The Bay

Same-sex marriage is already legal in the state and across the nation. But thanks to Prop. 8, passed in 2008, California still has an unenforceable "zombie law" on the books that bans it. Prop. 3 would formally repeal that ban and explicitly establish marriage as a fundamental right afforded to everyone in the state constitution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the next 2 weeks, we're collaborating with our friends at Bay Curious to bring you Prop Fest — a breakdown of all 10 statewide ballot measures. First up: Proposition 2. Roof leaks, faulty air conditioning and contaminated water are just some of the issues facing many California school buildings. Supporters of Prop. 2 want the state to borrow $10 billion to help address these problems, especially in lower-income districts. But a similar bond measure failed in 2020. Will voters accept it this year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday night, KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle hosted an hourlong debate with 5 of the candidates for mayor of San Francisco: London Breed, Mark Farrell, Daniel Lurie, Aaron Peskin, and Ahsha Safai. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Palestinian Americans have been trying — for nearly a year — to evacuate family members out of Gaza. But evacuating loved ones is an opaque process with rapidly changing conditions at the borders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big changes are coming to the Oakland Coliseum. Next Thursday, the A’s will play their last home game there. And earlier this month, the stadium was sold to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, whose vision for the land includes a $5 billion housing and business development. The Oaklandside’s Eli Wolfe explains what this sale means for the future of the Coliseum — and for the city of Oakland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 1 in 5 San Francisco residents are Chinese American. So if you want to be mayor, you need to win over the city’s Chinese communities. KQED’s Sydney Johnson tells us how the candidates are trying to woo voters in this year’s mayoral race, especially when it comes to public safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moonridge is an affordable housing community of 160 homes for low-income residents and farmworkers just outside of Half Moon Bay. It was built more than 20 years ago. As Half Moon Bay debates the issue of farmworker housing construction, reporter Sebastian Miño-Bucheli visits Moonridge to see how living there stacks up with negative comments from city residents. Links: Take a closer look at Moonridge More Than a Year After Shooting, Half Moon Bay is Making Progress on Farmworker Housing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This summer, activists and families of people who have lost loved ones to suicide commemorated the official completion of a stainless steel safety net under the Golden Gate Bridge. Back in January, KQED’s Lesley McClurg told us the story of how family members advocated for this addition to the bridge. This episode originally aired on Jan. 16, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This summer, a new right to repair law went into effect in California, giving consumers more access to information and tools to fix their own electronics and appliances. In one of our most popular episodes (ever!) from February, KQED’s Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a Fixit Clinic in Redwood City. Links: Fixit Clinic Calendar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been 4 years since Alameda County voters passed Measure C, a sales tax measure aimed at increasing access to social services for low-income families. After years of legal battles, the county can finally use the money it has been collecting, and advocates hope it will provide relief to families struggling with child care costs. Links: As state cuts loom, a court ruling provides a lifeline for child care access in Alameda County Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains explicit language. This Labor Day, Bay Curious brings us the story of Carol Leigh — better known as “Scarlot Harlot” — the woman who coined the term “sex work,” and the history of the sex worker rights movement in San Francisco. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, KQED California politics and government senior editor Molly Solomon joins us to talk about how Kamala Harris tells her life story to a national audience — and why she might be reluctant to mention Berkeley. Also, we discuss a lead water crisis at Oakland schools, and why some journalists are dismayed with a deal Google just reached with state lawmakers to pay millions of dollars to support local news. Links: As Kamala Harris Claims Oakland, Berkeley Forgives ‘OUSD has failed at its most basic job’: Families, teachers demand answers on lead California tried to make Google pay news outlets. The company cut a deal that includes funding AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2016 and 2020, Berkeley and Oakland passed ballot measures giving 16 and 17-year olds the right to vote in local school board races. It took years — and a lot of pressure from student activists — but in this election, Alameda County is finally ready to let students cast their ballots. Links: Register to vote online (click “pre-register”) How Teen Voters in Berkeley, Oakland Can Shape Upcoming School Board Elections Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seemed like California Forever, the billionaire-backed company intent on building a brand new city in Solano County, was going full speed ahead with a ballot measure that would have authorized construction. But late last month, the group abruptly pulled the measure, promising to bring it back in 2026. So what changed? Background: This Tech-Backed Company Tried to Disrupt California’s Housing Crisis. It Couldn’t Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1973, the Black Panthers opened the Oakland Community School in East Oakland. It is regarded as one of the nation’s first community schools — a model where public schools partner with community organizations to provide comprehensive support services alongside academic instruction. Many of the school’s practices formed the blueprint for community schools today. Today, our friends at KQED’s Mindshift podcast dive into the pioneering initiatives of the Black Panthers, and show how Oakland schools are using this model now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Richmond City Council scrapped a November ballot measure that would have imposed a new oil-refining tax on the nearby Chevron refinery. Instead, the council voted unanimously to approve a $550 million settlement with the company. KQED’s Dan Brekke explains why city leaders chose to strike a deal instead of taking the issue to the ballot box. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 500 Californians are in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, where Democrats will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee for president. One of them is Igor Tregub, a newly elected member of the Berkeley City Council and chair of the Alameda County Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever driven an electric vehicle, you know that finding a public charging station can be stressful. But we’ll need a lot more of them soon. California plans to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035, and by then the charging crunch could get much worse. Today, our friends at Bay Curious explore what it will take to get more charging stations across the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

52 Bay Area public schools are already at risk of being inundated with ocean and groundwater, according to a new analysis by KQED and Climate Central. KQED’s Ezra David Romero tells us how the threat of sea level rise has already ignited a debate over rebuilding a middle school in Marin County. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Links: Schools in Deep Water: Bay Area Faces Uphill Battle Against Climate Change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Jon Jacobo, a once-rising star in the progressive wing of San Francisco politics, was arrested on charges of sexual assault and domestic violence. These charges come nearly 3 years after a former colleague, Sasha Perigo, publicly accused him of rape. Earlier this year, reporting in the San Francisco Standard found that three more women filed police reports against Jacobo, detailing allegations of stalking, harassment, and physical violence. On Tuesday, Jacobo pleaded not guilty. Today, we’re sharing an episode with Josh Koehn, who reported this story for the San Francisco Standard earlier this year, about the women who say their stories were ignored. This episode originally aired on May 15, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Mohammad Subeh, a Palestinian-American ER doctor from the South Bay city of Saratoga, went to Gaza for his first medical mission in February. When we spoke with him back in April, his next steps were clear: he wanted to go back. Today, Dr. Subeh tells us about his second trip to Gaza. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has promised ‘very aggressive’ sweeps of homeless encampments this month, on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gives cities more leeway to fine or jail people for camping in public. KQED’s Sara Hossaini joins us to talk about what’s changed on the ground — and what hasn’t. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. But before she burst onto the national stage, Harris got her start here in the Bay Area. She was born in Oakland, raised in Berkeley, and worked as a prosecutor in Alameda County and in San Francisco, where she served as District Attorney from 2004 to 2010. So today, we're revisiting this episode from January 2019 — back when Harris first ran for president — about how Bay Area politics shaped her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In late July, voters in the city of Millbrae, in northern San Mateo County, overwhelmingly recalled 2 of their 5 city councilmembers. It’s a fight that started nearly a year ago, when former Councilmembers Angelina Cahalan and Maurice Goodman declined to publicly oppose a permanent supportive housing project. KQED’s Adhiti Bandlamudi tells us how that dispute snowballed into yet another recall election in the Bay Area. Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re still technically on our July break, but...breaking news is breaking. Today, we bring you reactions to Sunday’s news that President Joe Biden will not be running for re-election. Links: How San Francisco Shaped VP Nominee Kamala Harris Biden Drops Out, Endorses Kamala Harris. Now What? This episode was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and produced by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We work really hard to bring you 3 episodes a week. But we’ll admit: sometimes it's good to take a break from the news. We won't be making new episodes during 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 starting on Friday, August 2. You can still reach us on Twitter at @thebaykqed or via e-mail [email protected]. We always love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, we discuss last week’s FBI raid on the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, what lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom cut in order to close California’s budget deficit, and what climate experts are expecting this fire season. Plus, we. say goodbye to our intern, Ellie Prickett-Morgan. In this episode we state that the FBI raided three homes belonging to the Duong family. The FBI raided two homes belonging to the Duong family, along with the corporate headquarters of their company California Waste Solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past 5 years, KQED’s Rightnowish podcast spotlighted artists and culture keepers from all over the Bay Area. In doing so, Host Pendarvis Harshaw and producer Marisol Medina-Cadena showed a love for the culture that is unmatched. On July 18, Rightnowish will air its last episode. Today, we sit down with Pen and Marisol to reflect on the rich archive of culture they’ve built. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many queer people, the Bay Area is seen as a place of safety and community. This Pride month, we hear the story of one queer person’s journey to the Bay, in their own words. This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan, Adhiti Bandlamudi, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and Alan Montecillo. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Willie Mays, the San Francisco Giants’ baseball legend, died Tuesday at age 93. Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants and is considered by many to be the greatest all-around baseball player ever. Today, KQED Morning Edition host Brian Watt brings us a tribute to the ‘Say Hey Kid’. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An election to recall 2 school board members is underway in the 900-person town of Sunol in Alameda County. The recall targets 2 of the town's 3 school board members, who voted in September to ban all flags other than the state and federal flags, which recall supporters saw as an attempt to prevent a LGBTQ Pride flag from being flown at the district's only school. Links: California Recall Elections Test Strength of Conservative School Board Movement Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Adhiti Bandlamudi and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s mayor’s race kicked into high gear after 5 candidates took to the stage for their first debate last Wednesday evening. Today, in Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez’s last act as a KQED journalist, he opens up his reporter’s notebook to break down his key takeaways from the debate, and what it told us about the upcoming race ahead. Links: Watch the first debate here S.F.'s second mayoral debate: Mon, June 17 at 7:30 pm Become a KQED member Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 27, 2023, an armed security guard shot and killed a Black trans man named Banko Brown outside of a San Francisco Walgreens. Brown’s killing sparked outrage. But San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decided not to charge the security guard who shot him, saying that he acted in self-defense. And just last Friday, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office announced that it supported that decision. This announcement has crushed Banko Brown’s loved ones, including those who say that his killing was an example of the conditions that unhoused transgender people face in San Francisco. KQED reporter Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez sits down with Brown’s chosen family, to discuss life as a homeless queer person in San Francisco, and Banko’s life before his death. This episode originally aired on Sept. 6, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At elite high schools in Silicon Valley, the pressure to succeed is intense. And according to Sophia Shao, a former student 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 going to school in a place where everyone is expected to excel. This episode first ran on Aug. 15, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ruins of Sutro Baths, at the far western edge of San Francisco, are mysterious. Clearly something big used to stand here. Today, the folks from the Bay Curious podcast take you back in time to what visiting this grand swimming facility would have been like. Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is in the middle of figuring out exactly how it wants to regulate artificial intelligence. CalMatters’ Khari Johnson joins us to explain how these efforts are going — and how AI could affect all of our lives soon. Links: Episode Transcript How California and the EU work together to regulate artificial intelligence Apply to be The Bay’s Producer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Applying for student aid this year was supposed to be easier for incoming college students, with a more simplified application process for FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. But technical problems and missed deadlines for the new form’s rollout has led to disastrous results for students, especially those who are undocumented or come from mixed status families. These issues are likely a big reason why California saw a major drop in FAFSA applications for the Class of 2024. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ellie Prickett-Morgan, Tamuna Chkareuli and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The company that owns the Regional Medical Center of San Jose says it plans to close the hospital’s trauma center on August 12. The trauma center is the only one of its kind on Santa Clara County’s east side. Now, local leaders, patient advocates, and even some doctors from the hospital want the state to intervene, warning that this closure will have devastating ripple effects on the entire region. Links: Episode Transcript Advocates Urge State to Intervene in Closure of San Jose Trauma Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Alan, and intern Ellie talk about a possible tax on oil refining in Richmond, the debate over farmworker housing in Half Moon Bay, and Berkeley’s baby falcons. Plus, an interview with Tamuna Chkareuli, a visiting journalist from the Republic of Georgia who has been working at KQED for the past few weeks. Links: After 'Foreign Agent' Law Defeat, Georgian Protesters Set Sights on Elections Richmond Oil Refining Tax on Chevron, a Major Polluter, Moves Closer to Ballot Half Moon Bay Farmworker Housing Gains Approval After Push by Newsom Meet the falcons: Aurora, Eclipse, Nox and Sol Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ride BART, you may have seen uniformed employees with the words ‘Crisis Intervention Specialist” on their backs. About 20 of these ‘CIS-es’ — who are not police officers — can be seen walking through trains, seeking out and offering help to the many people in the sprawling transit system struggling with lack of shelter, mental health problems or addiction. KQED’s Matthew Green joins us to talk about what he learned about this program, and what a morning on the job was like. Links: 'We Approach in Peace': Are BART's Efforts to Help People in Crisis Working? This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ellie-Prickett Morgan, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and Tamuna Chkareuli, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During his 12 years with The Golden State Warriors, DJ D Sharp has seen it all — from the team’s lowest point to the championship rings. Raised in East Oakland, D Sharp talks Rightnowish host Pendarvis Harshaw about his journey, inspiration and a go-to Warriors song. This episode originally aired May 2, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020, California voters passed Proposition 22, which allowed app-based companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors and not employees with full benefits. It was a big win for companies like Uber and Lyft, who spent unprecedented amounts of money to get the measure passed. Now, the issue is back — this time before the California Supreme Court, which heard a case on Prop. 22 this Tuesday. KQED’s Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos explain in an episode of the Political Breakdown podcast. Links: Nov, 13, 2020: With Prop. 22 Approved, Regulating Gig Companies Just Got a Lot Harder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Less than half of all San Francisco pharmacies carry buprenorphine, one of the most powerful medications used to treat opioid addiction, according to San Francisco’s Department of Public Health. The city hopes to change that. This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Maria Esquinca, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, protesters blocked the entrance of Google’s largest development conference in Mountain View to protest the tech giant’s ties with the Israeli government. At issue is Project Nimbus, Google and Amazon’s $1.2 billion cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, including the Israeli Defense Ministry. But as KQED’s Rachael Myrow explains, Silicon Valley’s ties to Israel run much deeper — which makes divesting a tall order. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in the 60s, BART was just a plan in the making. And located through its path were communities of mostly low income people of color. But thanks to a legal tool known as eminent domain, many in that community were forced to sell their homes or face eviction. This is an episode of Bay Curious that originally aired on May 16, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Jacobo was a rising star in the progressive wing of San Francisco politics when a colleague publicly accused him of rape in 2021. At that time, he largely escaped scrutiny from members of his own party. But as Josh Koehn of the San Francisco Standard reported in mid-April, three more women have publicly accused Jacobo of sexual abuse and domestic violence. And they say that leaders treated their allegations with indifference. Links: Episode Transcript Women accused a rising SF political star of rape and abuse—and met a wall of silence San Francisco created an agency to fight sexual crimes. It’s never met with police San Francisco Democrats are having a #MeToo moment as women share stories of rape, abuse This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, we’re replaying this look back at a thriving Indian American theater company in the South Bay. This episode originally aired Sept. 9, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday, Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Enikia Ford Morthel testified before Congress on the district’s handling of antisemitism allegations in public schools. The hearing comes after a group of Jewish parents, along with the Brandeis Center and Anti-Defamation League, filed a federal complaint in February alleging “severe” antisemitism in the district. However, many pro-Palestinian parents, educators and students have pushed back, arguing that the complaint unfairly conflates critiques of Israel with antisemitism. Episode Transcript 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 Forever, the billionaire-backed group behind an effort to build a city from scratch in Eastern Solano County, is plowing ahead in its campaign to convince voters. Last week, the company announced that it has gathered enough signatures to qualify its measure for the November ballot. KQED’s Adhiti Bandlamundi unpacks the last few months of campaigning and speaks to voters. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Ellie-Prickett Morgan, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Links: Episode transcript The Bay: California Forever Unveils Ballot Measure Plans for Its New City The Bay: The Silicon Valley Giants Who Want to Build a New City in Solano County Become a KQED member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Making this podcast is a lot of work, but we do it because we care. Help us keep it going by becoming a KQED member. Today, we take you behind the scenes and show you how an episode gets made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices