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The Bay

KQED

Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra talks with local journalists about what’s happening in the greatest region in the country. It’s the context and analysis you need to make sense of the news, with help from the people who know it best. New episodes drop Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.

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Yesterday · 40 min
Introducing ‘The Speaker’: A New Limited-Run Podcast from KQED
Nancy Pelosi is many things: Trailblazer. Lightning rod. First woman Speaker of the House. Mom of five. To some, she’s an out-of-touch elitist, to others, a champion for democracy. In The Speaker, a new limited-run podcast from KQED, political reporter Scott Shafer reflects on Pelosi’s historic life and career as she prepares to exit public office. Links: The Speaker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Monday · 24 min
How the Trump Administration Is Using SFO as a ‘De Facto Detention Center’
The Trump administration has ramped up immigration arrests at airports in recent months, including at San Francisco International Airport. According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, Customs and Border Protection has also been holding immigrants at SFO – in some cases, for more than a week. Reporter Sara DiNatale joins us to explain how the airport has become a de facto detention center. Links: Under Trump, SFO is now a de facto immigration detention center (San Francisco Chronicle) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 20 min
At This San Quentin Program, Perpetrators of Gun Violence Are Part of the Solution
Why does gun violence happen? Arms Down, a program inside the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly San Quentin State Prison, asks the people behind the gun. It’s a revolutionary program that treats firearm addiction like an alcohol addiction, and recasts perpetrators of gun violence as part of the solution. This episode first aired on Aug. 25, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 16 · 19 min
Desperate Tenants in SF Face Scams, Substandard Rentals
San Francisco’s AI boom is making the rental market more competitive than ever. Prospective tenants face intense pressure to stand out, leaving them susceptible to substandard living conditions or outright scams. Links: Part 1: As AI Booms, Daniel Lurie Declares ‘Rent Emergency’ in San Francisco After the $18,000 Scam, How Can Bay Area Renters Protect Themselves? | KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 14 · 16 min
As AI Booms, Daniel Lurie Declares ‘Rent Emergency’ in San Francisco
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has declared a ‘rent emergency’ in San Francisco amid a boom in the AI industry. In the first part of The Bay’s series about the AI-fueled rental crisis, The New York Times San Francisco Bureau Chief Heather Knight explains what that declaration really means, and how this housing crunch stands out from the past. Links: NYT: San Francisco Mayor Declares Rent Emergency Amid A.I. Housing Frenzy KQED: San Francisco Mayor Lurie Infuses $30 Million in Reforms to Tackle ‘Rent Emergency’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 11 · 17 min
How One Teacher is Reckoning With Cesar Chavez’s Legacy in the Classroom
Since sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez came to light last spring, city leaders quickly decided to rename parks and take down statues of the labor leader. Conversations in the classroom are also changing. Today on The Bay, we’re re-airing this conversation from last April about how one East San José teacher is recasting Cesar Chavez’s legacy in the classroom. This episode first aired on April 8, 2026. Links: Why This City’s Reckoning With Cesar Chavez Is So Complicated (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 9 · 19 min
SF’s Toppled Statues Give Rise to New Monuments
In 2020, San Franciscans began reckoning with the city’s monuments—many of which honored violent figures and fraught histories. In the years since, the San Francisco Arts Commission has been reimagining what public memory could look like. Now, temporary monuments celebrating everyday people are popping up all around us. Links: In San Francisco, a Reckoning With Toppled Statues Gives Rise to New Monuments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 4 · 23 min
The Price of Raising Kids in the Bay
Living in the Bay Area is expensive, and raising kids here can be especially tough. So how do people do it? KQED reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi talks with three families about what they’re doing to get by. From cramming a family of four into one studio apartment to giving up on the dream of home ownership, compromise is always part of the equation. This episode first aired on May 4, 2026. Links: How We Get By | KQED In the Bay Area, Raising Kids Comes With Compromise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 2 · 16 min
A Super El Niño In the Bay Area: What You Need to Know
The Bay Area is getting ready for a ‘Super El Niño’ this winter. This natural weather pattern, — made worse by human-caused climate change — could bring flooding, mudslides, power outages and road closures. KQED Climate reporter Ezra David Romero explains how we might feel the impact of El Niño in our day to day lives. Links: Guide: El Niño Could Bring a Wet, Wild Winter. How Can You — and Your Home — Be Ready Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 31 · 23 min
Tahoe Avalanche Follow-Up, Tech Backlash in Schools, and a Controversial Swan Hunt
In this month’s edition of The Bay’s news roundup, Ericka, The Bay’s new producer Gabriela Glueck, and Carly Severn, KQED’s senior editor of audience news discuss workplace safety fines against the Tahoe guiding company implicated in last year’s avalanche deaths. Also, we discuss a growing movement of Silicon Valley parents against tech in classrooms, and a controversial swan hunt that appears to be helping protect California’s shrinking marshlands. Links: KQED: Guiding Company Fined by California for Tahoe Avalanche Deaths KQED: ‘A Chromebook in the Hand of Every Child.’ Did Schools Go Too Far? San Francisco Chronicle: Silicon Valley parents are leading a backlash against tech in the classroom CalMatters: Controversial swan hunt appears to work: California’s mute swan population drops Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 28 · 16 min
The Botched Launch of Clipper 2.0
Last December, Bay Area transit officials launched Clipper 2.0 – a revamp of the payment system used across the region’s 22 public transportation systems. But the rollout has been a disaster, with customers reporting glitches like payments not being credited and frequent account lockouts. Now, a KQED investigation has found that officials had been ringing alarm bells about Clipper 2.0 long before the bungled rollout. This episode first aired on Feb. 2, 2026. Links: Callout: Share your story about San Francisco’s rental market! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 27 · 36 sec
Have You Tried to Rent in SF Lately? Leave Us a Voice Note
San Francisco rents are rising fast: According to Zumper, an apartment listing website, the median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the city has surpassed $4,000 a month. If you've hunted for an apartment in SF recently, we'd love to hear your story. Just tap this link and follow the instructions to leave us a voice note. You can also call at (415) 710-9223. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 26 · 21 min
With Big Cuts Coming to SNAP, Food Banks Brace for Impact
Major cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP – are taking effect as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed into law last year, with an estimated 650,000 Californians are at risk of losing food assistance benefits. Food banks in the Bay Area, which have been serving people at historic rates since the pandemic, are now bracing for impact. Links: Callout: Share your story about San Francisco’s rental market! California Food Banks Brace for Slow-Moving Avalanche of SNAP Cuts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 24 · 35 min
The Rise of Flock: Safety Tool or Surveillance Creep?
Flock Safety—and the company’s automated license plate readers—have been in the news a lot lately. And just last week, Bay Area activists led a series of protests against the company and what they see as a growing surveillance state. Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Close All Tabs about the fight over Flock, and what we know about how its data is used. Plus, creative ways some residents are fighting back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 21 · 19 min
'She Died by Design': Meta on Trial Over Child Safety
This episode discusses suicide. If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This month, a federal trial against the world’s biggest social media kicked off in Oakland. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are leading a lawsuit that accuses Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of knowingly creating products that put children and teenagers at risk. And as KQED’s Rachael Myrow explains, the outcome of this trial could force Meta to pay up and make big changes to its platforms. Links: ‘Meta Hooked Kids’: Federal Trial Against Tech Giant Kicks Off in Oakland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 19 · 18 min
Boom and Bust in Big Sur
Big Sur’s residents are used to natural disasters. This time, Highway 1 is closed again thanks to the Timber Fire that started on Aug. 8, which has burned more than 5,000 acres. Parts of Big Sur are also under mandatory evacuation orders. As the SF Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau reports, it’s the latest chapter in a “boom and bust” cycle that Big Sur’s small businesses know all too well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 17 · 14 min
Why Piedmont Isn't Part of Oakland
Piedmont in the East Bay is a bit of an oddity: a city less than 2 square miles large in the middle of Oakland — but not part of it. It’s now one of the wealthiest cities in the Bay Area, and some Oakland residents want to ‘Cancel Piedmont’ in order to confront the region’s inequality. Today, we’re sharing a 2019 episode from our friends at Bay Curious about the city’s history. It’s a story about Piedmont, but it’s really a story that starts in Oakland. Links: Why Is Piedmont a Separate City From Oakland? Bay Curious Explains Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 14 · 16 min
Is This Craft Night the Hottest Party in Alameda?
The Bay Area’s full of subcultures and meetups for just about everyone. So as part of a new series from KQED Arts & Culture called “Finding Your People,” Arts and Culture Editor Nastia Voynovskaya takes us inside a craft night in Alameda that’s quickly become one of the hottest events in town. Links: This Craft Night Might Be the Hottest Party in Alameda KQED Arts’ ‘Finding Your People’ Series Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 12 · 16 min
Why Oakland Unified Is Banning Cellphones
Class is back in session at Oakland Unified School District schools this week, with one notable change: A strict phone-free policy. KQED’s Katie DeBenedetti explains how a statewide mandate has pushed districts across the Bay to pass their own policies banning or restricting phones, and how it's playing out in Oakland. Links: OUSD Cellphone Ban for Students Takes Effect on the First Day of the School Year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 10 · 20 min
‘We’re Not Fighting This Alone’: Gilroy and Beyond Pushes Back Against Planned ICE Facility
State and local leaders are suing the federal government after alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement quietly broke ground on a proposal to build an ICE facility in Gilroy. Santa Clara County leaders and a number of other Bay Area cities, counties and community groups, have banded together to put a stop to the plan. At a recent press conference, members of San Jose’s Japanese American community also spoke out, drawing parallels to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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