The Bay

In this month's edition of The Bay's news roundup, Ericka, Alan, and KQED outdoors reporter Sarah Wright discuss Oakland's new policy that will make it easier to sweep homeless encampments and RVs. Plus, a measure to tax the wealth of California's billionaires seems headed for the November ballot, and a small group of lucky booklovers gets married at the San Francisco Public Library.  Links: Oakland Passes Controversial Policy Easing Restrictions on Encampment Sweeps | KQED California Billionaire Tax Nears the November Ballot | KQED Bay Area Book Lovers: We Have Highly Literary Date (or Friend Hang) Ideas for Your Weekend | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nuclear power has always been hotly debated. 9% of California's power comes from the last operating nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, in San Luis Obispo County. But after initial plans to close it by 2025, an about-face by Gov. Gavin Newsom led the state to extend its operations until 2030 — with lawmakers now debating whether to keep it open for even longer in order to bolster California's ability to provide power in the face of climate change.  Links: The Debate for Keeping Diablo Canyon Open Past 2030 Is On. What Could It Mean for Your Bills? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump last year, will cut an estimated $900 billion to $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade. Between funding cuts and big changes to enrollment and eligibility requirements, residents who rely on Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, are bracing for impact. Doctor and journalist Sejal Parekh explores how this is playing out in Contra Costa County. Links: Up to 93K Contra Costa County residents could lose health insurance under Trump cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been one week since Rep. Eric Swalwell ended his run for governor after ⁠multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct⁠. Before that, he was starting to consolidate support from voters in the progressive, vote-rich Bay Area. Now that he's out of the race, the remaining candidates – especially the leading Democrats – are trying to win over his supporters before the June 2 primary. Links: ⁠How to watch the California governor's debate on KRON4 and KRON4+⁠ ⁠The Rise and Fall of Eric Swallwell⁠ (The Bay) ⁠Betty Yee Becomes Latest Democrat to Exit California Governor's Race⁠ ⁠With Swalwell Out, Who Will Bay Area Voters Support for California Governor?⁠ ⁠California Governor Candidates Compete for Swalwell's Endorsements, Donors and Voters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some school districts are now providing workforce housing, as they find themselves with vacant properties and employees who say they can't afford to stay in the Bay Area.  Today, we meet one teacher in San Francisco who was planning to leave – until she got an apartment in a teacher housing complex. Links: When Teachers Can't Afford to Live in the Bay Area, Districts Get Into the Housing Game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know the sound: a robotic, ancient-sounding voice as you wait for BART: 6-car Blue line train for OAK Airport in 15 minutes.  In America's tech capital, why do BART announcements sound so old? In this episode from our friends at Bay Curious, reporter Ana De Almeida Amaral sets out to find the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault.  Until last week, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from Dublin, was a leading candidate for governor. But on Friday, a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexual assault. In interviews with the San Francisco Chronicle, former staff member said Swalwell sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent in both 2019 and 2024, after multiple inappropriate advances both on Snapchat and in person. Since then, at least four more women have come forward, including one who alleges she was violently raped by Swalwell in 2018. Swalwell denies these allegations. But within days, after supporters fled his campaign and called for him to step down, he ended his run for governor and resigned his Congressional seat. Links: SF Chronicle: Ex-staffer says Eric Swalwell, candidate for California governor, sexually assaulted her KQED: Eric Swalwell Is Out of the Governor's Race and Resigning From Congress. What Happens Now?  CalMatters: Woman alleges violent sexual assault by Eric Swalwell: 'He raped me' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rising child care prices leave many Bay Area parents with little choice but to turn down career opportunities, cut back hours, or even quit. As part of KQED's new series on affordability, early childhood education reporter Daisy Nguyen introduces us to one mother who left her job as a teacher after the birth of her third child. Links: When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We asked you to share your experiences with making friends in the Bay Area. Today, we hear from you — and follow one listener as she tries to meet new friends in San Jose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Duran grew up in East San José, and remembers celebrating her community's ties to labor activist and United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez. His legacy looms large on the East Side, where he held his first organizing meetings and where his former home still stands. But for many people in San José, that sense of pride was shattered after a New York Times' investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Chavez. Now Duran, who teaches ethnic studies and psychology at William C. Overfelt High School in East San José, is reckoning with how to teach about Chavez in light of these sexual abuse allegations. Links: Why This City's Reckoning With Cesar Chavez Is So Complicated (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last Tuesday, the three leading Democratic candidates for San Francisco's U.S. House seat, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, former political advisor and software engineer Saikat Chakrabarti, and California State Senator Scott Wiener, took to the stage at the historic Sydney Goldstein Theater for their first major debate before the June primary. Moderated by KQED's Scott Shafer and Sydney Johnson, the candidates presented their visions for leadership and clashed over taxes, transit, and more.  Links: SF House Candidates Clash on Taxes, Transit in Debate to Replace Pelosi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the San José Unified Board of Education voted 3-2 to close 5 elementary schools and relocate another. District leaders, citing declining enrollment, say that these closures will make it easier to provide adequate services and programs to students. But many parents are furious and are vowing to fight back. Links: San José School District Moves to Close 5 Elementary Schools | KQED Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures | KQED Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The city of Alameda sits on a man-made island surrounded on all sides by water, making it a strong case study for how the Bay Area could address sea level rise. That's because the city, with its 360-degree waterfront, will need to use every tool available to protect itself. Links: For This Bay Area Island City, Water Is Coming From All Sides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The Bay's monthly news roundup, Ericka and Alan are joined by KQED senior editor Alexander Gonzalez to discuss a ransomware attack that hindered services in Foster City, a rare verdict in a case about Meta and Google's role in fueling a youth mental health crisis, and whether San Francisco's small clubs can survive.  Links: Bay Area city declares state of emergency 6 days after cyberattack (SFGate) Foster City: City's Phone, Email Services Restored After Cybersecurity Breach Last Week (SFGate) Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in social media harms trial (NPR) Can San Francisco's Small Clubs Survive? (KQED) Become a KQED member Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early weeks of President Donald Trump's second term, Ulises Peña Lopez, a husband and father, was arrested by ICE outside his home in Sunnyvale. During the encounter, he says he was severely beaten and suffered a heart attack and stroke. Last October, Ulises was deported to Mexico. Here in the Bay Area, his wife Aby and 4-year old daughter Emily are still reeling from the impacts of his deportation. Links: A Year After ICE Detained South Bay Immigrant, Family Trauma Lingers Email us: thebay@kqed.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. and Israel's war in Iran is leading to a global surge in gas prices, including in California, where the average is now $5.88 per gallon according to AAA. While the war with Iran is the main reason prices have increased, California has had more expensive gas for years, in part to policies that are meant to help the state reach its climate goals. Alejandro Lazo with CalMatters explains why gas is so expensive here. Links: California passed a law to curb spikes in gas prices. Why isn't it using those powers now? Some California Democrats pitch gas price relief as prices at the pump soar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This month, the United States Postal Service unveiled a new set of stamps honoring the lowrider community. This federal recognition comes three years after California lifted a decades-old ban on lowrider cruising. The state, widely understood as the birthplace of lowrider culture, has also historically been unfriendly to it. For decades, lowriding was blamed for traffic and alleged connections to gang violence. KQED's Paloma Yaritza Abarca explains the years-long fight by community members to let their cars ride freely. This episode originally aired Nov 3, 2023. Links: The Provocative, Rebellious and Flamboyant Origins of Lowriding | KQED For Lowriders in San Francisco, It's Not Just a Stamp — It's Respect at the Federal Level Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A New York Times investigation published Wednesday revealed that iconic farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and underage girls for years. Chavez, who died in 1993, is honored and memorialized in public schools, street names, and buildings across California and the Bay Area. The news has sent shockwaves throughout the state, especially among Latino and labor organizers. Links: César Chavez Was a Hero to Farmworkers. Now They Confront the Pain of Alleged Abuse | KQED California Weighs Renaming Parks, Streets After Cesar Chavez Amid Abuse Allegations | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence has rapidly changed what tech workers in the Bay Area do every day. Whether you're a software engineer or you work in sales, most employees at tech firms are expected to regularly use AI. Rya Jetha with the San Francisco Standard explains how AI is affecting tech employees across the industry, and how these changes could be a sign of what's to come for the rest of us. Links: AI writes the code now. What's left for software engineers? ‘Engineer' is so 2025. In AI land, everyone's a ‘builder' now AI is booming. Tech jobs in San Francisco are not 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. And it's making the workers who cut this material sick. And 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. This episode first aired on ⁠Dec. 15, 2025⁠. Links: Doctors say measures to control an incurable lung disease aren't enough : NPR As Lung Disease Threatens Workers, Lawmakers Seek Protections for Countertop Manufacturers - KFF Health News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, thousands of people gathered in Oakland to welcome home Olympic figure skater and gold medalist Alysa Liu, who won the women's singles gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics last month. Liu, who was born in Richmond and grew up training in Oakland, is the first American woman to win gold in her sport since 2002. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Gov. Gavin Newsom limited to two terms, California's got a wide open governor's race. Eight Democrats and two Republicans will be on the ballot in the June primary; from there, the top two finishers, regardless of party, will head to a runoff in November. KQED's Guy Marzorati explains why this governor's race is the most wide-open in decades. Links: California's Governor's Race Is Breaking an 80-Year Political Mold | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

West Oakland's 18th Street is one of the city's most dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, with wide lanes, hidden stop signs, and virtually nonexistent crosswalks in a residential area. It's one of many Oakland roads that has not been fixed for decades. Now, improvements are finally coming to 18th Street. The Oaklandside's Jose Fermoso joins us to talk about what changes are on the horizon, and how upgrading roads can pave the way for broader changes in the city. Links: 18th St. is one of Oakland's most dangerous. Here's how the city is fixing it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 67 is Muni's most delayed bus line, snaking through the hills along Alemany Boulevard and Bernal Heights, ending at the 24th and Mission BART station. However unreliable it can be, it still serves an estimated 800 daily riders. But as SFMTA faces a budget deficit of more than $300 million in July, the 67 and other bus lines are at risk of disappearing if voters don't approve ballot measures to fund transit this November. Links: It's San Francisco's Most Delayed Bus. For Riders, a Frustrating Problem May Get Worse Amid Bid to Save Bay Area Transit, Muni Gets a Campaign of Its Own Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Iranian Americans across California are still in disbelief after the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes in Iran over the weekend. On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic of Iran for nearly a half century. Hundreds more have been killed, including at least 6 American military servicemembers. Some Iranian Americans are overjoyed at the death of Khamenei, while others are critical of the U.S. and Israel's involvement in yet another war in the Middle East. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco's immigration courts are being hollowed out by the Trump Administration, with plans to close one of the courts downtown by the end of the year. Mission Local's Clara-Sophia Daly explains how day to day operations — including asylum hearings — have changed. Links: Inside San Francisco's hollowed-out immigration court, where asylum is ‘essentially over' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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