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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

Is Your Food Delivery Order Legit?

What happens when food delivery apps add local restaurants without the owners' permission? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 29, 202012 min

What ‘American Dirt’ Gets Wrong

Many Latinx writers, including here in the Bay Area, have expressed frustration with American Dirt, a new book by Jeanine Cummins that has been called the next great American novel. Oprah even selected it for her book club. But it's also been criticized for an inaccurate, stereotypical depiction of migrants who are trying to cross the US-Mexico border. "If it had been published and kind of billed as, 'This is our romanticized view of the border and its just for entertainment,' there's room for t...

Jan 27, 202016 min

A Six-Year Journey to Find a Home

Eddie Thomas lost his housing when he was 55 years old after working at Intel for five years. He's part of a growing trend of people becoming homeless later on in life. Eddie was lucky enough to have help with finding work and housing. But even still, it took six years — and being homeless as you get older has its own share of unique challenges. Guest: Sara Hossaini, KQED reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 24, 202016 min

What It Takes to Help ‘Newcomer’ Immigrant Students in Oakland

Many local leaders in the Bay Area have made it a point to say that their communities are welcoming places for new immigrants, including those who are undocumented, are seeking asylum or are refugees. Oakland Unified School District prides itself on helping "newcomer" students. And this year, they could see an unprecedented number of new arrivals. But the district can't always get new students enrolled in class, let alone provide all the help that families and kids need. Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, ...

Jan 22, 202014 min

Indie Artists Vs. The Frida Kahlo Corporation

You can find Frida Kahlo's image all over the Bay Area. The Mexican painter lived in San Francisco for a little bit in the '30s and '40s with her husband, Diego Rivera. She became even more famous in the years after she died, and now you can find her name and likeness on everything from shoes, to tequila, to even Barbie dolls. The Frida Kahlo Corporation, which is behind many of these products, wants to monopolize the use of her name — and it's been going after indie artists who make and sell Fr...

Jan 17, 202014 min

The Anonymous Companies That Buy Up Homes

Even if you can afford to buy a home in the Bay Area, you might get outbid by an anonymous shell company paying cash. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 15, 202013 min

‘Unapologetic’: Jerry Brown’s Legacy in Oakland

Oakland feels a lot different today than it did when Jerry Brown was elected mayor in 1998. That’s because he had a lot to do with how the city changed. The unapologetic and sometimes controversial Brown is featured in KQED's newest podcast, The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. Today, we're zeroing in on his time as mayor of Oakland, which set the stage for what we're seeing today. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics reporter Subscribe to KQED’s new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Brown here. ...

Jan 13, 202022 min

What Does Safety For Trans People In Prison Look Like?

Prison can be a brutal place for anyone. But for trans people who are incarcerated, it's even more dangerous. A new bill in California's state legislature is aimed at making conditions safer. If passed, it would allow transgender inmates to choose whether to be incarcerated in men's or women's facilities. KQED reporters visited the California Medical Facility, a men’s prison in Vacaville, to hear why some transgender inmates see this bill as a life saving measure, while others say more needs to ...

Jan 10, 202017 min

For Many Immigrants With Advanced Degrees, It’s ‘Sink Or Swim’

When Dr. Wilmer Garcia Ricardo came to the U.S. from Cuba he couldn't find work as a physician, and he had to figure out the licensing process almost entirely on his own. He's not the only one. An estimated 450,000 immigrants living in California have a degree but are underemployed. Many have to take on low-wage jobs. So why is it so hard to prevent ‘brain waste’ of highly skilled immigrants, especially in fields where so much help is needed? Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED immigration repor...

Jan 08, 202016 min

One Iranian-American’s Identity In This Moment

There are 180,000 people who claim Iranian ancestry living across California, according to the most recent census data. Many left Iran around the time of the revolution in 1979. SF Weekly's Ida Mojadad's parents came to the U.S. around this time as students. The U.S. and Iranian governments have remained adversaries since the revolution. This political relationship has shaped the way Mojadad thinks about her Iranian-American identity. And after the U.S. killed Iran's top general, she's once agai...

Jan 06, 202016 min

The Moral Case Behind ‘Housing Is a Human Right’

On Monday, two black mothers who occupied a vacant West Oakland property had their day in court. Southern California-based Wedgewood Properties, which owns the home, argued this is a clear case of theft. But the moms are making another, more philosophical argument: that housing is a human right. But what does that mean, and will it help them stay in the house? Guest: Molly Solomon, KQED's housing and affordability reporter Here's an episode we did on the concept of housing as health care. Subscr...

Jan 03, 202017 min

An Unspoken Guide to Riding BART

When our new editor Alan Montecillo moved to the Bay Area earlier this month he noticed that people loved talking about BART. It's one of the few spaces where people from all over the Bay Area are forced to be around each other. (If fact, we did a whole episode on why BART has been the epicenter of so many contentious political and social conversations in the Bay). BART riders have developed their own culture and etiquette around riding the train. So to catch Alan up to speed, we got some help f...

Dec 30, 201917 min

Can PG&E Be Forced To Change?

This week, PG&E took a big step towards emerging from bankruptcy after a judge approved billions of dollars in settlements with fire survivors and insurers. But the company also has to convince the state that it has a good plan to prevent more wildfires and provide safe, reliable power going forward. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he isn’t convinced, and PG&E needs his approval to get access to a wildfire relief fund. So is there finally enough leverage to get the investor-owned company to chang...

Dec 20, 201918 min

Welcome to Oakland’s Indigenous Red Market

In the late fifties, the U.S. government promised Native Americans good jobs and stable housing if they left reservations for urban centers, including Oakland. Those promises were never realized. But something else happened, too. Instead of assimilating into cities like the federal government wanted, native people built solidarity, preserved traditions, and continued to create culture — both within their communities and between other indigenous ones. One of the ways that solidarity takes shape i...

Dec 16, 201916 min

How Maria Isabel Bueso Beat Back the Trump Administration

Maria Isabel Bueso and her family have waited months to learn whether they could stay in the country. Bueso has lived in the Bay Area for 16 years under a special immigration status in order to get treatment for a rare genetic disease. In August, she received a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services demanding that she leave the country. But Bueso became a leading advocate on behalf of hundreds of immigrants who received similar letters, and her story highlighted the harm of Presid...

Dec 13, 201925 min

An Audio Journey Through Our Turbulent Decade

The Giants’ first World Series win in 56 years, the Occupy Oakland protests, and the Ghost Ship warehouse fire are just a few moments from the last decade that shaped and changed the Bay Area. With the help of reporters from KQED’s Arts team, we take a look back at some of the most defining moments in Bay Area arts and culture, and talk about how those moments shaped and changed us. Guests: KQED Arts team Tap here to read the full Our Turbulent Decade series. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

Dec 11, 201921 min

To Be Filipino, Gay, And HIV Positive in San Francisco

Jaime Geaga moved to San Francisco in 1981. He was ready to start a new chapter of his life when he tested positive for HIV. Among Asian Americans, Filipino men were some of the most affected by HIV/AIDS. Filipinos also made up the largest group of Asians in the Bay Area. So Jaime became an activist to educate his community, all while fighting for his life. This episode is from Long Distance, a documentary podcast with stories about the Filipino diaspora. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...

Dec 09, 201936 min

The Problem With Police Neck Holds

A Petaluma man named David Ward died last week shortly after a sheriff’s deputy put him in a neck hold, according to the Sonoma County sheriff's office. Neck restraints came into national consciousness after the 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York. We don’t know whether Ward’s death was caused by the police restraint, but KQED has learned that the officer involved has lied about using this kind of hold before. Guest: Sukey Lewis, KQED criminal justice reporter Learn more about your a...

Dec 06, 201914 min

The Cost of Amazon’s Drive For Speed

When you order from Amazon in the Bay Area, your order is probably coming from a fulfillment center in Tracy. The serious injury rate for employees at that facility has nearly quadrupled since the company introduced worker robots there five years ago. That's according to Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. We'll talk with the reporter of that investigation who says the speed at which the worker robots move to ship your package has proven to be dangerous for the humans working alo...

Dec 04, 201914 min

San Francisco Debates How to Honor Women With Monuments in the Era of Toppling Statues

San Francisco's Arts Commission wants a public monument honoring poet Maya Angelou. It's part of an effort to fix the fact that just 2 percent of public sculptures in the city honor women. But the commission and the local arts community can't agree on how Maya Angelou should be represented. The debate has highlighted a rift between people who want to see women represented in the same way men are -- through statues -- and others who say there's gotta be a better way to honor women. Guest: Chloe V...

Dec 02, 201916 min

Why Did Fresno Police Create an ‘Asian Gang Task Force’ to Solve a Crime With No Clear Connection to Gangs?

After the mass shooting in Fresno earlier this month, police responded by creating an Asian Gang Task Force. Yet so far, police have provided no evidence linking the shooting to gang activity. Now some in the Hmong community, which lost four of its own in the shooting, say the move has stereotyped a grieving community that has long worked to shed that identity. Guest: Alex Hall, KQED Central Valley reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 27, 201915 min

‘We Don’t Want Shelter, We Want Homes’

The fight over housing rights took a turn recently when two homeless moms occupied a vacant three-bedroom home in West Oakland with their children. Their group, Moms 4 Housing, wants the city to make it possible for people like them to lawfully occupy some of the thousands of empty homes owned by out-of-town corporations. But until then, they’ll squat. It’s a test case to see what the city will do, before more homeless activists try similar tactics. Guest: Dominique Walker, Moms 4 Housing Subscr...

Nov 25, 201913 min

What Makes BART Such A Politicized Space?

Steven Foster was detained and cited by BART police for eating a sandwich on a train platform. This isn't the first time BART has been the backdrop of significant social and political conversations in the Bay Area. From Oscar Grant to controversial fare gates, the transit agency is just a microcosm of a larger place: America. Guest: Pendarvis Harshaw, Host of KQED’s Rightnowish Podcast and columnist for KQED Arts Subscribe to The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episode...

Nov 22, 201914 min

The Thinking Behind KQED’s Mass Shooting Coverage

Since the days of Columbine, America's reference point for mass shootings has shifted over and over again. These shootings have happened at schools, movie theaters and night clubs. But there are also the mass shootings that happen on the margins: In people's homes, backyards and cul-de-sacs. The epidemic of gun violence in America is pushing newsrooms like KQED's to interrogate how to cover these tragedies. We take you inside the KQED newsroom in conversation with managing editor Vinnee Tong abo...

Nov 20, 201915 min

‘Yes, Asians Go To Jail Too’

Jason Mai didn’t know why his father was taken to jail when he was 12 years old. As a kid growing up in the Bay Area, he was told by his Chinese family to avoid má fan, which meant burdening or inconveniencing others by sharing the family secret. Only as an adult did Jason start to process his childhood trauma by learning about the intersections between incarceration and Asian American culture. To help him process it, he created a zine. Guest: Jason Mai, creator of Yes, Asians Go To Jail Too Sub...

Nov 18, 201917 min

Why San Francisco’s New District Attorney Chesa Boudin is a ‘Leap of Faith’

Chesa Boudin wants to shake up San Francisco's criminal justice system. Boudin comes from an unconventional background: His parents were jailed for participating in a robbery that led him to a career as a public defender. This week, final results showed Boudin was elected District Attorney by just 2,800 votes. While some worry about what a public defender-turned-DA will mean to public safety and criminal justice, Boudin says it’s the system itself that’s been the most harmful. Guest: Mary Frankl...

Nov 15, 201918 min

From the Bay to the Supreme Court: A Doctor’s Fight for DACA

Jirayut "New" Latthivongskorn immigrated to the United States with his family as a kid. They settled in the Bay Area, where they spent years living in the shadows as undocumented immigrants. They avoided visits to the doctor's and anything that would get them noticed. Then came the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gave Latthivongskorn temporary protection from deportation -- and the chance to work as a physician himself. Now, the Trump Administration has threatened the fate ...

Nov 13, 201919 min

Who Owns Silicon Valley?

Stanford has more property value than Apple, Google and Intel combined. And right now in the Bay Area, everyone is watching how these big property owners choose to use their land. So what role should companies who aren’t in the development business play in this moment? Guest: Rachael Myrow, Senior Editor of KQED’s Silicon Valley Desk "Who Owns Silicon Valley?" is a multi-newsroom investigative project involving Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, The Mercury News, NBC Bay Area, R...

Nov 08, 201916 min
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