The Bay

The Bay Area is home to some of the largest Afghan communities in the U.S. And now, as the Taliban have taken over control of Afghanistan, refugee resettlement organizations here like Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay say the pace of people seeking refuge is "like nothing we've seen in recent years." Guest: Fouzia Azizi, Director of Refugee Services for Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay You can find opportunities to donate or help JFCS here. Read the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election is coming. Ballots have been mailed out and the last day to vote in Sept. 14. Feeling unprepared? Here’s a primer with nitty-gritty voting details, some context for the campaign, and what you’ll find on your ballot from our friends at Bay Curious. Transcript here: https://bit.ly/3sdB4I2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the vast majority of families, this fall means a return to in-person school. But some have opted to stick with remote learning because of concerns over COVID-19. And in many cases — including in Oakland — the rollout of virtual learning this time around has been rocky. Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED education reporter Transcript here: https://bit.ly/3sgb8vn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area teachers have been preparing to teach in-person again. There’s so much to get ready for — whether it’s taking steps to keep people safe from COVID-19, or figuring out how to navigate student group projects. But above all, these two Bay Area teachers are excited to return to what was lost: connecting in person with their students. Guests: Andreanna Yanez-Vierra, 1st grade teacher at Hoover Elementary School in Burlingame; Ralph Bedwell, English teacher at Pinole Valley High Transcript here: https://bit.ly/3fRDmHO Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Bay Area students are starting school this week, and in California, classes will mostly be in-person. At the same time, COVID cases are rising due to the delta variant. But after a year of remote learning, families and students have mixed feelings about going back to school in person. Guest: Julia McEvoy, KQED senior editor of education and equity. Read the episode transcript here. Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even before the pandemic, public transit did not feel safe to many women and girls. That’s why the #NotOneMoreGirl initiative was launched and spearheaded by Bay Area youth — and they've already helped create changes at BART. As BART service resumes at near pre-pandemic hours, advocates say keeping vulnerable people safe is more important than ever. Guests: Haleema Bharoocha, senior advocacy manager at Alliance for Girls and Santana Tapia, with the #NotOneMoreGirl campaign and co-founder of Fluid Coffee and Events Click here to watch the bystander intervention training video produced by the Not One More Girl Campaign. Read the episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just when there was a palpable sense that everything might be OK, the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 came along. The race to vaccinate more people is now even more urgent; healthcare workers who are seeing more patients say another surge is entirely preventable, if only more people would get vaccinated. Guest: Lesley McClurg, KQED science reporter Read the episode transcript here. Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, fueled by the contagious Delta variant. And over the past few weeks, many Bay Area restaurants and bars have responded by requiring customers to prove they've been fully vaccinated before dining inside. Today, we visit one San Francisco business that recently made this decision. Guests: Eduardo Sandoval and Eva Lee of Santería margarita bar in San Francisco Read the transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the next few weeks, we’re taking a break from making new episodes. It’s a lot of work to bring you 3 shows a week, and we’re going to use this time to rest up and reflect. We’re still going to be accessible if you want to hit us up with questions, comments or story ideas. We’re on Twitter @TheBayKQED, and reachable via email at [email protected]. Our next episode will be on Monday, August 2. Thank you all so much for listening and for supporting the show, and we’re looking forward to sharing new episodes with you all when we come back. Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3hwPZbA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our colleagues at KQED and NPR have spent countless hours analyzing the world of police discipline, thanks to a police transparency law that unsealed thousands of files. And over the past few weeks, they’ve been sharing that work in the form of On Our Watch, a limited-run podcast that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned, to find out who this shadow system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects. Many episodes of On Our Watch also focus on Bay Area police departments. And today, we wanted to share an episode that focuses on Antioch — and what happened when a veteran detective spent years leaking operational secrets. Subscribe to On Our Watch here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law that extends California’s eviction protections for people economically impacted by COVID-19 — and who have paid at least 25% of the rent they owe — until Sept. 30. The state also has a plan to use $5.2 billion in federal money to pay for 100% of rental debt owed by eligible tenants. So for now, California has prevented thousands of landlords from evicting tenants who have been behind on rent due to the pandemic. But if we don’t want to be in the same situation in 3 months, the state needs to get relief money to the people who need it — and fast. Guest: Molly Solomon, KQED housing affordability reporter and co-host of Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is in a second year of drought. And depending on where you live, you might already have water restrictions in place. Healdsburg, for example, has a mandatory 40% water restriction, while Santa Rosa has a voluntary 20%. In Mendocino County, and in areas of the North Bay that rely on the Russian River for water, cities, farmers and residents are trying to save for current and future droughts. Guest: Ezra David Romero, KQED climate reporter Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s our 500th episode! One of the great joys of working on the show has been using our space to help people in the Bay Area get excited about or involved in issues they care about. Often that starts with local government. So we want to share one of our favorite episodes with you from earlier this year with tips about how to publicly address your elected leaders. Then, after that, we all hop on the mic to talk a little bit about why we love this episode, and share some stories from The Bay's early days. Guest: LaTonda Simmons, Oakland city clerk from 2004 to 2020, currently assistant city administrator Episode transcript here. This episode of our By the People series first published on January 4, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forty years after the AIDS epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens those most at risk in the LGBTQ community across the world. Community organizers in the Bay Area have been building on the work of people like Bobbi Campbell, a San Francisco nurse who became the first person to go public with a cancer associated with AIDS. His work to educate the other gay men in the city was the beginning of an activist-led campaign that helped protect the queer community from AIDS even before the federal government acknowledged the disease. Guest: Sarah Hotchkiss, KQED Arts’ Senior associate editor Read more of KQED Arts’ series Pride as Protest. Episode transcript here. This episode originally aired on June 26, 2019. Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On June 2, so many people spoke during a Bay Area Air Quality Management District board meeting that the agency had to postpone a vote to regulate air pollution from two Bay Area refineries — one run by Chevron in Richmond, and one run by PBF Energy in Martinez. The proposal would force Chevron and PBF Energy to install potentially hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to clean the particulate matter released every day by their refineries. Now, the Air District board is has been rescheduled for July 21, in this pivotal decision that affects health, jobs, and our climate. Guest: Ted Goldberg, KQED senior editor Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, San Jose’s City Council will vote on a plan to rezone parts of the Flea Market on Berryessa Road, where hundreds of immigrant vendors have set up shop for more than 60 years. The new development would include commercial and residential space near transit, including some affordable housing units. But it would also shrink the space for vendors dramatically, so much so that many fear they will lose their businesses altogether. Guests: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Silicon Valley reporter and Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, KQED en Español reporter Episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many live concerts and events are returning to the Bay Area, as COVID-19 cases remain low and the state ends capacity limits, social distancing and mask requirements in most places. But not everyone working in live events is comfortable with the idea of working indoors with unmasked guests, and independent venues are still waiting for federal relief money that was promised months ago. Guest: Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED arts and culture associate editor Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California will fully reopen for “business as usual”on June 15. That means, among other things, that fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to masks in most places around the state. But there are plenty of reasons you’ll still see people in the Bay Area continuing to wear masks. We’ll tell you about some of them. Guest: Carly Severn, KQED senior engagement editor Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians doesn’t have its own reservation. Like many Native communities, many members also struggle with poverty and homelessness. But recently, using funds from California’s ‘Project Homekey,’ the tribe bought an apartment building in Lake County to house members most in need. And leaders are also hoping it’ll be the start of a new community hub for the tribe. Guest: Molly Solomon, KQED housing affordability reporter Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the mass shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard in San Jose two weeks ago, some politicians started talking about California’s “Red Flag” gun control law, which uses the power of restraining orders to take guns away from people a judge deems at risk of harming themselves or others. Many people aren’t even aware of the red flag law. And using it as a way to prevent gun violence of all kinds — including mass shootings, suicides and domestic violence — is much more complicated than it seems. Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Silicon Valley reporter Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Undocumented Californians have been mostly shut out of three rounds of federal stimulus checks. So when the ‘Golden State Stimulus’ was approved in February by the State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, undocumented immigrants were hopeful that they’d finally receive some direct relief. But bureaucratic hoops have prevented many people from accessing this money in a timely fashion. Guest: Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, reporter for KQED en Español Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom picked up steam in late 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Now, COVID-19 has slowed down in California, and Gov. Newsom is currently in a strong position; one recent poll showed that just 40% of likely voters support recalling him from office. This has left some Democrats debating a thorny question: whether they should use the current recall laws to hold the election earlier, or wait until the fall, when most voters expect elections to take place. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics reporter and producer for the Political Breakdown podcast. Episode transcript here. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deaths from fentanyl overdoses have been on the rise during the pandemic. In Santa Clara County, the ages of the victims are trending younger, according to an analysis by KQED and the Documenting COVID-19 project at Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation. Fentanyl can be laced into pills that look like common painkillers — and thanks in part to COVID-19, buying these drugs online has become even more convenient. Now, parents and officials alike are trying to educate kids and community members about how much more lethal this synthetic opioid really is. Guest: Julie Small, KQED criminal justice & immigration reporter Columbia University students Mohar Chatterjee and Kyra Sense contributed to this story. Here Are Resources for Opioid Addiction in the Bay Area: More information about opioid addiction and fentanyl can be found on the Choose Change California website. Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services treats people struggling with stress and substance use issues, including fentanyl use, through a program called Gateway, and the phone number is 1-800-488-9919. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, San Francisco County offers behavioral health care and services for addiction and substance abuse treatment. Alameda County offers similar services to people struggling with addiction. Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history happened Wednesday at a rail yard for the Valley Transportation Authority, the Santa Clara County transit agency made up of around 2,000 employees. The 9 victims who died were maintenance workers, light rail operators, mechanics and supervisors. Public transit workers haven't had the privilege of sheltering at home during the pandemic, and for the past year they’ve kept transit going. Now, VTA workers are mourning the loss of friends and colleagues who they’ve worked alongside for years. Guest: Nico Savidge, transportation reporter for the San Jose Mercury Click here to view efforts to support victims' families. Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Black and brown parents of Oakland Unified students have been pushing the district to do more to support kids in low-income communities of color. Then the pandemic hit, prompting fears of even more disparities in learning. So a group called The Oakland REACH decided to take matters into their own hands, and use the pandemic as an opportunity to continue reimagining their kids’ education. Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED education reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3oSiQu0 Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South Hayward has one of the highest rates of per capita deaths in Alameda County. It also has one of the lowest vaccination rates. Some aren’t sure whether they want the vaccine, but there are also many other barriers related to language, work, and access. For volunteers, county officials and community clinics, addressing these barriers is central to a monthslong, on the ground effort to get more people vaccinated in a neighborhood with many immigrants and low-wage workers. Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED immigration reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3fdEBRI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting Friday, May 21, 130 artists in San Francisco will receive $1,000 a month for the next 6 months through the city’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, which was announced in March to help artists from marginalized communities who have struggled during the pandemic. Most artists agree a guaranteed income would help. But as the program officially rolls out, some arts groups are concerned that the process of launching the experiment was inequitable from the beginning. Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3wsj39E. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s almost been a year since Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn shot and killed Sean Monterrosa on June 2, as protests against police violence were happening nationwide. Last week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his office would review the investigation. Monterrosa’s family — and those who have been fighting for more police reform in Vallejo — hope this is a turning point in police accountability in the city, and even across the state. Guest: Brian Krans, freelance reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3hyLX3Y Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On International Boulevard in East Oakland, just 5% of businesses received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from April to August of 2020. Meanwhile, in the nearby, mostly white neighborhood of Montclair, 49% of businesses received a PPP loan. Advocates and small business owners point to factors like language barriers, a complicated application process, and a legacy of banks not serving communities of color. This kind of disparity exists all over the Bay Area, and as the region reopens, this unequal distribution of loans will have lasting impacts. Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Silicon Valley reporter This story was reported in partnership with Reveal and the Center for Investigative Reporting. Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3ogBs6N. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just four months ago, a pro-Trump mob violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in support of the former president's conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. And even after that, most of California’s Republican elected officials stuck with Trump by voting to overturn the certification of the results. Trump may be out of office now, but many of those same Republicans — including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield — are still enabling his lies, most recently when House Republicans voted to remove Wyoming’s Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership role, for speaking out against Trump and his role in the Capitol insurrection. This episode first aired on Jan. 8, 2021. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED politics correspondent and co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown podcast Support The Bay by making a pledge here! Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3w45ldc. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast majority of the nearly 70,000 fire survivors are waiting for the compensation they're owed as a result of PG&E's bankruptcy settlement — while the trust responsible for managing the money racked up over $51 million in operating costs in 2020. Many families who have been displaced by fires caused by PG&E’s equipment are living in precarious situations. Some live unhoused or with relatives, and many have been forced to dip into savings while also experiencing the trauma of living with fear of fires. So why are so many survivors still waiting? Guest: Lily Jamali, Co-host and correspondent at KQED's The California Report Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3bEwlbx Support The Bay by making a pledge here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people see attacks on Asians — including a recent near-fatal stabbing on San Francisco’s Market Street — many refer to them as hate crimes, in order to call out anti-Asian racism and violence. But the legal use of a hate crime charge is much trickier. And it raises some hard questions about whether the state should add harsher penalties for racially motivated attacks, or focus on rehabilitation and restorative justice. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED politics correspondent and co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown podcast Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3uF35sC Support The Bay by making a pledge here! Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1920s and 1930s, Stockton’s Little Manila grew into the largest Filipino community outside of Manila itself. Thousands of Filipinos worked as farm laborers in the San Joaquin Valley, and over the years they opened businesses, restaurants, hotels and organized labor unions. Over time Stockton’s urban renewal policies led to the destruction of Little Manila. But today, Filipinx organizers in Stockton are working to preserve that centurylong history, organize the community and educate the next generation. Guest: Shaylyn Martos, The Bay production assistant Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3uuqX1W Make your pledge of support to The Bay here! Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Indians and Indian Americans in the Bay Area are facing a dual reality when it comes to COVID-19: while businesses start to reopen here, COVID-19 cases and deaths are exploding in India — and many are worried for the safety of friends and family thousands of miles away. The Indian diaspora is also turning that worry into action, raising money for oxygen tanks and setting up virtual doctor's visits. Guest: Lakshmi Sarah, KQED reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/2QWM7Ht Read more of Lakshmi's reporting on Bay Area efforts to help stop COVID-19 in India: 'A Moral Obligation': South Asian Diaspora Assists COVID Efforts in India With Money and Time 'Each Hour Matters': Bay Area Couple Fundraises for India's Oxygen Crisis Make your pledge of support to The Bay here! Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to sea level rise, East Palo Alto will be one of the first and hardest-hit areas of the Bay Area. It’s already prone to flooding now, and the city is leading the way when it comes to community-led solutions. But no matter how hard East Palo Alto works to build its resiliency against sea level rise, it won’t be enough; the Bay Area’s interconnected ecosystem suggests what its neighbors do to combat the issue matters to the entire region’s survival. Follow the group Bay Adapt to stay updated on its work around rising sea levels. Guests: Ezra David Romero and Kevin Stark, KQED climate reporters Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/2RmCd1u Support The Bay here! This series is part of the Pulitzer Center's nationwide Connected Coastlines reporting initiative. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area transit agencies lost huge numbers of riders during the pandemic — and with it, enormous amounts of revenue. Federal money has saved them from big layoffs and service cuts. But as the region reopens and more people get vaccinated, public transit leaders still need to convince riders it’s safe and worth the trip. Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED editor and reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3e9dMhj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last summer, confirmed COVID-19 cases ballooned inside San Quentin State Prison. Now, with many incarcerated people and staff now vaccinated, infections are very low and the worst of the outbreak seems to be over. But the programs that many relied on before the pandemic still haven't returned — and incarcerated people are still coping with the scars of a traumatizing year. Guest: Kate Wolffe, KQED reporter Read the episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state legislature last week confirmed East Bay assembly member Rob Bonta California’s new Attorney General. His confirmation happened the same week Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. Bonta, the first Filipino American to take the position, has been a longtime supporter of more police accountability and takes over the AG role at a time when there’s momentum around police accountability in California and across the country. While there’s a lot of power in the AG position, there are also limits to the job. Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED politics correspondent Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3vyGnT5. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland has been the epicenter of on-the-ground anti-policing efforts since Oscar Grant was killed by BART police in 2009. That same movement saw its latest iteration after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and months of protests and organizing culminated into a rare conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. So what does the verdict mean now for Bay Area efforts against policing? Guest: Cat Brooks, executive director of the Justice Teams Network and co-founder of the Anti Police Terror Project Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3neytLi. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A jury has convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of all three charges for murdering George Floyd. There’s a lot to process, so today we don’t have a new episode — just a short message. Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3n6nLGR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Unified School District has been mired in several controversies over this past year, and the politics around its school board have been especially tense. Whether it's the attempt to rename 44 schools, the debate over Lowell High School's admissions process, or tweets by Commissioner Alison Collins, adults have been taking up the most space in these public debates. And some student leaders say that the way these adults have been handling these conversations needs to change. Guest: Holly J. McDede, KQED reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3emvZGK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

About 9,000 nursing home residents in California have died of COVID-19. At the height of the winter surge, more than 80 residents were dying every day. But now, thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines, there are now fewer than 20 confirmed cases daily. And now, many families are reuniting with loved ones after more than a year apart. Guest: Barbara Feder Ostrov, contributing writer for CalMatters Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3wY0LhK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oscar Grant’s name has been circulating after police in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center claimed that 20-year-old Daunte Wright was “accidentally” killed after a veteran officer shot him with a gun instead of her taser. It's similar to what BART police claimed after an officer shot and killed Oscar Grant in 2009. Cephus Johnson, Grant’s uncle, talked with us last September following a summer of protests against police violence about what it’s like for family members who are thrust into activism after losing loved ones to police — and how to heal through resistance. Guest: Cephus Johnson, aka Uncle Bobby X, founder of the Oscar Grant Foundation and Love Not Blood Campaign. Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3uLnCLy This episode originally aired on September 4, 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A corporation known for flipping houses in the Bay Area has been buying even more homes at foreclosure auctions during the pandemic. Jocelyn Foreman lives in one of these homes and is now trying to compete with Wedgewood’s bid. She has the help of a new state law, which gives potential homeowners more time to match any bid made at a foreclosure auction. But the law doesn’t include financial help. So what does it take for regular people to compete against all cash bids by corporations? Guests: Molly Solomon and Erin Baldassari, KQED housing affordability reporters and co-hosts of SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3sbRcs1 Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California’s economy will ‘reopen’ by June 15, as long as there’s enough vaccine supply for everyone 16 and older and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state remain low. This doesn’t mean all precautions — like the state’s mask mandate — will get scrapped. But it is a big step towards businesses and public spaces operating like they were before the pandemic. So what’s it going to take to stay on track for “reopening” by June 15? Guest: April Dembosky, KQED health correspondent Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3t8oNnW Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of local and national attacks against people in the AAPI community, Oakland Chinatown has rallied together to support their elders and businesses. But the community is divided — and a generational gap exposed — over whether they want more policing to be part of the solution or not. Guest: Julie Chang, KQED reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3dHToSN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s Employment Development Department (or EDD) is responsible for paying out the state’s unemployment insurance. Ever since the pandemic began, the agency has struggled to close its huge backlog of claims. The system is even more frustrating for people who struggle with technology and language access, and advocates say these issues are still a big problem today. Guest: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED reporter and producer for The California Report Claiming unemployment in California? Here's what to know about EDD and pandemic federal benefits. Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3sStzWH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Californians ages 50 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. They have two weeks to book appointments before the state opens up eligibility to people ages 16 and older on starting April 15. But booking an appointment is easier said than done; many people have already been struggling to find them; sometimes there’s a lack of supply, technology issues, and the process can be confusing. Today, we’ll give you some strategies for finding an appointment when you're eligible. Guest: Carly Severn, KQED senior engagement editor Visit KQED's vaccine guide: in English en español Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3md4t2b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, leaders at Mills College announced that the school, which has been in the Bay Area for 169 years, will no longer be awarding degrees starting in 2023. This news came as a shock to many students, faculty, and alumni, who know Mills as a unique place for women and LGBTQ people who care about the arts and about social justice. Today, we’ll learn about the history and legacy of Mills College and its impact on the Bay Area. Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3cGlgaN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Throughout this pandemic, disabled people and seniors have been at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. And all this time, advocates and community organizers have been pushing to make sure that people in power listen to their concerns. Their activism has pushed the state to shift its policies several times — including this latest eligibility phase, which doesn't force people with disabilities to bring documentation in order to get vaccinated. But the struggle to make our entire COVID-19 response equitable for disabled people and seniors is far from over. Guest: Jessica Lehman, executive director of Senior and Disability Action Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/31uh6fI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices