Oscar Grant’s name has been circulating after police in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center claimed that 20-year-old Daunte Wright was “accidentally” killed after a veteran officer shot him with a gun instead of her taser. It's similar to what BART police claimed after an officer shot and killed Oscar Grant in 2009. Cephus Johnson, Grant’s uncle, talked with us last September following a summer of protests against police violence about what it’s like for family members who are thrust into ...
Apr 14, 2021•24 min
A corporation known for flipping houses in the Bay Area has been buying even more homes at foreclosure auctions during the pandemic. Jocelyn Foreman lives in one of these homes and is now trying to compete with Wedgewood’s bid. She has the help of a new state law, which gives potential homeowners more time to match any bid made at a foreclosure auction. But the law doesn’t include financial help. So what does it take for regular people to compete against all cash bids by corporations? Guests: Mo...
Apr 12, 2021•24 min
On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California’s economy will ‘reopen’ by June 15, as long as there’s enough vaccine supply for everyone 16 and older and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state remain low. This doesn’t mean all precautions — like the state’s mask mandate — will get scrapped. But it is a big step towards businesses and public spaces operating like they were before the pandemic. So what’s it going to take to stay on track for “reopening” by June 15? Guest: April Dembos...
Apr 09, 2021•20 min
After months of local and national attacks against people in the AAPI community, Oakland Chinatown has rallied together to support their elders and businesses. But the community is divided — and a generational gap exposed — over whether they want more policing to be part of the solution or not. Guest: Julie Chang, KQED reporter Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3dHToSN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 07, 2021•23 min
California’s Employment Development Department (or EDD) is responsible for paying out the state’s unemployment insurance. Ever since the pandemic began, the agency has struggled to close its huge backlog of claims. The system is even more frustrating for people who struggle with technology and language access, and advocates say these issues are still a big problem today. Guest: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED reporter and producer for The California Report Claiming unemployment in California? Here's ...
Apr 05, 2021•17 min
Californians ages 50 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. They have two weeks to book appointments before the state opens up eligibility to people ages 16 and older on starting April 15. But booking an appointment is easier said than done; many people have already been struggling to find them; sometimes there’s a lack of supply, technology issues, and the process can be confusing. Today, we’ll give you some strategies for finding an appointment when you're eligible. Guest: Carly ...
Apr 02, 2021•19 min
Earlier this month, leaders at Mills College announced that the school, which has been in the Bay Area for 169 years, will no longer be awarding degrees starting in 2023. This news came as a shock to many students, faculty, and alumni, who know Mills as a unique place for women and LGBTQ people who care about the arts and about social justice. Today, we’ll learn about the history and legacy of Mills College and its impact on the Bay Area. Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporter Epis...
Mar 31, 2021•18 min
Throughout this pandemic, disabled people and seniors have been at risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. And all this time, advocates and community organizers have been pushing to make sure that people in power listen to their concerns. Their activism has pushed the state to shift its policies several times — including this latest eligibility phase, which doesn't force people with disabilities to bring documentation in order to get vaccinated. But the struggle to make our entire COVID-19...
Mar 29, 2021•19 min
Oakland and Marin County are the latest California jurisdictions to announce plans to launch guaranteed income pilot programs. The idea is to give money to hundreds of low-income residents of color, every month, with no strings attached. The two projects have their similarities and differences. But in general, supporters that the results will build a bigger case for even bigger guaranteed income projects in the future. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics reporter and producer for the Political B...
Mar 26, 2021•17 min
The killing of 8 people in Georgia, 6 of whom were women of Asian descent, has led to marches and rallies in the Bay Area in support of the AAPI community. It’s also prompted many people to share experiences they’ve had with racism and sexism. But as organizer and advocate Hyejin Shim says, it’s also important to be specific about who was targeted in the Atlanta shooting. Because when we do that, we can also pave the way for solutions that protect those who are most vulnerable to racist and sexi...
Mar 24, 2021•18 min
This past year, a group of organizations have been keeping count of reports of anti-Asian hate incidents across the country. Nearly 3,800 reports have been submitted since the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center was launched, and nearly 45 percent of those were reported in California. The attack on Asian businesses in Atlanta that killed eight, including six Asian women, is just the latest chapter of anti-Asian racism in America. And behind the numbers are people and stories. Guest: Russell Jeung, C...
Mar 22, 2021•16 min
Over the last year there has been a lot of heartbreak caused by the pandemic. There have also been moments of joy and communities coming together to help each other out. KQED’s Bay Curious podcast honors how lives have changed here in the Bay Area with its one-year anniversary show. Subscribe to Bay Curious here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 19, 2021•24 min
School boards in California have historically had a lot of power over decisions at the local level, but the choice to reopen for in-person learning has put that power to the test like never before. More than a thousand California school districts are deciding whether to take advantage of financial incentives and reopen classrooms for the youngest and most vulnerable students. Many are facing intense pressure from lawmakers who question the power local school boards have, and from parents who are...
Mar 17, 2021•19 min
The single-family neighborhood has been foundational to American housing policy for decades. It’s also been a tool to keep Black and brown people out of homeownership, and is one reason why there isn’t nearly enough housing overall. This policy has deep roots in the Bay Area. But now, a handful of cities are rethinking it, and allowing developers to build ‘fourplexes’ in these areas. A change like this won’t solve the housing crisis overnight, and it won’t bring down rents unless it’s paired wit...
Mar 15, 2021•20 min
Organizers behind the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom believe they will collect enough verified signatures to trigger a special election later this year. It’s going to take a lot to actually unseat Gov. Newsom in a recall election and replace him with a Republican. But this campaign is already a lot bigger than any other effort to recall a California governor since 2003. So, why has it gained traction this time? Episode transcript here: http://bit.ly/38zV0MG Learn more about your ad choices....
Mar 12, 2021•21 min
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people. New, confirmed cases of COVID-19 are down in California. We have three vaccines in the U.S. This is all good news. But the virus and its variants are still among us, and a vast segment of the population is still waiting their turn for the vaccine. So how should we navigate this in-between period without sabotaging the progress we’ve made? Guest: Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, professor of global...
Mar 10, 2021•18 min
Angelo Quinto was having a mental health crisis when his family called 911 for help. After Antioch Police arrived at Quinto’s home, his family says an officer kneeled on his back near the neck before his body went limp. Quinto, a 30 year-old Filipino American, died days later in the hospital. His death has drawn national attention, especially among Filipino Americans across the country, and spotlights a Bay Area suburb where a now majority-Black city council and young activists are trying to cha...
Mar 08, 2021•22 min
On Thursday, the California state legislature approved a $6.6 billion plan to encourage school districts to resume in-person learning for the youngest public school students in the state. Meanwhile, some students have noticed their perspectives missing from the conversation about re-opening schools. Today, we hear from some. Guests: Joy Cheng, senior at Lowell High School in San Francisco; Melina Kritikopoulos, senior at Santa Clara High School; Isabella Brenneman, junior at Kit Carson Internati...
Mar 05, 2021•16 min
Mill Valley in Marin County is one of the 10 most segregated cities in the Bay Area. During the rise of protests following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last year, Mill Valley Mayor Sashi McEntee claimed the Black Lives Matter movement was “not of immediate local importance.” That summer, community activists held protests and sit-ins demanding a public apology from the mayor and plans for lasting change. In response, the City Council created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, ...
Mar 03, 2021•22 min
The ZIP codes in and near East San Jose have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 in the Bay Area. They’re predominantly immigrant neighborhoods with thousands of essential workers, many of whom work for the Silicon Valley tech giants located nearby. Many say the pandemic has simply exposed generations of disinvestment in this corner of Santa Clara County. So how are community members in these neighborhoods surviving and helping each other during a pandemic that has affected the Bay so unequally? Gu...
Mar 01, 2021•20 min
Last fall, KQED launched a new, five-part podcast about possible solutions to the housing crisis. It’s called SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America, hosted by housing reporters Erin Baldassari and Molly Solomon. Since then, Erin and Molly have also received lots of questions and comments from listeners who are curious about what’s happened on the housing front since the podcast dropped. Today, we wanted to pass it off to them. Whether you’ve listened to SOLD OUT or not, this is a timely conver...
Feb 26, 2021•27 min
An oil spill from Chevron’s Richmond refinery earlier this month and the toxic fumes released last November are part of a long trend of dangerous spills into the Bay Area’s water and air. So why’s it so hard to keep the fossil fuel industry from releasing harmful stuff into our environment over and over again? Guest: Ted Goldberg, KQED senior editor Episode transcript here: http://bit.ly/3upixsZ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 24, 2021•20 min
Several surveys show that Black Americans are, on average, more hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine compared with white people. And when it comes to Black communities showing less trust in the health care system overall, many journalists, politicians and experts point to one specific historical incident: the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. But many people, including KQED reporter April Dembosky, are worried that Tuskegee has become a scapegoat for the many structural inequities in the health ca...
Feb 22, 2021•26 min
After the pandemic forced strip clubs in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood to close and protests against police violence erupted in the summer, many dancers were laid off and started to work virtually instead. This created an unexpected opportunity to push for more worker power among strippers, and fight back against issues like sexual harassment, racism, and a culture of fear around speaking out. And now, some dancers are hoping that this organizing will lead to better working conditions...
Feb 19, 2021•20 min
Sakhone Lasaphangthong spends his work day in Oakland's Chinatown helping people get the resources they need. He walks the streets and connects with merchants, elders, and people who don't have housing. Over the last few weeks, violence against Asian elders in the community received national media attention and sparked a lot of debate about race, policing, and community safety. Today, we speak with Sakhone about what he's been seeing in Oakland's Chinatown. Guest: Sakhone Lasaphangthong, directo...
Feb 17, 2021•16 min
Traditional Chinese Medicine has a complicated history in the Bay. In the 70s, a Chinese immigrant in Palo Alto named Miriam Lee was arrested and put on trial for practicing acupuncture — even though she learned it from a master in her hometown in China. Today, Traditional Chinese Medicine is still often exoticized or dismissed. But now, some Asian Americans in the Bay Area are reconnecting with these practices — and building new communities in the process. Guest: Cathy Erway, food writer and ho...
Feb 12, 2021•17 min
After months of debate on whether to reopen public schools in the Bay Area's largest districts, some families have finally had enough of distance learning. But parents are divided on whether it’s safe — and worth the risk — to send their kids back to school while the pandemic rages on. And even if everyone did agree on what to do, the path to reopening is sure to be a long one. Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED education reporter Episode transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...
Feb 10, 2021•19 min
There’s a long history of Black women in the Bay Area leading social justice work — including the hundreds of women who led the Black Panther Party. One West Oakland resident believes a celebration of these women and their contributions is long overdue. That’s why, after last summer’s protests against police violence, she decided to memorialize their legacy with a permanent mural on the home she's owned for more than 20 years. Guests: Jilchristina Vest, curator and West Oakland homeowner Ericka ...
Feb 08, 2021•33 min
The climate crisis isn't just about big tropical storms and deadlier wildfires. Rising sea levels — as a result of climate change — are forcing contaminated groundwater to the surface in parts of the Bay Area. And the neighborhoods in most danger are places where there was once heavy industry, including areas that were once redlined. Guest: Laura Klivans, KQED science reporter and host of Deep Look. Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
Feb 05, 2021•22 min
California’s vaccine rollout has been…confusing. Many people have been writing into KQED with basic questions about eligibility or where they go to get vaccinated. Our engagement editor has been fielding those questions. But she’s not the only one trying to fill the vaccination information void. Guest: Carly Severn, KQED senior engagement editor Carly answered the top five questions our audience wanted to know. You can read about those questions here. Plus, learn more here about eligibility for ...
Feb 03, 2021•17 min
