED Episode transcript Recommended listening: What Mutual Aid Means — And Why It's Worth Protecting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may feel a little far from the Bay Area, but Sacramento is home to our state Capitol. And just a stone’s throw away from that building, in the downtown area, is where the city experienced its deadliest mass shooting ever on Sunday. 6 people have been killed, and at least 12 have been injured. Guest: Saul Gonzalez, host of KQED's The California Report This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Recommended listening: Let's Talk About Race and the Orinda Shooting, Nov. 6, 2019. Unpacking the Rise in Gun Violence, Oct. 13, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rainy season is over. But it didn’t feel like much of a rainy season at all. And now, California is in another year of drought. In the Bay Area, the North and South Bay are getting hit the hardest. Being asked to save water isn’t new to Californians. So what other solutions are on the table for how we can adapt to drier winters and shrinking dams? Guest: Ezra David Romero, climate reporter for KQED Recommended listening: Our Fire Conversation Needs to Change This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the Emeryville shoreline was a shopping center and commercial area, it was the site of a sacred burial site belonging to the Ohlone people, natives of the San Francisco Bay Area. There were once more than 425 of these shellmounds across the Bay Area. And today, native people are still working to protect what’s left of them. Bay Curious explores the history of these shellmounds, and what happened to them. Episode transcript This episode of Bay Curious originally aired Nov. 8, 2018. Since then, the California Court of Appeals ruled that a housing development could move forward on the West Berkeley Shellmound site, despite arguments by the city of Berkeley and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan. Berkeley appealed the ruling, but the State Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to basketball in the Bay Area, there’s no team that’s done more winning than Stanford’s women’s team. Since 1990, the Cardinal have won 15 conference championships, 3 national championships, and have made the Final Four 15 times. Now, they're two wins away from back-to-back national titles, with a semifinal matchup against the UConn Huskies tonight at 6:30 pm PT. And under the helm of longtime head coach Tara VanDerveer, the winningest coach in women's college basketball history, Stanford has also played a huge role in breaking barriers in the face of inequities between women's and men's sports. Episode Transcript Guest: Michelle Smith, freelance women’s basketball writer Links: Report - NCAA Gender Review Coaches Speak Up After Report Finds NCAA Undervalues Women's Sports Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a weird month for BART’s Board of Directors. In the span of just 2 weeks, the agency removed — and then reinstated — Director Lateefah Simon. A Black, legally blind, regular BART rider, Director Simon was initially removed over a mix-up with her home address, which is barely 300 feet outside her district. But this abrupt decision sparked a huge outcry from constituents, who suddenly couldn’t reach the person they elected. Now Director Simon is back on the board, but there are still lots of unanswered questions about how any of this happened in the first place. And Director Simon has said she is committed to keeping her seat. Episode Transcript Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED editor and reporter This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Questions? Comments? Email us: [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Landing in a new country is never easy, even if you’re landing in a place like the Bay Area, which is already home to so many immigrants, refugees, and people who’ve sought asylum. And between Russia's invasion of Ukraine, chaos in Afghanistan, and the ongoing crisis at the US-Mexico border, this topic has been on our minds a lot. On Wednesday, March 23, KQED Live held an event called Finding Asylum in California. It included visual art by Caleb Duarte, and a discussion moderated by KQED Newsroom host Priya David Clemens. That discussion also included KQED immigration senior editor Tyche Hendricks and JFCS East Bay refugee resettlement director Fouzia Azizi. Today, we're sharing that conversation on the show. For more information about live events at KQED, visit https://www.kqed.org/events Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April 2020, Vallejo became one of the first cities to opt into the state’s Project Roomkey, a program designed to provide hotel rooms for medically vulnerable people without homes during the pandemic. The program was touted as a success by city leaders. But reporting from The Vallejo Sun found at least 5 people who participated in the program died in their hotel rooms, including 3 who weren’t found for days. So how did this happen? Guest: Scott Morris, investigative journalist for The Vallejo Sun Scott’s article: Left Alone in Their Rooms: Death and dysfunction in Vallejo’s COVID housing for the homeless Episode transcript This episode was produced and edited by Alan Montecillo and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About 500 operators and technicians at Chevron’s Richmond refinery went on strike starting Monday. It’s the first labor strike at the plant in more than 40 years. The union representing these workers says that Chevron hasn’t offered enough in the way of pay increases, benefit contributions, and worker safety. Chevron claims the union has asked for too much, and in the meantime has promised to keep the refinery running using non-union workers. This strike is also laying bare the tensions within the city of Richmond about Chevron’s role in the community. Guest: Ted Goldberg, KQED supervising senior editor of news Episode transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Alan Montecillo. Additional reporting by Maria Fernanda Bernal and Rachael Myrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s no fun getting gas these days. The average price in many Bay Area counties reached $5.80 a gallon. And that's making it tough for people who drive for gig companies like Uber and Lyft, or who are taxi drivers. Guest: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, KQED reporter and producer This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Devin Katayama. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices