The Bay

In this month's edition of The Bay's monthly news roundup we discuss the effect of the booming AI industry on San Francisco's rental market, Rep. Jared Huffman's visit to his “radically redrawn” district since the passage of Prop. 50, and the revelation that Waymo employs remote workers in the Philippines.  Links:  AI is pushing S.F. rents higher and higher. Here's how tenants are dealing (Mission Local) In his radically redrawn new district, a Marin congressman gets thrown to the wolves (San Francisco Chronicle) Here's How Many Remote Operators Waymo Has Per Self-Driving Taxi (Futurism) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Search and rescue crews have recovered all 9 bodies of those killed in last Tuesday's avalanche in Tahoe, which is now the deadliest in California's modern history. Four of the victims were women from the Bay Area.  KQED's Sarah Wright explains what we know so far, and how this tragedy highlights the Bay Area's deep ties to outdoor recreation in Tahoe. Links: After Deadly Tahoe Avalanche, Backcountry Skiing Is Under Scrutiny. Here's What to Know All 9 Tahoe Avalanche Victims Identified and Bodies Recovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For several weeks, a red pay phone sat outside a tattoo parlor in San Francisco's Mission District — with a sign reading ‘Call a Republican.' If you picked it up, a blue pay phone with the sign ‘Call a Democrat' in the conservative city of Abilene, Texas would ring. This project, created by a company called Matter Neuroscience, aimed to connect Americans from vastly different backgrounds via the old-fashioned phone.  Links: What Happens When Democrats in San Francisco Call Up Republicans in Texas? It's Pretty Cordial | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've noticed more crows in the night sky this winter, you're not imagining it. The Bay Area crow population has been on a steady rise since about 1975 — and after 2000 or so, the population exploded. So what's behind the boom? This episode of Bay Curious first aired on June 6, 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 31,000 health care workers with the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals have been on strike for the last four weeks. Nurses, physicians assistants, pharmacists and other workers at Kaiser Permanente say that their wages have not kept up with inflation and that their workloads have negatively impacted patient care. As the strike drags on and negotiations continue to stall, more patients face canceled surgeries and appointments without an end in sight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silicon Valley once resisted cooperating with the U.S. military. Google, Meta and OpenAI even had policies banning the use of AI in weapons. Those days now feel like a bygone era, as Big Tech has now embraced working closely with the federal government during President Donald Trump's second term, in large part due to lucrative contracts for military and surveillance technology. This episode first aired on Sept. 3, 2025. Links: The Militarization of Silicon Valley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're working on an episode about making friends in the Bay Area. And we want your help. What's it been like for you to make friends here? How'd you do it? Is there anything about life in the Bay that makes it easier or harder to meet people? Let us know your thoughts. You can do that in one of two ways: Leave us a voicemail at 415-710-9223 Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to thebay@kqed.org We might just reach back out for an upcoming episode. We can't wait to hear from you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Venezuelan diaspora in the Bay Area is relatively small. Of the estimated 770,000 Venezuelan natives living in the United States in 2024, only about 23,000 — or 3% — are in California, according to the Migration Policy Institute. But as the country's political turmoil continues to make headlines, a nonprofit called Dulce Tricolor Venezolano is committed to keeping their culture alive and building community through teaching traditional dance. Links: Venezuelan Dance Group in the Bay Area Keeps Culture Alive for a New Generation Subscribe to KQED's K Onda newsletter Dulce Tricolor Venezolano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, teachers at San Francisco Unified School District went on strike for the first time since 1979. The district and the United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) remain apart on issues like wage increases and family health care. We talk with the San Francisco Chronicle's Jill Tucker about the impact on families, and why teacher strikes seem to be spreading across California. Links: San Francisco Teachers Strike: What Should Families Know? | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since San José Mayor Matt Mahan took office in 2023, the city has dramatically shifted the city's approach to homelessness from building permanent affordable housing to building more temporary shelters, with the goal of getting people off the street faster. Now, as he eyes the governor's office, we look into how his signature homelessness program is going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area is gearing up for ‘Benito Bowl,' AKA Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show performance, with watch parties planned across the Bay. But his performance comes at a time when fans in immigrant communities are worried about immigration enforcement actions around the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, despite reassurances from the NFL and local police. Links: ICE at the Super Bowl: What We Know Right Now How's Bad Bunny Left His Mark on the Bay Area? Let Us Count the Ways As Bay Area Gears Up to Host Super Bowl LX and Bad Bunny Halftime Show, Fears of ICE Loom | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Sunday, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play in the Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Super Bowl LX is projected to draw 90,000 visitors to the Bay Area, and up to $630 million in economic benefits for the entire region. But it's the South Bay that will feel the most disruptions to daily life. Links: The Super Bowl Party Is Here. Fans Are Excited, Even if It's Seahawks vs Patriots Super Bowl LX Tickets: Don't Fall for an (Expensive) Scam ICE at the Super Bowl: What We Know Right Now 7 Things to Know About the Complicated Relationship Between Santa Clara and the 49ers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clipper 2.0, or Next Generation Clipper, has been a long-awaited update for public transit riders. But the rollout has been plagued with glitches, and transit officials and riders are furious with Cubic Transportation Systems, the company contracted to operate the system. Links: ‘A Hot Mess': Transit Riders, Officials Skewer Contractor Over Flawed Clipper 2.0 Rollout | KQED Clipper 2.0 Leaves AC Transit Cash Riders Behind | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our first news roundup of 2026, we discuss California reactions to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the latest drama in the long-running efforts by California Forever to build a new city, and a nostalgic goodbye to the Westfield Mall in downtown San Francisco. Links:  Growing Wave of Silicon Valley Workers Condemns ICE as C-Suites Split Over Fear of Trump | KQED ‘This mall was the shit': Former teenagers throw final rager to honor SF Centre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Violent crime is down in Oakland, along with most major U.S. cities. In 2025, Oakland's homicide rate dropped 22% compared with the previous year. But Oakland city leaders are also aware that there's a lot of work left to do — including helping people feel safe even as the statistics are showing improvements. Roselyn Romero with the Oaklandside joins us to break down why violent crime is down for the second straight year. Links: Violent crime in Oakland is way down for the second year in a row Oakland saw a historic drop in homicides in 2025. City leaders aren't declaring victory yet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is enjoying high approval ratings and declining crime rates as he marks his first full year in office. In this live, on-stage interview with the Political Breakdown podcast, Lurie reflects on his first year, what he's learned, and how he plans to take on the challenges ahead. Links: YouTube: Watch San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie with Political Breakdown Listen: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Read: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on the Highs and Lows of His First Government Job Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The health care industry has often been slow to adopt new technology — but not when it comes to AI. And as Kaiser Permanente's mental health clinicians in Northern California negotiate their latest contract with the company, they're looking for reassurance that AI isn't coming for their jobs. Links: Will AI Replace Your Therapist? Kaiser Won't Say No Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, students, faculty, staff and alumni at the California College of the Arts learned that their school will be closing after the 2026-27 school year. Replacing it will be a new campus, run by Vanderbilt University. The arts community is now mourning the loss of Northern California's last nonprofit art school, which has served the region for 119 years. Links: What We Will Lose When California College of the Arts Closes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement set off a wave of protests across the country. It's also brought attention to the federal government's efforts to stop people from recording federal agents in public.  Today, we're sharing an episode from KQED's Close All Tabs podcast, where host Morgan Sung sits down with criminal justice reporter C.J. Ciaramella to find out whether or not you have the right to record ICE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area police departments say automated license plate readers contracted by an Atlanta-based company called Flock Safety have been a powerful tool for solving crime. But Bay Area residents and privacy advocates are increasingly concerned about the impacts on our privacy, as the Trump administration continues its federal immigration crackdown. In Santa Cruz, the city council voted 6-1 to end its contract with Flock, citing reports that the city's data was accessed by out-of-state agencies.  Links: Santa Cruz the First in California to Terminate Its Contract With Flock Safety San Jose latest city to face questions whether federal authorities are accessing police license plate camera data Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five current and former students at Stanford are on trial for barricading themselves inside the university president's office on June 5, 2024.  The protesters, who face counts of felony conspiracy and felony vandalism, say their actions were aimed at pressuring Stanford to divest from companies that support Israel's bombing and invasion of Gaza. Prosecutors say that protesters committed a crime by breaking into a building and causing damage to university property. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco residents are furious with Pacific Gas & Electric after nearly one third of the city was hit by a series of power outages over the holiday season. This public outrage has also revived calls for the city — or even the state — to take over the investor-owned utility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last weekend's storms, coupled with king tides, caught Marin County cities like Corte Madera, Sausalito and San Rafael off guard. Floodwaters spilled over levees, covered bike trails, and surrounded homes and businesses. Nobody was seriously injured and the level of damage is still being assessed. But it's a wake-up call for residents, both in Marin County and across the Bay Area, about the risk of more flooding in our future. Links: Marin County Looked Like ‘a Lagoon' After King Tides, Heavy Rain | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of President Donald Trump's military operation in Venezuela, which led to US forces seizing the country's president, Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans in the Bay Area have experienced a wide range of feelings. Some rejoiced, others felt outrage, and all had many questions about the future. Links: ‘A Really Confusing Moment': Bay Area Venezuelans Struggle to Make Sense of US Attack | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In response to arrests of street vendors and day laborers by federal immigration authorities, thousands of volunteers have mobilized to ‘adopt' a street corner. KQED's labor correspondent Farida Jhabvala Romero takes us to one corner in East Oakland to meet the volunteers offering their time to watch out for ICE and Border Patrol agents. This episode originally aired on Sept. 5, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Girls' flag football is exploding in popularity at high schools across the Bay Area. It coincides with the rise of professional women's sports teams like the Golden State Valkyries and Bay FC, which have cemented the Bay's status as the new capital of women's sports. This episode first aired on Sept. 26, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want solar power in your home, you usually need to be a homeowner with a good roof and a decent amount of cash to pay up front. But some Bay Area residents are trying out plug-in solar, which can hang from an apartment balcony, out a window, or be tented in the backyard. This episode originally aired on August 13, 2025. Links: Forget Rooftops — Bay Area Residents Are Plugging Solar Into the Wall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, often in the news for headlines associated with crime, homelessness and drug use, has the highest concentration of kids in all of San Francisco. So a reporter decided to give Tenderloin kids disposable cameras to see the neighborhood from their perspective.  This episode first aired on Sept. 24, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1969, Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz and his first wife Joyce built Snoopy's Home Ice in Santa Rosa. Since then, generations of locals — including KQED's Gabe Meline — have made it a tradition to visit the skating rink, especially during the holidays. This episode first aired on Dec. 18, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the Bay's final news roundup of 2025, Ericka, Alan and Jessica discuss the recent series of small earthquakes in San Ramon and Sonoma County, Oakland's decision to expand its network of license plate reader cameras, and new upgrades to the Clipper card system. Links: Scientists Say San Ramon's Latest Earthquake Swarm Is Normal, but Residents Are on Edge | KQED Oakland Council Expands Flock License Plate Reader Network Despite Privacy Concerns | KQED New Clipper Cards Are Here, With Big Perks for Riders. How to Manually Upgrade Yours | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're not imagining it — your Pacific Gas & Electric bill really is going up. In fact, according to a KQED analysis, the average PG&E utility bill went up nearly 70% between 2020 and March 2025. But it's not just the cost: understanding what's actually in your bill can be confusing. Today, KQED climate reporter Laura Klivans helps Ericka decode her PG&E bill. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Engineered stone, or quartz, is a man-made material made with high concentrations of silica that is commonly used to make kitchen countertops in the U.S.  But doctors are seeing more and more workers in the countertop industry developing silicosis, an often deadly lung disease linked to inhaling toxic dust the material releases when powercut. Even though California has safety rules in place to reduce the risk to workers, some say it's time to ban the use of engineered stone altogether. Links: California Doctors Urge Ban on Engineered Stone as Silicosis Cases Surge | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ukraine-Russia war has been called the most technologically advanced war in history. In an episode from KQED's Close All Tabs podcast, Bay Area journalist Erica Hellerstein visits Ukraine to learn about how the nation's culture of tech innovation — and its surprising ties to Silicon Valley — are fueling the country's resistance through an army of engineers, coders, hackers, and tinkerers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco could see taller and more dense buildings in the city's north and west side after the Board of Supervisors approved Mayor Daniel Lurie's ‘Family Zoning' plan last week.  Some believe it will lead to more housing and lower rents, while others worry that new construction will change their neighborhoods and lead to displacement. But how soon — and how much — could it really change the city?  Links: San Francisco Supervisors Pass Rezoning Plan, Making Way for Taller, Denser Housing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish — home to historic farmworker organizing in East San Jose — we sit down with Father Jon Pedigo, a Catholic priest in the South Bay, to talk about the role of faith and houses of worship under the Trump Administration, what he's seen in his primarily Spanish-speaking communities, and why he's leaving the pulpit to become a full-time organizer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 3,000 teachers and staff from the West Contra Costa Unified School district went on strike Thursday morning after negotiations with the district broke down. It's the latest in a series of labor disputes between educators and districts across California. Today, Jana Kadah, education reporter with Richmondside, talks to us from the field about why West Contra Costa educators walked off the job for the first time in the district's history. Links: Richmondside: Is your family prepared for WCCUSD teachers strike? Here's what to know Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

UC Berkeley student and animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg will be sentenced today after facing a felony conviction for taking four chickens from a Sonoma County poultry facility 2 years ago. The case, which has garnered international attention, comes after years of tension in Sonoma County over animal rights.  Links: Berkeley Animal Rights Activist Found Guilty in Sonoma Chicken Theft Case Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new series called ‘Love You for You,' KQED's The California Report Magazine host Sasha Khokha sat in on conversations between trans and nonbinary kids and the people who love them. Today, we talk with Sasha about the series. Links: Check out the entire ‘Love You For You' series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1900s, the city of San Francisco eradicated native coyotes. But in more recent decades, they returned and are now a part of daily life. Scientists point out that coyotes are essential to the local ecosystem. For some residents, they're a source of wonder, while others view them as a nuisance and a danger to pets and children.  Links: The Coyotes of San Francisco How We Photographed Coyotes in San Francisco This episode originally aired on June 2, 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Bay Area families swear by local Dungeness crab at the holiday dinner table. But for the seventh straight year, commercial crabbing season has been delayed — this time until January. So if you really want local crab for the holidays, you'll need to either pay for a chartered boat or catch one yourself. This episode originally aired on Nov. 25, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An estimated 6.3 million travelers are expected to pass through San Francisco International Airport between Thanksgiving and New Year's. If you're one of them, you can spend some time visiting the SFO Museum, the only airport museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Today, we take you on a tour of some of the exhibits and meet the curators behind them.  Links: If you're interested in scheduling a free tour of SFO Museum, whether or not you're flying, email curator@flysfo.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alice Wong, a disability rights activist, writer, and MacArthur Genius award winner based in San Francisco, died last Friday at UCSF at the age of 51. Wong was best known as the founder of the Disability Visibility Project (DVP), a group that highlights disabled people and disability culture through storytelling projects, social media and other channels. Alice's friend and fellow activist, Sandy Ho, wrote, “Alice Wong was a hysterical friend, writer, activist and disability justice luminary whose influence was outsized.” Today, we remember Wong by sharing a radio essay she recorded for The California Report Magazine in December 2022. Alice's GoFundMe Disability Rights Activist and Author Alice Wong Dies at 51 | KQED Bay Area Legends: Activist Alice Wong and The Power of Bringing Visibility to Disability Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices