The Bay

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

Pro-Palestine protests have popped up on college campuses nationwide, with some becoming the epicenters of violent counter-protests and arrests by police. In the Bay Area, however, what have become known as ‘solidarity encampments’ have remained largely peaceful so far.  Today, we hear from student journalists at San Francisco State, UC Berkeley, and Sonoma State about what’s been happening on their respective campuses. Episode Transcript 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

Some of the state’s sickest patients are stranded in hospitals for weeks, months, and even years as they wait to be moved into nursing homes and psychiatric facilities. This backup is caused in part by nursing home staffing shortages, coupled with a rapidly aging population.  KQED’s Lesley McClurg tells us the story of one Berkeley resident’s struggle to find adequate care for his wife. Links: Episode Transcript Systemic Neglect: How Staffing Shortages In Nursing Homes Leave Patients Trapped in Hospitals This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo, Ellie Prickett-Morgan, and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. 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 Berkeley’s newest (and youngest) District 7 city councilmember, allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in death row sentencing in Alameda County, and efforts to bring giant pandas to San Francisco.  Episode Transcript Links:  Cecilia Lunaparra declares victory in District 7 race for Berkeley City Council Allegations of Prosecutorial Bias Spark Review of Death Penalty Convictions in Alameda County SF Mayor Breed Talks Crime, Tourism and Pandas Ahead of China Trip A grizzly bear chase. A dead penguin. Behind the scenes, the S.F. Zoo is in turmoil over safety This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, in what’s been described as the most significant case on homelessness in decades.  Many Californians are watching this case closely — from politicians, to advocates, to unhoused residents. KQED housing reporter Vanessa Rancaño breaks down the basics of this case, and why people in the Bay are closing following it. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ballots are being recounted in the race for California’s 16th Congressional house seat, which ended in a tie for second between Assemblymember Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. One or both of them will move on to face former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in November. KQED’s Guy Marzorati explains how the recount is working, and why it’s gotten a little ugly. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Ellie Prickett-Morgan, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland officials are moving ahead with a plan to rename the city’s airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.”  Residents, business groups, and airlines all have a lot to say about it, and San Francisco has also filed a lawsuit to try and stop the renaming from happening. The Oaklandside’s Eli Wolfe joins us to talk about why the name change feels existential.  Episode transcript Editor’s note: Oakland International Airport is a financial supporter of KQED. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After last year’s mass shooting at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay, officials learned that some of the farmworkers had been living in shipping containers. State, federal, and local officials promised to do something about it. Now, the city is close to breaking ground on housing for the survivors and other low-wage farmworkers in the area. Links: Episode transcript Half Moon Bay Prepares to Break Ground on Farmworker Housing Become a KQED member 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

The Federal Bureau of Prisons abruptly announced that it will shut down Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, the federal women’s prison infamous for an alleged culture of sexual abuse. KQED's Alex Hall tells us why this news took many people by surprise, and what it could mean for the hundreds of women inside. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Ellie Prickett-Morgan, with production support from Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin announced his entry into the race for mayor in November.  Peskin has been in San Francisco politics for a long time, and is the first prominent mayoral candidate from the city’s progressive camp. KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez tells us how Peskin shakes up this mayoral race. Links: Episode Transcript Chinatown Rally Launches Aaron Peskin Mayoral Run SF Supervisor Aaron Peskin Announces Mayoral Run 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

Darius Simpson is the author of the collection “Never Catch Me.” In this episode in celebration of National Poetry Month, Simpson talks about how his poetry has changed over the years, his involvement in People’s Programs in Oakland, and how he hopes his poetry can inspire people to organize towards liberation of all oppressed people.  This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and guest hosted by Maria Esquinca. Links: Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s official: The A’s are leaving Oakland. The Athletics announced last week that they’ll play their home games for the 2025-27 season at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento as part of bigger plans to relocate to Las Vegas for the 2028 season. But A’s fans vow to continue speaking out about the move and how its long goodbye to Oakland has been handled. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan, Maria Esquinca, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever noticed how few school buses there are in California? A survey by the Federal Highway Administration found that nationally, almost 40% of school-aged kids ride a school bus. In California, that number is only 8%. Why? It goes back to a state constitutional amendment passed in 1978. In this episode from Bay Curious, producer Katrina Schwartz dives into how this proposition led to California’s lack of school buses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains graphic descriptions of death and violence. At least 33,000 Palestinians — including an estimated 13,000 children — have been killed by Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza. The region’s health care infrastructure has been decimated, as an estimated 12 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are considered operational.  Dr. Mohammad Subeh, an emergency room physician from the South Bay, recently returned from a volunteer medical mission to the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. In this episode, he talks about why he went, what he saw, and the people he met. This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Dana Cronin, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s salmon are still in decline — so much so that fishery managers may cancel the state’s salmon season for the second straight year.  Lawmakers, environmental groups and tribes have identified one part of the problem: toxic dust that comes from our tires. KQED’s Ezra David Romero tells us how we can fix this problem. Links: Toxic Dust Threatens California Salmon Population, Lawmaker Seeks Solution This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan, Dana Cronin, and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are no signs of a doom loop in Oakland’s queer nightlife scene, where brick and mortar nightclubs and bars quadrupled in the last year, and the events to go along with them have grown too. KQED Arts and Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya explains what’s behind this flourishing scene. Links: A Queer Party Renaissance Brings New Life to Downtown Oakland 'Something's blooming': Queer nightlife in Oakland is approaching a renaissance 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

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about the resurgence of the East Bay’s Street Spirit newspaper, a new non-emergency phone line for Oakland residents, and Aaron Peskin’s potential bid for San Francisco mayor. Links: Berkeleyside: Street Spirit homeless newspaper is back in print The Oaklandside: MACRO, Oakland’s non-emergency crisis response team, now has a phone number KQED: Aaron Peskin's Rumored Run for SF Mayor Has Same Strength and Weakness: Housing  This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every child in California under 3 is entitled to early intervention services like physical, speech, and occupational therapy if they show signs that they need developmental support. Experts say getting these services early and in-person is critical for babies’ development, and that it can actually reduce the need for special education services later in life. But many families aren’t receiving the care they need. KQED’s Daisy Nguyen explains why. Links:  Episode transcript 'Early Start' 101: Here's How Families Can Access Early Intervention Services for Younger Kids This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan, Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, it’s been a minute since the March 5 primary, but we finally know the results of Proposition 1. California voters narrowly approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to build new treatment facilities and direct a larger share of mental health funding to housing. KQED politics correspondent Guy Marzorati joins us to unpack the results, and what this could mean for the state moving forward. This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Links: Episode transcript Become a KQED member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay is home to a new professional women’s soccer team. Bay FC, founded by four former U.S. Women National Team players, kicks off its home opener at PayPal Park in San Jose on Saturday, March 30. Marisa Ingemi with the San Francisco Chronicle joins us to talk about how this team got started, which players to watch, and the Bay Area’s history as a hotbed for women’s soccer. Links: ‘I’m here to win trophies’: Bay FC’s African strikers eager to make mark in NWSL A beginner’s guide to the NWSL: Five things Bay FC fans should know 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

Advocates and lawyers are scrambling to provide immigration legal assistance in Contra Costa County, where a new immigration court has opened to help tackle a nationwide deportation backlog and record numbers of asylum claims.  KQED’s Tyche Hendricks takes us to a high school gym in Concord where nonprofit groups helped provide free legal advice to people ahead of their court hearings. Links: Episode transcript New Bay Area Immigration Court Opens, Aims to Tackle Deportation Backlog Become a KQED member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode discusses sexual abuse. For decades, the Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, a women’s prison, has been known for a pervasive culture of sexual abuse towards the women incarcerated there. There have been firings, settlements, and trainings, but the problems haven’t gone away. Now, the FBI has raided the prison as a group of survivors have filed a total of 63 lawsuits against the facility. On Friday, a federal judge ordered an independent third party to oversee reforms and policy changes. Will it be enough to change things? Links: 'A Dysfunctional Mess': Judge Orders Third-Party Oversight for East Bay Women's Prison Plagued by Sexual Abuse Episode transcript This episode was produced by Dana Cronin and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Activists and scientists have been sounding the alarm about radioactive contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, the site of former U.S. Navy activity, for years.  In January, the Navy released a report acknowledging that, through human-caused climate change, toxic chemicals could rise with groundwater in parts of the site.  Today, we’re sharing an episode from August 2022 with KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero. In it, we meet residents of Bayview-Hunters Point who have been fighting for more information, and resources to deal with health problems that they attribute to this pollution.  Links: Episode transcript US Navy Acknowledges Rising Toxic Groundwater Threat at SF Superfund Site Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alameda County is notoriously slow at counting votes, but we do have some results to discuss. Today, KQED’s Annelise Finney dives into the Board of Supervisors elections, a very expensive state Senate race, and a measure that aims to change the county’s recall rules. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Ellie Prickett-Morgan and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco moderates, especially Mayor London Breed, are celebrating after Propositions C, E and F appear headed to victory. Props E and F will expand police powers and drug screen welfare recipients. Now that they’ve passed, Mayor London Breed hopes to show voters she’s addressing the worries on voters’ minds ahead of a competitive mayoral race this November. Links: Episode transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey finished in the top 2 in the race for California’s U.S. Senate seat, with Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee finishing third and fourth. KQED’s Guy Marzorati gives a quick rundown of some of the local races we know about so far, and then breaks down the results of the biggest race on the California primary ballot. Links: Episode Transcript Live Election Results This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election Day is over, and the votes are being tallied. And while we don’t know what the final voter turnout numbers will be, we do know that most people don’t vote in primaries. Primary elections aren’t sexy. They never turn out as many voters as a November general election because most people are motivated by national stuff, like presidential races.  But the issues on a primary ballot, especially locally, are perhaps more consequential to people’s everyday lives. Today, we talk with Mindy Romero, founder and director of USC's Center for Inclusive Democracy, about the consequences of low primary turnouts, and how to get more people to vote. Links: Episode transcript California primary results 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

In Napa County, 3 out of the 5 seats on the Board of Supervisors are on the ballot, in nonpartisan races that will be decided in the March 5 primary. (In these races, nobody is advancing to November— voters will pick the winner in this election!) The wine industry looms large, but so do issues about housing, wildfire protection, and environmental conservation. KQED’s Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli tells us about the stakes, and focuses on the race in District 5. Links: Episode transcript KQED Voter Guide Bay Curious Breaks Down Prop. 1 Will SF Voters Expand Police Powers in This Election? What to Know About California's US Senate Race This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Maria Esquinca, and edited and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you voting in the March Primary today? Why or why not? Maybe there’s a particular issue you’re fired up about where you live. Maybe you’re not happy with the candidates in your area. Or maybe you’re just hella confused by all the measures with letters on your ballot. Either way, we wanna hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 415-710-9223. And maybe you’ll hear yourself in an upcoming episode of The Bay! Tell us your name, where you’re from, and whether you’re voting in the March primary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains explicit language. Race has been a mostly silent character in criminal courtrooms. Historically, people accused of crimes haven’t been able to raise claims of racial bias in the justice system to defend themselves from a criminal accusation. But in 2020, California passed the Racial Justice Act, a groundbreaking law that allows criminal defendants to argue that racism may have played a role in how the justice system handled their case and ask for the court to provide a remedy. It’s the first law of its kind in the nation. KQED’s Annelise Finney explains how one case in Contra Costa County is testing the limits of the new law. Links: Episode Transcript California's Groundbreaking Racial Justice Act Cuts Its Teeth in Contra Costa Judge Finds 8 Antioch Police Officers Tainted by Racial Bias, Reduces Criminal Charges   This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ellie Prickett-Morgan, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. It was edited and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. 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 an assembly race where housing development has taken center stage, the mother of Oscar Grant getting his cell phones back 15 years after his killing, and how the politics of fast food are heating up in San Jose. Links: Palo Alto's Lydia Kou Channels Anti-Sacramento Anger in Challenge to Assemblymember Marc Berman Oscar Grant's Cellphones Returned to His Mother, 15 Years After Notorious Police Killing on BART Platform San Jose fast-food workers question city official’s support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When one of your appliances or electronics breaks, do you buy a new one or try to fix it yourself? Manufacturers have made it hard for consumers to fix their own stuff. But people have been pushing back in what's called the "right to repair" movement. KQED's Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us to a "Fixit clinic" in Redwood City, where people learn how to fix their broken items. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This March, the politics of crime in San Francisco can be found up and down the ballot, from judicial races to local ballot measures.  KQED’s Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez joins us to unpack Proposition E, a measure put forward by Mayor London Breed that would expand the power of the San Francisco Police Department. Links: KQED Voter Guide: Proposition E Subscribe to KQED's Political Breakdown newsletter 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

Queer Palestinian artists in the Bay are calling for a ceasefire as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza. Some say that the conflict has forced them to “come out as Palestinian” to the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community. KQED’s Nisa Khan talks to us about how Palestinian artists are pushing San Francisco’s queer community to stand up for Palestine.  Links: Episode Transcript ‘This Is Resistance’: Queer Palestinian Artists and Activists in the Bay Area Are Speaking Out 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

As we head into the 2024 election, voters will have to navigate a slew of disinformation created by AI, like deep fakes and robocalls. In this episode of KQED’s Political Breakdown, Scott Shafer speaks to Jonathan Mehta Stein, executive director of California Common Cause, to discuss the threats AI could pose to our election process and efforts to regulate it in California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The people who regulate air quality in the Bay Area say they’ve scored a “decisive victory” in a legal fight with Big Oil. On Tuesday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that Chevron, which runs a 120-year-old refinery in Richmond, and the Martinez Refining Company have dropped lawsuits against a rule that will require them to drastically cut air pollution from their facilities.  Links: Bay Air District Hails 'Decisive Victory' in Battle to Cut Refinery Pollution 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

This Valentine’s Day, KQED community engagement reporter Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli joins us to talk about growing up in San Francisco’s Mission District — and one particular mural that he loves and remembers dearly. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo and Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California primary is coming up, and ballots have been sent out! Today, our friends at Bay Curious break down Proposition 1. Prop. 1 asks two big questions: Should mental health funding be used for housing? And should California borrow money to build more housing and treatment facilities? Links: Episode transcript KQED Voter Guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco 49ers are back in the Super Bowl, and fans are chomping at the bit for the team to bring home its first championship since 1994. They’ll be facing the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated them in the Super Bowl 4 years ago. David Lombardi with The Athletic breaks down why the Niners have a great chance of winning it all this time.  Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Dana Cronin, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A huge storm system hit the Bay Area this past weekend, leaving many across the nine counties without power. At its peak, an estimated 1.5 million customers were without electricity statewide, marking the third-largest single-day outage in PG&E’s history.  KQED’s Dan Brekke tells us why this storm was so bad, what about our infrastructure is lacking, and how we can be better prepared for more storms like this one going forward. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Dana Cronin and Alan Montecillo, with production help from Ellie Prickett-Morgan. It was guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're making an episode about the fallout from this weekend's storms. Have you been affected? If so, consider leaving us a voicemail at 415-710-9223, and we may play it on Wednesday's show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biannual “point in time” count of unhoused residents is imperfect but an important part of tracking the homelessness crisis in cities across the country. KQED’s Sydney Johnson joined city workers as they drove around one San Francisco neighborhood to count the number of people living on the streets. 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

From 2012-2019, Oakland’s Operation Ceasefire has been credited with helping the city reduce homicides by nearly half. At its height, it targeted the handful of individuals responsible for the bulk of gun violence and offered services. But a recent audit requested by Mayor Sheng Thao revealed several factors that led to the breakdown of the program. Now, she wants to revive it. 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

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka, Maria and Alan discuss how mass layoffs at the LA Times have brought renewed attention to a California bill that would force tech companies to pay news outlets, San Mateo County’s vote to make it a crime to camp in certain areas when shelter beds are available, and a former prosecutor under Chesa Boudin who’s decided to enter the race for San Francisco District Attorney. Plus, we introduce our new intern! Links: Episode Transcript As layoffs batter L.A. Times, California lawmaker renews push to force Google, Facebook to pay for news S.F. D.A. Brooke Jenkins fired him. Now he’s running against her San Mateo County Supes Vote to Criminalize Camping in Unincorporated Areas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This March, Californians will be voting in a competitive Senate race. The top two finishers will advance to a run-off in November, regardless of party affiliation. KQED’s Marisa Lagos tells us about the stakes of this race, and we discuss four of the candidates: Democrats Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, and Barbara Lee, and Republican Steve Garvey. 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 year ago this Tuesday, a gunman entered two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay and killed 7 farmworkers — all of them Chinese and Latino immigrants.  The shooting brought attention to the living and working conditions of farmworkers in Half Moon Bay and across the state. State and local officials promised to do something about it. So, what’s changed? 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

Despite California’s reputation as a sanctuary state for abortion rights, it is also home to hundreds of “crisis pregnancy centers” located directly next to abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood.  These centers are designed to look like community health clinics, but most of them don’t have a medical license. And they have an explicit goal: to persuade people not to have an abortion. This episode originally aired on Feb. 17, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robotaxis had their Icarus moment in 2023, writes Joshua Bote, tech reporter for The San Francisco Standard. After Cruise’s rise and fall in San Francisco, what's ahead for the robotaxi industry? 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-funded company behind the controversial plan to build a new city from scratch in Solano County, has released language for a ballot measure they hope to bring before voters. KQED’s Erin Baldassari tells us what’s in the plan, and how residents are feeling about it.  This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and Alan Montecillo, and was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Links: Transcript 'Not Just a Crazy Idea': California Forever Releases Ballot Details for New Bay Area City Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode discusses suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. After decades of advocacy, a stainless steel safety net underneath the Golden Gate Bridge is nearly finished. Officials and loved ones affected by suicide hope it will save lives by deterring people from jumping. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re sharing an episode from our colleagues at KQED's Rightnowish. Host Pendarvis Harshaw talks to Oakland filmmaker, organizer and MC, Boots Riley. They talk about his latest T.V show, I’m a Virgo, participating in the Writers Guild of America Strike, and the ways he believes the media has failed in its coverage of violence in Oakland.  This episode originally aired on Jan.4, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza in an 8-3 vote, making it the largest city in the country to do so. San Francisco trails other cities in the Bay Area like Richmond and Oakland who’ve passed similar resolutions meant to put pressure on Israel and the Biden administration. Episode Transcript This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Maria Esquinca, and Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since its founding in 1969, People’s Park has been a symbol of Berkeley’s radical history of protest, resistance and mutual aid. But after years of efforts by UC Berkeley to build on the land, the university is getting closer and closer to taking back control. KQED's Vanessa Rancaño breaks it down. Transcript Links: A Brief History of the Never-Ending Battle for People’s Park Berkeley Locals Lament the Closure of People’s Park as Shipping Container Barricades Go Up This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Additional reporting by Adhiti Bandlamudi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recall effort to remove Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price from office is well underway, but when voters will actually be asked this question is still up in the air. A lot needs to happen before we get to that point, including one consequential decision voters will have to make in March that will have a big impact on how recalls work in Alameda County.  This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who is also the host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Foggy days are a fact of life in the Bay Area, but climate change could lead to fewer of them in the coming years. While that might be welcome news to some, the truth is fog is an important weather phenomenon for all kinds of reasons. In this episode of Bay Curious, KQED reporter Dana Cronin demystifies the mist and finds out what we might expect for the future of fog. Episode Transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time flies, time is money, time waits for no one. We are so conditioned to obsess over time, how we use it, and getting the most out of it – or else, we feel guilty. In this episode of KQED’s Forum, co-hosts Becca Rashid and Ian Bogost of the Atlantic’s ‘How to Keep Time’ talk with Grace Won about optimizing “free” time, and why we struggle to comfortably do nothing.  Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay team is sharing each of their favorite episodes of 2023. This episode, picked by editor Alan Montecillo, first published on June 28. In it, we hear from Gwenn Craig, a queer elder who reflects on the transformation — and corporatization — of San Francisco Pride, and why it still matters now more than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay team is sharing each of their favorite episodes of 2023. This episode, picked by producer Maria Esquinca, was first published on Nov. 15. In it, KQED reporter and producer Blanca Torres talks about a nonprofit that organized accordion classes to help farm workers affected by the Half Moon Bay shooting heal from their trauma.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay team is sharing each of their favorite episodes of 2023. This episode, picked by host Ericka Cruz Guevarra, was first published on June 12. In it, The Bay team visits a pickleball court in Oakland’s Bushrod Park, where the sport has grown in part because of its intergenerational draw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sandy Stier and Kris Perry were plaintiffs in a landmark case challenging California’s Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in 2008. Their trial went all the way to the Supreme Court, and would eventually restore marriage equality to California. This year, KQED invited Stier and Perry to watch unsealed tapes from the trial of their younger selves taking the stand for marriage equality, and to reflect on what it meant to be part of that fight all these years later.  Episode Transcript Links:  Inside the Trial That Overturned California's Same-Sex Marriage Ban This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Adhiti Bandlamudi, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nestled in the Berkeley Hills, Indian and Mortar rocks are popular hangout spots known in part for epic views of the Bay. For climbers like Berkeleyside reporter Ally Markovich, they’re known for their outsized role in the development of bouldering.  But for the native Ohlone, the boulders are a symbol of a destroyed cultural landscape, and an urgent call to protect native history. Links: Transcript Part I: The stories Indian and Mortar rocks can tell us Part II: How Berkeley’s famous boulders took rock climbing to new heights This episode was hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra and produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Maria Esquinca, and Adhiti Bandlamudi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two very Bay Area crises – sea level rise and the housing crisis – are colliding in the East Bay city of Newark, where the city will consider plans to build housing on one of the few remnants of the Bay’s vast marshland. It’s a fight for the marshes’ future, which environmentalists say should be maintained as natural flood protection.  Links:  Bay Area Housing Project Raises Concerns About Sea-Level Rise   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

Despite the many languages spoken in the Bay Area, Alameda and Solano Counties only send out emergency alerts in English, leaving at least one in ten Bay Area residents at risk of missing life-saving information in the face of disaster. El Timpano senior reporter Jasmine Aguilera explains why that is, and which counties are succeeding in disseminating critical information to everyone.   Links: ALERT: This is an emergency — but for English speakers only The Tiny Radio Station Relaying Critical Kincade Fire Information in Indigenous Languages Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our beautiful state is in danger. Human-caused climate change has dramatically increased the risk of destructive wildfires — and now we anticipate them every year. So how do we process the grief of what we’re losing? And how can we use that pain as fuel to make change? Links: Grieving California Good Grief Network This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. The interview was conducted by Erin Baldassari. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patti Poppe started a new job as CEO of PG&E in 2021, after the company emerged from bankruptcy for the second time in two decades. She sat down with KQED’s Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer of the Political Breakdown podcast to discuss the future of the utility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California State University system is the largest public university system in the nation. This week, faculty at four campuses — Cal Poly Pomona, San Francisco State, Cal State Los Angeles, and Sacramento State — launched a series of 1-day strikes. KQED’s Juan Carlos Lara takes us to Tuesday’s strike at SF State, where faculty and staff say they’re fed up with working conditions, low pay, and looming job cuts. 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

Brooklyn Basin is poised to become Oakland’s largest housing project, promising 3,700 new homes on the site of a former shipping dock. In a state where building just about anything can be a challenge, how did this one finally get off the ground? Links: Episode transcript Oakland's Largest Housing Project Aims to Build 3,700 Homes On-Site 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 group of Silicon Valley investors and billionaires who want to build a new city from scratch in Solano County, are on something of a public relations campaign. The group held its first town hall meeting in Vallejo on Wednesday night. And it will be the first of many — because if they really want to build a new city on the county’s outskirts, they’ll need to win over the hearts and minds of voters first.  Links: Episode transcript LISTEN: The Silicon Valley Giants Who Want to Build a New City in Solano County This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has banned street vending on Mission Street for 90 days, citing concerns about crime and sales of stolen goods. It’s the latest in a long saga around public safety in the neighborhood. KQED’s Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman explains how we got here and what this means for vendors. Links:  Episode transcript KQED: SF’s Mission Street Ban Begins KQED: On First Day of Mission Street Vending Ban, Vendors Implore City to Reconsider This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay's monthly news roundup (our last one of the year!), Ericka, Maria and Alan talk about how public transit agencies have temporarily averted a fiscal cliff, a proposal to increase the minimum wage for incarcerated workers, and the newly unveiled Tupac Shakur Way in Oakland. Links:  Episode transcript In Transit: Bay Area Transportation News on Everything That Moves KQED: California Prison Officials Aim to Raise Hourly Minimum Wage for Incarcerated Workers — to at Least 16 Cents KQED: 'Tupac Shakur Way' Unveiled in Oakland as Rap Icon Gets His Own Street This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting in January, PG&E ratepayers can expect their monthly bills to increase by an average of about $30. The utility says the money will go toward important infrastructure projects, including work on power lines that will reduce the risk of wildfires. But is this the best way to pay for it? Links: PG&E Gets Green Light to Raise Rates for Wildfire Prevention Efforts Episode transcript This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As an anxious, homeschooled kid, Mychal Threets found a haven in his local public library. Now he’s a librarian in Fairfield, and he’s recently become famous for talking about his passion for books and libraries on TikTok. In this episode we’re re-running from Rightnowish, host Pendarvis Harshaw and producer Marisol Medina-Cadena talk to Threets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, Oakland returned 5 acres of Joaquin Miller Park to the Sogorea Te’ land trust and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, marking the first time a Bay Area city has given land back to Native Americans. Despite no significant opposition to this plan, the process took more than 5 years. So what does it actually take to give land back? This episode originally aired on Nov. 28, 2022. Episode transcript Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last summer, Ericka told a story live on stage at KQED, at an event hosted by the San Francisco chapter of the Asian American Journalists’ Association called “Hella Asian.” It’s a story about a camping trip she went on with her best friend during the pandemic. It’s also a story about the mental impact of the news, and her sense of safety as attacks on Asians were in the headlines. Today, we’re sharing that story again. This episode originally aired on Aug. 8, 2022. This episode was produced by Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With thousands of people taking to the streets on either side of the issue of Israel’s siege of Gaza, how are the Bay Area’s representatives in Congress weighing their position on the issue? Links: Apply to be our intern! This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca, Ericka Cruz Guevarra and Guy Marzorati, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January, a gunman killed 7 farmworkers at two mushroom farms in Half Moon Bay. Months later, one community group has been trying to use accordion classes as a way to help farmworkers heal from the trauma. Links: Apply to be our intern! 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 quarter of California’s carbon emissions come from homes and buildings -- from the appliances we use to keep ourselves warm and our families fed. In this episode of KQED’s Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America, we head to a neighborhood in Oakland that is taking a revolutionary approach to reducing their emissions: by electrifying together, all at once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week, San Francisco is hosting its largest international event since 1945. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference — or APEC — is expected to bring tens of thousands of visitors and foreign dignitaries to the city. With lots to prove to its guests, including President Joe Biden, San Francisco has ramped up preparations that have already affected local residents. Links: Apply to be our intern! APEC 2023 San Francisco City Guide   KQED: From Street Closures to Security Checks, What to Know About SF APEC 2023 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

As red states pass laws targeting transgender rights and LGBTQ-inclusive education, conservatives in the South Bay have formed their own strategy: focusing on local, nonpartisan school board races. Episode transcript This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Foster City is home to one of the largest annual gatherings of Palestinians in the Bay Area. It’s also where Councilmember Sam Hindi holds office as the only current elected official of Palestinian heritage in the region. Today, we talk with Hindi about how the war in Gaza has affected him — as an elected official, as a father, and as a Palestinian-American. 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

California has lifted a decades-old ban on lowrider cruising. The state, widely understood as the birthplace of lowrider culture, has also historically been unfriendly to it. For decades, lowriding was blamed for traffic and alleged connections to gang violence. KQED’s Paloma Yaritza Abarca explains the years-long fight by community members to let their cars ride freely. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mayor London Breed and Gov. Gavin Newsom have announced a plan for San Francisco to charge some drug dealers with murder starting next year. Will it scare suppliers from selling in San Francisco, or deter people from seeking help? 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

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