The Bay

Latest Episodes:

San José Plans to Build More Temporary Housing Sites. But Housed Neighbors Are Pushing Back May 03, 2023

Show notes

San José Mayor Matt Mahan has been pushing to build more emergency interim housing as a cost-effective approach to get unhoused residents off the streets more quickly. It’s intended to be a temporary step toward more permanent housing.

But one big roadblock to building it? Local housed residents, who say they want to see solutions to homelessness...just not in their own backyards.

Guest: Guy Marzorati, politics and government correspondent for KQED

Episode transcript

Links:

This episode was produced by Maria Esquinca and Jehlen Herdman, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BART Director Lateefah Simon is Running for Congress May 01, 2023

Show notes

BART Board Director Lateefah Simon is running to replace East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee in Congress, who herself is running to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

On KQED’S Political Breakdown podcast, Simon talks with Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos about growing up with a single mom in San Francisco’s Western Addition, her early work with Kamala Harris, facing threats in office, and her run for Congress.

Episode transcript

This conversation first aired April 13, 2023.

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The End of Alameda County’s Eviction Moratorium Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Alameda County’s eviction moratorium helped keep hundreds, potentially thousands of people housed during the pandemic.

But after increased pressure from local landlords who face hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent, as well as the deaths of two tenant-friendly members of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, the county has decided to officially end the eviction moratorium at midnight April 29.

Some cities, like Oakland, Berkeley, and San Leandro, are phasing out their moratoriums more slowly. But the end of Alameda County’s moratorium marks the end of one of the strongest in the Bay Area, and thousands of residents will be affected.

Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, housing reporter for KQED

Episode transcript

Links:

As Bay Area Eviction Moratoriums Expire, Local Lawmakers Scramble

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

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the Nation’s First Asian American Bookstores is Closing Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

Eastwind Books, one of the nation’s first Asian American bookstores, has closed its doors after more than four decades in business.

The store has been run by Harvey and Beatrice Dong, two activists who were part of civil rights movements in the Bay Area in the 1960s, including the fights over ethnic studies and evictions at the International Hotel in San Francisco.

Now in their seventies, Harvey and Beatrice say higher rents and maintenance bills have prompted them to close up shop.

Guest: Iris Kwok, Berkeleyside reporter

Episode transcript

This episode was produced by Jehlen Herdman and Holly J. McDede, edited by Alan Montecillo, and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra.

Links:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How an Antisemitic Propaganda Group Started in the Bay Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

There were more than 2,700 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in 2021, the highest count since the Anti-Defamation League’s Center for Extremism began tracking these incidents four decades ago.

In October, a group called the Goyim Defense League hung a banner off I-405 in Los Angeles that read “Kanye Was Right About the Jews.” Although this happened in southern California, this group was actually founded right here, in the Bay Area.

Guests: Julie Small, KQED reporter and Jill Castellano, inewsource investigative reporter

Episode transcript

This episode was edited and produced by Alan Montecillo and hosted by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, who also produced.

This story was produced in partnership with inewsource, a nonprofit news organization in San Diego. It is part of an ongoing project with inewsource and other NPR stations to chronicle the extent of extremism in California.

Links:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘I Need to Feel Safe More Than I Need Forever’: Poet Antmen Pimentel Mendoza Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

To commemorate National Poetry Month, producer Maria Esquinca talks to Bay Area-based poet Antmen Pimentel Mendoza about his Chapbook collection, “My Boyfriend Apocalypse.” He talks about surviving the apocalypse, queer love, and finding play in poetry.

You can listen to Antmen Pimentel Mendoza read live on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at Fabulosa Books in San Francisco. You can find him on Twitter and instagram @antmenismagic.

Episode transcript

This episode was hosted and produced by Maria Esquinca, and edited by Alan Montecillo.

Links:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Call The Bay! We Want to Hear Your Thoughts About the Oakland A’s Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

On Wednesday night, the Oakland A's announced that they have signed an agreement to buy land for a stadium in Las Vegas. This news doesn't mean the move is complete, but it does make it even more likely that yet another major pro sports team will leave the city of Oakland.

We want to know what you're thinking about this. How are you feeling about the team's likely move to Las Vegas? How has it felt to be a fan of the A's? What's going through your mind?

Leave us a voicemail at 415-710-9223. Please leave your first name and city, and you may hear your message in a future episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'I've Been Contributing': The Push to Extend Unemployment Insurance to Undocumented Workers Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

An estimated 1.1 million undocumented immigrants work in California, with large numbers laboring in low-wage jobs like agriculture, construction, and food service. But none of those workers are eligible for unemployment insurance, even though their wages contribute to the system.

That’s why workers and advocates have been pushing the state to step in. Senate Bill 227 would use state funds to extend unemployment benefits to undocumented workers: provide unemployed workers $300 per week for 20 weeks.

The state legislature passed a similar bill last year, but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it, citing concerns over cost. Will that it happen again?

Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED labor correspondent

Episode transcript

This episode was produced by Holly J. McDede and Jehlen Herdman, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo, who edited. Spanish language support was provided by Maria Esquinca.

Links:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Antioch Police Department's Racist Text Messages Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

This episode contains explicit, racist and offensive language, as well as descriptions of violence.

For years, police officers in the city of Antioch used racist and homophobic slurs with their colleagues in text messages, and openly bragged about targeting people of color with violence. These messages were released to the public in a Contra Costa County District Attorney report last week.

These racist texts were released as the department is already being investigated by federal authorities, and as a grand jury considers charging officers with fraud, assault under color of authority, bribery, and other charges.

Nearly 1 in 5 police officers in Antioch are currently suspended. For longtime advocates of police reform in Antioch, these messages are a painful reminder of how deeply racism is embedded in the culture of their local police department.

Guest: Nate Gartrell, East Bay Times courts reporter

Episode transcript

Links:

This episode was produced by Holly J. McDede and Maria Esquinca, and guest hosted by Alan Montecillo, who also edited.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sactown vs. The Bay Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

The last time the Sacramento Kings made the NBA playoffs, the iPhone hadn't been invented yet. For 17 years, Sacramento-area sports fans have endured losing season after losing season.

But not this year. The Kings turned things around with a young, fast, high-scoring team, securing a spot in the playoffs. Standing in their way are the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, who are looking to win their 5th title in 9 years.

This is the first time in the history of American pro sports that 2 teams from Sacramento and the Bay Area have faced off in a playoff series. It’s a battle of youth vs. experience, Sacramento vs. The Bay, and between two fan bases that are deeply intertwined.

Guests: