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The Bay

Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra talks with local journalists about what’s happening in the greatest region in the country. It’s the context and analysis you need to make sense of the news, with help from the people who know it best. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
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Episodes

Yosemiteland! El Capitan With a Latte

Airbnb, caramel macchiatos and luxury dining. Yosemite is starting to feel more and more like the Bay Area. There are more visitors, more traffic, and now a Starbucks. Today, we'll introduce you to Yosemiteland, a podcast from Capital Public Radio that shows us how the national park serving millions of visitors each year is trying to adapt to a changing world. Guest: Ezra David Romero, host of Yosemiteland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 01, 201811 min

‘I Believed He Was Going to Rape Me:’ The Hearing That Gripped the Bay Area

Christine Blasey Ford’s and Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony riveted Americans to their screens on Thursday. People gathered in Oakland, Palo Alto, San Francisco and elsewhere to watch the historic Supreme Court nomination hearing. Some of whom were so compelled by what they heard and saw that they told their own stories of sexual assault at protests and rallies across the Bay Area. Guest: Monica Samayoa, KQED News reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 28, 201812 min

Judge To Decide Whether Mario Woods Civil Case Moves Ahead

After a police killing, it can be hard to get a clear picture of what exactly happened. Like the case of Mario Woods, who was shot and killed by San Francisco police in 2015. Nearly three years later, as the civil case is being prepared for trial, we're getting new information in court filings -- including new testimony from the man Woods stabbed a couple hours before he was shot and a new video of the shooting taken from a different perspective. Guest: Alex Emslie, KQED criminal justice reporte...

Sep 26, 201814 min

From $250,000 to $0: Taxi Medallions in S.F.

If you use Uber or Lyft in San Francisco, you're no doubt helping to kill the taxi cab industry. But the city didn't help either when it started charging $250,000 for taxi medallions as the ride service companies were getting started. Here's a story about a man who died waiting for a fare and the family that's still paying off his medallion debt. Guest: Sam Harnett, Silicon Valley reporter at KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 24, 201814 min

How the SF Schools ‘Lottery’ Failed

Parents hate it, for sure. But more than that, the schools selection process has created even more segregated student bodies. The goal was the exact opposite. And now there’s a proposal to get off the so-called "lottery" and try something new. Guest: Katrina Schwartz, reporter for KQED's MindShift education blog and podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 21, 201811 min

Can Oakland Out-Regulate S.F. on Scooters?

First came electric scooters. Then came policies to regulate them. The Oakland City Council passed new rules Monday with an eye on equity, requiring that scooters be made accessible in areas of the city that need more transit options and that people with lower incomes be given a discounted rate. Guest: Ali Tadayon, Bay Area News Group reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 19, 201810 min

A Dark History of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley got its start with a man who was regarded as a genius and won a Nobel prize. But William Shockley was also a racist and eugenicist who promoted sterilizations of black Americans. A new monument in Mountain View celebrates Shockley's work, but ignores his racist past. Guest: Sam Harnett, KQED Silicon Valley reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 17, 201811 min

Are Electric Cars Too Uncool?

Your car says a lot about you. It can tell people how much money you have. It can say, "I care about the environment." And while we know that the adoption of electric cars is key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, most consumers still aren't buying them yet. But the Bay Area's better than most. Guest: Lauren Sommer, KQED science reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 14, 201811 min

Yoga and #MeToo: ‘I Trusted Yoga, So I Trusted Him.’

Imagine attending a yoga class and finding yourself in a situation where your instructor has violated your personal space by sexually abusing you. Today, we'll hear about KQED's on-going #MeToo series, where women say they've been sexually abused by their yoga instructors. Advisory: Some accounts of sexual abuse in this story contain explicit details and strong language that some may find upsetting or objectionable. Guest: Miranda Leitsinger, reporter and KQED engagement producer Learn more abou...

Sep 12, 201815 min

The Whitening and Erasure of the Asian-American Identity

Writer Iris Kuo knows what it feels like to forget her wallet and still walk out of a fancy department store with a bag full of merchandise: It feels white. Experts predict that some ethnically Asian and Latino people are going through a sociological process of "whitening." Kuo talks about how this hurts many Asian Americans and how transferring white privilege ignores the core issue itself: the very existence of white supremacy in our value system. Guest: Iris Kuo, author of "The Whitening of A...

Sep 10, 201814 min

The Bay’s 100th Episode. What?!

We can't freakin' believe it! The Bay has produced 100 episodes that represent the moment in time the Bay Area's going through. Today, Devin, Erika and Vinnee (The Bay team) talk about some of their favorite episode moments of the last six months. Guest: Devin Katayama, Erika Aguilar and Vinnee Tong, The Bay producers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 07, 201812 min

The Drug With No Street Name: Fentanyl

Fentanyl is partly to blame for a rise in *drug* overdose deaths, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control report. Officials say the synthetic and undetectable opioid Fentanyl is being mixed into all types of drugs from heroin to cocaine and more. A KQED journalist talks about how, aside from policy solutions, the stigma around certain drugs can be the biggest barrier to recovery for addicts. Guest: John Sepulvado, co-host of The California Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Sep 05, 201814 min

Bay Area Women Candidates and ‘The Long Run’ For Political Office

Trump may have been the catalyst for some California women seeking political office, but their campaigns are driven by local issues. The KQED special series The Long Run is about women who are running for office this November. Today, we’ll hear about why some Bay Area candidates decided to get involved and how they’re being treated on the campaign trail. Guest: Katie Orr, KQED politics and government reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 03, 201814 min

Bay Curious: Hetch Hetchy Water’s Epic Journey, From Mountains to Tap

We know San Francisco cherishes its pristine water source, which comes from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir located in Yosemite. The Bay recently told you about how the city has something in common with more conservative parts of the state over their water rights. Today, KQED's Bay Curious podcast digs further into Hetch Hetchy and brings us on the journey water takes from the reservoir all the way back to the Bay Area. The Bay will be back with all new episodes on Sept. 3. Learn more about your ad c...

Aug 31, 201812 min

MindShift: Can Inviting Teachers Over to Your Home Improve How Kids Learn?

A teacher visit at home can be intimating - for everyone. Today on The Bay, we're featuring the latest episode of KQED's education podcast MindShift, which launched its third season this week. The show is tackling the intangible elements of academic success: emotional safety, trust and relationships. Guest: Katrina Schwartz, co-host of KQED's MindShift podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 29, 201815 min

Q’ed Up: The West Oakland Teacher Everyone Knows

LuPaulette Taylor has worked for decades at McClymonds High School in West Oakland. McClymonds is a school where only around 15 percent of teachers stay on for a third year. So what keeps Taylor around? This week The Bay is taking off to go over listener feedback. Today’s episode is brought to you with help from KQED’s Qed Up podcast and education reporter Vanessa Rancaño. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 27, 20189 min

Verizon Squeezes the Internet Hose on Firefighters During Mendocino Fire

Imagine fighting the largest wildfire in California history and Verizon says you'd have to upgrade your plan if you want faster internet to get your maps and documents. That's what happened to a couple of Santa Clara County firefighters that were helping battle the Mendocino Complex fire in July. The story is now part of a federal lawsuit on net neutrality regulations. Guest: Jon Brodkin, Senior IT Reporter for Ars Technica Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 24, 201811 min

‘Cover the Important Bits’: Alameda Schools Change Their Dress Code

Midriffs, pajamas, and ball caps are all allowed this year at Alameda schools. A group of middle school students worked for three years to change a dress code that they say unfairly targeted girls. Now, decisions on what boys and girls can and cannot wear will be left to students and their parents instead of school staff. Guest: Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle K-12 education reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 22, 201812 min

Fight for Water Makes Strange Bedfellows: Farmers…and San Francisco

Green bins, blue bins, black bins. San Francisco is known for being super progressive when it comes to the environment. But some say the city's behind the curve on this one thing: water. This week state water officials discuss a revolutionary new plan to restore water to rivers, which could curtail the primary -- and pristine -- water source used by millions of Bay Area residents. Guest: Lauren Sommer, KQED science reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 20, 201810 min

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Is What A Lot of People Have Been Waiting For

Mansions. A multimillion-dollar wedding. Sexy characters in swank settings. The release of Crazy Rich Asians is a cultural event onscreen and off. More so for Asians and Asian-Americans, who make up about a quarter of the Bay Area's population. What does the success of Crazy Rich Asians means to them? Guest: Ricky Yean, writer of "Asian-Americans Are Cultural Orphans (aka I hope Crazy Rich Asians isn’t a flop)" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 17, 201813 min

Back to the Future: SF’s New Transbay Terminal

There aren't that many people riding buses into San Francisco's new $2 billion transbay terminal. At least not when compared to the city's first terminal that opened in 1939. So how will the new transit hub that opened for service this week be different? Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED transportation editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 15, 201812 min

A Lesson in How to Die

Kelly Johnson’s last days were his final act. He was a Bay Area musician, a dancer, a vaudeville act -- a performer for life. Johnson used the End of Life Option Act that has been legal in California since June 2016. The decision to end one's life has always been controversial. But not for Johnson who choreographed every last little detail to the end. Guest: Arash Malekzadeh, director of "A Dance With Death: The Final Days of Kelly Johnson" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Aug 13, 201815 min

These Fires Break All the Old Rules

Fire drip torches, dozers, and prevailing winds – just some of the tools firefighters are using to battle the blazes engulfing California. With fires that start earlier in the year, spark up overnight, and are more extreme in their size and speed, firefighters have to adjust to the new conditions. We follow a reporter who embeds with a CalFire strike unit working a corner of the Ranch Fire. It's one of the fires that make up the Mendocino Complex, the largest fire in California’s history. Guest:...

Aug 10, 201814 min

How the DMV Got Worse

Waiting at the DMV can be hell, but you gotta go. Over the last year, wait times at Bay Area DMVs increased 48 percent. We take a trip to the DMV (it's more fun than it sounds) and look at what's causing these delays and what's being done to improve them. Bryan Anderson, Sacramento Bee political reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 06, 201811 min

Are Democratic Socialists a Thing Now?

Some people in the Bay Area paid hundreds of dollars to see a speech by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the new liberal Democratic star from New York. She stumped in the Mission to raise money for her Congressional campaign, and also to rally what some are calling a movement of Democratic Socialists. Guest: Julian Mark, reporter for Mission Local Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 03, 201814 min

How a Schoolteacher’s Letter Led to the Creation of Schulz’s ‘Franklin’ Character

This week, the first black "Peanuts" cartoon character turns 50, marking the first time that Charlie Brown and Franklin met. It all started with a schoolteacher and mother of three who wrote a letter to Charles Schulz. She encouraged him to let black students see themselves in the comic strip. He hesitated at first but then relented. Guest: Cesar Gallegos, former archivist for the Charles M. Schulz Museum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 01, 20189 min

The Conflicted Capitalist: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky

Can big tech companies call themselves progressive? One of Silicon Valley's biggest CEOs says he has identified as progressive. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says he felt conflicted once about whether to charge people to use the company's platform. His answer has something to do with Walt Disney, Bob Dylan and Steve Jobs. Guest: Sam Harnett, KQED Silicon Valley reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 30, 201812 min

The Orwellian Take on San Francisco’s Informal ‘Caste’ System

Do you work in tech? Have you bought a home recently? Use Uber? Postmates? And you live in San Francisco? Well then, you might be part of the so-called Outer Party, one of the four informal "castes" in San Francisco that a Wired writer believes makes up the City by the Bay. It's similar to Orwell's 1984, but the modern-day techie version. Guest: Antonio García Martínez, author of "Chaos Monkeys" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 27, 201813 min

How Bay Area Activists Harness the Power of White Privilege in Border Protests

No one knows how to run a protest like Bay Area activists. In fact, faith leaders and Black Lives Matter activists from the Bay brought their strategies to the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego to protest family separation at a detention facility for parents who've had their children taken from them. One recent protest highlighted a surprising tactical twist: how to use white people and their privilege to sway more people to join their resistance. Guest: John Sepulvado, host of KQED's The Califo...

Jul 25, 201814 min
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