Last spring, workers at Chevron’s Richmond refinery went on strike for 10 weeks, demanding higher pay, better health benefits, and safer working conditions. When the strike ended, union leaders say that Chevron initially encouraged managers and workers to put the strike behind them. But now, USW Local 5, the union representing Richmond refinery workers, alleges Chevron has fired at least 5 workers for their role in the strikes, a claim that Chevron denies. Guest: Ted Goldberg, KQED supervising s...
Feb 13, 2023•20 min
The Here/There homeless encampment was familiar to anybody who drove between Oakland and Berkeley. The camp had its roots in the Bay Area’s Occupy movements in the early 2010s, and was founded in 2017 to highlight the problem of homelessness. It once had its own structure, rules, and a good relationship with the neighborhood. But over the last few years, the camp changed. Its founders passed away and people moved on. And last week, the city officially closed it down. Read the episode transcript ...
Feb 10, 2023•21 min
Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong was placed on administrative leave last month, after an external investigation into the handling of two police misconduct cases found he failed to hold officers accountable. This latest chapter comes two decades into the department’s reform efforts under the oversight of a federal court. Recent headlines have focused mostly on Armstrong’s suspension and his efforts to get reinstated. But as journalist and author Ali Winston puts it, this latest scandal is r...
Feb 08, 2023•21 min
Sandra Castañeda was convicted for a murder she didn’t commit and was sentenced to 40 years to life. She thought she was going to spend the rest of her life in prison. In 2018, she got hopeful news: California dismissed her sentence and ordered her release. But instead of finding freedom, she was immediately detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being released from prison. Even though her crimes were dismissed in California, federal immigration authorities still consider S...
Feb 06, 2023•33 min
The mass shooting last Monday in Half Moon Bay that left 7 farmworkers dead has brought renewed attention to the living conditions of California farmworkers. State and local officials say they plan to investigate potential wage theft and safety violations at the two farms. But more broadly, the issues that this mass shooting highlighted are not new: farmworkers across California make very low wages, struggle to afford housing, and are vulnerable to exploitation. And looming over it all is the fa...
Feb 03, 2023•23 min
You’ve seen the news by now: tech companies are laying people off in droves. Nearly 60,000 people have been laid off from Bay Area-based tech companies since November 2022, according to the latest estimates from Layoffs.fyi, a website that has tracked tech layoffs since the start of the pandemic. Companies cite everything from the need to cut costs, to over-hiring during the pandemic, to fears of a looming recession. But what's really going on? And what does it mean for the tens of thousands of ...
Feb 01, 2023•17 min
An estimated 62 million gallons of sewage — or about 94 Olympic-sized swimming pools — spilled into the San Francisco Bay during the storms in late December and January. Those storms are now behind us, and officials say the water is now safe. But now is actually the perfect time to unpack what went wrong with our sewage system, and how we can better prepare our infrastructure for the next big storm. Guest: Lesley McClurg, KQED health correspondent This episode was produced and edited by Alan Mon...
Jan 30, 2023•18 min
Organizers of Oakland’s Lunar New Year Parade hope it marks a new start for Chinatown and the city’s Asian communities. Over the past few years, the neighborhood has been hit hard by the pandemic and violent attacks on Asians. Now, the mass shootings in Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, and East Oakland this past week have revived fears over safety. But Stewart Chen, who is involved in organizing the parade, hopes that the city and the Bay Area truly show up for Oakland Chinatown this Sunday — and t...
Jan 27, 2023•19 min
7 people were killed and 1 injured in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay on Monday afternoon. The suspect, 66-year old Chunli Zhao, is in police custody. County Sheriff Christina Corpus says all evidence points to a workplace dispute. Half Moon Bay, known both as a tourist destination and an agricultural community, is still recovering from the impact of the massive storms in the past few weeks. Law enforcement say the victims were Latino and Asian, and that some were migrant workers. This shooting...
Jan 25, 2023•16 min
The sun is back, and it’s a huge relief. And while the state largely avoided widespread, catastrophic disaster, communities all over California were hit hard. Cities are estimating tens of millions of dollars in damage, and at least 21 people have died since Dec. 26. Meanwhile, one silver lining: all this rain has put a meaningful dent in the drought. So, with the rain gone for now, what did we learn these past few weeks? Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED editor and reporter Episode Transcript Links: Take...
Jan 23, 2023•19 min
Pamela Price has been sworn in as Alameda County District Attorney. In the 2022 Election, Price won the seat with 53% of the vote, defeating her more tough-on-crime opponent, Terry Wiley. She is the first Black woman ever elected to this position and promises to make a big shift in the office's approach to prosecution; Price’s campaign emphasized changing the system in favor of a more holistic approach to public safety. What exactly are the new DA’s plans for criminal justice reform? And what ro...
Jan 20, 2023•23 min
When the rain storms first started to hit Hannah Hagemann’s community in the Santa Cruz mountains, she was lucky enough to evacuate before landslides could block the only roads in and out of her neighborhood in Felton. Those left behind were left without electricity and internet for several days, virtually cutting the community off from the rest of the region. Clean up from landslides, high winds and downed power lines are the immediate focus; But surviving another storm in this remote mountain ...
Jan 18, 2023•18 min
Etta James, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker all played in Russell City, a once thriving blues town located in Hayward. The town was home to Black and Latino residents who couldn’t find a residence elsewhere due to redlining and other racist housing policies. The city of Hayward used eminent domain to take the land and by 1966, the town had been annexed and replaced by an industrial park that is still there. In 2021 the Hayward city council voted unanimously to issue a formal apology to the resid...
Jan 16, 2023•25 min
A rare showcase of archives and memorabilia from the life of Angela Davis is on display at the Oakland Museum of California. The exhibit includes photos, speeches and posters collected over the span of several years. The archive highlights Davis’ legacy and a fight for abolition and Black lives — one that is still relevant today. Guest: Ariana Proehl, Culture Reporter for KQED This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Adhiti Bandlamudi. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host. Your support makes ...
Jan 13, 2023•21 min
California’s temperate weather is one reason why homelessness is so visible. But with climate change, warmer and wetter weather are making the emergency on the streets even more dire. At what remains of the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland, people without shelter are experiencing flooding and a fight to stay warm amid a series of atmospheric rivers hitting the Bay Area in recent weeks. Residents of Wood Street say the services the city is offering doesn’t meet their needs. But it’s not jus...
Jan 11, 2023•23 min
On Monday, Oakland will swear in Sheng Thao as the city’s new mayor and now one of the most prominent Hmong-American politicians in the country. Last November, she narrowly won the election against fellow-council member Loren Taylor by fewer than 700 votes and is getting ready to lead one of the largest cities in the Bay Area. In a recent episode of Political Breakdown, hosts Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer spoke with Thao about her journey to the mayor’s seat and how her experiences as a daughter...
Jan 09, 2023•26 min
Storms caused by back-to-back atmospheric rivers pummeled the Bay Area this week;, prompting evacuation orders, heavy flooding on roads and in rivers, and bringing down power for 100 thousand PG&E customers Thursday. More atmospheric rivers are expected this weekend. Guest: Ezra David Romero, climate reporter for KQED Links: How to Prepare for This Week's Atmospheric River Storm: Sandbags, Emergency Kits and More This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Adhiti Bandlamudi. Ericka Cruz ...
Jan 06, 2023•19 min
The new mayor of the Bay Area’s biggest city started his new job this week, and he has to work fast. Matt Mahan’s first job is to address a winter storm hitting San Jose, which could bring floods and heavy rains. What can we expect from Mahan in his first year in office? And what roadblocks could he face in accomplishing the goals he ran on? Guest: Guy Marzorati, Producer and Reporter for KQED’s Politics and Government Desk This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Adhiti Bandlamudi. Erick...
Jan 04, 2023•23 min
It’s our last episode of the year! Today, host Ericka Cruz Guevarra, producer Maria Esquinca, and senior editor Alan Montecillo unpack 2022 and share their favorite episodes. We’ll have new episodes for you starting Jan. 4, 2023! Links: The Bay Survey (it takes just 8 minutes!) Alan’s favorite: ‘It’s an Unimaginable Amount of Fish,’ Sep. 2, 2022. Ericka’s favorite: An Audio Love Letter to Traxamillion, an Architect of the Hyphy Movement, Jan. 10, 2022. Maria’s Favorite: He Designed a Garden at U...
Dec 16, 2022•28 min
It’s been a bad few months for people in Vallejo who are fighting for police accountability. The police chief who promised reforms abruptly stepped down. A police union president who allegedly threatened a journalist has been reinstated. And the city recently revealed that it “inadvertently” destroyed records of 5 police shootings. Now the city is trying to move forward with a model for police oversight, which many have wanted for a long time. But members of the public are pushing back, arguing ...
Dec 14, 2022•18 min
Teenagers like Elise Muchowski aspired to the “Clean Girl Aesthetic,” a trend that blew up on TikTok and that prioritizes looking clean and effortless, with videos of skincare, makeup routines, and a minimalist wardrobe. Today, we're sharing an episode of the tbh podcast from KALW. In it, teenagers unpack what's behind the clean girl aesthetic, why it's harmful, and what role social media plays in their lives right now. Links: tbh: The Dirty Truth About the Clean Girl Aesthetic Learn more about ...
Dec 12, 2022•29 min
San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood has a reputation for drug addiction, poverty, and homelessness — all big problems that have not been solved by city and state leaders. But the neighborhood’s image is also shaped by disturbing pictures and videos of people taking drugs outside that go viral on social media. These images, which circulate around the world, can evoke anger, fear, and frustration. They also shape opinion about what should be done and galvanize support for harsher, tougher crac...
Dec 09, 2022•23 min
Before the pandemic, there were a few ways to endure the traffic into downtown San Francisco. One very Bay Area method was the casual carpool, a completely organic system of riding with strangers to get across the bridge faster and for cheap. But after March 2020, those long lines at casual carpool stops vanished — and they haven’t come back. Guest: Nico Savidge, senior City Hall reporter for Berkeleyside This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca, and hosted by Ericka Cruz ...
Dec 07, 2022•19 min
Silicon Valley companies rely on thousands of H-1B visa holders who have come to the Bay Area from all over the world. H-1B visas grant temporary status to work and live in the U.S. But in the wake of mass layoffs in the tech industry, visa holders have 60 days to find a new job or face the threat of deportation. Guest: Rachael Myrow, KQED Silicon Valley senior editor Read the transcript Links: Mass Bay Area Tech Layoffs Thrust Thousands of H-1B Visa Holders Into Frantic Job Hunt Survey: Help Ma...
Dec 05, 2022•20 min
Even in the Bay Area, it’s a big risk for Chinese residents to protest against the Chinese Communist Party. Many fear retaliation against themselves and their loved ones in China. But over the past week, hundreds of people have attended candlelight vigils in multiple cities, including San Jose and San Francisco. These protests have been held to support people in China and to remember the 10 people who died in an apartment fire in China’s Xinjiang province. The public outrage from these deaths — ...
Dec 02, 2022•21 min
Leaders from nearly 200 countries recently met during COP27, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. While some gains were made, like the creation of a “loss and damage” fund to help vulnerable countries, negotiations were stalled by oil-producing nations. The overwhelming scope of Climate Change and the inevitable losses on the planet can lead to feelings of paralysis, discouragement, sadness and stress. In this episode from November of l...
Nov 30, 2022•17 min
Oakland is on the verge of returning 5 acres of Joaquin Miller Park to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and the Confederated Villages of Lisjan. This would be the first time a California city has returned land to Native American tribes. Despite no significant opposition to this plan, this process has taken more than 5 years. So what does it actually take to return land back to tribes? Guest: Annelise Finney, KQED reporter Episode Transcript Apply to be an intern with The Bay! Your support makes KQED p...
Nov 28, 2022•26 min
Universities across the country rely on students and academic workers to grade papers, run classes, conduct research, and provide student support. It’s demanding work, often for little pay. But now, the unions representing 48,000 University of California students and academic workers say they’ve had enough, and on Monday thousands of people across the system's 10 campuses went on strike. Guest: Bria Suggs, journalist and graduate student at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism Links: 'Tho...
Nov 18, 2022•19 min
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has led to complete chaos: layoffs, advertiser panic, and concerns all around the world about what this means for speech on the internet. But here in the Bay, what happens at Twitter has ripple effects too. Not only has the company laid off thousands of employees and contractors, but the company’s donations and charitable programs are in disarray, leaving dozens of Bay Area nonprofits stunned, confused and angry. Guest: Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, KQED politics repo...
Nov 16, 2022•17 min
The city of Vallejo is notorious for being forced to pay out millions in legal settlements to victims of police violence. In the latest example, The Vallejo Sun reports that the city reached a $2.8 million dollar settlement with the family of Angel Ramos, the 21-year-old shot and killed by Vallejo Police during a family gathering in January 2017. It’s the latest update in the long, grueling process for families left with the aftermath of a police killing. Today, we’re re-running an episode from ...
Nov 14, 2022•32 min
