The Bay

Latest Episodes:

Remembering the Fight for Japanese American Reparations Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

Reparations in California is a series of KQED stories exploring the road to racial equity in the state.

California is in the process of a first-of-its-kind study into reparations for Black Californians.

The process of hashing out reparations can seem daunting. and the U.S. has not fully reckoned with its deepest harms, like enslavement of Black Americans or the genocide of Native Americans.

However, the U.S. has provided reparations before — namely, for Japanese Americans, who were taken from their homes all over the West Coast and incarcerated during World War 2. Now, California’s current reparations task force is modeled, in part, after the commission that studied and recommended reparations for American citizens of Japanese ancestry.

Today, we look back on what it took for Japanese Americans in the Bay Area to fight for reparations — and how that history is linked to the reparations process unfolding right now.

Guest: Annelise Finney, KQED reporter

Episode Transcript

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

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Reacting to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

On Wednesday night, Berkeleyside journalist Ally Markovich sat in front of her living room TV with her housemates and watched as Russian forces invaded Ukraine, where she was born.

Ally is one of the more than 100,000 Ukrainian Americans living in California — roughly 20,000 of whom live in the Bay Area. She, like other members of the diaspora here, are watching and worrying for the safety of people in Ukraine.

Guest: Ally Markovich, Berkeleyside reporter

This episode was produced and edited by Alan Montecillo, Maria Esquinca and Ericka Cruz Guevarra. The original interview was made by Nina Thorsen and hosted by Tara Siler. Alex Emslie, Rachael Myrow, and Maria Peña also contributed reporting.

Episode Transcript

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How Disaster Planning Leaves Out Queer People Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

Living with climate change means we’re going to have to plan for more disasters. That includes things like emergency shelters, food, and financial help.

But there are many people who don't feel safe or welcome accessing help when disaster does strike — including queer people. New research from Yale University, the University of Georgia and UC Irvine found LGBTQ+ communities are rendered invisible within disaster policies, even in California.

In the face of natural disasters, the dangers for queer people, who can also face barriers like homelessness, discrimination, and poverty, are layered and complex. The stakes for planning without queer people in mind can have significant consequences.

Guest: Ezra David Romero, KQED climate reporter

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

Episode Transcript

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The SF School Board Recall Won in a Landslide. Now What? Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

San Francisco voters decided overwhelmingly to recall 3 board of education members from office: Board of Education President Gabriela López and commissioners Faauuga Moliga and Alison Collins. That leaves Mayor London Breed with the unilateral decision of who should replace them.

Whoever the mayor picks will have many difficult issues to tackle, including hiring a superintendent and hashing out the future of the district’s budget. So what happens next? And what are supporters and opponents of the recall thinking about as the school board moves forward?

Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics and government reporter and producer of KQED’s Political Breakdown podcast

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

Episode transcript

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SOLD OUT: A Suburb with an Eviction Problem Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

Antioch has been a destination for Bay Area residents looking for affordable housing. But now, it’s at the center of a growing eviction crisis.

In the first episode of the newest season of SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America, KQED housing reporters Molly Solomon and Erin Baldassari take us to the Sycamore Corridor in Antioch, where renters are fighting for protections like never before.

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California Will Close Death Row at San Quentin. The Next Steps Are More Complicated Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

California is in limbo with the death penalty. We have an execution moratorium, and no one has been put to death in the state since 2006. But it’s still legal to sentence someone to die, which means there are hundreds of people sitting on death row, often in solitary confinement.

But a move by Gov. Gavin Newsom begins to chip away at this system. The nation’s largest death row at San Quentin State Prison will close, and the men inside will be sent to other maximum security prisons where they can have access to jobs. Meanwhile, the state plans to transform the former site of San Quentin’s death row into a “positive, healing environment.”

Guests: Mary Franklin Harvin, KQED producer and reporter, and Kate Wolffe, KQED producer, reporter and weekend anchor

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

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'You Think You Can Just Close My School Down? No.' Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Over the past few weeks, students, families and educators in Oakland have pushed back hard against plans by OUSD's Board of Education to close or merge public schools.

A majority of board members say the closures are necessary to address the district's budget problems. But they've faced fierce opposition from many local residents. Two educators, Moses Omolade and Andre San-Chez, have also been on a hunger strike since the beginning of the month.

On Tuesday night, the board voted 4-2 in favor of a slightly smaller school closure plan. But this debate is far from over.

Guest: Ashley McBride, education equity reporter for The Oaklandside

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

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Have You Felt 'COVID Shame?' Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

Way more people gotten sick with COVID-19 during these past few weeks. If you've tested positive, you may have felt a range of emotions: Surprise, fear...even anger.

There's also another emotion members of KQED's audience are reporting: shame. For some, it's a gut feeling upon seeing that "positive" result. Others also fear being judged by their peers after being careful for so long.

Today, we're sharing a conversation about this issue of 'COVID shame', with KQED senior engagement editor Carly Severn and KQED host Brian Watt.

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Is ‘Uber for Nurses’ Coming to California? Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

A proposal to spread the gig economy to health care could be on the ballot this fall. A group calling itself Californians for Equitable Healthcare Access has filed a measure to classify nurses, dental hygienists, occupational therapists and other health care workers who find work online as independent contractors.

The law firm that submitted this proposal also worked on Proposition 22, which allowed companies to make app-based drivers independent contractors, instead of employees with benefits like health insurance. Prop. 22 passed overwhelmingly — thanks in large part to the hundreds of millions of dollars that gig companies like Uber spent on it. So could it happen again, but with health care?

Guest: Levi Sumagaysay, MarketWatch senior reporter

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An Example of 'Land Back' in Northern California Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

A conservation group representing Northern California tribes has gotten 523 acres of land back.

The Sinkyone call the land Tc'ih-Léh-Dûñ, meaning "Fish Run Place,” located about 170 miles north of San Francisco in northern Mendocino County. It's a pristine, ecologically rich area that Indigenous people lived in for thousands of years before white settlers violently displaced them.

Guest: Matthew Green, digital producer and editor for KQED

Corrections: This episode states, at 3:28, that the Sinkyone people historically lived inland and then moved to the coast to establish seasonal settlements in warmer months. In fact, the Sinkyone people established permanent settlements in both the inland and coastal areas. This episode also states, at 8:34, that “the tribe” owns a much larger area south of this land. The land is in fact owned by the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, not one individual tribe.

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

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'A Real Blessing': Tribal Group Reclaims More Than 500 Acres of Northern California Redwoods

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