The Bay

Chinatown community leaders were taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus in early February. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the kids of essential workers, saying goodbye to their parents each workday brings its own kind of stress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health officials have been trying to trace where COVID-19 came from and where it’s going. In some countries, including China, South Korea, Singapore and Israel, they’ve used cellphones and apps to identify and monitor people infected with the virus. Now, Silicon Valley giants Apple and Google are trying to create the technology for the U.S. But they need more of your data. Guest: Rachael Myrow, senior editor of KQED's Silicon Valley desk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many artists are still making creative work. But without live events, they're still in big financial trouble. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phyllis Lyon's activism throughout the years helped lay the groundwork for the LGBT rights movement to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone can get sick from the coronavirus, but it's having an unequal impact on communities of color. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Hirsch is one of many people worrying about a loved one in a Bay Area senior care home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hotel rooms, RVs, and other shelter spaces are being made available. But it's going to take a lot more to keep people experiencing homelessness safe from the coronavirus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News outlets are considered 'essential' businesses. Here's how we're (still) bringing you stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Examiner and SF Weekly are cutting the pay and hours of their journalists by 40 percent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much help do you have right now if you can't make rent? It depends on where you live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Courts are considered "essential," but it doesn't mean a jury trial is a safe place for people to gather right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Asians and Asian-Americans are being harassed by people who think looking Chinese means you have the coronavirus. Three California organizations have created a tracker in order to document these incidences, and now they're receiving nearly 100 a day. Guest: Professor Russel Jeung, Chair of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Students may be taking online classes, but their extracurriculars have been canceled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Christian wants to take photos of where the people are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new coronavirus is highlighting just how precarious life has been for many workers and contractors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Religious communities are trying to stay connected while also staying safe from the coronavirus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seton Medical Center is in financial trouble. But closing the hospital could put many vulnerable people at risk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News about the coronavirus in the Bay Area is changing every day. Schools are closing, white collar workers are working from home and officials are trying to keep up. It can be overwhelming to know what to do and how to plan. Our KQED colleagues have been working around the clock to bring us up-to-date information about the coronavirus, including our friends over at Bay Curious. They've answered some questions and concerns that listeners submitted, and today we're sharing that episode with you. Get the latest coronavirus updates in the Bay Area here. And read more audience questions about COVID-19 here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lots of workers, including gig workers, can't work from home to stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reported cases of the new coronavirus are increasing, and it's up to public health officials to try and figure out where those cases came from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To celebrate The Bay turning two, the team went on a little field trip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The AP called California for Bernie Sanders, but we won't know the full results for a while. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people don't volunteer for presidential campaigns. So we spoke to two volunteers, to learn about what led them to spend their free time helping their candidates in the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Groundwater contamination has forced McClymonds High School in West Oakland to temporarily close. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mountain View could make changes to its rent control policy on March 3. But no matter what happens, mobile home renters will continue to be left out of the debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Californians can now request their personal data from companies that have them. So KQED's Rachael Myrow tried it out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baseball on the radio is special to many longtime fans. So some of them aren't thrilled that the A's are dropping their local English-language broadcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of college graduates from Wuhan live in the Bay Area. Some of them have formed a non-profit to help their hometown fight the coronavirus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why protesters at Berkeley High School say they're fed up with how their school responds to allegations of sexual assault. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The building in Oakland now known as Uptown Station has a long history. And if you follow that history, you can see just how much the city has changed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2010, San Francisco started selling taxi medallions. Now, some drivers are in so much debt that the stress causes physical pain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernay McPherson has built up her business, piece by piece, for six years. Today, you can find Minnie Bell's Soul Movement at the Emeryville Public Market. But Fernay's biggest professional dream is to bring her restaurant back to the place where she and so many other black folks in the Bay Area lived until it became unaffordable — the Fillmore in San Francisco. This episode is from Copper & Heat, a podcast produced in Oakland that explores the unspoken rules and traditions of restaurant kitchens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been about one year since the Trump administration changed how seeking asylum works at the U.S-Mexico border. The so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy means that tens of thousands of migrants from Central America have to wait for their court hearings in what can be dangerous conditions. This policy has made the process much harder for asylum seekers, who already have an uphill climb to get their claims approved. Only a small fraction of those seeking asylum to escape violence in their countries are accepted into the U.S. Douglas Oviedo is one of those lucky few. Now he lives in the Bay Area, and he's trying to help the people who are still waiting at the border. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Santa Clara University's provost sent an email reminding people to be aware of their racial biases around the coronavirus, Sherry Wang, a professor in the school's Department of Counseling Psychology, responded to add some more context. "I think that this is also an opportunity to remind each other about the historical legacy of racializing infectious diseases against People of Color," Wang wrote to her campus community. As a professor who is also Asian American, Wang says she both is and isn't protected from the sinophobic fears around the coronavirus, and she's making calculations of her own over whether or not to wear her face mask in public. Guest: Sherry Wang, assistant professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University For more up-to-date info about the coronavirus, visit KQED and NPR's websites, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We also mention an Instagram post from UC Berkeley where xenophobia is described as a "normal" fear. Read more here for context. And hey, we're having our first meetup of the year this Friday, Feb. 7! We'll be at the Mare Island Ferry Taproom in Vallejo from 5-7 pm. If you're coming from San Francisco, you can take the ferry and it'll drop you off right there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SB 50 would have made big changes to the way housing in California gets built. So why did it fail? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mohammed Nuru has been in San Francisco city government for a long time. He was appointed to the Public Works department in 2000 by then-Mayor Willie Brown and eventually became the director of that department in 2011. Nuru has been accused of shady behavior at various times during his career. But on Monday, the FBI made it official when they charged him with public corruption and lying to investigators. So why is he getting arrested now? Guest: Joe Eskenazi, editor and columnist for Mission Local Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when food delivery apps add local restaurants without the owners' permission? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Latinx writers, including here in the Bay Area, have expressed frustration with American Dirt, a new book by Jeanine Cummins that has been called the next great American novel. Oprah even selected it for her book club. But it's also been criticized for an inaccurate, stereotypical depiction of migrants who are trying to cross the US-Mexico border. "If it had been published and kind of billed as, 'This is our romanticized view of the border and its just for entertainment,' there's room for that on the shelves for whoever wants to read that story," said Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of Fruit of the Drunken Tree. "To call it the novel of Las Americas and to put this much attention on a book that is actually erasing the politics at the border, I think, does more harm than good," she said. And all the hype surrounding the novel's release - including a seven-figure advance for Cummins - has raised questions about which stories about migrants get attention, and which ones don't. "Look where we're at," said Oscar Villalon, managing editor of the journal Zyzzyva. "If it hasn't been driven into your skull by now, clearly, not all Americans are valued the same." Guests: Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of Fruit of the Drunken Tree, and Oscar Villalon, managing editor of the journal Zyzzyva Oscar Villalon's Recommendations: "The Devil's Highway: A True Story" by Luis Alberto Urrea "The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail" by Oscar Martinez "The Distance Between Us: A Memoir" by Reyna Grande "The Faraway Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life" by Lauren Markham's "By the Lake of Sleeping Children: The Secret Life of the Mexican Border" by Luis Alberto Urrea "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story" by Aaron Bobrow-Strain Ingrid Rojas Contreras' Recommendations: "Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions" by Valeria Luiselli "Retablos" by Octavio Solis "Unaccompanied" by Javier Zamora "Tears of the Trufflepig" by Francisco Flores "Signs Preceding the End of the World" by Yuri Herrera "Lost Children Archive" by Valeria Luiselli Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eddie Thomas lost his housing when he was 55 years old after working at Intel for five years. He's part of a growing trend of people becoming homeless later on in life. Eddie was lucky enough to have help with finding work and housing. But even still, it took six years — and being homeless as you get older has its own share of unique challenges. Guest: Sara Hossaini, KQED reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many local leaders in the Bay Area have made it a point to say that their communities are welcoming places for new immigrants, including those who are undocumented, are seeking asylum or are refugees. Oakland Unified School District prides itself on helping "newcomer" students. And this year, they could see an unprecedented number of new arrivals. But the district can't always get new students enrolled in class, let alone provide all the help that families and kids need. Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED education reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can find Frida Kahlo's image all over the Bay Area. The Mexican painter lived in San Francisco for a little bit in the '30s and '40s with her husband, Diego Rivera. She became even more famous in the years after she died, and now you can find her name and likeness on everything from shoes, to tequila, to even Barbie dolls. The Frida Kahlo Corporation, which is behind many of these products, wants to monopolize the use of her name — and it's been going after indie artists who make and sell Frida Kahlo-inspired art. Now, one California artist is taking company to court in San Francisco later this month. Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporter We're off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But you should check out the latest column from KQED's Pendarvis Harshaw, where he connects King's moral arguments with what's happening in the Bay Area today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even if you can afford to buy a home in the Bay Area, you might get outbid by an anonymous shell company paying cash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland feels a lot different today than it did when Jerry Brown was elected mayor in 1998. That’s because he had a lot to do with how the city changed. The unapologetic and sometimes controversial Brown is featured in KQED's newest podcast, The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. Today, we're zeroing in on his time as mayor of Oakland, which set the stage for what we're seeing today. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics reporter Subscribe to KQED’s new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Brown here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prison can be a brutal place for anyone. But for trans people who are incarcerated, it's even more dangerous. A new bill in California's state legislature is aimed at making conditions safer. If passed, it would allow transgender inmates to choose whether to be incarcerated in men's or women's facilities. KQED reporters visited the California Medical Facility, a men’s prison in Vacaville, to hear why some transgender inmates see this bill as a life saving measure, while others say more needs to be done to protect them. Guest: Miranda Leitsinger, KQED reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Dr. Wilmer Garcia Ricardo came to the U.S. from Cuba he couldn't find work as a physician, and he had to figure out the licensing process almost entirely on his own. He's not the only one. An estimated 450,000 immigrants living in California have a degree but are underemployed. Many have to take on low-wage jobs. So why is it so hard to prevent ‘brain waste’ of highly skilled immigrants, especially in fields where so much help is needed? Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED immigration reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are 180,000 people who claim Iranian ancestry living across California, according to the most recent census data. Many left Iran around the time of the revolution in 1979. SF Weekly's Ida Mojadad's parents came to the U.S. around this time as students. The U.S. and Iranian governments have remained adversaries since the revolution. This political relationship has shaped the way Mojadad thinks about her Iranian-American identity. And after the U.S. killed Iran's top general, she's once again thinking through some difficult questions. Interview Highlights You were with your mom at the time. What was her reaction? She didn't really seem to think it was something larger. She just said "I don't really care if it's some commander; I just care if something happens to any people." Later, when we were talking with my dad, we realized it was something bigger. There was obviously a lot of reaction to this on social media. I think "World War III" was actually trending. You tweeted out this tweet (warning: contains strong language). What was going through your head when you wrote that tweet? As long as I've known Iran, all the news that comes out around it — it's just the country, the government — and no one thinks about the people inside of it. And that rings true for other conflicts that we're in. Regular, everyday people. Maybe they own businesses, maybe they want to do more science breakthroughs... it's a highly educated country with a lot of middle-class folks, and they just want the regular things that everyday people want all around the world, and they just get so lost in these news bursts. I want to talk about the last few years. You told us before we started recording that the Trump presidency felt like this turning point for you. How has it felt like a turning point? Before Trump became president, we had President Obama and it felt like the two [countries] could come together because of this nuclear deal, this landmark nuclear deal. This was really the first case of real diplomacy since the hostage crisis [1979-1981]. There's no embassy in Iran. So that level of communication is not there, and it came together under Obama. And it felt like, finally, the two could be... well, not friends — that would take a while — but that the two could have a relationship again, that there could be this free-flowing of family visits, and I could finally visit and see my parents' hometown again. There was this kind of hopeful moment that there would be more of an exchange, and that the two parts of my family could exchange fluidly. And then after Trump, it became obvious that with the travel ban, and with him ripping up the nuclear deal, that it would be a very long time before that could happen again. I'm curious if there's any part of you that wishes you were in Iran with family that you have there. Yeah, I do, actually. One of the biggest things I want for myself is to be able to go over there and bask in this place that shaped me, and be with family that I don't even know. There are so many family members, and I've met them before but it was so long ago. Sometimes, when my family talks about them, I don't even know who they're talking about. And I want to at least on base level know who they're talking about, because I don't even know them anymore. You can kind of not think about it most of the time, but when the reminder comes, like my aunt being able to visit, it really shows you what you're missing out on the rest of the time. When I hear you talk about the struggle that you have living here, and these two identities that you hold, it seems like what's happening, politically, between the U.S. and Iran, is symbolic to you. Symbolic of the tension between the two identities that you hold. Oh, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, two black mothers who occupied a vacant West Oakland property had their day in court. Southern California-based Wedgewood Properties, which owns the home, argued this is a clear case of theft. But the moms are making another, more philosophical argument: that housing is a human right. But what does that mean, and will it help them stay in the house? Guest: Molly Solomon, KQED's housing and affordability reporter Here's an episode we did on the concept of housing as health care. Subscribe to The Bay on any of your favorite podcast apps 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

When our new editor Alan Montecillo moved to the Bay Area earlier this month he noticed that people loved talking about BART. It's one of the few spaces where people from all over the Bay Area are forced to be around each other. (If fact, we did a whole episode on why BART has been the epicenter of so many contentious political and social conversations in the Bay). BART riders have developed their own culture and etiquette around riding the train. So to catch Alan up to speed, we got some help from BART riders on their morning commute. Guest: Alan Montecillo, editor of The Bay 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

This week, PG&E took a big step towards emerging from bankruptcy after a judge approved billions of dollars in settlements with fire survivors and insurers. But the company also has to convince the state that it has a good plan to prevent more wildfires and provide safe, reliable power going forward. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he isn’t convinced, and PG&E needs his approval to get access to a wildfire relief fund. So is there finally enough leverage to get the investor-owned company to change? Guest: Marisa Lagos, KQED politics correspondent. You can also check out more of her reporting on who's getting rich off of PG&E's bankruptcy here. We're off until Monday, Dec. 30. But you can always reach us on Twitter @TheBayKQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices