The Bay

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Why Some Fully Vaccinated Californians Will Keep Wearing Masks After June 15 Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

California will fully reopen for “business as usual”on June 15. That means, among other things, that fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to masks in most places around the state. But there are plenty of reasons you’ll still see people in the Bay Area continuing to wear masks. We’ll tell you about some of them.

Guest: Carly Severn, KQED senior engagement editor

Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

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One Native American Tribe in Lake County is Creating Housing for Homeless Members Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians doesn’t have its own reservation. Like many Native communities, many members also struggle with poverty and homelessness.

But recently, using funds from California’s ‘Project Homekey,’ the tribe bought an apartment building in Lake County to house members most in need. And leaders are also hoping it’ll be the start of a new community hub for the tribe.

Guest: Molly Solomon, KQED housing affordability reporter

Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

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Can California's 'Red Flag Law' Stop Gun Violence Before it Happens? Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

After the mass shooting at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard in San Jose two weeks ago, some politicians started talking about California’s “Red Flag” gun control law, which uses the power of restraining orders to take guns away from people a judge deems at risk of harming themselves or others.

Many people aren’t even aware of the red flag law. And using it as a way to prevent gun violence of all kinds — including mass shootings, suicides and domestic violence — is much more complicated than it seems.

Guest: Adhiti Bandlamudi, KQED Silicon Valley reporter

Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

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The ‘Golden State Stimulus’ Includes Undocumented Californians, But Many Can’t Access Their Checks Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Undocumented Californians have been mostly shut out of three rounds of federal stimulus checks. So when the ‘Golden State Stimulus’ was approved in February by the State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, undocumented immigrants were hopeful that they’d finally receive some direct relief. But bureaucratic hoops have prevented many people from accessing this money in a timely fashion.

Guest: Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, reporter for KQED en Español

Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

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Why The Vote to Recall Gov. Gavin Newsom Could Happen Sooner Than You Think Jun 04, 2021

Show notes

The effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom picked up steam in late 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

Now, COVID-19 has slowed down in California, and Gov. Newsom is currently in a strong position; one recent poll showed that just 40% of likely voters support recalling him from office.

This has left some Democrats debating a thorny question: whether they should use the current recall laws to hold the election earlier, or wait until the fall, when most voters expect elections to take place.

Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED politics reporter and producer for the Political Breakdown podcast.

Episode transcript here. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

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Fentanyl Overdoses are Claiming Younger People’s Lives in Santa Clara County Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Deaths from fentanyl overdoses have been on the rise during the pandemic. In Santa Clara County, the ages of the victims are trending younger, according to an analysis by KQED and the Documenting COVID-19 project at Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation.

Fentanyl can be laced into pills that look like common painkillers — and thanks in part to COVID-19, buying these drugs online has become even more convenient. Now, parents and officials alike are trying to educate kids and community members about how much more lethal this synthetic opioid really is.

Guest: Julie Small, KQED criminal justice & immigration reporter

Columbia University students Mohar Chatterjee and Kyra Sense contributed to this story.

Here Are Resources for Opioid Addiction in the Bay Area:

More information about opioid addiction and fentanyl can be found on the Choose Change California website. Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services treats people struggling with stress and substance use issues, including fentanyl use, through a program called Gateway, and the phone number is 1-800-488-9919.

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, San Francisco County offers behavioral health care and services for addiction and substance abuse treatment. Alameda County offers similar services to people struggling with addiction.

Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

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The #VTAfamily is Mourning the Loss of Friends and Co-Workers May 28, 2021

Show notes

The deadliest mass shooting in Bay Area history happened Wednesday at a rail yard for the Valley Transportation Authority, the Santa Clara County transit agency made up of around 2,000 employees. The 9 victims who died were maintenance workers, light rail operators, mechanics and supervisors.

Public transit workers haven't had the privilege of sheltering at home during the pandemic, and for the past year they’ve kept transit going. Now, VTA workers are mourning the loss of friends and colleagues who they’ve worked alongside for years.

Guest: Nico Savidge, transportation reporter for the San Jose Mercury

Click here to view efforts to support victims' families. Episode transcript here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

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The Black and Brown Families in Oakland Reimagining Education for Their Kids May 26, 2021

Show notes

For years, Black and brown parents of Oakland Unified students have been pushing the district to do more to support kids in low-income communities of color.

Then the pandemic hit, prompting fears of even more disparities in learning. So a group called The Oakland REACH decided to take matters into their own hands, and use the pandemic as an opportunity to continue reimagining their kids’ education.

Guest: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED education reporter

Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3oSiQu0

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South Hayward’s Trailing Vaccination Rate — and What’s Being Done About It May 24, 2021

Show notes

South Hayward has one of the highest rates of per capita deaths in Alameda County. It also has one of the lowest vaccination rates. Some aren’t sure whether they want the vaccine, but there are also many other barriers related to language, work, and access.

For volunteers, county officials and community clinics, addressing these barriers is central to a monthslong, on the ground effort to get more people vaccinated in a neighborhood with many immigrants and low-wage workers.

Guest: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED immigration reporter

Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3fdEBRI

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San Francisco’s ‘Guaranteed Income’ Pilot for Artists Starts Today. But Some Arts Groups are Unhappy with the Process So Far May 21, 2021

Show notes

Starting Friday, May 21, 130 artists in San Francisco will receive $1,000 a month for the next 6 months through the city’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, which was announced in March to help artists from marginalized communities who have struggled during the pandemic.

Most artists agree a guaranteed income would help. But as the program officially rolls out, some arts groups are concerned that the process of launching the experiment was inequitable from the beginning.

Guest: Chloe Veltman, KQED arts and culture reporter

Episode transcript here: https://bit.ly/3wsj39E. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Follow The Bay to hear more local Bay Area stories like this one. New episodes are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 a.m. Find The Bay on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, NPR One or via Alexa.

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