The Bay

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Why Is My Restaurant Server Always White? May 20, 2019

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When you get your check at a restaurant, there’s a good chance your server is white. There’s an even better chance that the cooks and dishwashers in the back of the house are POC who get considerably less money, according to a new study that evaluated Bay Area restaurants for racial equity. That’s why some Oakland city leaders want to offer incentives to restaurants that diversify their staff. But why should the city have to coax (and pay) restaurants to do this?
Guest: Kate Wolffe, reporter for KQED News
Subscribe to The Bay on any of your favorite podcast apps to hear more local news stories like this on your smartphone. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One, or via Alexa.

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PG&E Blamed For Sparking Deadly Camp Fire. Now What? May 17, 2019

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It's confirmed: A PG&E transmission line sparked the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history last November in Butte County. Cal Fire announced Wednesday the result of its investigation into the Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes. Now it's up to the Butte County District Attorney to determine if PG&E will face criminal charges for it's role in the fire. Either way, some say Cal Fire's determination helps victims of the fire understand they have a right to compensation from one of the largest combined gas and electric companies in the United States.
Guest: Marisa Lagos, correspondent for KQED's California Politics and Government Desk and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast

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San Francisco Bans Facial Recognition Technology May 15, 2019

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We use facial recognition technology to unlock our cell phones, doors, and find friends on social media apps. But there's a real fear about how tech companies and government is recording our faces and tracking our movements. That’s one reason why the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ban city agencies, including the police department, from using this type of technology. The ordinance is part of a larger policy package that is supposed to give the city control over what surveillance technology gets used. San Francisco could become the first city in the nation to ban facial recognition software if the ordinance passes its final vote later.
Guest: Rachael Myrow, KQED’s acting Silicon Valley Bureau Chief

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Would You Stop Driving Through Downtown San Francisco if You Had to Pay to Do It? May 13, 2019

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Driving through downtown San Francisco has always been hell (good luck getting across Market Street). Traffic has gotten worse with job growth and the advent of ride-hailing apps like Lyft and Uber. Could congestion pricing help? San Francisco is studying whether to charge people who drive through some of the busiest parts of the city. New York City decided it will introduce congestion pricing in 2021. Could San Francisco be next? It’ll be a hard sell since we love our cars. But desperate times in the Bay Area call for desperate measures.
Guest: Dan Brekke, KQED transportation editor

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Should SF’s Chinatown Muni Station Be Named After Rose Pak? May 10, 2019

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The legacy of Rose Pak returns to San Francisco. A proposal to name a future Muni rail station after the late Chinatown activist provoked a protest at City Hall this week, and debates over how to recognize her achievements for Chinatown. Although she never held elected office, Pak was a major player in city politics and projects. Her rough, unapologetic style rubbed some people the wrong way, while others say she did whatever she needed to for her community.
Guests: Joe Eskenazi, Mission Local Managing Editor
Malcom Yeung, Deputy Director of Programs at the Chinatown Community Development Center, Member of San Francisco Airport Commission
Cindy Wu, Deputy Director at the Chinatown Community Development Center

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In Silicon Valley, the Color of Your Badge Is A Status Symbol May 08, 2019

Show notes

Uber drivers are planning to strike Wednesday by turning off their apps ahead of the company's public offering, which is expected to be the largest of the new tech IPOs this year. Drivers say they want higher pay and benefits. Uber has avoided having to provide benefits because their drivers are considered independent contractors. In fact, a lot of tech workers in Silicon Valley are contractors -- including people you might expect to have permanent jobs. That includes people with degrees, like programmers and data analysts. Many are people of color, and they hang in long limbo as they reach for a permanent position.
Guest: Sam Harnett, KQED Silicon Valley reporter

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Oakland Ghost Ship Trial: What We Learned From Opening Statements May 06, 2019

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A new narrative surfaced about what could have caused the deadly Oakland warehouse fire in 2016 that killed 36 people. Defense attorneys have introduced the possibility that the fire was caused by arson. As testimony begins this week the trial is reopening old wounds for families and friends of the victims, as well as a community forever changed by the fire.
Guest: Don Clyde, reporter and producer for KQED News.

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Why Are There No Filipina Disney Princesses? #YouthTakeoverKQED May 03, 2019

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Filipinos are huge part of life and culture in the Bay Area. But the spotlight rarely falls on them, especially in media. El Cerrito High School senior Rachel Manila doesn't remember seeing anyone who looked like in her in movies, on TV or in books."I just didn't see anything, like any Filipinos ever ... that had a Filipino, playing a Filipino," she said.
All week, as part of #YouthTakeoverKQED, we have been featuring young people on the radio and online to listen to what concerns them and their perspectives. Today on this podcast, we hear from 17-year-old Rachel Manila who reflects on growing up Filipina in the Bay Area.

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Basically, Nothing in the Bay Area is Affordable to Someone Making $64,000 May 01, 2019

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We all know it's expensive to live in the Bay Area. But just how unaffordable is it? Reporters with the Mercury News and the East Bay Times looked at how high rents and mortgages have climbed since 2012, and it will blow your mind. People making $100,000 can afford to live in just 28 percent of Bay Area neighborhoods. And if you're making less than $64,000, you basically have no options.
Guest: Katy Murphy, Bay Area News Group government reporter

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The Bay Live: Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Apr 29, 2019

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High rent. Long commutes. Expensive food. Childcare. Sea level rise. Gentrification. These are just some of the challenges of living in the Bay Area. Many are asking, should I stay or should I go? Or more pointedly, can I stay? If it’s not you, it’s your friends or your family who have grappled with these questions.

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