The Bay

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South Berkeley’s Black History Walking Tour Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

If you have ever driven down Sacramento Street in South Berkeley, you have probably seen the statue of William Byron Rumford Sr that is prominently displayed on the median just off of Ashby Ave. Rumford was a civil rights advocate. He became the Bay Area’s first African American elected to the California Legislature in 1948. He also owned the pharmacy across the street from the site of the statue. Both are stops on the South Berkeley Legacy Project’s Black History walking tour.

The tour is led by local historian and lifelong South Berkeley resident, Tina Jones Williams. The tour highlights cultural pillars in Berkeley’s Black community in effort to preserve their legacy.

Episode transcript

Guest: Corey Antonio Rose, producer Its Been a Minute and Bria Suggs, a journalist at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.

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This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Jehlen Herdman, our intern, with production assistance from Alexander Gonzalez. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host.

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Oakland Event Series Aimed at Gun Violence Prevention Returns for Summer 2023 Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

A spate of deadly shootings across the Bay are highlighting an ongoing surge in gun violence in the region, especially since the pandemic, which in part interrupted some of the work that had been trying to prevent gun violence.

In Oakland, community groups and the city’s Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) say it's going to take creative thinking to solve this problem — and that includes investing in arts and culture. Starting Friday and through July, DVP is bringing back Town Nights, a series of arts and culture events around Oakland that provide resources and positive social outlets. So why do some of the city’s leading gun violence prevention groups say this programming is effective at stopping gun violence? The Bay revisits this question in an episode featuring Nastia Voynovskaya, KQED associate editor of arts and culture.

Episode transcript

Links:

Town Nights events for Summer 2023

This episode first published October 10, 2022. It was produced by Maria Esquinca, Alan Montecillo, Alexander Gonzalez and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

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Armed Security Guards Are Taking On More Responsibility. California Wants to Train Them Better Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

The recent killing of Banko Brown by an armed Walgreens security guard has put a focus on the work of these employees. While they often take on similar roles to cops, armed security guards are not public employees but often low-paid civilians with few protections when they kill someone on the job, and they don’t get proper training on things like use of force or de-escalation either.

That’s all supposed to change after the 2019 killing of a man by a security officer in Sacramento, which led to a bill meant to increase the state training standards for security guards.

Episode transcript

Guest: Marisa Lagos, a politics correspondent for KQED and co-host of the political breakdown podcast.

Links:

This episode was produced by Alexander Gonzales, Jehlen Herdman, Maria Esquinca, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

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Finding Community in the Oakland Pickleball Scene Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Designated “the fastest-growing sport in America” by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in the last three years, pickleball is blowing up here in the Bay Area, too. Local enthusiasts say the sport has helped them stay active during the pandemic and find community.

Today on the Bay: a field trip to Bushrod Park, the heart of Oakland’s pickleball scene, to see what all the hype is about.

Episode transcript

Guest: Alix Wall, Freelance writer, Darlene Vendegna, Oakland’s USA Pickleball Association Ambassador

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A look inside Oakland’s booming pickleball scene

This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Jehlen Herdman. Molly Solomon guest edited. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host.

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One Neighborhood’s Strategy For Curbing Homelessness? Turn Off the Library Wi-Fi Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

So much of life is online these days, but barriers to internet access remain, especially for folks who are unhoused. Resources at public libraries, like free Wi-Fi, are aiming to fill that gap. A 2022 study by the American Library Association found that 93 percent of libraries provide or plan to provide Wi-Fi 24 hours a day because of the high demand for internet.

But San Francisco’s Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library has moved in the opposite direction after neighbors raised concerns about homelessness, crime, and open air drug use outside of the library. Mounting public pressure prompted the Harvey Milk Library to shut off Wi-Fi after hours to try and deter homelessness in the area. So is it working?

Guest: Sydney Johnson, digital reporter for KQED

Episode transcript

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What Happens When Libraries Stop Sharing Wi-Fi?

This episode was produced by Jehlen Herdman, Maria Esquinca, Molly Solomon, and Ericka Cruz Guevarra, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra

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The Ethics of Photographing Addiction in the Tenderloin Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood has been at the forefront of the opioid epidemic, amassing a reputation as a place of open air drug dealing, crime, and homelessness. Viral images and videos of open-air drug use have been seen around the world.

Some argue publishing pictures and videos of people experiencing addiction is dehumanizing and has long-term effects that follow them for the rest of their lives. Others argue the images raise awareness and showcase the reality of San Francisco’s overdose epidemic.

Episode transcript

This episode originally aired on Dec. 9

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Caste Has Hit a Nerve in South Asian Communities Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Caste is a hierarchical system, based on birth, that affects South Asians on the subcontinent and around the world.

Many hesitate to discuss it out in the open. But over the years, people from marginalized caste backgrounds have been speaking up — including in Silicon Valley, home to thousands of workers of South Asian descent, where allegations of caste discrimination have hung over some of the area’s largest tech companies.

Now, a bill has been introduced to ban caste discrimination in California. And it has sparked heated arguments within South Asian communities.

Episode transcript

Guest: Sonia Paul, freelance journalist

Links:

LISTEN: The hidden caste codes of Silicon Valley
READ: Trapped in Silicon Valley’s Hidden Caste System

The audio used in this episode with Professor Anupama Rao originally aired in The Agenda With Steve Paikin.

This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca. Jehlen Herdman is our intern. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host.

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The Headache of Catalytic Converter Thefts Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

San Francisco is re-upping a program to make catalytic converters more traceable, in hopes of slowing down the theft of the highly sought-out car part containing highly valuable metals.

The program comes months after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two statewide laws hoping to address the problem, which has caused big headaches for car owners. When people lose their catalytic converters, they sometimes have to go months without a car, and are often on the hook for thousands of dollars in costs.

Episode transcript

Guest: Jose Fermoso, road safety reporter for The Oaklandside

This episode first published Oct. 22, 2022.

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San Francisco Prepares to Roll Out CARE Court May 31, 2023

Show notes

Gov. Gavin Newsom has been talking a big game about CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment) Court, the state’s new plan for treating people with severe mental illness. CARE Court, which every county in California will have to implement by next year, focuses on steering people suffering from severe psychosis, such as schizophrenia, and addiction into treatment. It will allow first responders, family members, clinicians and others to ask a judge to order treatment plans for unhoused people with severe psychotic disorders.

San Francisco is gearing up to launch this program by Oct. 1. So can CARE Court actually deliver what the governor promises?

Episode transcript

Guest: Scott Shafer, senior editor of KQED’s Politics and Government Desk

This episode was produced by Alan Montecillo and Maria Esquinca. Ericka Cruz Guevarra is the host.

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Rightnowish: Protecting Sacred Land in the South Bay May 29, 2023

Show notes

In Santa Clara County, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is fighting for one of their most sacred sites, known as Juristac. Beginning In the late 1700s, Spanish colonizers forcibly removed the tribe from Juristac, and currently, the land is owned by a private firm that has proposed a plan to develop a mine onsite.

For the last 7 years, the tribal band, with support from many residents and local officials, has organized to block the project. They want the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to deny the mining permit from being approved.

In this episode from Rightnowish’s “From the Soil” series, producer Marisol Medina-Cadena, speaks to Valentin Lopez, Chairman of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.

Episode transcript

This episode originally aired on Feb. 9

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