The Bay

Last week, KQED and the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good at the University of San Francisco convened some of the Bay Area’s youngest elected officials — Assemblymember Alex Lee, Hercules Mayor Alexander Walker-Griffin, and Sunnyvale Councilmember Alysa Cisneros — to share their experiences in conversation with politics correspondent Guy Marzorati and USF student fellow Caitlin Kennedy. Links: Apply to be our intern! Deadline is Nov. 17. Watch the full event on YouTube For more information about KQED Live events, go to kqed.org/live Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about how Richmond became the first city in the country to pass a resolution in support of Palestinians in Gaza, the Department of Motor Vehicles decision to pull Cruise’s permit in San Francisco, and a big labor win for childcare workers in California. Episode Transcript Links: LA Times: California city first in U.S. to officially back Palestinians, accuses Israel of ‘ethnic cleansing’ KQED: How a California Child Care Workers' Union Fought for Living Wages — and Won KQED: California DMV and CPUC Pump the Brakes on Cruise Driverless Taxis in San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a new, legally binding reform agreement with the Vallejo Police Department last week. Scott Morris with the Vallejo Sun joins us to talk about what’s in the agreement, and why meeting it will be a tall order. Links: State DOJ announces new reform agreement with Vallejo police under court supervision Episode Transcript Apply to be our intern! 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

The Israel-Hamas war has put Elon Musk’s transformation of Twitter to the test. Changes to its verification policy, major cuts to the company's Trust and Safety teams, and Musk’s own rhetoric have led to a worsening in the spread of misinformation on the platform — with real life consequences. Episode Transcript Links: Bloomberg: Israel-Hamas Conflict Was a Test for Musk’s X, and It Failed ‘Verified’ OSINT Accounts Are Destroying the Israel-Palestine Information Ecosystem Apply to be our intern! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To understand the Winchester Mystery House – and how it came to be – you have to understand the woman behind it. KQED’s Boo Curious (also known as Bay Curious) takes us inside to do just that. This episode of Boo Curious first published Oct. 5, 2023 Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People across the Bay Area have been watching in horror at the war between Israel and Hamas. Today, we bring you voices from three different rallies and gatherings that took place over the weekend. Links: How to talk to children about the violence in Israel and Gaza Episode transcript This episode was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and produced by Alan Montecillo, Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ecologists, indigenous groups, and forest management agencies agree that burning more ‘prescribed fire’ – where overgrown areas of forests are burned off — is critical to preventing dangerous megafires in the future. KQED’s Dana Cronin explains how this process works, and whether we’ve done enough so far this year. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A full transcript will be available 1–2 workdays after the episode’s publication. A new investigation from the Bay Area News Group, KQED, and the California Reporting Project finds that the vast majority of people seriously injured or killed by San José police are either mentally ill or intoxicated. KQED’s Rachael Vasquez spoke with one of the reporters, Robert Salonga, about how that trend has only continued, if not slightly worsened, with crisis intervention training. Links: Losing control: When San Jose police confront people in mental health crisis, why do they end up hurting them so often? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to Part 1 of this story about the killing of Richard Oakes. The 1972 killing of Richard Oakes, the face of the Red Power movement, still sticks with the people who worked on the case. The detective who was at the scene of the killing remembers feeling suspicious of Michael Morgan, the man who shot Oakes. The prosecutor remembers the holes in Morgan’s story that he shot Oakes in self-defense. And yet, Morgan was acquitted of manslaughter charges. Today, they admit that the trial was botched. In Part 2 of our two-part episode with San Francisco Chronicle reporters Julie Johnson and Jason Fagone, we talk about missteps in the investigation into Oakes’ death, and how the justice system in Sonoma County was stacked against him. Read the full story on Richard Oakes’ death in the San Francisco Chronicle. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Oakes was the face of the burgeoning ‘Red Power’ movement when he led the famous Native occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969. But like other civil rights leaders at the time, he died too soon. In 1972, Oakes was gunned down in in rural Sonoma County. His killer, Michael Oliver Morgan, stood trial for manslaughter and was found not guilty. The official story of Richard Oakes' death, and the circumstances surrounding Morgan's trial, are part of the reason why Oakes' legacy has been largely erased from mainstream history. Oakes' family and friends, meanwhile, never got closure. All this time, they have believed that Oakes’ death, and Morgan’s acquittal, were racially motivated. Now, thanks to new reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, we know details about this story that have been kept secret for decades. In Part 1 of a two-part episode with reporters Julie Johnson and Jason Fagone, we discuss the events that led Oakes to rural Sonoma County, and the encounters that foreshadowed his killing. This is Part 1 of a two-part episode. Part 2 will publish on Wednesday, Oct. 11. Read the full story on Richard Oakes’ death in the San Francisco Chronicle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From San Jose to Santa Rosa, more than 22,000 Bay Area Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers walked off the job Wednesday for a three-day strike, demanding better wages to help fix what they say is an urgent understaffing crisis. The effort spans 8 states and the District of Columbia, and some are calling it the largest health care strike in US history. This episode was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2006 was the height of the hyphy movement — a time of exuberant, goofy, frenetic energy. But there was so much more going on beneath the surface. Rightnowish Host Pendarvis Harshaw would know — he was a budding journalist with a front row seat to the culture. Today, he talks with us about his four-part series ‘Hyphy Kids Got Trauma.’ Links: Hyphy Kids Got Trauma: A Rightnowish Podcast Series 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

On Thursday night, Sen. Dianne Feinstein passed away at age 90. Before becoming a U.S. Senator in 1992, she was best known for her time as San Francisco mayor. Today, we revisit an episode with KQED’s Scott Shafer about how she got her start in local politics. Links: Senator Dianne Feinstein Dies at 90: Live Updates What Feinstein’s Death Means For Control of the Senate and the Looming Government Shutdown How San Francisco Punk Reacted to Dianne Feinstein in the 1970s Gov. Newsom Names Laphonza Butler to Dianne Feinstein's Senate Seat This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, who also hosted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about continued tensions between Martinez and the local refinery, a bill that would decriminalize certain psychedelics, and an effort to bring a WNBA team to the Bay Area. Links: Residents skeptical after toxicology report finds no ill effects from Martinez refinery incident California Decriminalizing Mushrooms and Other Psychedelics Warriors finalizing agreement to bring WNBA team to Bay Area: Sources This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonoma County will now allow wine grape harvests in fire evacuation zones for some farmworkers, in a reversal of a contentious 2022 decision. The Press Democrat’s Phil Barber explains how it happened. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boats are being stolen and stripped of precious metals in the Oakland Estuary, in a crime spree that has divided the community of traditional boat owners and people living in derelict boats out on the water. 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

Sea level rise threatens communities along the Bay and some iconic cultural heritage sites along the San Francisco shoreline. So when the water comes for iconic sites like San Francisco's Ferry Building, how do we save it? Links: NPR: Protecting Cultural Heritage in a Warming World 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

San Jose city leaders are looking for a new site for the nearly 500 vendors at the Berryessa Flea Market, which will be moved to make way for the new Berryessa BART Urban Village. The Singleton Road landfill has risen to the top. Is an abandoned landfill the right place for a new flea market? Links: Why the Future of San José's Flea Market Could Be an Abandoned Landfill This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also hosted. Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California might become the first state in the nation to ban discrimination based on caste, a hierarchical system based on birth that affects South Asians all over the world. Senate Bill 403, which was introduced by State Sen. Aisha Wahab, passed the state legislature and is now on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto. In this episode that originally aired in June, reporter Sonia Paul breaks down the complexity of this issue and why it has divided South Asians in the Bay Area. This episode originally aired on June 5, 2023. Guest: Sonia Paul, freelance journalist Links: How a Bill to Ban Caste Discrimination Morphed Into a Fight About Wokism California lawmakers send caste discrimination bill to Newsom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, BART rolled out a new schedule and changes to its system. They’re calling it a ’reimagined’ service plan. Combine that with increased police and non-uniformed personnel, and it’s clear that BART is trying to make changes that woo riders back onto its trains. Will it work? This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday's episode, we’re going to talk BART and discuss some of the big changes the agency has made, including the new scheduled that began this week. And we want to hear from you: How’s riding BART for you these days? Or have you stopped riding? If so, what would it take for you to come back? Leave us a voicemail at (415) 710-9223, and we just might play it on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Friday, Nancy Pelosi — former Speaker, minority leader, and representative in Congress since 1987 — announced plans to run again. KQED’s Marisa Lagos breaks down what this means for San Francisco amid debate over when a politician's time is up. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California faces a big problem in labor law enforcement: when businesses are found to have committed wage theft, many still don’t pay workers what they’re owed. KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero tells us how Santa Clara County is implementing a local solution to this statewide issue. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A full transcript will be available 1–2 workdays after the episode’s publication. COVID-19 cases are on the rise (again). But this isn’t the surge of years’ past..it’s more like a “swell”. We also have more immunity, there are effective treatments, and a new booster is on the way. KQED Health Correspondent Lesley McClurg explains what you need to know about this increase in COVID cases. Links: The New COVID 'Eris' Variant and Rising Cases: What You Need to Know Fueled by 'Eris,' COVID Escapes Predictability Once Again This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains explicit language. Banko Brown was a Black trans man who was shot and killed by a Walgreens security guard in late April. Today, KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez interviews three members of Banko Brown’s community from the Young Women’s Freedom Center — Xavier Davenport, Kazani Kalani Finao, and Juju Pikes-Prince — about Brown’s life, and what they believe is necessary for trans people to be truly safe in San Francisco. Links: What Banko Brown's Queer, Trans Community Says They Need for Safety, Joy in SF This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Labor Day weekend, we're sharing an episode from KQED's Bay Curious podcast about what's happening to our state's iconic redwood trees, and how we can support them. This episode originally published on June 22, 2023. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the richest, most outspoken investors in the tech world are behind a company that has bought nearly 60,000 acres of mostly farmland in Solano County. They say they want to build a new city from scratch. But who are they? And why do they want to do this? Erin Griffith with The New York Times explains. Links: The Silicon Valley Elite Who Want to Build a City From Scratch Elected Officials to Meet with Silicon Valley Investors Behind $800 Million Solano County Land Grab 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

Under what circumstances should San Francisco be able to clear homeless encampments? Last week, protesters and counter-protesters went head-to-head outside the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals over an injunction that limits the city’s ability to do that. KQED’s Sydney Johnson unpacks this legal battle, and explains why it has sparked such strong feelings. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, students at Carlmont High School in Belmont were shocked when 17-year-old senior Colin Walker died of a fentanyl overdose. In this episode of TBH, a podcast from KALW made by, for, and about teenagers, one of his classmates tells the story of how students honored Colin’s life after his death, and educated each other about the dangers of fentanyl. Subscribe to TBH at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Radio Public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We bring you 3 stories a week, but there’s so much more that’s happening in the Bay Area than we can get to. Today, Ericka, Maria and Alan each bring a story they’ve been following in a new monthly news roundup segment. Links: Near $1 Billion Land Purchase Around California Air Base Under Investigation San Jose City Council Approves Agreements With Unions to Avoid Strike Henrietta Lacks’ Family Sues Bay Area Company Over Use of Stolen Cells Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollywood is no stranger to changes brought on by technology. But KQED’s Rachael Myrow says that for writers and actors currently on strike, this moment is existential — thanks in no small part to Silicon Valley. Many KQED staffers are also members of SAG-AFTRA, but journalists have a different contract from Hollywood actors. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland is looking for a new police chief after Mayor Sheng Thao fired LeRonne Armstrong back in mid-February. Whoever takes the job next will inherit a department that has been under federal oversight for 20 years. Today, we revisit a conversation with Ali Winston about the events that led to Armstrong’s downfall, and why OPD’s challenges run far deeper than who the chief is. This episode originally published on Feb. 8, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An often-overlooked moment in Bay Area activism took place in the 1980s and 90s, when a broad coalition of activists targeted San Francisco’s coffee industry to protest the civil war in El Salvador. KQED’s Sebastian Miño-Bucheli joins us to talk about how it happened. Links: The Time a Bay Area Coffee Boycott Helped Stop a Civil War A timeline of Fred Ross Jr., executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains explicit language. San Franciscans can expect to see more driverless cars on the road after California regulators approved a permit to allow Waymo and Cruise to charge fares. Once again, the city is the testing ground for new technology. And people on both sides have strong feelings about it. Ida Mojadad from the San Francisco Standard breaks it all down for us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’laysia Vital is about to leave Oakland to start college in Texas, where she’s excited to attend a historically Black college. But Texas is also one of more than a dozen states that has banned abortion. KQED’s April Dembosky takes us inside a health clinic at Oakland Technical High School, where staff have been helping college-bound students prepare for the barriers to reproductive health that await them in other states. 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

This episode contains explicit language. Hip-hop turns 50 years old today, and it’s no secret that the Bay Area gets overlooked. Today, Eric Arnold and Nastia Voynovskaya join us to talk about KQED’s yearlong series exploring the history of Bay Area hip-hop — and how our region has shaped hip-hop through the years. Links: That’s My Word The Bay Area Was Hip-Hop Before There Was Hip-Hop Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary: Where to Celebrate in the Bay Area That’s My Word, Spotify Playlists celebrating 50 years of Bay Area Hip Hop It's Time to Unpack Pimp Culture in Bay Area Hip-Hop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Tuesday, nearly 4,500 San Jose city workers are planning to walk off the job for 3 days. Garbage, fire, and police won’t be affected, but many critical services like the airport, libraries, and housing construction will be. If the strike goes forward, it would be San Jose's largest since 1981. KQED’s Guy Marzorati explains how we got here, and what could happen next. 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

On the morning after Thanksgiving last year, Martinez residents woke up and found a strange, white powder coating their neighborhoods. It came from the nearby refinery. Will McCarthy from the Mercury News tells us what happened next, and how this incident spurred angry neighbors into action for the first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time since 2009, there is no salmon fishing season in California. This decision has hit fishers, coastal towns, and Native communities hard. But it wasn’t inevitable. KQED climate and science reporter Danielle Venton explains how the state’s choices around water management played a major role. 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

A committee called Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE) has filed documents for a recall campaign against progressive Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez explains why this is happening — and whether DA Price could face the same fate as Chesa Boudin did in San Francisco. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated the number of Alameda County voter signatures required for the recall to qualify for the ballot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We hope you’re having a lovely Summer, Bay listeners. We’re spending this month gaming out the next year of our show, and we need your help! It’s important to us to hear from you and what you want to hear more (or less) of on The Bay. Just fill out our listener survey. The deadline is Friday July 21. Just go to kqed.org/thebaysurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking news from the Bay Team: we are taking our annual 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. We will be back with new episodes starting Wednesday, August 2. You can still reach us on Twitter @TheBayKQED or via e-mail [email protected]. We always love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s Reparations Task Force, the first of its kind in the nation, wrapped up 2 years of work studying reparations for Black Californians on Thursday. The task force, made up of scholars, community members and politicians, held days-long meetings studying what reparations could look like. The proposal is now in the hands of state legislators, who will decide whether to turn their recommendations into actual policy. So what’s in the plan? Episode transcript Guest: Annelise Finney, KQED reporter Links: How California's Reparations Task Force Reached Its Final Proposal The Bay Survey This episode was produced by Jehlen Herdman and Maria Esquinca, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the longest running pride celebrations in the country, SF pride has brought generations of queer communities together to march, celebrate, grieve, and organize. For this episode we hear from Gwenn Craig, a queer elder. She moved to San Francisco in 1975 as a young woman eager to explore her lesbian identity. She got involved in politics and was a close collaborator of Harvey Milk. She talks about her political organizing, what pride has meant to her over the years, and what she hopes for its future. Episode transcript This interview was conducted by Annelise Finney. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Jehlen Herdman with production assistance from Maria Esquinca. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A generation of young people has been traumatized by gun violence. Mass shootings year after year, especially at schools, draw international headlines. But students, and even young children, are also being exposed to everyday gun violence hat an alarming rate. In the city of Richmond — which is seen as a national model for gun violence prevention efforts — 40% of shootings over the past 10 years have happened near a K-12 campus, and out of those shootings, around 80% happened within a half mile of an elementary school, according to police data. Today, reporter Abené Clayton with The Guardian’s Guns and Lies in America project joins us to talk about her hometown, how kids are being affected by violence, and why Richmond isn’t an outlier. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Jehlen Herdman, Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve probably seen and heard the stories about downtown San Francisco. Fears about crime and safety, as well as low foot traffic because of the move to remote work, have left many buildings and businesses hollowed out. Downtown is in trouble, and the stakes (and dollar figures) are high. So what’s being done to save it from this so-called urban ‘doom loop’? Episode transcript Guest: Kevin Truong, business and economics reporter for The SF Standard This episode was produced by Jehlen Herdman and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fear of crime and blight in some of California’s biggest cities is increasing pressure on mayors to reduce visible street homelessness fast — even if it means not putting everyone into permanent affordable housing. To do this, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and San Francisco’s London Breed have pushed for more funding for shelters and temporary housing in their city budgets. But homeless advocates worry that more funding for temporary solutions means less funding for permanent housing. Episode transcript Guests: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, political reporter for KQED and Guy Marzorati, correspondent for KQED’s Politics & Government desk and producer of the Political Breakdown podcast This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Maria Esquinca and Jehlen Herdman, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have ever driven down Sacramento Street in South Berkeley, you have probably seen the statue of William Byron Rumford Sr that is prominently displayed on the median just off of Ashby Ave. Rumford was a civil rights advocate. He became the Bay Area’s first African American elected to the California Legislature in 1948. He also owned the pharmacy across the street from the site of the statue. Both are stops on the South Berkeley Legacy Project’s Black History walking tour. The tour is led by local historian and lifelong South Berkeley resident, Tina Jones Williams. The tour highlights cultural pillars in Berkeley’s Black community in effort to preserve their legacy. Episode transcript Guest: Corey Antonio Rose, producer Its Been a Minute and Bria Suggs, a journalist at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Links: Walk Through History in the Heart of Berkeley’s Black Community South Berkeley Legacy Project Facebook Page This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Jehlen Herdman, our intern, with production assistance from Alexander Gonzalez. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A spate of deadly shootings across the Bay are highlighting an ongoing surge in gun violence in the region, especially since the pandemic, which in part interrupted some of the work that had been trying to prevent gun violence. In Oakland, community groups and the city’s Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) say it's going to take creative thinking to solve this problem — and that includes investing in arts and culture. Starting Friday and through July, DVP is bringing back Town Nights, a series of arts and culture events around Oakland that provide resources and positive social outlets. So why do some of the city’s leading gun violence prevention groups say this programming is effective at stopping gun violence? The Bay revisits this question in an episode featuring Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED associate editor of arts and culture. Episode transcript Links: Town Nights events for Summer 2023 This episode first published October 10, 2022. It was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo, Alexander Gonzalez and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent killing of Banko Brown by an armed Walgreens security guard has put a focus on the work of these employees. While they often take on similar roles to cops, armed security guards are not public employees but often low-paid civilians with few protections when they kill someone on the job, and they don’t get proper training on things like use of force or de-escalation either. That’s all supposed to change after the 2019 killing of a man by a security officer in Sacramento, which led to a bill meant to increase the state training standards for security guards. Episode transcript Guest: Marisa Lagos, a politics correspondent for KQED and co-host of the political breakdown podcast. Links: ‘A Tragedy of San Francisco’s Marking’: The Killing of Banko Brown They Carry Weapons. So Why Don’t Security Guards Have to get Use-of-Force Training? This episode was produced by Alexander Gonzales, Jehlen Herdman, Maria Esquinca, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices