The Bay

For most adults, the election buzz is long over. But for teenagers in a few East Bay cities, the life-long thrill of voting has just begun. In Albany, 16 and 17 year olds voted in public elections for the first time, following a growing movement to expand youth’s right to vote in local elections. Today, The Bay follows a group of trailblazing teenagers who rallied to get out the vote among their peers, and are now reflecting on their new role in democracy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, thousands of Golden State Valkyries fans came together along San Francisco’s waterfront to celebrate the team’s championship victory. The win comes just two seasons into the franchise’s existence but the Valks fanbase is already something of a phenomenon. Today, we take you to the parade and hear from fans.  Links: Valkyries Parade Draws Thousands to San Francisco’s Embarcadero for WNBA Championship Celebration ‘The Bay Area Is Magical Right Now’: Valkyries Fans Rejoice After Championship Victory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year’s midterm elections are consequential for Bay Area residents. From the governor’s race to statewide propositions and local measures, we give you a snapshot of election night from inside the KQED newsroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has been ramping up efforts to find voter fraud in California. Claims of voter fraud can have real-world consequences for communities. Today, Stanford Political Science Professor Justin Grimmer tells us about a group of traveling election skeptics who target mostly rural, conservative communities to spread their claims of fraud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, we discuss Marin County’s Measure P, a parcel tax to increase access to childcare, and why school board races might actually be more important than you think. We also discuss the fate of the iconic Dunsmuir Hellman Historic Estate just south of Oakland. Some say the once grand mansion has taken a turn for the worse. Links: As Costs Crush Families, This Bay Area County Could Be Latest to Subsidize Childcare (KQED) Don’t Skip the School Board Races on Your Ballot. Here’s Why They Could Be Pivotal (KQED) Dunsmuir: The Oakland Mansion That Inspired Hollywood Nightmares (KQED) Why should you care about old houses? (East Bay Yesterday) Dunsmuir House: Past, Present, & Future (Oakland Public Library) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, Nancy Pelosi has represented San Francisco in Congress. Now she’s retiring, making way for a truly competitive race for California’s 11th Congressional District. Today, we talk about the candidates — San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and state Sen. Scott Wiener — and discuss how they differ on the big issues.  Links: KQED’s Voter Guide Prop Fest: A collaboration between The Bay and Bay Curious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After hollowing out during the pandemic, San Francisco’s office vacancy rate is hovering at around 30%. Pair that volume of empty space with an escalating housing crisis, and it’s enough to make you wonder: Could you turn those empty offices into apartments? Today, we talk with two developers about what it actually takes to make these conversion projects a reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Golden State Valkyries prepare for Game 4 of the WNBA finals Saturday, KALW’s BOUNCE introduces us to the team’s star player, Gabby Williams. From her roots in Oakland to her leadership as an out, queer player, host Erin Lim tells us more about the forces that have shaped her into the player and person she is today. Links: BOUNCE: The Rise of Women’s Professional Sports Valkyries Fans Take Dream Loss in Stride, Prepare to Rally for Game 4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal corruption trial against former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao kicked off this month. Thao and her three codefendants — Andre Jones, David Doung, and Andy Doung — are facing conspiracy and bribery charges. Prosecutors allege that the group engaged in a quid pro quo to advance the Doungs’ companies in exchange for money and support for Thao’s 2022 mayoral campaign. KQED’s Alex Hall joins us to break it all down. Links: Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Is Going on Trial for Bribery: Here’s What You Need to Know Alex Hall’s continuing coverage of the Sheng Thao trial Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast majority of commercial kitchens in California — some 85% — rely on gas to power their appliances. But scientists say that will have to change if the state hopes to reach its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Bay Area food franchise Flour + Water is one of many local shops leading the charge away from gas appliances. In today’s episode, KQED reporter Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman visits an electric pizza kitchen to help us understand the benefits of electrification and what’s preventing more kitchens from making the switch.  Links: Here’s What All-Electric Bay Area Restaurants Have Learned From Ditching Gas Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September, prescribed burns on Angel Island sent smoke and at-times dangerous air quality to residents around the Bay Area. While Air District officials want to improve controlled burns on the island, environmental managers say the recent burn was a win. Today, Bay Nature reporter Daniella Garcia-Loos Almeida takes us on a journey to Angel Island to see the burn area through the eyes of the environmental stewards behind it. Links: Smoke Aside, the Angel Island Fire Was a Win for the Island’s Wild Landscapes (Bay Nature) Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just last month, San Mateo County announced that they’d bought an apartment building to house teachers and school staff. It is just one recent example of local school districts working to tackle the affordability crisis with workforce housing. This episode first published April 20, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do martial artists, mime performers, and a farmers market have in common? They all received millions of dollars from the state budget this past summer. The money was earmarked for them, set aside as part of a longstanding and opaque budget process that CalMatters’ reporter Stella Yu has spent a long time trying to understand. Links: How a gym, a farmers market and MMA fighters landed millions in Newsom’s last budget (CalMatters) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, requires state and local agencies to consider the environmental impact of public and private projects. Prop 45 would change CEQA by speeding up environmental reviews for certain projects such as housing, roads, bridges, and broadband centers. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Laura Klivans. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are about 2,000 community clinics providing health care in California, serving low-income and underinsured patients and funded partially by our tax dollars. But one healthcare workers union, SEIU-UHW West, says these clinics aren't spending enough of their money on patients. Prop 44 would change that by mandating that clinics spend at least 90% of their revenue on healthcare services, or face penalties from the state. Additional Resources: ⁠⁠Read the transcript for this episode⁠.⁠ ⁠⁠Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026⁠⁠ Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to⁠⁠ https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts⁠⁠ This story was reported by Lesley McClurg. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Right now in California, if citizens put a tax measure on the ballot for local government services, it requires a simple majority — 50% plus 1 — to pass. Prop 43 would raise that threshold. If passed, these kinds of tax measures would require a two-thirds majority of support instead. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Guy Marzorati. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prop 42 is another ballot measure designed to compete with Prop 40, the billionaire wealth tax. If passed, California would ban new taxes on financial assets like retirement accounts, stock portfolios, or other personal property like art. If Prop 42 and Prop 40 pass, but 42 receives more votes, then Prop 40 would be nullified. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode. Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Marisa Lagos. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As happens so often in California, there are initiatives on your ballot that are competing with other initiatives on your ballot. Prop 41, which would require audits of new special taxes, is one of them. You may have heard of Prop 40, the billionaire wealth tax. If Prop 41 receives more votes, then Prop 40 would be nullified — even if both pass. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Marisa Lagos. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proposition 40 is a one-time 5% wealth tax on California's billionaires. If passed, 90% of the revenue would go to healthcare, while the other 10% would help fund public education and food assistance programs. Additional Resources: LISTEN: The Union Man Taking on the Democratic Establishment with a Billionaire Tax LISTEN: Stanford Economist Makes the Case Against California's Billionaire Tax Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on Prop Fest Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Marisa Lagos. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, you have to show identification when you register to vote, but not when you cast your ballot. Prop 39, which is supported by California Republicans and opposed by California Democrats, would change that. If passed, citizens would have to present a government-issued ID when voting in person or write the last 4 digits of an ID number on their mail-in ballot envelope. Additional Resources: ⁠Read the transcript for this episode⁠. ⁠Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026⁠ Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to⁠ https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts⁠ This story was reported by Izzy Bloom. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Immunotherapy is individualized treatment designed to harness a patients’ immune system to fight disease. Vaccines are considered part of immunology, but it also includes more recent innovations, like new treatments for cancer and heart disease.   Prop 38 would allow the state to borrow $8.4 billion to fund immunology and immunotherapy research, with one specific institution in mind — UCLA. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by April Dembosky. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's pretty standard to pay a 20% down payment in order to buy a house. But in California, where the median price of a single-family home is $980,000, that's a tall order for most people. Supporters of Prop 37 say it would help address this problem by allowing the state to help moderate income buyers. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Adhiti Bandlamudi. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, California voters were asked whether or not to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom from office. But there was also a second question on the ballot: Who should replace the governor if he was recalled? The recall ultimately failed. But if it had succeeded, Republican talk show host Larry Elder, who won roughly 48% of the vote in that second question, would have become governor. Proposition 5 would change this process by eliminating the second question from recall ballots for statewide office. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode (link to web article) Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Guy Marzorati. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to get elected in this state, it's no secret that you'll need to raise money — in some cases, a lot of money. This could put candidates who don't come from wealthy backgrounds at a disadvantage. California currently bans public funding for political campaign expenses. Prop. 4 would repeal it. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Izzy Bloom. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has a progressive income tax system: the more you make, the more you pay in taxes. For years, voters have approved certain tax rates for high-income earners. Proposition 3 would lock in a marginal tax rate of 10.3% to 12.3% for the state's highest income earners. The money would help fund education and health care. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Guy Marzorati. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown persuaded voters to strengthen California's Rainy Day Fund — a pot of money set aside to help the state save when times are good, while paying down its debts. Now, Proposition 2 is asking voters to make that fund even bigger. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Guy Marzorati. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the next 2 weeks, we and our friends with Bay Curious are bringing you Prop Fest, your deep-dive audio guide voting smart on the 14(!) statewide ballot measures in this year's November election. Up first: Proposition 1, which would allow the state to borrow $11.25 billion for affordable housing. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Catch up on all of Prop Fest 2026 Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Adhiti Bandlamudi. Prop Fest is a collaboration between Bay Curious and The Bay. It’s made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alan Montecillo, Gabriela Glueck and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, we discuss a new report that found traffic delays could double if voters reject two public transit-related ballot measures. We also discuss a pilot program that builds solar panels over irrigation canals and preview the Golden State Valkyries return to the playoffs. Plus, we say goodbye to The Bay's senior editor, Alan Montecillo. Links:  Bay Bridge Traffic Delays Would Double if Transit Tax Measures Fail, Report Finds (KQED) Here’s What California Is Learning From Solar Panels Built Over Irrigation Canals (KQED) The Valkyries aren’t just an impressive expansion team. This is an all-time season (SF Standard)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nancy Pelosi is many things: Trailblazer. Lightning rod. First woman Speaker of the House. Mom of five. To some, she’s an out-of-touch elitist, to others, a champion for democracy. In The Speaker, a new limited-run podcast from KQED, political reporter Scott Shafer reflects on Pelosi’s historic life and career as she prepares to exit public office.  Links:  The Speaker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has ramped up immigration arrests at airports in recent months, including at San Francisco International Airport.  According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, Customs and Border Protection has also been holding immigrants at SFO – in some cases, for more than a week. Reporter Sara DiNatale joins us to explain how the airport has become a de facto detention center. Links: Under Trump, SFO is now a de facto immigration detention center (San Francisco Chronicle) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does gun violence happen? Arms Down, a program inside the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly San Quentin State Prison, asks the people behind the gun. It’s a revolutionary program that treats firearm addiction like an alcohol addiction, and recasts perpetrators of gun violence as part of the solution.  This episode first aired on Aug. 25, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s AI boom is making the rental market more competitive than ever. Prospective tenants face intense pressure to stand out, leaving them susceptible to substandard living conditions or outright scams.  Links: Part 1: As AI Booms, Daniel Lurie Declares ‘Rent Emergency’ in San Francisco  After the $18,000 Scam, How Can Bay Area Renters Protect Themselves? | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has declared a ‘rent emergency’ in San Francisco amid a boom in the AI industry. In the first part of The Bay’s series about the AI-fueled rental crisis, The New York Times San Francisco Bureau Chief Heather Knight explains what that declaration really means, and how this housing crunch stands out from the past.  Links: NYT: San Francisco Mayor Declares Rent Emergency Amid A.I. Housing Frenzy KQED: San Francisco Mayor Lurie Infuses $30 Million in Reforms to Tackle ‘Rent Emergency’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez came to light last spring, city leaders quickly decided to rename parks and take down statues of the labor leader. Conversations in the classroom are also changing. Today on The Bay, we’re re-airing this conversation from last April about how one East San José teacher is recasting Cesar Chavez’s legacy in the classroom. This episode first aired on April 8, 2026. Links: Why This City’s Reckoning With Cesar Chavez Is So Complicated (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020, San Franciscans began reckoning with the city’s monuments—many of which honored violent figures and fraught histories. In the years since, the San Francisco Arts Commission has been reimagining what public memory could look like. Now, temporary monuments celebrating everyday people are popping up all around us. Links: In San Francisco, a Reckoning With Toppled Statues Gives Rise to New Monuments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Living in the Bay Area is expensive, and raising kids here can be especially tough. So how do people do it? KQED reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi talks with three families about what they’re doing to get by. From cramming a family of four into one studio apartment to giving up on the dream of home ownership, compromise is always part of the equation. This episode first aired on May 4, 2026. Links: How We Get By | KQED In the Bay Area, Raising Kids Comes With Compromise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area is getting ready for a ‘Super El Niño’ this winter. This natural weather pattern, — made worse by human-caused climate change — could bring flooding, mudslides, power outages and road closures. KQED Climate reporter Ezra David Romero explains how we might feel the impact of El Niño in our day to day lives.  Links: Guide: El Niño Could Bring a Wet, Wild Winter. How Can You — and Your Home — Be Ready Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this month’s edition of The Bay’s news roundup, Ericka, The Bay’s new producer Gabriela Glueck, and Carly Severn, KQED’s senior editor of audience news discuss workplace safety fines against the Tahoe guiding company implicated in last year’s avalanche deaths. Also, we discuss a growing movement of Silicon Valley parents against tech in classrooms, and a controversial swan hunt that appears to be helping protect California’s shrinking marshlands.  Links: KQED: Guiding Company Fined by California for Tahoe Avalanche Deaths KQED: ‘A Chromebook in the Hand of Every Child.’ Did Schools Go Too Far? San Francisco Chronicle: Silicon Valley parents are leading a backlash against tech in the classroom CalMatters: Controversial swan hunt appears to work: California’s mute swan population drops Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last December, Bay Area transit officials launched Clipper 2.0 – a revamp of the payment system used across the region’s 22 public transportation systems. But the rollout has been a disaster, with customers reporting glitches like payments not being credited and frequent account lockouts. Now, a KQED investigation has found that officials had been ringing alarm bells about Clipper 2.0 long before the bungled rollout. This episode first aired on Feb. 2, 2026. Links: Callout: Share your story about San Francisco’s rental market! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco rents are rising fast: According to Zumper, an apartment listing website, the median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the city has surpassed $4,000 a month. If you've hunted for an apartment in SF recently, we'd love to hear your story. Just tap this link and follow the instructions to leave us a voice note. You can also call at (415) 710-9223. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – are taking effect as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed into law last year, with an estimated 650,000 Californians are at risk of losing food assistance benefits. Food banks in the Bay Area, which have been serving people at historic rates since the pandemic, are now bracing for impact. Links: Callout: Share your story about San Francisco’s rental market! California Food Banks Brace for Slow-Moving Avalanche of SNAP Cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flock Safety—and the company’s automated license plate readers—have been in the news a lot lately. And just last week, Bay Area activists led a series of protests against the company and what they see as a growing surveillance state. Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Close All Tabs about the fight over Flock, and what we know about how its data is used. Plus, creative ways some residents are fighting back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode discusses suicide. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This month, a federal trial against the world’s biggest social media kicked off in Oakland. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading a lawsuit that accuses Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of knowingly creating products that put children and teenagers at risk. And as KQED’s Rachael Myrow explains, the outcome of this trial could force Meta to pay up and make big changes to its platforms. Links: ‘Meta Hooked Kids’: Federal Trial Against Tech Giant Kicks Off in Oakland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Sur’s residents are used to natural disasters. This time, Highway 1 is closed again thanks to the Timber Fire that started on Aug. 8, which has burned more than 5,000 acres. Parts of Big Sur are also under mandatory evacuation orders. As the SF Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau reports, it’s the latest chapter in a “boom and bust” cycle that Big Sur’s small businesses know all too well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Piedmont in the East Bay is a bit of an oddity: a city less than 2 square miles large in the middle of Oakland — but not part of it. It’s now one of the wealthiest cities in the Bay Area, and some Oakland residents want to ‘Cancel Piedmont’ in order to confront the region’s inequality. Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at Bay Curious about the city’s history. It’s a story about Piedmont, but it’s really a story that starts in Oakland. Links: Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area’s full of subcultures and meetups for just about everyone. So as part of a new series from KQED Arts & Culture called “Finding Your People,” Arts and Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya takes us inside a craft night in Alameda that’s quickly become one of the hottest events in town. Links: This Craft Night Might Be the Hottest Party in Alameda KQED Arts’ ‘Finding Your People’ Series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Class is back in session at Oakland Unified School District schools this week, with one notable change: A strict phone-free policy.  KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti explains how a statewide mandate has pushed districts across the Bay to pass their own policies banning or restricting phones, and how it's playing out in Oakland.  Links: OUSD Cellphone Ban for Students Takes Effect on the First Day of the School Year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

State and local leaders are suing the federal government after alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement quietly broke ground on a proposal to build an ICE facility in Gilroy. Santa Clara County leaders and a number of other Bay Area cities, counties and community groups, have banded together to put a stop to the plan. At a recent press conference, members of San Jose’s Japanese American community also spoke out, drawing parallels to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Outside Lands is upon us, and 75,000 people are expected to descend on Golden Gate Park each of the festival’s three days. That also means lots of trash. In this episode, SF Gate’s Melissa Cho walks us through how the festival is able to divert the majority of its waste from landfills. This episode first aired on Aug. 15, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988. Starting August 14, San Francisco will remove peer specialists from its 911 response. These peer specialists, equipped with both training and personal experience with issues like homelessness and addiction, say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies. Links: These Peers Provided Alternative 911 Responders. San Francisco Is Removing Them Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Headed to the beach? Keep a watchful eye on the ocean for sneaker waves. They’re sudden, far-reaching waves that are notorious for catching beachgoers off-guard. Videos of Californians being swept away have gone viral, including a recent incident in Santa Cruz where a lifeguard saved a 10-year old from drowning. KQED’s Sarah Wright explains what sneaker waves are, why they’re dangerous, and how to stay safe while still enjoying the ocean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to live, work, and make decisions in a rapidly automated world? Life, Automated, a new podcast distributed by KQED and made by our partners at the Ryan Institute for Complexity at Northwestern University, explores this urgent question. Listen every other Wednesday wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we ramp up production for August, we’ve been thinking about you – our listeners – a lot.  And we’d love to chat. About what you like hearing, what you want to hear more of, and some ideas we have. If you’re up for that, leave us a voicemail at 415-710-9223. Please leave us your name and a good number to call. Talk soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure you’ll agree with us: Sometimes, it's good to take a break from the news. Every July, The Bay takes a break from making new episodes. We use this time to reset, rest, and brainstorm what we want to make for you. We will resume our regular schedule on Monday Aug. 3. Say hello anytime thebay@kqed.org. We always love hearing from you. Thank you for listening and enjoying the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this June 2026 edition of the monthly news roundup, we discuss the Giants’ pride month controversy, the debate over a new data center coming to Pittsburg, and how high school students pushed for improvements to their local bus line in San Francisco. Links: Pittsburg controversy over data center on old Delta View Golf Course This Bay Area suburb lost its main industry. Can it rebuild? In San Francisco, Students Become Transit Advocates to Fix ‘the City’s School Bus’ Fans chew out SF Giants for team's 'weak' response to Pride Night saga Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, we bid farewell to The Bay’s producer, Jessica Kariisa, and discuss her deep love for San Jose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, the streaming platform Spotify added a new feature that allows users to generate their own AI remixes. With no signs of AI slowing down in the music industry, we’re revisiting this episode about the labor implications, and how human artists are adapting. This episode first aired Nov. 14, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco (MCC-SF) was one of the first gay-positive Christian churches. During the height of the AIDS crisis, it was a place where hundreds of LGBTQ Christians found community, sustenance, and healing as they grappled with the illness and death of the epidemic. When We All Get to Heaven, a 10-episode audio documentary series produced by Eureka Street Productions and distributed by Slate, follows queer Christians caught between two communities: a religious world that said gays had no place, and a gay rights movement that said God had no place. Links: Listen: When We All Get to Heaven Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1945, Wesley Johnson, a San Francisco State graduate from Texas, rode down Fillmore Street, announcing Juneteenth and inviting all around to celebrate. At that time, the Fillmore district was the heart of San Francisco’s Black community, and famously known as the ‘Harlem of the West.’  But over the decades, systemic displacement in the name of urban renewal has dramatically shrunk the neighborhood’s Black population. Between 1970 and 2020, the Black population in the Fillmore dropped from 57% to just 16%. In this episode, we head to the Fillmore’s annual Juneteenth celebration and talk to a Fillmore native dedicated to keeping the community alive.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another huge sporting event is here in the Bay Area. The World Cup, with 48 participating countries and 104 matches spread out across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, is underway until the final on July 19. In addition to the six World Cup games at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, free watch parties are on all over the region, and two teams – Paraguay and Australia – are using the Bay Area as their base camps. KQED reporter Ayah Ali-Ahmad tells us what it’s like on the ground in San Jose, as thousands of visitors come to the Bay Area yet again. Links: Team Paraguay Arrives in San José Ahead of World Cup Games at Levi’s | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the Pacifica City Council approved an emergency declaration to demolish the beloved Chit Chat Cafe at the Pacifica Pier, as parts of the structure began to crumble into the ocean. Plans for the rest of the pier are still up in the air, as Pacifica residents reckon with the future of their coastal community in the face of coastal erosion, sea level rise, and climate change. Links: ‘You Can’t Beat Mother Nature’: Destroyed Cafe Gives Pacifica Look at Climate-Changed Future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The World Cup is now underway, with planned events around the Bay Area. Under the ethos of soccer as a “global language,” local soccer leagues in the Bay Area have been providing a rare sense of solace for new immigrant youth.  This episode first published June 11, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California still has lots of ballots left to count, more than one week after the primary. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have seized on the slow count to spread conspiracy theories of election fraud. But what’s actually behind the holdup? KQED’s Marisa Lagos explains why California counts ballots so slowly, and what could help speed up the count. Links: Ballots Are All In, but California Election Results Could Take Weeks to Settle. Why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In conversations with loved ones, transgender and non-binary kids from the Bay Area discuss acceptance, trust, and what it looks like to thrive. This episode first aired Dec. 4, 2025. Links: Become a KQED member Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are still many ballots left to count, but from the governor’s race to local tax measures and the race to replace Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives, we sit down with KQED’s politics and government correspondent Guy Marzorati about the results of the primary so far. Links: KQED: California Primary Election Results  Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Agan was a popular teacher at Angelo Rodriguez High School in Fairfield. But for years, students whispered about his behavior. He touched some of them in public in ways that made them uncomfortable, they said, including hugging students and massaging their shoulders.  In late 2019, after multiple written complaints and an administrative hearing, the school district fired Agan. But he never lost his teaching license, and went on to teach at two more schools in California. Holly McDede, who reported this story for KQED and ProPublica, explains how a pattern of delays and a lack of transparency has allowed educators to continue teaching after school districts reported them to the state. Links: He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway | KQED California Teacher Previously Fired for Sexual Harassment Is No Longer in the Classroom After New Complaints | KQED KQED and ProPublica will continue reporting on how California handles cases of alleged teacher misconduct. We need your help to get the full picture, and we want to hear from you. You can share your experience with the state’s disciplinary process online at propublica.org/kqed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This graduation season has felt different. Commencement speakers across the country are getting booed for promoting AI in their speeches – and the videos have gone viral. Recent college graduates were in school when ChatGPT first launched in late 2022, and many are worried about how AI will affect their future job prospects and society at large. Today, we hear from three recent graduates in the Bay Area about their thoughts on AI, how it affected their education, and how they feel about their futures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Alan Montecillo is joined by KQED political correspondent Guy Marzorati and KQED reporter Sydney Johnson ahead of California’s primary election on Tuesday, June 2. They preview the race to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco, Measures A and E in San Jose and Oakland, and the mayoral election in the city of Richmond. Links: 2026 Primary Voter Guide: California and Bay Area Elections | KQED After Pelosi, Young SF Voters Want Change. 2 Progressives Are Competing to Offer It | KQED LISTEN: San Francisco’s Congressional Debate The Measure E parcel tax fight is hot — and pricey Will Richmond’s next mayor be a progressive, a moderate or a staunch conservative? Richmond mayoral candidates take stances on green jobs, safety and life beyond Chevron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 15, 2024, dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the Golden Gate Bridge, in an attempt to pressure the U.S. government into ending military aid for Israel’s bombing and invasion of Gaza. Now, seven of those protesters are on trial facing felony charges in San Francisco. If convicted, they could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wetsuit changed surfing forever, making it possible for surfers to wade in the frigid waters of the Bay and allow the scene to thrive. In this episode of Bay Curious, we learn about the Ocean Beach surfers and the UC Berkeley physicist who had a part to play in the wetsuit’s invention.  Links: The Wetsuit Changed Surfing — We’ve Got a Berkeley Physicist to Thank for It Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend, SF Carnaval is expected to draw an estimated 500,000 people to San Francisco's Mission District. The celebration, which takes place May 23-24, celebrates the music, dance, and culture of the Latin American diaspora. Links: Carnaval San Francisco 2026: From Parade Route to Parking, What to Know This Weekend Carnaval San Francisco Turns Music, Memory and Resistance Into Celebration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Valero’s Benicia refinery employed hundreds of people and contributed millions in taxes to the local government for decades. Now, with the refinery on its way out, local leaders hope Benicia can be a leading example for how cities transition away from the fossil fuel industry. But with tight city budgets and a global fuel crisis looming, that’s much easier said than done. Links: California’s Fuel Fears Threaten Benicia’s ‘Just Transition’ to Green Economy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco has seen a 22% decrease in people sleeping on the streets, according to preliminary data from this year’s Point In Time count. But the number of families experiencing homelessness has gone up 15%. Recent changes have allowed families to stay longer in shelters, but securing affordable housing remains a challenge. In this episode, we meet one family caught up in the city’s shelter system as they wait for more permanent housing.  This episode originally aired Aug 4, 2025 Links: Fewer People Are Sleeping on San Francisco Streets. But Family Homelessness Is Up SF Families Win Shelter Extension Rights, Still Face Long Waits for Housing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Community-based preschools across the state have struggled to compete with California’s free, universal transitional-kindergarten program, where enrollment grew to 213,000 students this year. Now, hundreds of preschools have shuttered — worsening the shortage of licensed child care spaces for children younger than 4 years old. Links: As Transitional Kindergarten Grows, Hundreds of Child Care Centers Close Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Workers at San Francisco International Airport who clean planes, handle baggage, and push wheelchairs told city supervisors at a recent hearing that they’re sleeping in their cars and surviving on rice and oatmeal. Now city supervisors say their labor fight for higher wages is on notice.  Links: San Francisco Airport Labor Fight Hits City Hall This Week Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to a KQED analysis, the average Pacific Gas & Electric utility bill went up nearly 70% between 2020 and March 2025. But understanding what you’re actually paying for can be confusing. In this episode, KQED’s climate reporter Laura Klivans helps Ericka decode her PG&E bill.  This episode originally aired Dec 17, 2025 Links: The Average PG&E Utility Bill Has Gone Up Nearly 70% Since 2020 | KQED Bay Area Electricity Bills Are Some of the Highest. Where Does Your Money Go? | KQED PG&E Bills Keep Rising. What Can You Do to (Potentially) Lower Your Bills? | KQED Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Golden State Valkyries’ first season was a huge success. The team sold out every home game and became the first WNBA team ever to make the playoffs in their expansion season. This year, expectations are high. Marisa Ingemi of Valkyries Beat joins us to preview the Valkyries’ second season season, and provide some helpful tips for new fans. Links: 2026 WNBA Season Preview from a Valkyries perspective (Valkyries Beat) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jurors and journalists are getting a peek into the world of OpenAI and its founding as two of the richest, most powerful men in tech duke it out in an Oakland federal courthouse. Elon Musk claims that Sam Altman and other co-founders of OpenAI abandoned their founding promise to develop AI for the benefit of humanity. But does anyone here really have our best interests at heart? KQED’s Rachael Myrow takes us inside. Links: How to Unscramble an Omelet in Silicon Valley: The Musk v. Altman Trial That Will Try Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raising kids is expensive, and doing so in the Bay comes with compromises. Whether it’s with space, commutes, or affordability, having a kid here means something’s gotta give. KQED reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi introduces us to three different families and tells us what they’re doing to get by. Links: How We Get By | KQED In the Bay Area, Raising Kids Comes With Compromise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since 2023, a private initiative called the Civic Joy Fund has financially supported hundreds of arts and culture events in San Francisco. But a growing group of artists are calling for a boycott of events affiliated with the Civic Joy Fund, citing its connections to the Bay Area’s ultra-wealthy who already play an outsized role in local and state politics. Emma Silvers, journalist and co-owner of COYOTE Media Collective, explains why Bay Area artists are talking about the Civic Joy Fund right now.  Links: Bay Area Artists Are Turning on the Civic Joy Fund (Coyote Media) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this month’s edition of The Bay’s news roundup, Ericka, Alan, and KQED outdoors reporter Sarah Wright discuss Oakland’s new policy that will make it easier to sweep homeless encampments and RVs. Plus, a measure to tax the wealth of California’s billionaires seems headed for the November ballot, and a small group of lucky booklovers gets married at the San Francisco Public Library.  Links: Oakland Passes Controversial Policy Easing Restrictions on Encampment Sweeps | KQED California Billionaire Tax Nears the November Ballot | KQED Bay Area Book Lovers: We Have Highly Literary Date (or Friend Hang) Ideas for Your Weekend | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nuclear power has always been hotly debated. 9% of California’s power comes from the last operating nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, in San Luis Obispo County. But after initial plans to close it by 2025, an about-face by Gov. Gavin Newsom led the state to extend its operations until 2030 — with lawmakers now debating whether to keep it open for even longer in order to bolster California's ability to provide power in the face of climate change.  Links: The Debate for Keeping Diablo Canyon Open Past 2030 Is On. What Could It Mean for Your Bills? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump last year, will cut an estimated $900 billion to $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade. Between funding cuts and big changes to enrollment and eligibility requirements, residents who rely on Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, are bracing for impact. Doctor and journalist Sejal Parekh explores how this is playing out in Contra Costa County. Links: Up to 93K Contra Costa County residents could lose health insurance under Trump cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been one week since Rep. Eric Swalwell ended his run for governor after ⁠multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct⁠. Before that, he was starting to consolidate support from voters in the progressive, vote-rich Bay Area. Now that he’s out of the race, the remaining candidates – especially the leading Democrats – are trying to win over his supporters before the June 2 primary. Links: ⁠How to watch the California governor’s debate on KRON4 and KRON4+⁠ ⁠The Rise and Fall of Eric Swallwell⁠ (The Bay) ⁠Betty Yee Becomes Latest Democrat to Exit California Governor’s Race⁠ ⁠With Swalwell Out, Who Will Bay Area Voters Support for California Governor?⁠ ⁠California Governor Candidates Compete for Swalwell's Endorsements, Donors and Voters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some school districts are now providing workforce housing, as they find themselves with vacant properties and employees who say they can’t afford to stay in the Bay Area.  Today, we meet one teacher in San Francisco who was planning to leave – until she got an apartment in a teacher housing complex. Links: When Teachers Can’t Afford to Live in the Bay Area, Districts Get Into the Housing Game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know the sound: a robotic, ancient-sounding voice as you wait for BART: 6-car Blue line train for OAK Airport in 15 minutes.  In America's tech capital, why do BART announcements sound so old? In this episode from our friends at Bay Curious, reporter Ana De Almeida Amaral sets out to find the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault.  Until last week, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from Dublin, was a leading candidate for governor. But on Friday, a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexual assault. In interviews with the San Francisco Chronicle, former staff member said Swalwell sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent in both 2019 and 2024, after multiple inappropriate advances both on Snapchat and in person. Since then, at least four more women have come forward, including one who alleges she was violently raped by Swalwell in 2018. Swalwell denies these allegations. But within days, after supporters fled his campaign and called for him to step down, he ended his run for governor and resigned his Congressional seat. Links: SF Chronicle: Ex-staffer says Eric Swalwell, candidate for California governor, sexually assaulted her KQED: Eric Swalwell Is Out of the Governor’s Race and Resigning From Congress. What Happens Now?  CalMatters: Woman alleges violent sexual assault by Eric Swalwell: 'He raped me' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rising child care prices leave many Bay Area parents with little choice but to turn down career opportunities, cut back hours, or even quit. As part of KQED’s new series on affordability, early childhood education reporter Daisy Nguyen introduces us to one mother who left her job as a teacher after the birth of her third child. Links: When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We asked you to share your experiences with making friends in the Bay Area. Today, we hear from you — and follow one listener as she tries to meet new friends in San Jose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Duran grew up in East San José, and remembers celebrating her community's ties to labor activist and United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez. His legacy looms large on the East Side, where he held his first organizing meetings and where his former home still stands. But for many people in San José, that sense of pride was shattered after a New York Times' investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Chavez. Now Duran, who teaches ethnic studies and psychology at William C. Overfelt High School in East San José, is reckoning with how to teach about Chavez in light of these sexual abuse allegations. Links: Why This City’s Reckoning With Cesar Chavez Is So Complicated (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last Tuesday, the three leading Democratic candidates for San Francisco’s U.S. House seat, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, former political advisor and software engineer Saikat Chakrabarti, and California State Senator Scott Wiener, took to the stage at the historic Sydney Goldstein Theater for their first major debate before the June primary. Moderated by KQED’s Scott Shafer and Sydney Johnson, the candidates presented their visions for leadership and clashed over taxes, transit, and more.  Links: SF House Candidates Clash on Taxes, Transit in Debate to Replace Pelosi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the San José Unified Board of Education voted 3-2 to close 5 elementary schools and relocate another. District leaders, citing declining enrollment, say that these closures will make it easier to provide adequate services and programs to students. But many parents are furious and are vowing to fight back. Links: San José School District Moves to Close 5 Elementary Schools | KQED Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures | KQED Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city of Alameda sits on a man-made island surrounded on all sides by water, making it a strong case study for how the Bay Area could address sea level rise. That’s because the city, with its 360-degree waterfront, will need to use every tool available to protect itself. Links: For This Bay Area Island City, Water Is Coming From All Sides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay’s monthly news roundup, Ericka and Alan are joined by KQED senior editor Alexander Gonzalez to discuss a ransomware attack that hindered services in Foster City, a rare verdict in a case about Meta and Google’s role in fueling a youth mental health crisis, and whether San Francisco’s small clubs can survive.  Links: Bay Area city declares state of emergency 6 days after cyberattack (SFGate) Foster City: City's Phone, Email Services Restored After Cybersecurity Breach Last Week (SFGate) Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial (NPR) Can San Francisco’s Small Clubs Survive? (KQED) Become a KQED member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term, Ulises Peña Lopez, a husband and father, was arrested by ICE outside his home in Sunnyvale. During the encounter, he says he was severely beaten and suffered a heart attack and stroke. Last October, Ulises was deported to Mexico. Here in the Bay Area, his wife Aby and 4-year old daughter Emily are still reeling from the impacts of his deportation. Links: A Year After ICE Detained South Bay Immigrant, Family Trauma Lingers Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran is leading to a global surge in gas prices, including in California, where the average is now $5.88 per gallon according to AAA. While the war with Iran is the main reason prices have increased, California has had more expensive gas for years, in part to policies that are meant to help the state reach its climate goals. Alejandro Lazo with CalMatters explains why gas is so expensive here. Links: California passed a law to curb spikes in gas prices. Why isn’t it using those powers now? Some California Democrats pitch gas price relief as prices at the pump soar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month, the United States Postal Service unveiled a new set of stamps honoring the lowrider community. This federal recognition comes three years after California 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. This episode originally aired Nov 3, 2023. Links: The Provocative, Rebellious and Flamboyant Origins of Lowriding | KQED For Lowriders in San Francisco, It’s Not Just a Stamp — It’s Respect at the Federal Level Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A New York Times investigation published Wednesday revealed that iconic farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and underage girls for years. Chavez, who died in 1993, is honored and memorialized in public schools, street names, and buildings across California and the Bay Area. The news has sent shockwaves throughout the state, especially among Latino and labor organizers. Links: César Chavez Was a Hero to Farmworkers. Now They Confront the Pain of Alleged Abuse | KQED California Weighs Renaming Parks, Streets After Cesar Chavez Amid Abuse Allegations | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence has rapidly changed what tech workers in the Bay Area do every day. Whether you’re a software engineer or you work in sales, most employees at tech firms are expected to regularly use AI. Rya Jetha with the San Francisco Standard explains how AI is affecting tech employees across the industry, and how these changes could be a sign of what’s to come for the rest of us. Links: AI writes the code now. What’s left for software engineers? ‘Engineer’ is so 2025. In AI land, everyone’s a ‘builder’ now AI is booming. Tech jobs in San Francisco are not Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices