The Bay
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.
Episodes
August 27, 2025 • 25 mins
Artificial intelligence inside California schools feels a lot like building the plane as it's flying. Students who are familiar with tools like ChatGPT are using it faster than teachers and administrators can regulate it. Jesse Dukes, co-host of the Homework Machine podcast, talked with dozens of students and teachers across the country about their thoughts on AI in the classroom.
Links:
TeachLab Presents: The Homework Machine...
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August 25, 2025 • 21 mins
In the Arms Down program at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly San Quentin State Prison, “firearm addiction” is treated like an alcohol addiction. Its founders, all of whom are currently incarcerated men, say that talking about why perpetrators of gun violence carry guns in the first place is their contribution to gun violence prevention from behind bars.
Links:
The revolutionary prison program where men help ea...
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August 22, 2025 • 24 mins
Fremont is the fourth largest city in the Bay Area and it’s also home to one of the largest populations of Afghans in the U.S. Today, we’re running an episode from our friends at Bay Curious that traces the history of the Afghan community in Fremont over 40 years. We meet Afghan refugees and learn what makes”Little Kabul” unique.
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August 20, 2025 • 22 mins
After pressure from President Donald Trump, Texas Republicans unveiled a new map redrawing the state’s congressional districts 5 years early, in order to win more GOP seats in next year’s midterm elections.
We talk with KQED's Guy Marzorati about how California Democrats are clapping back with their own redrawn maps. If the state legislature approves this new map, voters will have the final say in a special election this November...
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August 18, 2025 • 17 mins
Before the pandemic, casual carpool was a completely organic system of pickup spots and patient passengers looking for a quick, comfortable way to head into San Francisco.
Casual carpool collapsed when the pandemic hit. But now it’s been relaunched.
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August 15, 2025 • 18 mins
Music festivals in the Bay Area are upon us. And it takes a lot to leave no trace after a 3-day festival like Outside Lands.
As Golden Gate Park prepares for another music event this weekend, SFGate’s Melissa Cho takes us behind the scenes at Outside Lands, where the majority of waste is diverted from landfills.
Links:
This is Where Your Trash at Outside Lands Goes
LaRussell and Good Compenny Present: A Bay Area Music Sho...
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August 13, 2025 • 16 mins
If you want solar power in your home, you usually need to be a homeowner with a good roof and a decent amount of cash to pay up front.
But some Bay Area residents are trying out plug-in solar, which can hang from an apartment balcony, out a window, or be tented in the backyard.
Links:
Forget Rooftops — Bay Area Residents Are Plugging Solar Into the Wall
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August 11, 2025 • 34 mins
Young people are increasingly turning to AI “companion” chatbots to help meet their emotional needs. But a new study shows that these chatbots, which are designed to mimic real social relationships, may come with serious risks.
On this episode of Close All Tabs from KQED, host Morgan Sung and her sister put one chatbot's safety guardrails to the test — and get more than they bargained for.
This episode mentions suicide. If you or...
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August 8, 2025 • 18 mins
In the 1960s, Alameda County and the city of Hayward forcibly displaced more than 1,000 mostly Black and Latino residents living in a 12-block unincorporated area called Russell City to make way for an industrial park. Now, the city and county have approved reparations for former residents whose homes were seized by the government.
Links:
Decades After 'Cultural Genocide,' Residents of a Bulldozed Community Get Apology from Ha...
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August 6, 2025 • 18 mins
In the South Bay, calls to a community-led Rapid Response Network have increased as the network fights back against misinformation around Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Meet the community members on the other end of the line.
Links:
How to Verify ICE Raid Rumors in California
As ICE Operations Expand, How Are Immigrant Allies Responding?
A Day in the Life of San José’s Rapid Response Network, Built to Resi...
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August 4, 2025 • 21 mins
When we talk about homelessness, especially in San Francisco, many of us are usually talking about individuals living on the streets.
But the number of families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco nearly doubled from 2022 to 2024, according to the city’s Point In Time Count. And many of them move from shelter to shelter, in a system that’s meant to be temporary but has few permanent housing options to offer.
Links:
SF ...
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August 1, 2025 • 21 mins
This weekend, San Francisco is hosting shows and celebrations honoring 60 years of the Grateful Dead’s music. Dead & Company, which performs Grateful Dead covers and includes former members of the original band, will be headlining three nights in Golden Gate Park.
For some Deadheads, it’s a chance to celebrate the Dead’s music in the city where the band became famous. Others say that the anniversary shows, which cost $635 for a t...
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July 22, 2025 • 1 min
As you may have heard, last week was a tough one for KQED, NPR, and public media across the country.
Last Tuesday, KQED announced that it is cutting 15% of its staff in response to a budget shortfall and financial uncertainty. While our team was not laid off, we are losing many beloved colleagues.
Then, just a few days later, Congress voted to take back $1.1 billion in funding for public media. These were funds that public media ...
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July 2, 2025 • 1 min
Every year The Bay team takes some time off from making new episodes. This is time we spend planning and recharging. So there will be no new episodes in your feed in the month of July.
In the meantime, we want to thank you for letting us be part of your daily routines. We will be back Friday, August 1 with a new episode. You can still reach us via e-mail at thebay@kqed.org. We always love hearing from you.
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On this month’s edition of The Bay’s news roundup, we introduce you to the Bay Area’s first women’s sports bar, discuss Stanford’s scaling back of gender-related surgical procedures for minors, and the secret sauce of the San Francisco malls defying the ‘doom loop’ narrative.
Links:
The Bay Area’s First Women’s Sports Bar Is Open for Business
Stanford Scales Back Trans Care for Minors Amid Federal Crackdown
Asian ...
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June 27, 2025 • 21 mins
Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley has long been seen as a launchpad for actors and artists. In 2018 the theater commissioned and premiered the Tony-Award winning play “Eureka Day.”
Now, the theater is suspending production, joining a growing list of Bay Area theaters on the brink of closure in what the San Francisco Chronicle theater critic Lily Janiak describes as the “industry’s free fall.”
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June 25, 2025 • 20 mins
The Wood Street encampment in West Oakland was at one point the largest homeless encampment Northern California. In 2023, the city of Oakland completed final evictions of Wood Street residents.
Dozens of Wood Street residents ended up at a city-funded shelter site where part of the encampment used to be. It includes an RV park and a "community cabins" site. Now, this shelter site is scheduled to close on Monday.
Today, Oakland jo...
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June 23, 2025 • 18 mins
Gwenn Craig moved to San Francisco in 1975, as a young woman eager to explore her lesbian identity. She got involved in politics and was a close collaborator of Harvey Milk. In this episode, she talks about her political organizing, what pride has meant to her over the years, and what she hopes for its future.
This episode first aired on June 28, 2023.
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June 20, 2025 • 26 mins
Hip-hop is nearly 52 years old — and when it comes to talking about hip-hop history, it’s no secret that the Bay Area gets overlooked.
Today, we're revisiting an episode with KQED's Eric Arnold and Nastia Voynovskaya about exploring the history of hip-hop — and how our region has shaped it through the years.
Links:
That’s My Word
The Bay Area Was Hip-Hop Before There Was Hip-Hop
That’s My Word, Spotify Playlists celebra...
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June 18, 2025 • 23 mins
After the city of Berkeley ordered the clearing of RV encampments on Second Street, the city began offering cash to people living in their RVs in addition to a room at a motel shelter. Most accepted the offer, and city leaders are hopeful that this approach can expand.
Links:
Berkeley’s Strategy for RV Encampments Could Be a Model for California
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