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"content": "\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers on Thursday killed a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-bill/\">controversial plan\u003c/a> that could have allowed grizzly bears to one day return to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Assembly Appropriations Committee spiked Inglewood Democratic Sen. Laura Richardson’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1305\">Senate Bill 1305\u003c/a>. The measure would have tasked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As is typical with the Legislature’s appropriations committees, lawmakers didn’t discuss the bill; nor did they take public testimony before the committee’s chairperson, Democratic Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/buffy-wicks-165044\" data-type=\"link\">Buffy Wicks\u003c/a> of Oakland, announced the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wicks later told reporters that before intentionally reintroducing grizzly bears, the state must figure out how humans can best coexist with predatory wildlife. She pointed to the controversial return of gray wolves to California and the subsequent loss of cattle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state needs to really invest in how we are actually addressing and dealing with those conflicts,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076801\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson. \u003ccite>(Joseph Sohm/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Grizzlies once lived across most of California. As many as 10,000 may have roamed before the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were so prevalent that when California settlers tried to form their own nation, they called it the Bear Flag Republic. A grizzly bear is memorialized on California’s flag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Settlers systematically exterminated the animals. They were gone by the 1920s, leaving the smaller black bear as California’s only surviving native bear species.[aside postID=news_12092538 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/20260604_YOLOBATS_GC-2-KQED.jpg']Two Native American tribes consponsored the bill, and several animal welfare and environmental groups supported it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They argued that bringing the second largest land predator back to America’s most populated state would right an ecological wrong and help restore California’s degraded ecosystem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents included ranchers, hunting associations and rural communities. They argued California is far too populated with people to sustain another apex predator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rural communities are already overwhelmed with conflicts with mountain lions, black bears and wolves that attack livestock and wander into their towns, opponents said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure set aside no funding for the study, but it allowed for a future Legislature or an outside group to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yue Stella Yu contributed reporting. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/lawmakers-kill-grizzly-bill/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ -->\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers on Thursday killed a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/07/california-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-bill/\">controversial plan\u003c/a> that could have allowed grizzly bears to one day return to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Assembly Appropriations Committee spiked Inglewood Democratic Sen. Laura Richardson’s \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1305\">Senate Bill 1305\u003c/a>. The measure would have tasked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As is typical with the Legislature’s appropriations committees, lawmakers didn’t discuss the bill; nor did they take public testimony before the committee’s chairperson, Democratic Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/buffy-wicks-165044\" data-type=\"link\">Buffy Wicks\u003c/a> of Oakland, announced the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wicks later told reporters that before intentionally reintroducing grizzly bears, the state must figure out how humans can best coexist with predatory wildlife. She pointed to the controversial return of gray wolves to California and the subsequent loss of cattle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state needs to really invest in how we are actually addressing and dealing with those conflicts,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076801\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1339\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-MONARCH-THE-BEAR-04-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">It is often said that the bear on the modern California state flag is based on “Monarch,” one of the last grizzly bears to live in the state. But researchers now believe it was based on the drawing of another bear, Samson. \u003ccite>(Joseph Sohm/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Grizzlies once lived across most of California. As many as 10,000 may have roamed before the Gold Rush.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were so prevalent that when California settlers tried to form their own nation, they called it the Bear Flag Republic. A grizzly bear is memorialized on California’s flag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Settlers systematically exterminated the animals. They were gone by the 1920s, leaving the smaller black bear as California’s only surviving native bear species.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Two Native American tribes consponsored the bill, and several animal welfare and environmental groups supported it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They argued that bringing the second largest land predator back to America’s most populated state would right an ecological wrong and help restore California’s degraded ecosystem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents included ranchers, hunting associations and rural communities. They argued California is far too populated with people to sustain another apex predator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rural communities are already overwhelmed with conflicts with mountain lions, black bears and wolves that attack livestock and wander into their towns, opponents said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure set aside no funding for the study, but it allowed for a future Legislature or an outside group to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Yue Stella Yu contributed reporting. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/lawmakers-kill-grizzly-bill/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-lawmakers-move-to-preserve-safety-rules",
"title": "California Lawmakers Move to Preserve Refinery Safety Rules",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California \u003c/a>lawmakers are advancing an effort to preserve oil refinery safety rules that were designed to prevent fires, explosions and other catastrophes despite industry opposition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union-backed proposal, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb966\">Senate Bill 966\u003c/a>, would enshrine existing worker protections into state law as California regulators move to revise them in response to a legal settlement with the state’s oil lobby.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to get the best regulations possible for these industries,” said Nick Plurkowski, a leader of a Bay Area local of the United Steelworkers. “An industry where you have to write into regulation … that it’s okay to refuse work that could lead to your death.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11975694\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chevron refinery in Richmond on Oct. 27, 2023. A 2012 fire that broke out at the facility prompted safety regulations that state lawmakers are now looking to lock in. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill would lock in workers’ rights to refuse dangerous work, participate in safety reviews, choose their own representatives for safety planning and report hazards anonymously. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure is among several targeting the oil and gas industry this year, including proposals aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1259\">refinery closure plans\u003c/a> and a bid to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb493\">curb high gas prices during wartime\u003c/a> by expanding the state’s price-gouging law. Lawmakers’ focus on refineries comes as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/03/california-iran-oil-profit-spike/\">California drivers\u003c/a> face the \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/\">nation’s highest gasoline prices\u003c/a> and the Iran war pushes up the global price of crude oil.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The worker safety bill would lock in provisions adopted after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/chevron-richmond-refinery-fire/\">2012 Chevron refinery fire\u003c/a> in Richmond that prompted 15,000 people to seek medical attention. The Western States Petroleum Association, the state’s main oil lobby, formally opposes the measure, arguing it would override a 2024 legal settlement the industry reached with regulators.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The industry and union players fighting over the bill do not contribute much money directly to lawmakers, according to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>. Campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry can be toxic in elections for the state’s politically dominant Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But WSPA is a powerhouse when it comes to lobbying. It’s routinely the biggest spender in the Capitol among the many interest groups that hire lobbyists, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/data/2025/04/california-lobbying-spending-2024/\">according to state records\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180844&amendid=0\">WSPA\u003c/a> reported lobbying on the measure, and is joined by some of the state’s largest refiners, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180792&amendid=0\">Chevron\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3178680&amendid=0\">Marathon Petroleum\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3173091&amendid=0\">PBF Energy\u003c/a>, according to lobbying reports reviewed by CalMatters. Those three companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/californias-petroleum-market/californias-oil-refineries\">run refineries\u003c/a> that comprise nearly 90% of California’s crude oil refining capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal, which cleared a key fiscal committee this week, is authored by State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/lena-gonzalez-165452\">Lena Gonzalez\u003c/a>, a Democrat from Long Beach, and comes after \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/10/refinery-explosion-federal-state-oversight/\">an explosion last year\u003c/a> at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery. That blast rattled windows across nearby neighborhoods and shot uncontrolled columns of flame into the air, raising new concerns about the safety of the state’s aging refineries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zach Leary, a lobbyist for WSPA, in testimony at a legislative hearing earlier this summer, argued the proposal would override a 2024 settlement under which California regulators agreed to pursue changes to refinery safety rules in exchange for the industry dropping years of litigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, it’s this type of regulatory and legislative whiplash that creates a business environment that is very difficult to operate in,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279744#t=1879&f=ddaaef2166740a84e19faea99e5135db\">Leary said in June\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Department of Finance \u003ca href=\"https://leganalysis.dof.ca.gov/getPdf/15789\">also opposes the bill\u003c/a>, arguing it adds additional costs not included in this year’s budget, could expose the state to further litigation expenses and may conflict with an ongoing process to rewrite the rules following the 2024 settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California has some of the nation’s toughest refinery safety measures because of two earlier explosions: the 2012 Richmond refinery fire, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/20/exxonmobil_report_for_public_release.pdf?15813#page=6\">another in 2015\u003c/a> at a refinery in Torrance then owned by ExxonMobil that came close to releasing modified hydrofluoric acid, a potentially deadly industrial chemical.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/12/RS268_chevron20120810.jpg\" alt=\"The Chevron refinery fire in Richmond in August 2012 sent smoke across the Bay Area. (Stephen Schiller/Flickr)\" class=\"wp-image-120958\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chevron refinery fire in Richmond in August 2012 sent smoke across the Bay Area. (Stephen Schiller/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The worker rules are built around the concept of process safety, which requires refineries to identify and address hazards before they lead to accidents and gives workers a direct role in safety reviews and investigations. The goal is to prevent failures that can lead to refinery fires and explosions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But WSPA sued to block the rules in 2019, calling them unclear and invalid. California \u003ca href=\"https://publichealthwatch.org/2025/04/22/secret-deal-in-california-would-weaken-regulations-for-oil-refineries/\">quietly settled\u003c/a> in 2024. In response to the settlement, the California Environmental Protection Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28552134-2026-0226-01s-approval/\">finalized amendments\u003c/a> this year to its refinery safety rules, including how workers take part in safety decisions and how hazards are reviewed. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Petroleum-Refineries-Notice-Jan2026.pdf\">companion rule revision\u003c/a> at the state’s workplace safety agency is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Plurkowski, of the local United Steelworkers union, said that the outcome at CalEPA prompted the push for the worker safety measures to be written into law. The regional United Steelworkers District 12 sponsored the measure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Part of what led to SB 966 was how quickly CalEPA folded,” Plurkowski said. “People’s lives are at stake, communities are at stake, we’ve learned enough lessons to know better at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/digital-democracy/2026/08/refinery-safety-california-gas/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California \u003c/a>lawmakers are advancing an effort to preserve oil refinery safety rules that were designed to prevent fires, explosions and other catastrophes despite industry opposition. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union-backed proposal, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb966\">Senate Bill 966\u003c/a>, would enshrine existing worker protections into state law as California regulators move to revise them in response to a legal settlement with the state’s oil lobby.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to get the best regulations possible for these industries,” said Nick Plurkowski, a leader of a Bay Area local of the United Steelworkers. “An industry where you have to write into regulation … that it’s okay to refuse work that could lead to your death.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to get the best regulations possible for these industries,” said Nick Plurkowski, a leader of a Bay Area local of the United Steelworkers. “An industry where you have to write into regulation … that it’s okay to refuse work that could lead to your death.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bill would lock in workers’ rights to refuse dangerous work, participate in safety reviews, choose their own representatives for safety planning and report hazards anonymously. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure is among several targeting the oil and gas industry this year, including proposals aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1259\">refinery closure plans\u003c/a> and a bid to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb493\">curb high gas prices during wartime\u003c/a> by expanding the state’s price-gouging law. Lawmakers’ focus on refineries comes as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/03/california-iran-oil-profit-spike/\">California drivers\u003c/a> face the \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/\">nation’s highest gasoline prices\u003c/a> and the Iran war pushes up the global price of crude oil.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure is among several targeting the oil and gas industry this year, including proposals aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1259\">refinery closure plans\u003c/a> and a bid to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb493\">curb high gas prices during wartime\u003c/a> by expanding the state’s price-gouging law. Lawmakers’ focus on refineries comes as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/03/california-iran-oil-profit-spike/\">California drivers\u003c/a> face the \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/\">nation’s highest gasoline prices\u003c/a> and the Iran war pushes up the global price of crude oil.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The worker safety bill would lock in provisions adopted after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/chevron-richmond-refinery-fire/\">2012 Chevron refinery fire\u003c/a> in Richmond that prompted 15,000 people to seek medical attention. The Western States Petroleum Association, the state’s main oil lobby, formally opposes the measure, arguing it would override a 2024 legal settlement the industry reached with regulators.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The worker safety bill would lock in provisions adopted after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/chevron-richmond-refinery-fire/\">2012 Chevron refinery fire\u003c/a> in Richmond that prompted 15,000 people to seek medical attention. The Western States Petroleum Association, the state’s main oil lobby, formally opposes the measure, arguing it would override a 2024 legal settlement the industry reached with regulators.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The industry and union players fighting over the bill do not contribute much money directly to lawmakers, according to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>. Campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry can be toxic in elections for the state’s politically dominant Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The industry and union players fighting over the bill do not contribute much money directly to lawmakers, according to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>. Campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry can be toxic in elections for the state’s politically dominant Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But WSPA is a powerhouse when it comes to lobbying. It’s routinely the biggest spender in the Capitol among the many interest groups that hire lobbyists, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/data/2025/04/california-lobbying-spending-2024/\">according to state records\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180844&amendid=0\">WSPA\u003c/a> reported lobbying on the measure, and is joined by some of the state’s largest refiners, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180792&amendid=0\">Chevron\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3178680&amendid=0\">Marathon Petroleum\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3173091&amendid=0\">PBF Energy\u003c/a>, according to lobbying reports reviewed by CalMatters. Those three companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/californias-petroleum-market/californias-oil-refineries\">run refineries\u003c/a> that comprise nearly 90% of California’s crude oil refining capacity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180844&amendid=0\">WSPA\u003c/a> reported lobbying on the measure, and is joined by some of the state’s largest refiners, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180792&amendid=0\">Chevron\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3178680&amendid=0\">Marathon Petroleum\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3173091&amendid=0\">PBF Energy\u003c/a>, according to lobbying reports reviewed by CalMatters. Those three companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/californias-petroleum-market/californias-oil-refineries\">run refineries\u003c/a> that comprise nearly 90% of California’s crude oil refining capacity.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The proposal, which cleared a key fiscal committee this week, is authored by State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/lena-gonzalez-165452\">Lena Gonzalez\u003c/a>, a Democrat from Long Beach, and comes after \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/10/refinery-explosion-federal-state-oversight/\">an explosion last year\u003c/a> at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery. That blast rattled windows across nearby neighborhoods and shot uncontrolled columns of flame into the air, raising new concerns about the safety of the state’s aging refineries.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Zach Leary, a lobbyist for WSPA, in testimony at a legislative hearing earlier this summer, argued the proposal would override a 2024 settlement under which California regulators agreed to pursue changes to refinery safety rules in exchange for the industry dropping years of litigation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Zach Leary, a lobbyist for WSPA, in testimony at a legislative hearing earlier this summer, argued the proposal would override a 2024 settlement under which California regulators agreed to pursue changes to refinery safety rules in exchange for the industry dropping years of litigation. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, it’s this type of regulatory and legislative whiplash that creates a business environment that is very difficult to operate in,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279744#t=1879&f=ddaaef2166740a84e19faea99e5135db\">Leary said in June\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Department of Finance \u003ca href=\"https://leganalysis.dof.ca.gov/getPdf/15789\">also opposes the bill\u003c/a>, arguing it adds additional costs not included in this year’s budget, could expose the state to further litigation expenses and may conflict with an ongoing process to rewrite the rules following the 2024 settlement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Department of Finance \u003ca href=\"https://leganalysis.dof.ca.gov/getPdf/15789\">also opposes the bill\u003c/a>, arguing it adds additional costs not included in this year’s budget, could expose the state to further litigation expenses and may conflict with an ongoing process to rewrite the rules following the 2024 settlement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California has some of the nation’s toughest refinery safety measures because of two earlier explosions: the 2012 Richmond refinery fire, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/20/exxonmobil_report_for_public_release.pdf?15813#page=6\">another in 2015\u003c/a> at a refinery in Torrance then owned by ExxonMobil that came close to releasing modified hydrofluoric acid, a potentially deadly industrial chemical.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California has some of the nation’s toughest refinery safety measures because of two earlier explosions: the 2012 Richmond refinery fire, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/20/exxonmobil_report_for_public_release.pdf?15813#page=6\">another in 2015\u003c/a> at a refinery in Torrance then owned by ExxonMobil that came close to releasing modified hydrofluoric acid, a potentially deadly industrial chemical.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The worker rules are built around the concept of process safety, which requires refineries to identify and address hazards before they lead to accidents and gives workers a direct role in safety reviews and investigations. The goal is to prevent failures that can lead to refinery fires and explosions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The worker rules are built around the concept of process safety, which requires refineries to identify and address hazards before they lead to accidents and gives workers a direct role in safety reviews and investigations. The goal is to prevent failures that can lead to refinery fires and explosions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But WSPA sued to block the rules in 2019, calling them unclear and invalid. California \u003ca href=\"https://publichealthwatch.org/2025/04/22/secret-deal-in-california-would-weaken-regulations-for-oil-refineries/\">quietly settled\u003c/a> in 2024. In response to the settlement, the California Environmental Protection Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28552134-2026-0226-01s-approval/\">finalized amendments\u003c/a> this year to its refinery safety rules, including how workers take part in safety decisions and how hazards are reviewed. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Petroleum-Refineries-Notice-Jan2026.pdf\">companion rule revision\u003c/a> at the state’s workplace safety agency is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But WSPA sued to block the rules in 2019, calling them unclear and invalid. California \u003ca href=\"https://publichealthwatch.org/2025/04/22/secret-deal-in-california-would-weaken-regulations-for-oil-refineries/\">quietly settled\u003c/a> in 2024. In response to the settlement, the California Environmental Protection Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28552134-2026-0226-01s-approval/\">finalized amendments\u003c/a> this year to its refinery safety rules, including how workers take part in safety decisions and how hazards are reviewed. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Petroleum-Refineries-Notice-Jan2026.pdf\">companion rule revision\u003c/a> at the state’s workplace safety agency is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Plurkowski, of the local United Steelworkers union, said that the outcome at CalEPA prompted the push for the worker safety measures to be written into law. The regional United Steelworkers District 12 sponsored the measure.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Plurkowski, of the local United Steelworkers union, said that the outcome at CalEPA prompted the push for the worker safety measures to be written into law. The regional United Steelworkers District 12 sponsored the measure.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Part of what led to SB 966 was how quickly CalEPA folded,” Plurkowski said. “People’s lives are at stake, communities are at stake, we’ve learned enough lessons to know better at this point.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Part of what led to SB 966 was how quickly CalEPA folded,” Plurkowski said. “People’s lives are at stake, communities are at stake, we’ve learned enough lessons to know better at this point.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/digital-democracy/2026/08/refinery-safety-california-gas/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "California lawmakers advanced a union-backed bill to preserve refinery worker rules as the state moves to rewrite them following an oil industry settlement.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/\">CalMatters\u003c/a>. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/\">Sign up\u003c/a> for their newsletters.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California \u003c/a>lawmakers are advancing an effort to preserve oil refinery safety rules that were designed to prevent fires, explosions and other catastrophes despite industry opposition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union-backed proposal, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb966\">Senate Bill 966\u003c/a>, would enshrine existing worker protections into state law as California regulators move to revise them in response to a legal settlement with the state’s oil lobby.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re trying to get the best regulations possible for these industries,” said Nick Plurkowski, a leader of a Bay Area local of the United Steelworkers. “An industry where you have to write into regulation … that it’s okay to refuse work that could lead to your death.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11975694\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/02/231027-CHEVRON-RICHMOND-REFINERY-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chevron refinery in Richmond on Oct. 27, 2023. A 2012 fire that broke out at the facility prompted safety regulations that state lawmakers are now looking to lock in. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bill would lock in workers’ rights to refuse dangerous work, participate in safety reviews, choose their own representatives for safety planning and report hazards anonymously. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The measure is among several targeting the oil and gas industry this year, including proposals aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb1259\">refinery closure plans\u003c/a> and a bid to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb493\">curb high gas prices during wartime\u003c/a> by expanding the state’s price-gouging law. Lawmakers’ focus on refineries comes as \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2026/03/california-iran-oil-profit-spike/\">California drivers\u003c/a> face the \u003ca href=\"https://gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-price-averages/\">nation’s highest gasoline prices\u003c/a> and the Iran war pushes up the global price of crude oil.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The worker safety bill would lock in provisions adopted after a \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/chevron-richmond-refinery-fire/\">2012 Chevron refinery fire\u003c/a> in Richmond that prompted 15,000 people to seek medical attention. The Western States Petroleum Association, the state’s main oil lobby, formally opposes the measure, arguing it would override a 2024 legal settlement the industry reached with regulators.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The industry and union players fighting over the bill do not contribute much money directly to lawmakers, according to \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/\">CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database\u003c/a>. Campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry can be toxic in elections for the state’s politically dominant Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But WSPA is a powerhouse when it comes to lobbying. It’s routinely the biggest spender in the Capitol among the many interest groups that hire lobbyists, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/data/2025/04/california-lobbying-spending-2024/\">according to state records\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180844&amendid=0\">WSPA\u003c/a> reported lobbying on the measure, and is joined by some of the state’s largest refiners, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3180792&amendid=0\">Chevron\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3178680&amendid=0\">Marathon Petroleum\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/PDFGen/pdfgen.prg?filingid=3173091&amendid=0\">PBF Energy\u003c/a>, according to lobbying reports reviewed by CalMatters. Those three companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/californias-petroleum-market/californias-oil-refineries\">run refineries\u003c/a> that comprise nearly 90% of California’s crude oil refining capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The proposal, which cleared a key fiscal committee this week, is authored by State Sen. \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/legislators/lena-gonzalez-165452\">Lena Gonzalez\u003c/a>, a Democrat from Long Beach, and comes after \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/10/refinery-explosion-federal-state-oversight/\">an explosion last year\u003c/a> at Chevron’s El Segundo refinery. That blast rattled windows across nearby neighborhoods and shot uncontrolled columns of flame into the air, raising new concerns about the safety of the state’s aging refineries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zach Leary, a lobbyist for WSPA, in testimony at a legislative hearing earlier this summer, argued the proposal would override a 2024 settlement under which California regulators agreed to pursue changes to refinery safety rules in exchange for the industry dropping years of litigation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, it’s this type of regulatory and legislative whiplash that creates a business environment that is very difficult to operate in,” \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/hearings/279744#t=1879&f=ddaaef2166740a84e19faea99e5135db\">Leary said in June\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Department of Finance \u003ca href=\"https://leganalysis.dof.ca.gov/getPdf/15789\">also opposes the bill\u003c/a>, arguing it adds additional costs not included in this year’s budget, could expose the state to further litigation expenses and may conflict with an ongoing process to rewrite the rules following the 2024 settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California has some of the nation’s toughest refinery safety measures because of two earlier explosions: the 2012 Richmond refinery fire, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.csb.gov/assets/1/20/exxonmobil_report_for_public_release.pdf?15813#page=6\">another in 2015\u003c/a> at a refinery in Torrance then owned by ExxonMobil that came close to releasing modified hydrofluoric acid, a potentially deadly industrial chemical.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"728\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/12/RS268_chevron20120810.jpg\" alt=\"The Chevron refinery fire in Richmond in August 2012 sent smoke across the Bay Area. (Stephen Schiller/Flickr)\" class=\"wp-image-120958\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chevron refinery fire in Richmond in August 2012 sent smoke across the Bay Area. (Stephen Schiller/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The worker rules are built around the concept of process safety, which requires refineries to identify and address hazards before they lead to accidents and gives workers a direct role in safety reviews and investigations. The goal is to prevent failures that can lead to refinery fires and explosions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But WSPA sued to block the rules in 2019, calling them unclear and invalid. California \u003ca href=\"https://publichealthwatch.org/2025/04/22/secret-deal-in-california-would-weaken-regulations-for-oil-refineries/\">quietly settled\u003c/a> in 2024. In response to the settlement, the California Environmental Protection Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28552134-2026-0226-01s-approval/\">finalized amendments\u003c/a> this year to its refinery safety rules, including how workers take part in safety decisions and how hazards are reviewed. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Petroleum-Refineries-Notice-Jan2026.pdf\">companion rule revision\u003c/a> at the state’s workplace safety agency is ongoing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Plurkowski, of the local United Steelworkers union, said that the outcome at CalEPA prompted the push for the worker safety measures to be written into law. The regional United Steelworkers District 12 sponsored the measure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Part of what led to SB 966 was how quickly CalEPA folded,” Plurkowski said. “People’s lives are at stake, communities are at stake, we’ve learned enough lessons to know better at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/digital-democracy/2026/08/refinery-safety-california-gas/\">originally published on CalMatters\u003c/a> and was republished under the \u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives\u003c/a> license.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Saturday, Aug. 15, marks five years since the Taliban retook control of Kabul and returned to power in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/afghanistan\">Afghanistan\u003c/a>. For Mursal, 24, that meant her college studies needed to be moved online and most of her life, amid the repressive regime’s rules restricting women in public spaces, moved indoors. But even more heartbreaking was not getting to say goodbye to her closest friends and family who managed to flee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of those friends was Husna.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 24, 2021, U.S. government officials called Husna’s father, who worked with the U.S. embassy, with a plan to evacuate them if they drove to a designated meet-up spot in two hours.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1079\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/ap21235373894167-edit_custom-e2cdf587be4a6ade2cb01de06f4a7d35c7b7f202-scaled-e1630530046511.jpg\" alt=\"line of evacuees at night wait to board a plane, backlight by far off light\" class=\"wp-image-11887274\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. Air Force air crew prepares to load evacuees aboard a C-17 aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31. Several public school students from Sacramento remain in Afghanistan since the U.S. evacuation ended. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Husna’s father and mother, who witnessed the Taliban’s first time in power 20 years earlier, knew what the fundamentalist group’s takeover meant for the education of their children. They recognized this was their chance to leave and still give their children opportunities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a time when we didn’t know what to expect. No clue how long it would take, no clue if this would be the last goodbye,” Husna said in an in-person interview on Stanford University’s campus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED is omitting both Mursal’s and Husna’s surnames because the women fear that speaking publicly could have dangerous repercussions for them and their family members in Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Husna flew out of Hamid Karzai International Airport just one day before a devastating terror attack \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/kabul-suicide-bombing-service-members/2021/08/26/8bfe63ac-069e-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html\">killed\u003c/a> 13 U.S. Marines and 169 Afghans, and seven days before the last U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. Husna and her immediate family members were some of the 124,000 people the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3144426/one-year-later-historic-afghan-airlift-inspires-pride-and-reflection-across-the/\">airlifted\u003c/a> out of Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Husna traveled from Kabul to Qatar to Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, she spent 44 days in a Texas refugee camp where her family underwent medical checkups and arrival interviews. Finally, they resettled in San Diego in October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Mursal was spending her days mostly sequestered in her family’s home as the daily realities of the Taliban’s takeover set in. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ramifications of that day five years ago set the girls on two distinct paths. As Mursal enters her senior year at the American University of Afghanistan online, Husna is a pre-med student at Stanford entering her final year of undergraduate studies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nearly five years after the Taliban takeover, Mursal’s life has fundamentally transformed, just as it did for the 25 million women across Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11900417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Afghans, hoping to leave Afghanistan, queue at the main entrance gate of Kabul airport in Kabul on Aug. 28, 2021, following the Taliban’s stunning military takeover of Afghanistan. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In August 2024, the Taliban \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/26/taliban-bar-on-afghan-women-speaking-in-public-un-afghanistan\">issued\u003c/a> the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, all-encompassing legislation codifying Afghan life, including criminalizing women’s voices in public and \u003ca href=\"https://giwps.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mahram-Womens-Mobility-in-Islam.pdf\">implementing\u003c/a> a stricter \u003cem>mahram\u003c/em> requirement that women be accompanied by either their spouse or a male relative outside their homes. These terms are \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/2025%20Issue%20Update%20Afghanistan%20Morality%20Law_0.pdf\">enforced\u003c/a> by “vice and virtue authorities.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These laws now shape Mursal’s daily life. Her family doesn’t permit her to leave the house alone due to concerns about her safety. And while life in Kabul was always full of risk, with an ongoing battle for control between the U.S. and the Taliban, Mursal’s enthusiasm for life was still noticeably higher before the Taliban took over.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even before this government in Afghanistan, there were a lot of explosions. Your life would be dangerous. Whenever we would go out, we were prepared to face death every day,” Mursal said in an interview from Kabul via Zoom. “Everyone was so happy, [because] despite everything, we wanted to live good lives.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The prospect of an unrestricted good life, however, declined for women after the Taliban takeover, which banned girls from attending school past sixth grade. Mursal takes an active risk by enrolling in university, but said that the Taliban does not monitor Internet usage, which allows her and other women to continue their schooling. Instead, the Taliban has \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistans-cellphone-internet-services-down-monitoring-shows-2025-09-30/\">resorted\u003c/a> to multiple Internet shutdowns when concerned about morality.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the immediate aftermath of Aug. 15, Mursal was left reeling as acquaintances and freedoms disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When these people, when they leave you, it leaves a huge mark on you,” she said. “It is hard to let go of everything at once — the future, education, plans, relatives. Everything was gone in the blink of an eye.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This photograph, taken on Dec. 8, 2021, shows a general view of the house where the bodies of two Afghan men, late Fida Mohammad Amir and Shafiullah Hotak, landed on the roof after falling from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft during the August 2021 panic-stricken evacuation to flee Taliban-led Afghanistan, in the Khair Khana neighborhood of Kabul. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan by the end of August 2021. The year following the U.S. withdrawal was dark for Mursal. She consistently monitored new, more draconian Taliban rulings on the news, all while being unable to leave her home. She took a yearlong leave of absence from school, adjusting to her new, mostly indoor life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She didn’t allow herself to remain depressed for long, though. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“After that, I said, this is life. I need to continue,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each morning, she wakes and prays the post-dawn Islamic \u003cem>Fajr \u003c/em>prayer. Since women are banned from gyms now, Mursal works out using Internet videos. Next, she has breakfast with her family, and then moves on to language study. Since 2021, Mursal has become fluent in Arabic and is now learning Chinese. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the afternoons, Mursal reads, has lunch and attends required classes online. Next, she completes her homework assignments, and later chats with her family over chai and snacks. Then, she returns to studying and reading books. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mursal ends the night with a family dinner where they share stories of their days. That is where Mursal hears most about the outside world. At times, Mursal finds the transition from her previous life tough to endure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“At one point, I thought I could not continue because it is online and you can’t leave your room. It becomes unbearable,” she said. “I spend the entire day trapped in four walls, doing assignments and everything. So it was hard. You have to build this resilience.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Husna, integrating into the U.S. put a heavy burden on her as the English-speaker of her family. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was basically the spokesperson, translator and interpreter of my family,” Husna, who learned English in high school, said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While settling her family in San Diego, Husna became a star student at her community college. Winning a prestigious scholarship to transfer, Husna entered Stanford’s class of 2027 with the hopes of becoming a doctor, and eventually returning to Afghanistan and opening a clinic to train doctors and provide medical services for women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over time, Husna has lost touch with Mursal and many loved ones in Afghanistan — both she and others got busier, and their lack of reliable Internet, as well as the day-to-night time difference, made communication more difficult. Some of Husna’s last sources of information from the ground in Afghanistan were diminished.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12065612\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this photograph taken on Sept. 2, 2025, an Afghan refugee is pictured during an interview with AFP at her residence in Islamabad. Before their scheduled February flight, President Donald Trump indefinitely suspended refugee admissions, stranding around 15,000 Afghans already prepared to fly out from Islamabad. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Husna feels connected. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Over time, we also realized, you don’t have to be in touch every single day to love someone,” Husna said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Husna will attend her graduation ceremony next year with her friends and family, Mursal will attend hers online and indoors, with a small family celebration to follow.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in June, Mursal’s job prospects are likely to be slim. Still, she plans to start and run a business, entrusting her father to be its face on the streets of Kabul, while she remains the organizer behind the scenes. She is now sorting out the type of business to operate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Despite the difficult situation, there are ways to live a good life — despite being a woman, an Afghan woman.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Amina Wase is a master’s candidate in the graduate journalism program at Stanford University.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Husna flew out of Hamid Karzai International Airport just one day before a devastating terror attack \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/kabul-suicide-bombing-service-members/2021/08/26/8bfe63ac-069e-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html\">killed\u003c/a> 13 U.S. Marines and 169 Afghans, and seven days before the last U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. Husna and her immediate family members were some of the 124,000 people the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3144426/one-year-later-historic-afghan-airlift-inspires-pride-and-reflection-across-the/\">airlifted\u003c/a> out of Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In August 2024, the Taliban \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/26/taliban-bar-on-afghan-women-speaking-in-public-un-afghanistan\">issued\u003c/a> the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, all-encompassing legislation codifying Afghan life, including criminalizing women’s voices in public and \u003ca href=\"https://giwps.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mahram-Womens-Mobility-in-Islam.pdf\">implementing\u003c/a> a stricter \u003cem>mahram\u003c/em> requirement that women be accompanied by either their spouse or a male relative outside their homes. These terms are \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/2025%20Issue%20Update%20Afghanistan%20Morality%20Law_0.pdf\">enforced\u003c/a> by “vice and virtue authorities.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These laws now shape Mursal’s daily life. Her family doesn’t permit her to leave the house alone due to concerns about her safety. And while life in Kabul was always full of risk, with an ongoing battle for control between the U.S. and the Taliban, Mursal’s enthusiasm for life was still noticeably higher before the Taliban took over.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>These laws now shape Mursal’s daily life. Her family doesn’t permit her to leave the house alone due to concerns about her safety. And while life in Kabul was always full of risk, with an ongoing battle for control between the U.S. and the Taliban, Mursal’s enthusiasm for life was still noticeably higher before the Taliban took over.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Even before this government in Afghanistan, there were a lot of explosions. Your life would be dangerous. Whenever we would go out, we were prepared to face death every day,” Mursal said in an interview from Kabul via Zoom. “Everyone was so happy, [because] despite everything, we wanted to live good lives.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The prospect of an unrestricted good life, however, declined for women after the Taliban takeover, which banned girls from attending school past sixth grade. Mursal takes an active risk by enrolling in university, but said that the Taliban does not monitor Internet usage, which allows her and other women to continue their schooling. Instead, the Taliban has \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistans-cellphone-internet-services-down-monitoring-shows-2025-09-30/\">resorted\u003c/a> to multiple Internet shutdowns when concerned about morality.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the immediate aftermath of Aug. 15, Mursal was left reeling as acquaintances and freedoms disappeared.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When these people, when they leave you, it leaves a huge mark on you,” she said. “It is hard to let go of everything at once — the future, education, plans, relatives. Everything was gone in the blink of an eye.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When these people, when they leave you, it leaves a huge mark on you,” she said. “It is hard to let go of everything at once — the future, education, plans, relatives. Everything was gone in the blink of an eye.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This photograph, taken on Dec. 8, 2021, shows a general view of the house where the bodies of two Afghan men, late Fida Mohammad Amir and Shafiullah Hotak, landed on the roof after falling from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft during the August 2021 panic-stricken evacuation to flee Taliban-led Afghanistan, in the Khair Khana neighborhood of Kabul.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan by the end of August 2021. The year following the U.S. withdrawal was dark for Mursal. She consistently monitored new, more draconian Taliban rulings on the news, all while being unable to leave her home. She took a yearlong leave of absence from school, adjusting to her new, mostly indoor life.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan by the end of August 2021. The year following the U.S. withdrawal was dark for Mursal. She consistently monitored new, more draconian Taliban rulings on the news, all while being unable to leave her home. She took a yearlong leave of absence from school, adjusting to her new, mostly indoor life.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“After that, I said, this is life. I need to continue,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Each morning, she wakes and prays the post-dawn Islamic \u003cem>Fajr \u003c/em>prayer. Since women are banned from gyms now, Mursal works out using Internet videos. Next, she has breakfast with her family, and then moves on to language study. Since 2021, Mursal has become fluent in Arabic and is now learning Chinese. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Each morning, she wakes and prays the post-dawn Islamic \u003cem>Fajr \u003c/em>prayer. Since women are banned from gyms now, Mursal works out using Internet videos. Next, she has breakfast with her family, and then moves on to language study. Since 2021, Mursal has become fluent in Arabic and is now learning Chinese. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the afternoons, Mursal reads, has lunch and attends required classes online. Next, she completes her homework assignments, and later chats with her family over chai and snacks. Then, she returns to studying and reading books. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mursal ends the night with a family dinner where they share stories of their days. That is where Mursal hears most about the outside world. At times, Mursal finds the transition from her previous life tough to endure.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mursal ends the night with a family dinner where they share stories of their days. That is where Mursal hears most about the outside world. At times, Mursal finds the transition from her previous life tough to endure.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“At one point, I thought I could not continue because it is online and you can’t leave your room. It becomes unbearable,” she said. “I spend the entire day trapped in four walls, doing assignments and everything. So it was hard. You have to build this resilience.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“At one point, I thought I could not continue because it is online and you can’t leave your room. It becomes unbearable,” she said. “I spend the entire day trapped in four walls, doing assignments and everything. So it was hard. You have to build this resilience.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Husna, integrating into the U.S. put a heavy burden on her as the English-speaker of her family. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was basically the spokesperson, translator and interpreter of my family,” Husna, who learned English in high school, said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While settling her family in San Diego, Husna became a star student at her community college. Winning a prestigious scholarship to transfer, Husna entered Stanford’s class of 2027 with the hopes of becoming a doctor, and eventually returning to Afghanistan and opening a clinic to train doctors and provide medical services for women. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While settling her family in San Diego, Husna became a star student at her community college. Winning a prestigious scholarship to transfer, Husna entered Stanford’s class of 2027 with the hopes of becoming a doctor, and eventually returning to Afghanistan and opening a clinic to train doctors and provide medical services for women. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over time, Husna has lost touch with Mursal and many loved ones in Afghanistan — both she and others got busier, and their lack of reliable Internet, as well as the day-to-night time difference, made communication more difficult. Some of Husna’s last sources of information from the ground in Afghanistan were diminished.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Over time, we also realized, you don’t have to be in touch every single day to love someone,” Husna said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Husna will attend her graduation ceremony next year with her friends and family, Mursal will attend hers online and indoors, with a small family celebration to follow.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in June, Mursal’s job prospects are likely to be slim. Still, she plans to start and run a business, entrusting her father to be its face on the streets of Kabul, while she remains the organizer behind the scenes. She is now sorting out the type of business to operate.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Amina Wase is a master’s candidate in the graduate journalism program at Stanford University.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Saturday, Aug. 15, marks five years since the Taliban took control of Kabul and returned to power, limiting freedoms for women.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Saturday, Aug. 15, marks five years since the Taliban retook control of Kabul and returned to power in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/afghanistan\">Afghanistan\u003c/a>. For Mursal, 24, that meant her college studies needed to be moved online and most of her life, amid the repressive regime’s rules restricting women in public spaces, moved indoors. But even more heartbreaking was not getting to say goodbye to her closest friends and family who managed to flee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of those friends was Husna.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Aug. 24, 2021, U.S. government officials called Husna’s father, who worked with the U.S. embassy, with a plan to evacuate them if they drove to a designated meet-up spot in two hours.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1079\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/09/ap21235373894167-edit_custom-e2cdf587be4a6ade2cb01de06f4a7d35c7b7f202-scaled-e1630530046511.jpg\" alt=\"line of evacuees at night wait to board a plane, backlight by far off light\" class=\"wp-image-11887274\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. Air Force air crew prepares to load evacuees aboard a C-17 aircraft at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31. Several public school students from Sacramento remain in Afghanistan since the U.S. evacuation ended. (Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Husna’s father and mother, who witnessed the Taliban’s first time in power 20 years earlier, knew what the fundamentalist group’s takeover meant for the education of their children. They recognized this was their chance to leave and still give their children opportunities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was a time when we didn’t know what to expect. No clue how long it would take, no clue if this would be the last goodbye,” Husna said in an in-person interview on Stanford University’s campus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED is omitting both Mursal’s and Husna’s surnames because the women fear that speaking publicly could have dangerous repercussions for them and their family members in Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Husna flew out of Hamid Karzai International Airport just one day before a devastating terror attack \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/kabul-suicide-bombing-service-members/2021/08/26/8bfe63ac-069e-11ec-ba15-9c4f59a60478_story.html\">killed\u003c/a> 13 U.S. Marines and 169 Afghans, and seven days before the last U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan. Husna and her immediate family members were some of the 124,000 people the U.S. \u003ca href=\"https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3144426/one-year-later-historic-afghan-airlift-inspires-pride-and-reflection-across-the/\">airlifted\u003c/a> out of Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Husna traveled from Kabul to Qatar to Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, she spent 44 days in a Texas refugee camp where her family underwent medical checkups and arrival interviews. Finally, they resettled in San Diego in October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Mursal was spending her days mostly sequestered in her family’s home as the daily realities of the Taliban’s takeover set in. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ramifications of that day five years ago set the girls on two distinct paths. As Mursal enters her senior year at the American University of Afghanistan online, Husna is a pre-med student at Stanford entering her final year of undergraduate studies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nearly five years after the Taliban takeover, Mursal’s life has fundamentally transformed, just as it did for the 25 million women across Afghanistan.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11900417\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/12/GettyImages-1234913233-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Afghans, hoping to leave Afghanistan, queue at the main entrance gate of Kabul airport in Kabul on Aug. 28, 2021, following the Taliban’s stunning military takeover of Afghanistan. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In August 2024, the Taliban \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/aug/26/taliban-bar-on-afghan-women-speaking-in-public-un-afghanistan\">issued\u003c/a> the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, all-encompassing legislation codifying Afghan life, including criminalizing women’s voices in public and \u003ca href=\"https://giwps.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Mahram-Womens-Mobility-in-Islam.pdf\">implementing\u003c/a> a stricter \u003cem>mahram\u003c/em> requirement that women be accompanied by either their spouse or a male relative outside their homes. These terms are \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/2025%20Issue%20Update%20Afghanistan%20Morality%20Law_0.pdf\">enforced\u003c/a> by “vice and virtue authorities.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These laws now shape Mursal’s daily life. Her family doesn’t permit her to leave the house alone due to concerns about her safety. And while life in Kabul was always full of risk, with an ongoing battle for control between the U.S. and the Taliban, Mursal’s enthusiasm for life was still noticeably higher before the Taliban took over.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even before this government in Afghanistan, there were a lot of explosions. Your life would be dangerous. Whenever we would go out, we were prepared to face death every day,” Mursal said in an interview from Kabul via Zoom. “Everyone was so happy, [because] despite everything, we wanted to live good lives.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The prospect of an unrestricted good life, however, declined for women after the Taliban takeover, which banned girls from attending school past sixth grade. Mursal takes an active risk by enrolling in university, but said that the Taliban does not monitor Internet usage, which allows her and other women to continue their schooling. Instead, the Taliban has \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistans-cellphone-internet-services-down-monitoring-shows-2025-09-30/\">resorted\u003c/a> to multiple Internet shutdowns when concerned about morality.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the immediate aftermath of Aug. 15, Mursal was left reeling as acquaintances and freedoms disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When these people, when they leave you, it leaves a huge mark on you,” she said. “It is hard to let go of everything at once — the future, education, plans, relatives. Everything was gone in the blink of an eye.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GettyImages-2228950108-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This photograph, taken on Dec. 8, 2021, shows a general view of the house where the bodies of two Afghan men, late Fida Mohammad Amir and Shafiullah Hotak, landed on the roof after falling from a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft during the August 2021 panic-stricken evacuation to flee Taliban-led Afghanistan, in the Khair Khana neighborhood of Kabul. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan by the end of August 2021. The year following the U.S. withdrawal was dark for Mursal. She consistently monitored new, more draconian Taliban rulings on the news, all while being unable to leave her home. She took a yearlong leave of absence from school, adjusting to her new, mostly indoor life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She didn’t allow herself to remain depressed for long, though. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“After that, I said, this is life. I need to continue,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Each morning, she wakes and prays the post-dawn Islamic \u003cem>Fajr \u003c/em>prayer. Since women are banned from gyms now, Mursal works out using Internet videos. Next, she has breakfast with her family, and then moves on to language study. Since 2021, Mursal has become fluent in Arabic and is now learning Chinese. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the afternoons, Mursal reads, has lunch and attends required classes online. Next, she completes her homework assignments, and later chats with her family over chai and snacks. Then, she returns to studying and reading books. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mursal ends the night with a family dinner where they share stories of their days. That is where Mursal hears most about the outside world. At times, Mursal finds the transition from her previous life tough to endure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“At one point, I thought I could not continue because it is online and you can’t leave your room. It becomes unbearable,” she said. “I spend the entire day trapped in four walls, doing assignments and everything. So it was hard. You have to build this resilience.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Husna, integrating into the U.S. put a heavy burden on her as the English-speaker of her family. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was basically the spokesperson, translator and interpreter of my family,” Husna, who learned English in high school, said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While settling her family in San Diego, Husna became a star student at her community college. Winning a prestigious scholarship to transfer, Husna entered Stanford’s class of 2027 with the hopes of becoming a doctor, and eventually returning to Afghanistan and opening a clinic to train doctors and provide medical services for women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over time, Husna has lost touch with Mursal and many loved ones in Afghanistan — both she and others got busier, and their lack of reliable Internet, as well as the day-to-night time difference, made communication more difficult. Some of Husna’s last sources of information from the ground in Afghanistan were diminished.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12065612\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/AfghanRefugeeGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this photograph taken on Sept. 2, 2025, an Afghan refugee is pictured during an interview with AFP at her residence in Islamabad. Before their scheduled February flight, President Donald Trump indefinitely suspended refugee admissions, stranding around 15,000 Afghans already prepared to fly out from Islamabad. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Husna feels connected. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Over time, we also realized, you don’t have to be in touch every single day to love someone,” Husna said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Husna will attend her graduation ceremony next year with her friends and family, Mursal will attend hers online and indoors, with a small family celebration to follow.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in June, Mursal’s job prospects are likely to be slim. Still, she plans to start and run a business, entrusting her father to be its face on the streets of Kabul, while she remains the organizer behind the scenes. She is now sorting out the type of business to operate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Despite the difficult situation, there are ways to live a good life — despite being a woman, an Afghan woman.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Amina Wase is a master’s candidate in the graduate journalism program at Stanford University.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "PG&E Will Pay $22 Million for Mosquito Fire, Biggest Blaze of 2022",
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"headTitle": "PG&E Will Pay $22 Million for Mosquito Fire, Biggest Blaze of 2022 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>PG&E will pay $22 million to settle claims over the 2022 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11925573/firefighters-report-steady-gains-against-mosquito-fire-now-states-largest-of-the-year\">Mosquito Fire\u003c/a> that burned over 75,000 acres and destroyed 78 structures in Placer County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire broke out at the peak of a record-breaking heat wave and was the largest fire of the year, burning for 47 days. Placer County Executive Officer Daniel Chatigny told KQED that, four years later, their community is “still recovering.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Using grants from the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Placer Resource Conservation District has been restoring the forest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Liana Matson Vitousek, a spokesperson for the district, noted in a statement that so far this work has involved removing hazardous fuel from 875 acres \u003cem>a\u003c/em>nd planting 45,000 seedlings within the Mosquito Fire footprint. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1438\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774.jpg\" alt=\"Trees engulfed in flames\" class=\"wp-image-11964465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-800x599.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-1536x1150.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Firefighters battle the Mosquito Fire near Foresthill, California on September 7, 2022. (Andrew Nixon/CapRadio)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Between the ongoing restoration work, remaining standing dead trees and an already active fire season, the Mosquito Fire remains a presence even four years after it burned,” Vitousek said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E said in a statement to KQED that “no official cause of the Mosquito Fire has been determined,” but that \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M613/K284/613284257.pdf\">settling\u003c/a> the matter allows it to focus on making safety improvements throughout California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/attachment-b---mosquito-fire-incident-investigation-report---redacted.pdf\">investigation\u003c/a> by the California Public Utilities Commission found that PG&E failed to correct loose wire repairs, failed to clear vegetation around the base of the Oxbow Junction pole and disposed of the pole that allegedly started the fire after being instructed to preserve it — among other violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E initially contested many of the allegations but ultimately \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/draft-resoluton-sed-13--approving-aco-sed-and-pge-re-2022-mosquito-fire.pdf\">agreed\u003c/a> to some, including disposing of the pole and failing to correct a loose wire repair. The fine requires PG&E shareholders to put $21 million into the California general fund, which is used for \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/media/docs/budget/california-budget-frequently-asked-questions/fundclassifications.pdf\">most\u003c/a> state expenditures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An additional $1 million will go toward a third-party review of PG&E’s Centralized Inspection Review Team. Historically, fines by the commission have largely gone toward wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, with relatively little going into the general fund. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/draft-resoluton-sed-13--approving-aco-sed-and-pge-re-2022-mosquito-fire.pdf\">paid\u003c/a> $45 million for the 2021 Dixie Fire, $150 million for the 2020 Zogg Fire and $125 million for the 2019 Kincade Fire, plus $1.937 billion for fires in 2017 and 2018. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We owe it to Californians to learn from these fires, strengthen safety, and do everything we can to prevent the next tragedy,” California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Christine Harada said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-penalizes-pacific-gas-and-electric-22-million-dollars-for-2022-placer-county-fire\">statement\u003c/a> announcing approval of the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given that the fine is largely going toward the general fund, the resource conservation district’s Vitousek noted that it will not directly impact reforestation efforts. Vitousek said she hopes nevertheless that the agreement will lead to improved safety and maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Liana Matson Vitousek, a spokesperson for the district, noted in a statement that so far this work has involved removing hazardous fuel from 875 acres \u003cem>a\u003c/em>nd planting 45,000 seedlings within the Mosquito Fire footprint. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774.jpg\" alt=\"Trees engulfed in flames\" class=\"wp-image-11964465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-800x599.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-1536x1150.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Firefighters battle the Mosquito Fire near Foresthill, California on September 7, 2022. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>PG&E said in a statement to KQED that “no official cause of the Mosquito Fire has been determined,” but that \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M613/K284/613284257.pdf\">settling\u003c/a> the matter allows it to focus on making safety improvements throughout California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>PG&E initially contested many of the allegations but ultimately \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/draft-resoluton-sed-13--approving-aco-sed-and-pge-re-2022-mosquito-fire.pdf\">agreed\u003c/a> to some, including disposing of the pole and failing to correct a loose wire repair. The fine requires PG&E shareholders to put $21 million into the California general fund, which is used for \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/media/docs/budget/california-budget-frequently-asked-questions/fundclassifications.pdf\">most\u003c/a> state expenditures. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An additional $1 million will go toward a third-party review of PG&E’s Centralized Inspection Review Team. Historically, fines by the commission have largely gone toward wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, with relatively little going into the general fund. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An additional $1 million will go toward a third-party review of PG&E’s Centralized Inspection Review Team. Historically, fines by the commission have largely gone toward wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, with relatively little going into the general fund. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We owe it to Californians to learn from these fires, strengthen safety, and do everything we can to prevent the next tragedy,” California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Christine Harada said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-penalizes-pacific-gas-and-electric-22-million-dollars-for-2022-placer-county-fire\">statement\u003c/a> announcing approval of the settlement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Given that the fine is largely going toward the general fund, the resource conservation district’s Vitousek noted that it will not directly impact reforestation efforts. Vitousek said she hopes nevertheless that the agreement will lead to improved safety and maintenance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The deal contains no admission of responsibility by the utility for starting the fire, but PG&E does admit to having mistakenly disposed of evidence it was instructed to preserve. ",
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"title": "PG&E Will Pay $22 Million for Mosquito Fire, Biggest Blaze of 2022 | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>PG&E will pay $22 million to settle claims over the 2022 \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11925573/firefighters-report-steady-gains-against-mosquito-fire-now-states-largest-of-the-year\">Mosquito Fire\u003c/a> that burned over 75,000 acres and destroyed 78 structures in Placer County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire broke out at the peak of a record-breaking heat wave and was the largest fire of the year, burning for 47 days. Placer County Executive Officer Daniel Chatigny told KQED that, four years later, their community is “still recovering.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Using grants from the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Placer Resource Conservation District has been restoring the forest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Liana Matson Vitousek, a spokesperson for the district, noted in a statement that so far this work has involved removing hazardous fuel from 875 acres \u003cem>a\u003c/em>nd planting 45,000 seedlings within the Mosquito Fire footprint. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1438\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774.jpg\" alt=\"Trees engulfed in flames\" class=\"wp-image-11964465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-800x599.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-1020x764.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/10/IMG_3239-scaled-e1697232933774-1536x1150.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Firefighters battle the Mosquito Fire near Foresthill, California on September 7, 2022. (Andrew Nixon/CapRadio)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Between the ongoing restoration work, remaining standing dead trees and an already active fire season, the Mosquito Fire remains a presence even four years after it burned,” Vitousek said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E said in a statement to KQED that “no official cause of the Mosquito Fire has been determined,” but that \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M613/K284/613284257.pdf\">settling\u003c/a> the matter allows it to focus on making safety improvements throughout California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/attachment-b---mosquito-fire-incident-investigation-report---redacted.pdf\">investigation\u003c/a> by the California Public Utilities Commission found that PG&E failed to correct loose wire repairs, failed to clear vegetation around the base of the Oxbow Junction pole and disposed of the pole that allegedly started the fire after being instructed to preserve it — among other violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E initially contested many of the allegations but ultimately \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/draft-resoluton-sed-13--approving-aco-sed-and-pge-re-2022-mosquito-fire.pdf\">agreed\u003c/a> to some, including disposing of the pole and failing to correct a loose wire repair. The fine requires PG&E shareholders to put $21 million into the California general fund, which is used for \u003ca href=\"https://dof.ca.gov/media/docs/budget/california-budget-frequently-asked-questions/fundclassifications.pdf\">most\u003c/a> state expenditures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An additional $1 million will go toward a third-party review of PG&E’s Centralized Inspection Review Team. Historically, fines by the commission have largely gone toward wildfire prevention and recovery efforts, with relatively little going into the general fund. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>PG&E \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/acos-and-aeos/mosquito-fire-aco-07102026/draft-resoluton-sed-13--approving-aco-sed-and-pge-re-2022-mosquito-fire.pdf\">paid\u003c/a> $45 million for the 2021 Dixie Fire, $150 million for the 2020 Zogg Fire and $125 million for the 2019 Kincade Fire, plus $1.937 billion for fires in 2017 and 2018. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We owe it to Californians to learn from these fires, strengthen safety, and do everything we can to prevent the next tragedy,” California Public Utilities Commission Commissioner Christine Harada said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-penalizes-pacific-gas-and-electric-22-million-dollars-for-2022-placer-county-fire\">statement\u003c/a> announcing approval of the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given that the fine is largely going toward the general fund, the resource conservation district’s Vitousek noted that it will not directly impact reforestation efforts. Vitousek said she hopes nevertheless that the agreement will lead to improved safety and maintenance.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "eel-river-dam-removals-altadenas-backyard-punk-shows-visiting-pinnacles-national-park",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Listen to this and more in-depth storytelling by subscribing to The California Report Magazine podcast.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003ci> \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094970/mendocinos-tribes-farmers-environmentalists-agree-take-down-eel-rivers-dams\">Mendocino’s Tribes, Farmers, Environmentalists Agree: Take Down Eel River’s Dams\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For over a century, dams have blocked the Eel River’s natural flow of water in Northern California. Now, tribes, environmentalists and utility companies have come up with a plan to tear down the dams, as part of the “Two Basin Solution.” Reporter Sam Anderson found out what a free-running Eel River would mean for local Round Valley Indian Tribes, industry and wildlife.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094974/in-altadena-a-youth-music-scene-grows-from-the-eaton-fires-ashes\">In Altadena, A Youth Music Scene Crops Up from Eaton Fire’s Ashes\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the 2025 Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles, music lovers organized fundraisers to reconnect artists with instruments lost in the fire. Now live music shows in Altadena’s vacant lots and backyards have sprouted a new scene, where teenage punk and indie bands draw audiences from across Southern California. Reporter Steven Cuevas has the story.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078183/pinnacles-national-park-open-see-wildflowers-condors-when-visit-caves-west-vs-east-entrance-on-way-to-big-sur\">Looking for a Last-Minute Summer Road Trip? Try Pinn\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078183/pinnacles-national-park-open-see-wildflowers-condors-when-visit-caves-west-vs-east-entrance-on-way-to-big-sur\">\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>\u003cstrong>acles\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/strong> National Park\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pinnacles National Park doesn’t have the name recognition as Yosemite or Joshua Tree, but it stokes just as much wonder. For our Hidden Gems series, KQED outdoors reporter Sarah Wright traveled to this small park just an hour east of Monterey to find out why it’s worth a summer getaway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pinnacles National Park doesn’t have the name recognition as Yosemite or Joshua Tree, but it stokes just as much wonder. For our Hidden Gems series, KQED outdoors reporter Sarah Wright traveled to this small park just an hour east of Monterey to find out why it’s worth a summer getaway.\u003c/p>\n",
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"slug": "us-doj-finds-unbroken-pattern-of-sexual-abuse-by-california-prison-staff",
"title": "US DOJ Finds ‘Unbroken Pattern’ of Sexual Abuse by California Prison Staff",
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"headTitle": "US DOJ Finds ‘Unbroken Pattern’ of Sexual Abuse by California Prison Staff | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">California prison officials\u003c/a> have failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff for years, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-california-womens-prisons-violate-constitution-failing-protect\">said\u003c/a> in a new report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report details several cases where the state confirmed allegations of sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the California Institution for Women, the report points to cases dating back more than a decade, including correctional officers who were convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report underscored those fears, finding that the system meant to allow incarcerated women to report sexual assault was not truly confidential. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women said they waited until they were released, transferred to another prison or retained an attorney before reporting alleged abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer speaks with an incarcerated woman in a wheelchair at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said in a statement the agency looks forward to working with the DOJ “regarding their recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department said the U.S. attorney general could sue the state in 49 days if California fails to act.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was possible in part by funding from the Poynter Institute.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report details several cases where the state confirmed allegations of sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the California Institution for Women, the report points to cases dating back more than a decade, including correctional officers who were convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report underscored those fears, finding that the system meant to allow incarcerated women to report sexual assault was not truly confidential. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some women said they waited until they were released, transferred to another prison or retained an attorney before reporting alleged abuse. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>CDCR said in a statement the agency looks forward to working with the DOJ “regarding their recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The department said the U.S. attorney general could sue the state in 49 days if California fails to act.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was possible in part by funding from the Poynter Institute.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A two-year federal investigation found decades of staff sexual abuse against incarcerated women at the state’s correctional facilities.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079668/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-video-shows-mass-force-at-california-womens-prison\">California prison officials\u003c/a> have failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by staff for years, the U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-california-womens-prisons-violate-constitution-failing-protect\">said\u003c/a> in a new report.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-civil-rights-investigation-correctional-staff-sexual-abuse-two\">began\u003c/a> investigating the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino nearly two years ago after hundreds of incarcerated women \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12003230/feds-investigate-california-prisons-where-women-say-culture-of-impunity-surrounded-abuse\">filed legal claims\u003c/a> alleging sexual exploitation by staff and an officer was \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2022/12/28/cdcr-refers-internal-investigation-into-former-correctional-officer-to-district-attorney-for-charges-of-sexual-misconduct-of-incarcerated-women/\">arrested\u003c/a> for sexually abusing at least 22 women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department reviewed 350 allegations of sexual misconduct, interviewed prisoners and looked at body-worn camera footage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090739\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-31-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1457771/dl\">report\u003c/a> released Thursday, investigators said they found an “unbroken pattern” of staff sexual assault dating back over 20 years at California’s two women’s prisons. The department concluded that prison officials knew women faced a substantial risk of sexual abuse but failed to adequately protect them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Investigators pointed to gaps in surveillance camera coverage, a lack of confidential reporting options, inadequate investigations and failures to hold staff accountable — systemic problems the DOJ said amount to “deliberate indifference” and violate incarcerated women’s constitutional rights.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of this should be surprising to CDCR [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation], none of it should be surprising to the Legislature,” said Amika Mota, executive director of the prison advocacy organization Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition. Survivors have spent years speaking out at “hearings, in town halls, in reports,” she said, trying to get officials to address sexual abuse by prison staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>State prison officials say they have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault by staff, and that they have taken steps to improve reporting options and expand the use of cameras. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Young said those reforms have not fixed the underlying problems. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Women were not being protected,” Young said in an interview with KQED. “It was the cycle that’s continuing to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the prison in Chowchilla, federal investigators found blind spots around its Plant Operations area and in prison kitchens. Women at both prisons told investigators that kitchen storage rooms without cameras are known as “sugar rooms,” because sugar is stored there and because sexual activity can occur there without detection. Investigators also found abandoned buildings where abuse had occurred.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers lead an incarcerated woman through a Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Things like that were extremely concerning,” Young said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report also found correctional officers failed to properly use body-worn cameras, at times turning them off in violation of prison policy. The report pointed out that only correctional officers are required to wear body cameras, despite confirmed cases of sexual misconduct by other staff, including a cook, mental health counselor and work-program staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report details several cases where the state confirmed allegations of sexual assault.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Former correctional officer Gregory Rodriguez was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022075/former-guard-california-womens-prison-found-guilty-59-counts-sexual-abuse\">accused of sexually abusing\u003c/a> dozens of women at CCWF over a decade. California’s corrections department substantiated allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with 21 incarcerated women. Federal investigators said they became aware of more than 65 alleged victims of Rodriguez.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women reported that Rodriguez assaulted them in a parole hearing room that did not have cameras. In 2023, the Madera County district attorney charged Rodriguez with 97 criminal counts involving 13 women. He was convicted last year on 64 counts and sentenced to 224 years in prison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the California Institution for Women, the report points to cases dating back more than a decade, including correctional officers who were convicted or disciplined for sexually abusing incarcerated women.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hundreds of allegations reviewed by federal investigators likely capture only a portion of the abuse, according to Mota. While she said reporting increased in recent years as more survivors began speaking out, many cases still go unreported for fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090742\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-73-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Officers escort an incarcerated woman through a yard at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The report underscored those fears, finding that the system meant to allow incarcerated women to report sexual assault was not truly confidential. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Written grievances, known as 602s, are scanned into an online system accessible to staff at the prisons. In one case, CDCR found that an officer improperly accessed the files of 11 incarcerated women. Nine had accused him of sexual misconduct.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Women described officers issuing disciplinary violations, searching their cells, taking their property and restricting privileges after complaints were made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some women said they waited until they were released, transferred to another prison or retained an attorney before reporting alleged abuse. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The federal report also concluded that an August 2024 mass \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12004368/like-a-war-zone-prison-officers-used-unprecedented-force-in-august-attack-incarcerated-women-say\">use-of-force incident\u003c/a> at CCWF was retaliation for women reporting staff sexual abuse. Young said DOJ investigators spent significant time interviewing women and reviewing files related to the incident, which resulted in injuries ranging from seizures to blindness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077737/california-agrees-to-1-9m-settlement-in-prison-use-of-force-case\">$1.9 million settlement \u003c/a>in April with 13 women injured during the incident. Its investigators imposed termination, retraining and other corrective actions after concluding that 41 employees violated department policy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Federal investigators found cases in which potential DNA evidence wasn’t tested, accused staff or witnesses weren’t interviewed, and investigations stretched on for months or even years. In one case, the investigation took so long that CDCR missed its one-year deadline to discipline the officer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-22-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Receiving and Release (R&R) yard at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026. The prison is the largest women’s correctional facility in California, and the R&R yard is used to process incarcerated people entering and leaving the facility. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the state’s Office of the Inspector General of prisons found that 86% of CDCR disciplinary and criminal investigations reviewed during the first half of 2025 were either “inadequate” or “needs improvement,” according to the report. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Young said investigators found that, even when women made credible allegations of sexual abuse, investigations could stall for over a year and sometimes ended without substantiation of the allegations, even when parts of their accounts were corroborated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a written statement, CDCR said it takes “every allegation seriously” and “remains dedicated to ensuring accountability, strengthening protections, and maintaining institutions that ensure the personal safety of all individuals.” The department also cited audits under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which found both prisons met all 45 standards evaluated.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Justice Department is requiring California to better protect prisoners from staff sexual abuse by expanding camera coverage, requiring broader use of body-worn cameras, establishing confidential reporting options independent of the agency, and strengthening investigations and protections against retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The state must confront the persistent failure of its own employees to prevent and address sexual abuse at these facilities and the systemic breakdowns that have permitted these conditions to persist,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California said in a statement. “This report should serve as a turning point.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260630-CCWFTOUR-60-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An officer speaks with an incarcerated woman in a wheelchair at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) prison in Chowchilla, Calif., on June 30, 2026, the largest women’s correctional facility in the state. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>CDCR said in a statement the agency looks forward to working with the DOJ “regarding their recommendations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The DOJ also called for penalties, including possible termination, for staff who improperly share information about grievances, and meaningful consequences for staff found to have retaliated against people who report sexual abuse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The department said the U.S. attorney general could sue the state in 49 days if California fails to act.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antoinette Yancey, who is incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility, said she hopes the federal findings lead to real accountability.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Some of us are in here for far less than what has been done to us, doing life sentences and decades’ worth of time, while we’re also being preyed upon,” Yancey said. “And it’s just not fair.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This reporting was possible in part by funding from the Poynter Institute.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "historic-richmond-pool-keeps-on-swimming-100-years-later",
"title": "Historic Richmond Pool Keeps on Swimming, 100 Years Later",
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"headTitle": "Historic Richmond Pool Keeps on Swimming, 100 Years Later | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> is throwing a pool party on Saturday to mark the 100th birthday of a beloved community gathering space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The celebration for the Richmond Municipal Natatorium, more commonly known as the Richmond Plunge, marks a significant milestone because the centenarian indoor pool almost didn’t make it. The Plunge was shuttered for years and slated for demolition until a group of community volunteers organized to save it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You just don’t see 100-year-old pools,” said John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish swim team, which practices at the pool. “ Almost every week, I meet someone who comes in and says, ‘Oh, I haven’t been here for 50 years,’ or, ‘I used to swim here in the ’70s when I was a kid.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Richmond Municipal Natatorium, also known as the Richmond Plunge, on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093763\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shantel Jackson and her son Maison, 7, on July 31, 2026.\u003cbr>\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095157\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Richmond Plunge Masters swimmers Jane Randolph, John Ajero, Leo Tarasov and Ling Hsieh enjoy the pool on Aug. 5, 2026.\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Plunge opened in 1926, and it still harkens back to a time when indoor pools were a major public attraction. The city of Richmond compares the pool to Sutro Baths in San Francisco, another historic public swimming pool that’s now long gone. Just like Sutro Baths, which sourced its water from the ocean, the Plunge was once filled with saltwater from the bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bright, airy space has over a hundred operable windows and a white, vaulted ceiling with exposed steel beams. Mosaic tiles adorn the entrances to the bathrooms. The Plunge also once had a bandshell, so spectators could watch synchronized swimming performances with live music from the second-story balcony, which exists today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Plunge’s history inspired Berkeley architect Todd Jersey to help save it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095151\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095151\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish, instructs the team. \u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095154\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Richmond Sailfish swimmer practices his form.\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ When I first walked into this place, I was really taken with the sheer size of it, and the amount of light and air from these wonderful windows,” he said. The Plunge’s original design featured one single pool double the size of an Olympic-size swimming pool. Today, the pool is split into two separate areas, one for lap swimming and the other for recreation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, including damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Repairs would have been expensive, and after voters rejected a bond measure in 1997 to reinforce the pool, the city decided to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4975/Plunge-100-Year-Anniversary\">close\u003c/a> it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, people were allowed to swim in it, as the Plunge bore a “swim at your own risk” sign. Finally, the city shut down the site in 2001. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The interior of the Richmond Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2005, Jersey said he saw a \u003ca href=\"https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_55-79v16cst\">documentary\u003c/a> about the pool and thought he could help. Working with the nonprofit Richmond Friends of Recreation, he came up with a plan to reopen it for $1.3 million, far less than an approximately $12 million prior bid from another architect, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was the momentum the nonprofit needed to begin fundraising to renovate the Plunge. It finally reopened in 2010 after sitting unused for nine years with a total restoration cost of around $8 million, Jersey said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The work involved repairing wooden window frames, strengthening cracked walls and putting in the necessary infrastructure to run a pool. Because of its many windows, the Plunge doesn’t require the large ventilation systems typical of modern pools, reducing its energy bill, Jersey said. The roof also now has electrical solar panels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Berkeley architect Todd Jersey poses for a photo at the Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-15 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1380\" data-id=\"12093732\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093732\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED-1536x1060.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lifeguard Rafa Arteaga watches swimmers on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093747\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Swimmers enjoy the Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Kind of a ridiculous amount of love and care went into this building,” Jersey said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a recent Friday afternoon, 62-year-old Otis Mobley of Richmond sat on the pool deck and watched his 12-year-old granddaughter Naomi swim in the deep end for the first time after passing her swim test. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ We bring her here to refresh some memories and give her some for her future,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-16 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093745\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Otis Mobley, 62, watches his granddaughter Naomi, 12, swim.\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095155\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Naomi Mobley swims in the deep end. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mobley said he came to the Plunge “almost every day during the summer,” when he was a child in the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lisa Klein, 73, makes the trip to the Plunge from Oakland a few times a month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I love the beauty of the mural. I love the history of it, this big old building. And as soon as I get in the water and start swimming, whatever problems or things I’m working on dissolves, and I’m just here,” Klein said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-17 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093746\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093746\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lisa Klein, 73, swims at the Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095153\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Richmond Sailfish swimmers practice diving on Aug. 5, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-18 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095152\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oscar Solano Jr. leads an aqua Zumba class on Aug. 5, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095156\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095156\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A participant of aqua Zumba strikes a pose. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to recreational and lap swimming, in its two pools, these days the Plunge hosts aqua Zumba and kayaking classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ It’s used pretty much all day long and all year long,” Schonder said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4975/Plunge-100-Year-Anniversary\">celebration\u003c/a> will feature a building dedication with speeches, offering two hours of family recreation swim for $1.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> is throwing a pool party on Saturday to mark the 100th birthday of a beloved community gathering space.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> is throwing a pool party on Saturday to mark the 100th birthday of a beloved community gathering space.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The celebration for the Richmond Municipal Natatorium, more commonly known as the Richmond Plunge, marks a significant milestone because the centenarian indoor pool almost didn’t make it. The Plunge was shuttered for years and slated for demolition until a group of community volunteers organized to save it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The celebration for the Richmond Municipal Natatorium, more commonly known as the Richmond Plunge, marks a significant milestone because the centenarian indoor pool almost didn’t make it. The Plunge was shuttered for years and slated for demolition until a group of community volunteers organized to save it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You just don’t see 100-year-old pools,” said John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish swim team, which practices at the pool. “ Almost every week, I meet someone who comes in and says, ‘Oh, I haven’t been here for 50 years,’ or, ‘I used to swim here in the ’70s when I was a kid.’” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You just don’t see 100-year-old pools,” said John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish swim team, which practices at the pool. “ Almost every week, I meet someone who comes in and says, ‘Oh, I haven’t been here for 50 years,’ or, ‘I used to swim here in the ’70s when I was a kid.’” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Richmond Municipal Natatorium, also known as the Richmond Plunge, on July 31, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093731\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Richmond Municipal Natatorium, also known as the Richmond Plunge, on July 31, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093763\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shantel Jackson and her son Maison, 7, on July 31, 2026.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093763\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shantel Jackson and her son Maison, 7, on July 31, 2026.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095157\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Richmond Plunge Masters swimmers Jane Randolph, John Ajero, Leo Tarasov and Ling Hsieh enjoy the pool on Aug. 5, 2026.\u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095157\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Richmond Plunge Masters swimmers Jane Randolph, John Ajero, Leo Tarasov and Ling Hsieh enjoy the pool on Aug. 5, 2026.\u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Plunge opened in 1926, and it still harkens back to a time when indoor pools were a major public attraction. The city of Richmond compares the pool to Sutro Baths in San Francisco, another historic public swimming pool that’s now long gone. Just like Sutro Baths, which sourced its water from the ocean, the Plunge was once filled with saltwater from the bay. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Plunge opened in 1926, and it still harkens back to a time when indoor pools were a major public attraction. The city of Richmond compares the pool to Sutro Baths in San Francisco, another historic public swimming pool that’s now long gone. Just like Sutro Baths, which sourced its water from the ocean, the Plunge was once filled with saltwater from the bay. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The bright, airy space has over a hundred operable windows and a white, vaulted ceiling with exposed steel beams. Mosaic tiles adorn the entrances to the bathrooms. The Plunge also once had a bandshell, so spectators could watch synchronized swimming performances with live music from the second-story balcony, which exists today. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The bright, airy space has over a hundred operable windows and a white, vaulted ceiling with exposed steel beams. Mosaic tiles adorn the entrances to the bathrooms. The Plunge also once had a bandshell, so spectators could watch synchronized swimming performances with live music from the second-story balcony, which exists today. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Plunge’s history inspired Berkeley architect Todd Jersey to help save it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Plunge’s history inspired Berkeley architect Todd Jersey to help save it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095151\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish, instructs the team. \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ When I first walked into this place, I was really taken with the sheer size of it, and the amount of light and air from these wonderful windows,” he said. The Plunge’s original design featured one single pool double the size of an Olympic-size swimming pool. Today, the pool is split into two separate areas, one for lap swimming and the other for recreation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, including damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Repairs would have been expensive, and after voters rejected a bond measure in 1997 to reinforce the pool, the city decided to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4975/Plunge-100-Year-Anniversary\">close\u003c/a> it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, people were allowed to swim in it, as the Plunge bore a “swim at your own risk” sign. Finally, the city shut down the site in 2001. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The interior of the Richmond Plunge on July 31, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2005, Jersey said he saw a \u003ca href=\"https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_55-79v16cst\">documentary\u003c/a> about the pool and thought he could help. Working with the nonprofit Richmond Friends of Recreation, he came up with a plan to reopen it for $1.3 million, far less than an approximately $12 million prior bid from another architect, he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was the momentum the nonprofit needed to begin fundraising to renovate the Plunge. It finally reopened in 2010 after sitting unused for nine years with a total restoration cost of around $8 million, Jersey said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The work involved repairing wooden window frames, strengthening cracked walls and putting in the necessary infrastructure to run a pool. Because of its many windows, the Plunge doesn’t require the large ventilation systems typical of modern pools, reducing its energy bill, Jersey said. The roof also now has electrical solar panels. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093732\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lifeguard Rafa Arteaga watches swimmers on July 31, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Kind of a ridiculous amount of love and care went into this building,” Jersey said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On a recent Friday afternoon, 62-year-old Otis Mobley of Richmond sat on the pool deck and watched his 12-year-old granddaughter Naomi swim in the deep end for the first time after passing her swim test. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mobley said he came to the Plunge “almost every day during the summer,” when he was a child in the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lisa Klein, 73, makes the trip to the Plunge from Oakland a few times a month.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ I love the beauty of the mural. I love the history of it, this big old building. And as soon as I get in the water and start swimming, whatever problems or things I’m working on dissolves, and I’m just here,” Klein said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to recreational and lap swimming, in its two pools, these days the Plunge hosts aqua Zumba and kayaking classes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ It’s used pretty much all day long and all year long,” Schonder said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4975/Plunge-100-Year-Anniversary\">celebration\u003c/a> will feature a building dedication with speeches, offering two hours of family recreation swim for $1.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Richmond Plunge, a fixture for generations, was once slated for demolition until a community effort intervened to reopen it.",
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"headline": "Historic Richmond Pool Keeps on Swimming, 100 Years Later",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The city of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/richmond\">Richmond\u003c/a> is throwing a pool party on Saturday to mark the 100th birthday of a beloved community gathering space.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The celebration for the Richmond Municipal Natatorium, more commonly known as the Richmond Plunge, marks a significant milestone because the centenarian indoor pool almost didn’t make it. The Plunge was shuttered for years and slated for demolition until a group of community volunteers organized to save it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You just don’t see 100-year-old pools,” said John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish swim team, which practices at the pool. “ Almost every week, I meet someone who comes in and says, ‘Oh, I haven’t been here for 50 years,’ or, ‘I used to swim here in the ’70s when I was a kid.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-3-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Richmond Municipal Natatorium, also known as the Richmond Plunge, on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093763\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-18-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shantel Jackson and her son Maison, 7, on July 31, 2026.\u003cbr>\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095157\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095157\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-13_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, Richmond Plunge Masters swimmers Jane Randolph, John Ajero, Leo Tarasov and Ling Hsieh enjoy the pool on Aug. 5, 2026.\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Plunge opened in 1926, and it still harkens back to a time when indoor pools were a major public attraction. The city of Richmond compares the pool to Sutro Baths in San Francisco, another historic public swimming pool that’s now long gone. Just like Sutro Baths, which sourced its water from the ocean, the Plunge was once filled with saltwater from the bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The bright, airy space has over a hundred operable windows and a white, vaulted ceiling with exposed steel beams. Mosaic tiles adorn the entrances to the bathrooms. The Plunge also once had a bandshell, so spectators could watch synchronized swimming performances with live music from the second-story balcony, which exists today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Plunge’s history inspired Berkeley architect Todd Jersey to help save it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095151\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095151\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-3_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Schonder, head coach of the Richmond Sailfish, instructs the team. \u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095154\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-1_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Richmond Sailfish swimmer practices his form.\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ When I first walked into this place, I was really taken with the sheer size of it, and the amount of light and air from these wonderful windows,” he said. The Plunge’s original design featured one single pool double the size of an Olympic-size swimming pool. Today, the pool is split into two separate areas, one for lap swimming and the other for recreation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the years, the building fell into disrepair, including damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Repairs would have been expensive, and after voters rejected a bond measure in 1997 to reinforce the pool, the city decided to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4975/Plunge-100-Year-Anniversary\">close\u003c/a> it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, people were allowed to swim in it, as the Plunge bore a “swim at your own risk” sign. Finally, the city shut down the site in 2001. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-10-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The interior of the Richmond Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2005, Jersey said he saw a \u003ca href=\"https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_55-79v16cst\">documentary\u003c/a> about the pool and thought he could help. Working with the nonprofit Richmond Friends of Recreation, he came up with a plan to reopen it for $1.3 million, far less than an approximately $12 million prior bid from another architect, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was the momentum the nonprofit needed to begin fundraising to renovate the Plunge. It finally reopened in 2010 after sitting unused for nine years with a total restoration cost of around $8 million, Jersey said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The work involved repairing wooden window frames, strengthening cracked walls and putting in the necessary infrastructure to run a pool. Because of its many windows, the Plunge doesn’t require the large ventilation systems typical of modern pools, reducing its energy bill, Jersey said. The roof also now has electrical solar panels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093741\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Berkeley architect Todd Jersey poses for a photo at the Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-15 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1380\" data-id=\"12093732\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093732\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-4-KQED-1536x1060.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lifeguard Rafa Arteaga watches swimmers on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093747\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093747\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-24-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Swimmers enjoy the Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Kind of a ridiculous amount of love and care went into this building,” Jersey said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a recent Friday afternoon, 62-year-old Otis Mobley of Richmond sat on the pool deck and watched his 12-year-old granddaughter Naomi swim in the deep end for the first time after passing her swim test. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ We bring her here to refresh some memories and give her some for her future,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-16 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093745\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Otis Mobley, 62, watches his granddaughter Naomi, 12, swim.\u003cbr> (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095155\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095155\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-2_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Naomi Mobley swims in the deep end. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mobley said he came to the Plunge “almost every day during the summer,” when he was a child in the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lisa Klein, 73, makes the trip to the Plunge from Oakland a few times a month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ I love the beauty of the mural. I love the history of it, this big old building. And as soon as I get in the water and start swimming, whatever problems or things I’m working on dissolves, and I’m just here,” Klein said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-17 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12093746\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093746\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260731_RichmondPlunge100_GC-21-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lisa Klein, 73, swims at the Plunge on July 31, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095153\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-7_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Richmond Sailfish swimmers practice diving on Aug. 5, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-18 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095152\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Oscar Solano Jr. leads an aqua Zumba class on Aug. 5, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095156\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095156\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/20260805_RichmondPlungeDay2_GC-14_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A participant of aqua Zumba strikes a pose. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to recreational and lap swimming, in its two pools, these days the Plunge hosts aqua Zumba and kayaking classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ It’s used pretty much all day long and all year long,” Schonder said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/4975/Plunge-100-Year-Anniversary\">celebration\u003c/a> will feature a building dedication with speeches, offering two hours of family recreation swim for $1.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mendocinos-tribes-farmers-environmentalists-agree-take-down-eel-rivers-dams",
"title": "Mendocino’s Tribes, Farmers, Environmentalists Agree: Take Down Eel River’s Dams",
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"headTitle": "Mendocino’s Tribes, Farmers, Environmentalists Agree: Take Down Eel River’s Dams | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>During the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, PG&E was conducting a routine inspection of a hydroelectric dam on Northern Mendocino’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009555/the-great-redwood-trail\">Eel River \u003c/a>— when it discovered a problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A key component in their power generation system needed a pricey fix — one that could cost the utility up to $15 million. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The power company already knew that the Potter Valley Project, which included two dams on the Eel River, didn’t balance economically. It barely powered 750 homes and was expensive to operate. So when no buyers came forward to offload the 100-year-old hydroelectric system, PG&E submitted an application to the federal government to decommission the project — in other words, take down the dams for good.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ PG&E likes dams, right? I mean, we are a hydro generating company,” said Janet Walther, director of hydro licensing and compliance for the company. “However, there are times, as Potter Valley is one of those, where a dam may no longer make sense.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1498\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01-1536x1150.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Eel River snakes along in Trinity County. (Courtesy of Anthony Wells)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The reasons for the proposed dam removals may seem mundane and practical, but the change would be existential for the local industry, wildlife and people. If the dam removals do happen, the Eel River would be transformed into the longest free-flowing river in California. But the planned removals, which wouldn’t take place until the 2030s, are vulnerable to political whims and bureaucratic obstacles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need our free-flowing water,” said Nicole Whipple, member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes based in Covelo, a remote section of Northern Mendocino County. She said that for centuries, her people were “very wealthy in their food and resources” because of the Eel River, which provided them with salmon, Pacific lamprey, freshwater clams, steelhead and trout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But when settlers came, the damming of the river cut off her community’s ability to provide food for themselves. The prospect of taking the dams down means being able to reclaim their ancestral relationship to the land. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s really important for our indigenous people to be connected to our culture. And so for us to be well and to be supported, we need our culture back,” Whipple said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The origin of the Eel River dams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Eel River stretches nearly 200 miles north, from its headwaters in the rugged forests of Mendocino National Forest to Humboldt Bay, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two dams near its headwaters restrict the flow, forming Lake Pillsbury and the Van Arsdale Reservoir. For over 100 years, these dams have generated electricity via the Potter Valley Project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After PG&E announced they would not be renewing their license to operate the Potter Valley Project, a multi-year debate ensued, with government agencies, county water boards, environmental organizations and Native American Tribes vying for a seat at the table to decide what would happen next.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Conservation groups like \u003ca href=\"https://caltrout.org\">California Trout \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://eelriver.org\">Friends of the Eel River\u003c/a> pushed for unobstructed flows to benefit local fish like native Coho, Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Salmon populations on the Eel have declined 95% from pre-Gold Rush levels, where annual salmon runs once numbered in the millions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ‘two-basin solution’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After more than five years of debate about the prospect of removing the dams, a collection of government agencies, environmental groups, tribes and the power company PG&E reached a compromise: the Two Basin Solution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under this agreement, the dams would come down, local fish would gain access to hundreds of miles of new habitat in the headwaters, and some water diversions would continue. A new management agency was created: \u003ca href=\"https://www.eelrussianauthority.org\">The Eel Russian Project Authority (ERPA)\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of the Eel River from Route 162, on the way to the Round Valley Reservation where Nicole Whipple lives. (Sam Anderson for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alicia Hamann, Friends of the Eel River’s executive director, called the agreement a “really big deal” because so many different interests settled on it, and because an undammed river would increase native fish habitat by hundreds of miles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Round Valley Indian Tribes have a seat on ERPA’s five-member board, alongside Sonoma Water, the County of Sonoma and the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We finally get to play the lead role on our land, the place where our ancestors came from,” Round Valley Tribal President Joseph Parker said, adding that they have been advocating for dam removal since the 1970s. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the plan, the local industry’s needs are also taken into consideration. South of the Eel River basin in Sonoma County, local winegrowers and farmers have long relied on water diversions from the Eel River into the Russian River in order to water their crops. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Potter-Valley-Powerhouse-aerial-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096005\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The power station for the Potter Valley Project was placed offline due to a failed inspection in 2021.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As part of the new agreement, ERPA would lease a portion of the river water from the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who would receive a fee for continued water diversions into the Russian River. A new pump station would be built to facilitate the new diversions. ERPA would determine the amount of water diverted from the Eel to the Russian based on seasonal water levels and state and federal laws. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Round Valley Indian Tribes’ attorney Erica Costa said that the tribes already hold federal water rights to the Eel River. What’s changing is that state-based water rights currently controlled by PG&E would transfer back to them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For over a century, this water has left the Eel River basin and gone somewhere else at the expense of the tribes,” Costa said. “So one of the main goals for the tribe and the water diversion agreement is switching that paradigm.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Returning to a free river\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pottervalleywater.org/history.html\">Potter Valley Project\u003c/a> was constructed in the early 1900s, its hydroelectric power supply was needed for the growing nearby city of Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even though the power plant was taken offline in 2021, the physical dam removal is still a long way off, remaining vulnerable to political whims.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view overlooking the main stem of the Eel River. (Sam Anderson for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April 2026, the President Trump-appointed Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, announced a plan that would have derailed the dam removal, saying that a Southern California water district wanted to buy the Potter Valley Project. But the plan was ultimately rejected by federal regulators.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the summer of 2025, PG&E submitted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/potter-valley-hydroelectric-project\">application to surrender and decommission the Potter Valley Project \u003c/a>to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. That application is currently under review, a process that will take several years. According to PG&E, there is currently an open National Environmental Policy Act comment period, which ends on Sept. 18, 2026 (comments can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/how-file-ecomment\">submitted online\u003c/a>). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the physical dam removals on the Eel River go according to plan, California’s Eel River will be among the U.S.’s longest free-flowing rivers.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The power company already knew that the Potter Valley Project, which included two dams on the Eel River, didn’t balance economically. It barely powered 750 homes and was expensive to operate. So when no buyers came forward to offload the 100-year-old hydroelectric system, PG&E submitted an application to the federal government to decommission the project — in other words, take down the dams for good.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ PG&E likes dams, right? I mean, we are a hydro generating company,” said Janet Walther, director of hydro licensing and compliance for the company. “However, there are times, as Potter Valley is one of those, where a dam may no longer make sense.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The reasons for the proposed dam removals may seem mundane and practical, but the change would be existential for the local industry, wildlife and people. If the dam removals do happen, the Eel River would be transformed into the longest free-flowing river in California. But the planned removals, which wouldn’t take place until the 2030s, are vulnerable to political whims and bureaucratic obstacles.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The reasons for the proposed dam removals may seem mundane and practical, but the change would be existential for the local industry, wildlife and people. If the dam removals do happen, the Eel River would be transformed into the longest free-flowing river in California. But the planned removals, which wouldn’t take place until the 2030s, are vulnerable to political whims and bureaucratic obstacles.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We need our free-flowing water,” said Nicole Whipple, member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes based in Covelo, a remote section of Northern Mendocino County. She said that for centuries, her people were “very wealthy in their food and resources” because of the Eel River, which provided them with salmon, Pacific lamprey, freshwater clams, steelhead and trout. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We need our free-flowing water,” said Nicole Whipple, member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes based in Covelo, a remote section of Northern Mendocino County. She said that for centuries, her people were “very wealthy in their food and resources” because of the Eel River, which provided them with salmon, Pacific lamprey, freshwater clams, steelhead and trout. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But when settlers came, the damming of the river cut off her community’s ability to provide food for themselves. The prospect of taking the dams down means being able to reclaim their ancestral relationship to the land. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But when settlers came, the damming of the river cut off her community’s ability to provide food for themselves. The prospect of taking the dams down means being able to reclaim their ancestral relationship to the land. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s really important for our indigenous people to be connected to our culture. And so for us to be well and to be supported, we need our culture back,” Whipple said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Eel River stretches nearly 200 miles north, from its headwaters in the rugged forests of Mendocino National Forest to Humboldt Bay, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Eel River stretches nearly 200 miles north, from its headwaters in the rugged forests of Mendocino National Forest to Humboldt Bay, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two dams near its headwaters restrict the flow, forming Lake Pillsbury and the Van Arsdale Reservoir. For over 100 years, these dams have generated electricity via the Potter Valley Project. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Two dams near its headwaters restrict the flow, forming Lake Pillsbury and the Van Arsdale Reservoir. For over 100 years, these dams have generated electricity via the Potter Valley Project. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After PG&E announced they would not be renewing their license to operate the Potter Valley Project, a multi-year debate ensued, with government agencies, county water boards, environmental organizations and Native American Tribes vying for a seat at the table to decide what would happen next.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Conservation groups like \u003ca href=\"https://caltrout.org\">California Trout \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://eelriver.org\">Friends of the Eel River\u003c/a> pushed for unobstructed flows to benefit local fish like native Coho, Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Conservation groups like \u003ca href=\"https://caltrout.org\">California Trout \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://eelriver.org\">Friends of the Eel River\u003c/a> pushed for unobstructed flows to benefit local fish like native Coho, Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Salmon populations on the Eel have declined 95% from pre-Gold Rush levels, where annual salmon runs once numbered in the millions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Salmon populations on the Eel have declined 95% from pre-Gold Rush levels, where annual salmon runs once numbered in the millions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After more than five years of debate about the prospect of removing the dams, a collection of government agencies, environmental groups, tribes and the power company PG&E reached a compromise: the Two Basin Solution. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under this agreement, the dams would come down, local fish would gain access to hundreds of miles of new habitat in the headwaters, and some water diversions would continue. A new management agency was created: \u003ca href=\"https://www.eelrussianauthority.org\">The Eel Russian Project Authority (ERPA)\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under this agreement, the dams would come down, local fish would gain access to hundreds of miles of new habitat in the headwaters, and some water diversions would continue. A new management agency was created: \u003ca href=\"https://www.eelrussianauthority.org\">The Eel Russian Project Authority (ERPA)\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of the Eel River from Route 162, on the way to the Round Valley Reservation where Nicole Whipple lives.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alicia Hamann, Friends of the Eel River’s executive director, called the agreement a “really big deal” because so many different interests settled on it, and because an undammed river would increase native fish habitat by hundreds of miles. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Alicia Hamann, Friends of the Eel River’s executive director, called the agreement a “really big deal” because so many different interests settled on it, and because an undammed river would increase native fish habitat by hundreds of miles. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Round Valley Indian Tribes have a seat on ERPA’s five-member board, alongside Sonoma Water, the County of Sonoma and the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We finally get to play the lead role on our land, the place where our ancestors came from,” Round Valley Tribal President Joseph Parker said, adding that they have been advocating for dam removal since the 1970s. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the plan, the local industry’s needs are also taken into consideration. South of the Eel River basin in Sonoma County, local winegrowers and farmers have long relied on water diversions from the Eel River into the Russian River in order to water their crops. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under the plan, the local industry’s needs are also taken into consideration. South of the Eel River basin in Sonoma County, local winegrowers and farmers have long relied on water diversions from the Eel River into the Russian River in order to water their crops. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Potter-Valley-Powerhouse-aerial-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096005\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The power station for the Potter Valley Project was placed offline due to a failed inspection in 2021.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Potter-Valley-Powerhouse-aerial-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096005\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The power station for the Potter Valley Project was placed offline due to a failed inspection in 2021.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As part of the new agreement, ERPA would lease a portion of the river water from the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who would receive a fee for continued water diversions into the Russian River. A new pump station would be built to facilitate the new diversions. ERPA would determine the amount of water diverted from the Eel to the Russian based on seasonal water levels and state and federal laws. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As part of the new agreement, ERPA would lease a portion of the river water from the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who would receive a fee for continued water diversions into the Russian River. A new pump station would be built to facilitate the new diversions. ERPA would determine the amount of water diverted from the Eel to the Russian based on seasonal water levels and state and federal laws. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Round Valley Indian Tribes’ attorney Erica Costa said that the tribes already hold federal water rights to the Eel River. What’s changing is that state-based water rights currently controlled by PG&E would transfer back to them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“For over a century, this water has left the Eel River basin and gone somewhere else at the expense of the tribes,” Costa said. “So one of the main goals for the tribe and the water diversion agreement is switching that paradigm.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Returning to a free river\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pottervalleywater.org/history.html\">Potter Valley Project\u003c/a> was constructed in the early 1900s, its hydroelectric power supply was needed for the growing nearby city of Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pottervalleywater.org/history.html\">Potter Valley Project\u003c/a> was constructed in the early 1900s, its hydroelectric power supply was needed for the growing nearby city of Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even though the power plant was taken offline in 2021, the physical dam removal is still a long way off, remaining vulnerable to political whims.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view overlooking the main stem of the Eel River.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In April 2026, the President Trump-appointed Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, announced a plan that would have derailed the dam removal, saying that a Southern California water district wanted to buy the Potter Valley Project. But the plan was ultimately rejected by federal regulators.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the summer of 2025, PG&E submitted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/potter-valley-hydroelectric-project\">application to surrender and decommission the Potter Valley Project \u003c/a>to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. That application is currently under review, a process that will take several years. According to PG&E, there is currently an open National Environmental Policy Act comment period, which ends on Sept. 18, 2026 (comments can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/how-file-ecomment\">submitted online\u003c/a>). \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the summer of 2025, PG&E submitted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/potter-valley-hydroelectric-project\">application to surrender and decommission the Potter Valley Project \u003c/a>to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. That application is currently under review, a process that will take several years. According to PG&E, there is currently an open National Environmental Policy Act comment period, which ends on Sept. 18, 2026 (comments can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/how-file-ecomment\">submitted online\u003c/a>). \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the physical dam removals on the Eel River go according to plan, California’s Eel River will be among the U.S.’s longest free-flowing rivers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "If the dam removal goes as planned, the Northern California waterway will be one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the U.S.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>During the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, PG&E was conducting a routine inspection of a hydroelectric dam on Northern Mendocino’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12009555/the-great-redwood-trail\">Eel River \u003c/a>— when it discovered a problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A key component in their power generation system needed a pricey fix — one that could cost the utility up to $15 million. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The power company already knew that the Potter Valley Project, which included two dams on the Eel River, didn’t balance economically. It barely powered 750 homes and was expensive to operate. So when no buyers came forward to offload the 100-year-old hydroelectric system, PG&E submitted an application to the federal government to decommission the project — in other words, take down the dams for good.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ PG&E likes dams, right? I mean, we are a hydro generating company,” said Janet Walther, director of hydro licensing and compliance for the company. “However, there are times, as Potter Valley is one of those, where a dam may no longer make sense.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1498\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094561\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-AW-01-1536x1150.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Eel River snakes along in Trinity County. (Courtesy of Anthony Wells)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The reasons for the proposed dam removals may seem mundane and practical, but the change would be existential for the local industry, wildlife and people. If the dam removals do happen, the Eel River would be transformed into the longest free-flowing river in California. But the planned removals, which wouldn’t take place until the 2030s, are vulnerable to political whims and bureaucratic obstacles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need our free-flowing water,” said Nicole Whipple, member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes based in Covelo, a remote section of Northern Mendocino County. She said that for centuries, her people were “very wealthy in their food and resources” because of the Eel River, which provided them with salmon, Pacific lamprey, freshwater clams, steelhead and trout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But when settlers came, the damming of the river cut off her community’s ability to provide food for themselves. The prospect of taking the dams down means being able to reclaim their ancestral relationship to the land. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s really important for our indigenous people to be connected to our culture. And so for us to be well and to be supported, we need our culture back,” Whipple said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The origin of the Eel River dams\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Eel River stretches nearly 200 miles north, from its headwaters in the rugged forests of Mendocino National Forest to Humboldt Bay, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two dams near its headwaters restrict the flow, forming Lake Pillsbury and the Van Arsdale Reservoir. For over 100 years, these dams have generated electricity via the Potter Valley Project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After PG&E announced they would not be renewing their license to operate the Potter Valley Project, a multi-year debate ensued, with government agencies, county water boards, environmental organizations and Native American Tribes vying for a seat at the table to decide what would happen next.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Conservation groups like \u003ca href=\"https://caltrout.org\">California Trout \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://eelriver.org\">Friends of the Eel River\u003c/a> pushed for unobstructed flows to benefit local fish like native Coho, Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Salmon populations on the Eel have declined 95% from pre-Gold Rush levels, where annual salmon runs once numbered in the millions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ‘two-basin solution’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After more than five years of debate about the prospect of removing the dams, a collection of government agencies, environmental groups, tribes and the power company PG&E reached a compromise: the Two Basin Solution. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under this agreement, the dams would come down, local fish would gain access to hundreds of miles of new habitat in the headwaters, and some water diversions would continue. A new management agency was created: \u003ca href=\"https://www.eelrussianauthority.org\">The Eel Russian Project Authority (ERPA)\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094569\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-06-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view of the Eel River from Route 162, on the way to the Round Valley Reservation where Nicole Whipple lives. (Sam Anderson for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alicia Hamann, Friends of the Eel River’s executive director, called the agreement a “really big deal” because so many different interests settled on it, and because an undammed river would increase native fish habitat by hundreds of miles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Round Valley Indian Tribes have a seat on ERPA’s five-member board, alongside Sonoma Water, the County of Sonoma and the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We finally get to play the lead role on our land, the place where our ancestors came from,” Round Valley Tribal President Joseph Parker said, adding that they have been advocating for dam removal since the 1970s. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the plan, the local industry’s needs are also taken into consideration. South of the Eel River basin in Sonoma County, local winegrowers and farmers have long relied on water diversions from the Eel River into the Russian River in order to water their crops. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/Potter-Valley-Powerhouse-aerial-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096005\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The power station for the Potter Valley Project was placed offline due to a failed inspection in 2021.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As part of the new agreement, ERPA would lease a portion of the river water from the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who would receive a fee for continued water diversions into the Russian River. A new pump station would be built to facilitate the new diversions. ERPA would determine the amount of water diverted from the Eel to the Russian based on seasonal water levels and state and federal laws. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Round Valley Indian Tribes’ attorney Erica Costa said that the tribes already hold federal water rights to the Eel River. What’s changing is that state-based water rights currently controlled by PG&E would transfer back to them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For over a century, this water has left the Eel River basin and gone somewhere else at the expense of the tribes,” Costa said. “So one of the main goals for the tribe and the water diversion agreement is switching that paradigm.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Returning to a free river\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When the \u003ca href=\"https://www.pottervalleywater.org/history.html\">Potter Valley Project\u003c/a> was constructed in the early 1900s, its hydroelectric power supply was needed for the growing nearby city of Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even though the power plant was taken offline in 2021, the physical dam removal is still a long way off, remaining vulnerable to political whims.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094564\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/241014-GREAT-REDWOOD-TRAIL-SA-01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A view overlooking the main stem of the Eel River. (Sam Anderson for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April 2026, the President Trump-appointed Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, announced a plan that would have derailed the dam removal, saying that a Southern California water district wanted to buy the Potter Valley Project. But the plan was ultimately rejected by federal regulators.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the summer of 2025, PG&E submitted its \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/potter-valley-hydroelectric-project\">application to surrender and decommission the Potter Valley Project \u003c/a>to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. That application is currently under review, a process that will take several years. According to PG&E, there is currently an open National Environmental Policy Act comment period, which ends on Sept. 18, 2026 (comments can be \u003ca href=\"https://www.ferc.gov/how-file-ecomment\">submitted online\u003c/a>). \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the physical dam removals on the Eel River go according to plan, California’s Eel River will be among the U.S.’s longest free-flowing rivers.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Billionaire Tax Has Strong Support of Democratic Voters, New Poll Shows",
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"headTitle": "California Billionaire Tax Has Strong Support of Democratic Voters, New Poll Shows | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>California Democrats are strongly backing a proposal to levy a one-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">tax on billionaires\u003c/a> and opposing a measure that would require voters to present ID at the ballot box, according to a new UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026. Sanders is seeking the support of California voters for a November ballot initiative of an emergency tax on billionaires to help the state’s healthcare system. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the poll suggests strong support for the billionaire tax among Democratic voters, the measure has split the party’s political establishment. It narrowly won the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093726/california-democratic-party-endorses-billionaire-tax-splitting-with-newsom\">endorsement of the California Democratic Party\u003c/a> and is backed by the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW West, but it is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, in addition to a group of billionaires. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1322\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Healthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. Healthcare workers and allies outlined the next steps in their effort to get California’s Billionaire Tax on the ballot for the November election, with their efforts already exceeding 1,500,000 signatures collected from across the state. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both measures were written so they would supersede Proposition 40 if they receive more votes than the billionaire wealth tax. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026. Sanders is seeking the support of California voters for a November ballot initiative of an emergency tax on billionaires to help the state’s healthcare system.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Healthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. Healthcare workers and allies outlined the next steps in their effort to get California’s Billionaire Tax on the ballot for the November election, with their efforts already exceeding 1,500,000 signatures collected from across the state. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both measures were written so they would supersede Proposition 40 if they receive more votes than the billionaire wealth tax. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Proposition 40, which would levy a one-time tax on billionaires, holds a narrow lead among likely voters overall. The poll also shows Proposition 39, a voter ID proposal, trailing.",
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"title": "California Billionaire Tax Has Strong Support of Democratic Voters, New Poll Shows | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California Democrats are strongly backing a proposal to levy a one-time \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">tax on billionaires\u003c/a> and opposing a measure that would require voters to present ID at the ballot box, according to a new UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the overall likely November electorate, the tax measure labeled Proposition 40 holds a narrow lead, 48% to 41%, the survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies found. Opinions about the proposed 5% tax on billionaires’ overall wealth — which would be used to backfill cuts to federal healthcare funding — were highly partisan: 70% of Democrats say they’ll back it, with 80% of Republicans opposed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voters with no party preference were more evenly split, with 50% saying they’ll vote yes and 39% saying they’ll vote no. Overall, 11% of likely voters told IGS pollsters they are still undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/CaliforniaBillionairesTaxGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A T-shirt with a campaign message is seen before the start of a rally led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during the campaign kickoff for the California Billionaire Tax Act at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, on Feb. 18, 2026. Sanders is seeking the support of California voters for a November ballot initiative of an emergency tax on billionaires to help the state’s healthcare system. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the poll suggests strong support for the billionaire tax among Democratic voters, the measure has split the party’s political establishment. It narrowly won the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12093726/california-democratic-party-endorses-billionaire-tax-splitting-with-newsom\">endorsement of the California Democratic Party\u003c/a> and is backed by the healthcare workers union SEIU-UHW West, but it is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and some labor unions, in addition to a group of billionaires. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the survey indicates that Proposition 40’s backers will need to rely on more liberal voters to succeed in passing the tax.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These results suggest that the billionaires tax initiative is shaping up to be a closely fought contest, with the key question being whether opponents can make big enough inroads among the state’s traditionally Democratic-leaning voters,” Schickler said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said voter opinions on Proposition 39, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081404/voter-id-initiative-qualifies-for-californias-november-election\">voter ID measure\u003c/a> put on the ballot by state Republicans, are even more partisan and ideological, with 80% of Democrats opposed and 93% of Republicans in favor. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure is trailing in the poll, with 51% of likely voters saying they will vote against it and 42% in support. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 39 would require voters to show a government-issued ID if they vote in person, or write the last four digits of an ID on a mail-in ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schickler said opponents of that initiative “have already started to solidify making it a more typical Democratic-Republican fight, in which Democrats in California generally hold the advantage.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Given Democrats’ strong registration advantage in California, it may be difficult for Republicans to close that gap: Just 7% of likely voters told IGS they don’t yet know how they will vote on the voter ID measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The poll also asked likely voters about two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088883/california-billionaire-tax-november-ballot-measures\">other ballot measures\u003c/a>, authored by a group of billionaires who oppose the wealth tax, that are aimed at nullifying the billionaire tax if it passes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 41 would prohibit new taxes enacted after Jan. 1 of this year — when Proposition 40 would retroactively take effect; Proposition 42 would prohibit both wealth taxes like Proposition 40 and any retroactive taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1322\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081506\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/BillionaireTaxGetty-1536x1015.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Healthcare workers and other supporters with the Billionaire Tax Now coalition hold placards during a media briefing in Los Angeles on April 27, 2026. Healthcare workers and allies outlined the next steps in their effort to get California’s Billionaire Tax on the ballot for the November election, with their efforts already exceeding 1,500,000 signatures collected from across the state. The initiative would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both measures were written so they would supersede Proposition 40 if they receive more votes than the billionaire wealth tax. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>IGS found likely voters had no clear consensus around the measures, and that many had never heard of them. That’s in contrast to the proposed billionaire tax, which more than 70% of likely voters are aware of despite the fact that the campaigns for and against it have not yet kicked off in earnest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 among 4,207 registered voters; a sample of 2,310 were considered likely voters in the November general election.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-jose-weighs-data-center-benefits-as-residents-raise-environmental-concerns",
"title": "San José Weighs Data Center Benefits as Residents Raise Environmental Concerns",
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"headTitle": "San José Weighs Data Center Benefits as Residents Raise Environmental Concerns | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>San José wants \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">data center developers\u003c/a> to pay for something beyond the buildings themselves: parks, job training, affordable housing, home solar and clean energy programs in the neighborhoods that end up living next to them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A City Council committee voted Wednesday to direct city staff to \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15752905&GUID=11893A51-FCE0-417A-8951-EC5579F2384E&G=920296E4-80BE-4CA2-A78F-32C5EFCF78AF\">fold community benefits\u003c/a> into their ongoing drafting of standards for data centers, and to study whether a share of the tax revenue those facilities generate could be reinvested in a defined area around each site.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember David Cohen framed it as filling a hole in work already underway. The city has been drafting \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15547954&GUID=A36CDEFA-BA9E-4B3B-BD22-1A00AB49745A\">environmental standards\u003c/a> since June, and he said the authors realized they should stipulate what residents might get in return.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The decision reflects a growing challenge as Silicon Valley leaders try to square the economic benefits of a growing data center industry with mounting concerns from residents who live near the projects. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">Gallup\u003c/a> poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half who are strongly opposed. About a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049894\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a July 25, 2025, press conference in North San José about a partnership with PG&E intended to attract more data center development to the city. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Compared to other Bay Area cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley, which have restricted\u003c/a> data center construction, San José has historically been more open to tech-related development and is already home to about 25 data centers as of last summer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city struck a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">partnership with PG&E\u003c/a> that guaranteed power for 10 large projects and stopped the city’s plans to build its own utility. PG&E committed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/pge\">investing $2.6 billion \u003c/a>in South Bay infrastructure between 2026 and 2035. City officials estimated then that each data center could generate $3.4 million to $6.8 million a year for the city in utility and property taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José is now reviewing 11 more Data Center projects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Downtown, developers want to stack them vertically alongside housing. A proposal at 180 Park Ave. would put an 11-story data center next to a 28-story residential tower and an expansion of The Tech Interactive science museum. Another project, at 300 S. First St., pairs a seven-story data center with three 30-story towers holding 1,164 apartments. A third, at 323 Terraine St., offers the city a choice between a residential building alone or a version that adds a seven-story data center beneath 345 units.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developers have also pitched standalone data center projects in North and South San José, with the substations, water tanks and generator yards visible from the street.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A project at 2549 Orchard Parkway would put two four-story buildings totaling 630,000 square feet on 22 acres, with three water-storage tanks, its own substation and a PG&E switching station. One on West Trimble Boulevard would remove 224 trees for a building with 21 generators and a private substation. Three more are pending in the south, near Highway 85 and Silver Creek, including a 516,000-square-foot facility on Silver Creek Valley Road and a 444,436-square-foot building proposed for Great Oaks Parkway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects#!/\">city’s list shows eight data center\u003c/a> applications under review and three approved. Several of the largest — approved and pending alike — are capped at 99 megawatts. Data centers are often sized that way to stay \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">under the 100-megawatt threshold\u003c/a> that triggers stricter state oversight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Message-from-Mayor-Matt.html?soid=1140225190588&aid=MQ9jlS7apXw\">July newsletter\u003c/a> to residents, San José Mayor Matt Mahan said that data centers generate stable revenue for the general fund and that a large facility should produce millions annually for police, firefighters, parks, libraries and roads.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But revenue cannot be a permission slip to ignore quality of life or harm the environment,” Mahan wrote. “A project that creates economic value while shifting environmental or other costs to nearby families is not a good deal.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the Wednesday evening meeting, Lena Drape, speaking for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, asked the committee to go beyond the memo and stop accepting and processing new applications until the standards are approved. Compared with pausing, Drape said, it is more expensive for the city to continue taking proposals with the intention of revisiting them later.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pedestrians walk past City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This would also address what is clearly an unintended reverse incentive for rushed applications to be submitted now before sound regulations are in place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José resident Evan Brooks told the committee that a rezoning effort tied to the marketing of a site for a data center is scheduled for council action Aug. 18 — one day before the city’s first community listening session on the standards.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If entitlements move first, projects filed in the interim escape rules the council has already determined are necessary,” Brooks said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Christopher Burton, the city’s planning director, said a special use permit takes longer than six months to move through review, and that anything filed now would not reach a hearing before February or March. Cohen added that a new data center requires its own environmental impact report, pushing the timeline out at least a year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many residents who addressed the committee said the timeline was beside the point. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037773\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Flags at City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The trade-off you’re asking us to accept is in exchange for some tax investment for our community to shoulder the health burdens imposed by AI data centers,” Dash Leeds, the conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, said, arguing that infrasound and generator emissions cannot be mitigated away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jasmine Jordan, a design student at San José State University, told the committee the buildings will cost her generation more than they deliver. She said the artificial intelligence economy has shrunk the entry-level job market she and her classmates are graduating into, and “the building of data centers in San José will destroy our environment further than it already has been.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than a \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15763923&GUID=3FBB3136-EB6C-4004-B29F-CF0885D0B501\">dozen letters \u003c/a>came in ahead of the meeting. Mani Bekele, writing for the city’s Climate Advisory Commission in July, urged the council to publish a live public dashboard of every existing, approved and proposed project, listing megawatt demand, water use, backup-generator capacity, revenue to date and permanent jobs created. The commission asked for numerical thresholds, rather than what it called “aspirational language,” and for a rule barring city staff, councilmembers and the mayor from signing nondisclosure agreements with developers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Manuel Pineda, a deputy city manager overseeing energy projects, laid out an engagement plan that has been running since late July, involving small meetings already held with groups including the Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front and the local chapters of two building trades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials said they hope to replicate past partnerships that they say have brought benefit to the community. For example, in 2021, after four years of negotiations on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069836/googles-once-grand-vision-for-downtown-west-in-san-jose-still-on-hold-apparently\">Google’s Downtown West campus\u003c/a>, the city announced a $200 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868310/google-san-jose-development-deal-includes-200-million-in-housing-funds\">community benefits package\u003c/a>, including $150 million for preserving affordable housing, fighting homelessness and preventing displacement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The campus was set to bring 4,000 homes, 600 of them affordable and 15 acres of open space. City officials had approved a $110 million sale of public land to Google in 2018, and housing advocates spent the subsequent years organizing over what the project would do to a city already struggling with affordability.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the time, Maria Noel Fernandez, then-campaign director for Silicon Valley Rising, heralded the deal as endowing grassroots leaders in neighborhoods at risk of displacement with money and real decision-making power. She said it set a new model for how tech development could keep families housed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/why-data-centers-in-san-jose/data-centers-and-large-energy-project-uniform-standards\">first public listening session\u003c/a> around data center community benefits is Aug. 19 from 6-8 p.m. in the City Hall wing rooms, followed by working sessions, a developer roundtable and a Stanford University polling effort through September. Staff will offer small-group meetings to anyone who signs up and will bring a summary of every comment received when the standards return to the council in December.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José City Councilmember Domingo Candelas said he plans to hold his own meetings in his district.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This isn’t the final opportunity to review, supplement or modify,” he said. “But I think it’s important that we have an opportunity to engage our residents.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José wants \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">data center developers\u003c/a> to pay for something beyond the buildings themselves: parks, job training, affordable housing, home solar and clean energy programs in the neighborhoods that end up living next to them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A City Council committee voted Wednesday to direct city staff to \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15752905&GUID=11893A51-FCE0-417A-8951-EC5579F2384E&G=920296E4-80BE-4CA2-A78F-32C5EFCF78AF\">fold community benefits\u003c/a> into their ongoing drafting of standards for data centers, and to study whether a share of the tax revenue those facilities generate could be reinvested in a defined area around each site.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A City Council committee voted Wednesday to direct city staff to \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15752905&GUID=11893A51-FCE0-417A-8951-EC5579F2384E&G=920296E4-80BE-4CA2-A78F-32C5EFCF78AF\">fold community benefits\u003c/a> into their ongoing drafting of standards for data centers, and to study whether a share of the tax revenue those facilities generate could be reinvested in a defined area around each site.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Councilmember David Cohen framed it as filling a hole in work already underway. The city has been drafting \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15547954&GUID=A36CDEFA-BA9E-4B3B-BD22-1A00AB49745A\">environmental standards\u003c/a> since June, and he said the authors realized they should stipulate what residents might get in return.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Councilmember David Cohen framed it as filling a hole in work already underway. The city has been drafting \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15547954&GUID=A36CDEFA-BA9E-4B3B-BD22-1A00AB49745A\">environmental standards\u003c/a> since June, and he said the authors realized they should stipulate what residents might get in return.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The decision reflects a growing challenge as Silicon Valley leaders try to square the economic benefits of a growing data center industry with mounting concerns from residents who live near the projects. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">Gallup\u003c/a> poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half who are strongly opposed. About a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The decision reflects a growing challenge as Silicon Valley leaders try to square the economic benefits of a growing data center industry with mounting concerns from residents who live near the projects. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">Gallup\u003c/a> poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half who are strongly opposed. About a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049894\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a July 25, 2025, press conference in North San José about a partnership with PG&E intended to attract more data center development to the city. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049894\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a July 25, 2025, press conference in North San José about a partnership with PG&E intended to attract more data center development to the city. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Compared to other Bay Area cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley, which have restricted\u003c/a> data center construction, San José has historically been more open to tech-related development and is already home to about 25 data centers as of last summer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Compared to other Bay Area cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley, which have restricted\u003c/a> data center construction, San José has historically been more open to tech-related development and is already home to about 25 data centers as of last summer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city struck a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">partnership with PG&E\u003c/a> that guaranteed power for 10 large projects and stopped the city’s plans to build its own utility. PG&E committed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/pge\">investing $2.6 billion \u003c/a>in South Bay infrastructure between 2026 and 2035. City officials estimated then that each data center could generate $3.4 million to $6.8 million a year for the city in utility and property taxes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city struck a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">partnership with PG&E\u003c/a> that guaranteed power for 10 large projects and stopped the city’s plans to build its own utility. PG&E committed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/pge\">investing $2.6 billion \u003c/a>in South Bay infrastructure between 2026 and 2035. City officials estimated then that each data center could generate $3.4 million to $6.8 million a year for the city in utility and property taxes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José is now reviewing 11 more Data Center projects.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San José is now reviewing 11 more Data Center projects.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Downtown, developers want to stack them vertically alongside housing. A proposal at 180 Park Ave. would put an 11-story data center next to a 28-story residential tower and an expansion of The Tech Interactive science museum. Another project, at 300 S. First St., pairs a seven-story data center with three 30-story towers holding 1,164 apartments. A third, at 323 Terraine St., offers the city a choice between a residential building alone or a version that adds a seven-story data center beneath 345 units.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Downtown, developers want to stack them vertically alongside housing. A proposal at 180 Park Ave. would put an 11-story data center next to a 28-story residential tower and an expansion of The Tech Interactive science museum. Another project, at 300 S. First St., pairs a seven-story data center with three 30-story towers holding 1,164 apartments. A third, at 323 Terraine St., offers the city a choice between a residential building alone or a version that adds a seven-story data center beneath 345 units.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Developers have also pitched standalone data center projects in North and South San José, with the substations, water tanks and generator yards visible from the street.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Developers have also pitched standalone data center projects in North and South San José, with the substations, water tanks and generator yards visible from the street.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A project at 2549 Orchard Parkway would put two four-story buildings totaling 630,000 square feet on 22 acres, with three water-storage tanks, its own substation and a PG&E switching station. One on West Trimble Boulevard would remove 224 trees for a building with 21 generators and a private substation. Three more are pending in the south, near Highway 85 and Silver Creek, including a 516,000-square-foot facility on Silver Creek Valley Road and a 444,436-square-foot building proposed for Great Oaks Parkway.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A project at 2549 Orchard Parkway would put two four-story buildings totaling 630,000 square feet on 22 acres, with three water-storage tanks, its own substation and a PG&E switching station. One on West Trimble Boulevard would remove 224 trees for a building with 21 generators and a private substation. Three more are pending in the south, near Highway 85 and Silver Creek, including a 516,000-square-foot facility on Silver Creek Valley Road and a 444,436-square-foot building proposed for Great Oaks Parkway.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects#!/\">city’s list shows eight data center\u003c/a> applications under review and three approved. Several of the largest — approved and pending alike — are capped at 99 megawatts. Data centers are often sized that way to stay \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">under the 100-megawatt threshold\u003c/a> that triggers stricter state oversight.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects#!/\">city’s list shows eight data center\u003c/a> applications under review and three approved. Several of the largest — approved and pending alike — are capped at 99 megawatts. Data centers are often sized that way to stay \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">under the 100-megawatt threshold\u003c/a> that triggers stricter state oversight.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Message-from-Mayor-Matt.html?soid=1140225190588&aid=MQ9jlS7apXw\">July newsletter\u003c/a> to residents, San José Mayor Matt Mahan said that data centers generate stable revenue for the general fund and that a large facility should produce millions annually for police, firefighters, parks, libraries and roads.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Message-from-Mayor-Matt.html?soid=1140225190588&aid=MQ9jlS7apXw\">July newsletter\u003c/a> to residents, San José Mayor Matt Mahan said that data centers generate stable revenue for the general fund and that a large facility should produce millions annually for police, firefighters, parks, libraries and roads.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But revenue cannot be a permission slip to ignore quality of life or harm the environment,” Mahan wrote. “A project that creates economic value while shifting environmental or other costs to nearby families is not a good deal.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“But revenue cannot be a permission slip to ignore quality of life or harm the environment,” Mahan wrote. “A project that creates economic value while shifting environmental or other costs to nearby families is not a good deal.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the Wednesday evening meeting, Lena Drape, speaking for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, asked the committee to go beyond the memo and stop accepting and processing new applications until the standards are approved. Compared with pausing, Drape said, it is more expensive for the city to continue taking proposals with the intention of revisiting them later.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the Wednesday evening meeting, Lena Drape, speaking for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, asked the committee to go beyond the memo and stop accepting and processing new applications until the standards are approved. Compared with pausing, Drape said, it is more expensive for the city to continue taking proposals with the intention of revisiting them later.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pedestrians walk past City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This would also address what is clearly an unintended reverse incentive for rushed applications to be submitted now before sound regulations are in place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José resident Evan Brooks told the committee that a rezoning effort tied to the marketing of a site for a data center is scheduled for council action Aug. 18 — one day before the city’s first community listening session on the standards.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San José resident Evan Brooks told the committee that a rezoning effort tied to the marketing of a site for a data center is scheduled for council action Aug. 18 — one day before the city’s first community listening session on the standards.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If entitlements move first, projects filed in the interim escape rules the council has already determined are necessary,” Brooks said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If entitlements move first, projects filed in the interim escape rules the council has already determined are necessary,” Brooks said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Christopher Burton, the city’s planning director, said a special use permit takes longer than six months to move through review, and that anything filed now would not reach a hearing before February or March. Cohen added that a new data center requires its own environmental impact report, pushing the timeline out at least a year.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Christopher Burton, the city’s planning director, said a special use permit takes longer than six months to move through review, and that anything filed now would not reach a hearing before February or March. Cohen added that a new data center requires its own environmental impact report, pushing the timeline out at least a year.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Many residents who addressed the committee said the timeline was beside the point. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037773\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Flags at City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The trade-off you’re asking us to accept is in exchange for some tax investment for our community to shoulder the health burdens imposed by AI data centers,” Dash Leeds, the conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, said, arguing that infrasound and generator emissions cannot be mitigated away.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The trade-off you’re asking us to accept is in exchange for some tax investment for our community to shoulder the health burdens imposed by AI data centers,” Dash Leeds, the conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, said, arguing that infrasound and generator emissions cannot be mitigated away.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jasmine Jordan, a design student at San José State University, told the committee the buildings will cost her generation more than they deliver. She said the artificial intelligence economy has shrunk the entry-level job market she and her classmates are graduating into, and “the building of data centers in San José will destroy our environment further than it already has been.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jasmine Jordan, a design student at San José State University, told the committee the buildings will cost her generation more than they deliver. She said the artificial intelligence economy has shrunk the entry-level job market she and her classmates are graduating into, and “the building of data centers in San José will destroy our environment further than it already has been.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More than a \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15763923&GUID=3FBB3136-EB6C-4004-B29F-CF0885D0B501\">dozen letters \u003c/a>came in ahead of the meeting. Mani Bekele, writing for the city’s Climate Advisory Commission in July, urged the council to publish a live public dashboard of every existing, approved and proposed project, listing megawatt demand, water use, backup-generator capacity, revenue to date and permanent jobs created. The commission asked for numerical thresholds, rather than what it called “aspirational language,” and for a rule barring city staff, councilmembers and the mayor from signing nondisclosure agreements with developers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>More than a \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15763923&GUID=3FBB3136-EB6C-4004-B29F-CF0885D0B501\">dozen letters \u003c/a>came in ahead of the meeting. Mani Bekele, writing for the city’s Climate Advisory Commission in July, urged the council to publish a live public dashboard of every existing, approved and proposed project, listing megawatt demand, water use, backup-generator capacity, revenue to date and permanent jobs created. The commission asked for numerical thresholds, rather than what it called “aspirational language,” and for a rule barring city staff, councilmembers and the mayor from signing nondisclosure agreements with developers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Manuel Pineda, a deputy city manager overseeing energy projects, laid out an engagement plan that has been running since late July, involving small meetings already held with groups including the Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front and the local chapters of two building trades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Manuel Pineda, a deputy city manager overseeing energy projects, laid out an engagement plan that has been running since late July, involving small meetings already held with groups including the Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front and the local chapters of two building trades. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Officials said they hope to replicate past partnerships that they say have brought benefit to the community. For example, in 2021, after four years of negotiations on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069836/googles-once-grand-vision-for-downtown-west-in-san-jose-still-on-hold-apparently\">Google’s Downtown West campus\u003c/a>, the city announced a $200 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868310/google-san-jose-development-deal-includes-200-million-in-housing-funds\">community benefits package\u003c/a>, including $150 million for preserving affordable housing, fighting homelessness and preventing displacement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Officials said they hope to replicate past partnerships that they say have brought benefit to the community. For example, in 2021, after four years of negotiations on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069836/googles-once-grand-vision-for-downtown-west-in-san-jose-still-on-hold-apparently\">Google’s Downtown West campus\u003c/a>, the city announced a $200 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868310/google-san-jose-development-deal-includes-200-million-in-housing-funds\">community benefits package\u003c/a>, including $150 million for preserving affordable housing, fighting homelessness and preventing displacement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The campus was set to bring 4,000 homes, 600 of them affordable and 15 acres of open space. City officials had approved a $110 million sale of public land to Google in 2018, and housing advocates spent the subsequent years organizing over what the project would do to a city already struggling with affordability.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The campus was set to bring 4,000 homes, 600 of them affordable and 15 acres of open space. City officials had approved a $110 million sale of public land to Google in 2018, and housing advocates spent the subsequent years organizing over what the project would do to a city already struggling with affordability.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the time, Maria Noel Fernandez, then-campaign director for Silicon Valley Rising, heralded the deal as endowing grassroots leaders in neighborhoods at risk of displacement with money and real decision-making power. She said it set a new model for how tech development could keep families housed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the time, Maria Noel Fernandez, then-campaign director for Silicon Valley Rising, heralded the deal as endowing grassroots leaders in neighborhoods at risk of displacement with money and real decision-making power. She said it set a new model for how tech development could keep families housed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/why-data-centers-in-san-jose/data-centers-and-large-energy-project-uniform-standards\">first public listening session\u003c/a> around data center community benefits is Aug. 19 from 6-8 p.m. in the City Hall wing rooms, followed by working sessions, a developer roundtable and a Stanford University polling effort through September. Staff will offer small-group meetings to anyone who signs up and will bring a summary of every comment received when the standards return to the council in December.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/why-data-centers-in-san-jose/data-centers-and-large-energy-project-uniform-standards\">first public listening session\u003c/a> around data center community benefits is Aug. 19 from 6-8 p.m. in the City Hall wing rooms, followed by working sessions, a developer roundtable and a Stanford University polling effort through September. Staff will offer small-group meetings to anyone who signs up and will bring a summary of every comment received when the standards return to the council in December.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San José City Councilmember Domingo Candelas said he plans to hold his own meetings in his district.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This isn’t the final opportunity to review, supplement or modify,” he said. “But I think it’s important that we have an opportunity to engage our residents.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This isn’t the final opportunity to review, supplement or modify,” he said. “But I think it’s important that we have an opportunity to engage our residents.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Without hitting pause on development negotiations, a South Bay city committee voted Wednesday to consider community investments. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San José wants \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/data-centers\">data center developers\u003c/a> to pay for something beyond the buildings themselves: parks, job training, affordable housing, home solar and clean energy programs in the neighborhoods that end up living next to them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A City Council committee voted Wednesday to direct city staff to \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15752905&GUID=11893A51-FCE0-417A-8951-EC5579F2384E&G=920296E4-80BE-4CA2-A78F-32C5EFCF78AF\">fold community benefits\u003c/a> into their ongoing drafting of standards for data centers, and to study whether a share of the tax revenue those facilities generate could be reinvested in a defined area around each site.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember David Cohen framed it as filling a hole in work already underway. The city has been drafting \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15547954&GUID=A36CDEFA-BA9E-4B3B-BD22-1A00AB49745A\">environmental standards\u003c/a> since June, and he said the authors realized they should stipulate what residents might get in return.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The decision reflects a growing challenge as Silicon Valley leaders try to square the economic benefits of a growing data center industry with mounting concerns from residents who live near the projects. A recent \u003ca href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx\">Gallup\u003c/a> poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half who are strongly opposed. About a quarter favor these projects, with 7% strongly in favor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12049894\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a July 25, 2025, press conference in North San José about a partnership with PG&E intended to attract more data center development to the city. (Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Compared to other Bay Area cities, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076074/oakley-drops-data-center-plans-approves-massive-industrial-project\">Oakley, which have restricted\u003c/a> data center construction, San José has historically been more open to tech-related development and is already home to about 25 data centers as of last summer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city struck a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">partnership with PG&E\u003c/a> that guaranteed power for 10 large projects and stopped the city’s plans to build its own utility. PG&E committed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/pge\">investing $2.6 billion \u003c/a>in South Bay infrastructure between 2026 and 2035. City officials estimated then that each data center could generate $3.4 million to $6.8 million a year for the city in utility and property taxes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José is now reviewing 11 more Data Center projects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Downtown, developers want to stack them vertically alongside housing. A proposal at 180 Park Ave. would put an 11-story data center next to a 28-story residential tower and an expansion of The Tech Interactive science museum. Another project, at 300 S. First St., pairs a seven-story data center with three 30-story towers holding 1,164 apartments. A third, at 323 Terraine St., offers the city a choice between a residential building alone or a version that adds a seven-story data center beneath 345 units.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Developers have also pitched standalone data center projects in North and South San José, with the substations, water tanks and generator yards visible from the street.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A project at 2549 Orchard Parkway would put two four-story buildings totaling 630,000 square feet on 22 acres, with three water-storage tanks, its own substation and a PG&E switching station. One on West Trimble Boulevard would remove 224 trees for a building with 21 generators and a private substation. Three more are pending in the south, near Highway 85 and Silver Creek, including a 516,000-square-foot facility on Silver Creek Valley Road and a 444,436-square-foot building proposed for Great Oaks Parkway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/planning-building-code-enforcement/planning-division/data-center-and-other-large-energy-use-projects#!/\">city’s list shows eight data center\u003c/a> applications under review and three approved. Several of the largest — approved and pending alike — are capped at 99 megawatts. Data centers are often sized that way to stay \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12049830/san-jose-and-pge-strike-deal-to-attract-data-centers-to-south-bay\">under the 100-megawatt threshold\u003c/a> that triggers stricter state oversight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"https://myemail.constantcontact.com/A-Message-from-Mayor-Matt.html?soid=1140225190588&aid=MQ9jlS7apXw\">July newsletter\u003c/a> to residents, San José Mayor Matt Mahan said that data centers generate stable revenue for the general fund and that a large facility should produce millions annually for police, firefighters, parks, libraries and roads.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But revenue cannot be a permission slip to ignore quality of life or harm the environment,” Mahan wrote. “A project that creates economic value while shifting environmental or other costs to nearby families is not a good deal.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the Wednesday evening meeting, Lena Drape, speaking for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, asked the committee to go beyond the memo and stop accepting and processing new applications until the standards are approved. Compared with pausing, Drape said, it is more expensive for the city to continue taking proposals with the intention of revisiting them later.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12075969\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/20230801-SJCityHall-21-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pedestrians walk past City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This would also address what is clearly an unintended reverse incentive for rushed applications to be submitted now before sound regulations are in place,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José resident Evan Brooks told the committee that a rezoning effort tied to the marketing of a site for a data center is scheduled for council action Aug. 18 — one day before the city’s first community listening session on the standards.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If entitlements move first, projects filed in the interim escape rules the council has already determined are necessary,” Brooks said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Christopher Burton, the city’s planning director, said a special use permit takes longer than six months to move through review, and that anything filed now would not reach a hearing before February or March. Cohen added that a new data center requires its own environmental impact report, pushing the timeline out at least a year.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many residents who addressed the committee said the timeline was beside the point. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12037773\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20230801-SJCityHall-04-JY_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Flags at City Hall in San José, California, on Aug. 1, 2023. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The trade-off you’re asking us to accept is in exchange for some tax investment for our community to shoulder the health burdens imposed by AI data centers,” Dash Leeds, the conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, said, arguing that infrasound and generator emissions cannot be mitigated away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jasmine Jordan, a design student at San José State University, told the committee the buildings will cost her generation more than they deliver. She said the artificial intelligence economy has shrunk the entry-level job market she and her classmates are graduating into, and “the building of data centers in San José will destroy our environment further than it already has been.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than a \u003ca href=\"https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15763923&GUID=3FBB3136-EB6C-4004-B29F-CF0885D0B501\">dozen letters \u003c/a>came in ahead of the meeting. Mani Bekele, writing for the city’s Climate Advisory Commission in July, urged the council to publish a live public dashboard of every existing, approved and proposed project, listing megawatt demand, water use, backup-generator capacity, revenue to date and permanent jobs created. The commission asked for numerical thresholds, rather than what it called “aspirational language,” and for a rule barring city staff, councilmembers and the mayor from signing nondisclosure agreements with developers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Manuel Pineda, a deputy city manager overseeing energy projects, laid out an engagement plan that has been running since late July, involving small meetings already held with groups including the Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front and the local chapters of two building trades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials said they hope to replicate past partnerships that they say have brought benefit to the community. For example, in 2021, after four years of negotiations on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069836/googles-once-grand-vision-for-downtown-west-in-san-jose-still-on-hold-apparently\">Google’s Downtown West campus\u003c/a>, the city announced a $200 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868310/google-san-jose-development-deal-includes-200-million-in-housing-funds\">community benefits package\u003c/a>, including $150 million for preserving affordable housing, fighting homelessness and preventing displacement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The campus was set to bring 4,000 homes, 600 of them affordable and 15 acres of open space. City officials had approved a $110 million sale of public land to Google in 2018, and housing advocates spent the subsequent years organizing over what the project would do to a city already struggling with affordability.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the time, Maria Noel Fernandez, then-campaign director for Silicon Valley Rising, heralded the deal as endowing grassroots leaders in neighborhoods at risk of displacement with money and real decision-making power. She said it set a new model for how tech development could keep families housed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjeconomy.com/how-we-help/programs-and-services/why-data-centers-in-san-jose/data-centers-and-large-energy-project-uniform-standards\">first public listening session\u003c/a> around data center community benefits is Aug. 19 from 6-8 p.m. in the City Hall wing rooms, followed by working sessions, a developer roundtable and a Stanford University polling effort through September. Staff will offer small-group meetings to anyone who signs up and will bring a summary of every comment received when the standards return to the council in December.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San José City Councilmember Domingo Candelas said he plans to hold his own meetings in his district.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This isn’t the final opportunity to review, supplement or modify,” he said. “But I think it’s important that we have an opportunity to engage our residents.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Even as crews battle the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094533/big-sur-wildfire-map-evacuation-timber-fire-august-2026\">Timber Fire\u003c/a> and other wildfires across California, the state overall is at around just a quarter-million acres burned — making 2026 so far within the lowest 10% of years for acres burned in recent decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the scheme of things, this has been a relatively quiet year in California so far,” climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Daniel Swain said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/wxPHDkC1dIE\">livestream \u003c/a>briefing on Wednesday. “It is getting more active as we speak, and the peak of the season is probably still yet to come.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Swain said that the next few days are expected to bring much of the West isolated lightning storms, some fostering dry lightning, a term reserved for thunderstorms on this side of the Mississippi River that drop 0.10 inch or less of rainfall nearby. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094843\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A firefighter battles with flames as the Timber Fire continues in Big Sur, California, Aug. 10, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, a division of the U.S. Forest Service, notes that dry lightning is the \u003ca href=\"https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/lightningstrikes\">most common ignition source\u003c/a> for natural wildland fire, meaning tracking dry lightning storms is of interest to land managers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Big Sur could see some additional fire starts, as well as the eastern Sierra, the Tahoe-Reno area and some areas of Southern California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Looking past this week, forecasts indicate possible widespread dry lightning along northwest California, and into Oregon and Washington, through next week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Because there’s no indication of widespread rain up there between now and then, that could be a problem,” Swain said. “We might actually see an episode of fires break out in far northern California into the Pacific Northwest.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Swain said that there are already evacuation orders for the MP 18 Fire — referring to Mile Post 18 — north of Hoopa in Humboldt County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During his briefing, Swain highlighted lightning signatures above Big Sur, where the Timber Fire is currently raging. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire could cause enough damage to the watershed along steep slopes in the region that it would trigger mudslides cutting off access along the Pacific Coast Highway this winter. Forecasters expect a very wet, very strong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089721/why-this-could-be-an-unpredictable-year-for-fires-in-california\">El Niño winter\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The odds that Highway 1 has big problems this winter were already high, and along this segment they might be even higher now,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In the scheme of things, this has been a relatively quiet year in California so far,” climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Daniel Swain said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/wxPHDkC1dIE\">livestream \u003c/a>briefing on Wednesday. “It is getting more active as we speak, and the peak of the season is probably still yet to come.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Swain said that the next few days are expected to bring much of the West isolated lightning storms, some fostering dry lightning, a term reserved for thunderstorms on this side of the Mississippi River that drop 0.10 inch or less of rainfall nearby. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, a division of the U.S. Forest Service, notes that dry lightning is the \u003ca href=\"https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/lightningstrikes\">most common ignition source\u003c/a> for natural wildland fire, meaning tracking dry lightning storms is of interest to land managers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Looking past this week, forecasts indicate possible widespread dry lightning along northwest California, and into Oregon and Washington, through next week. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Because there’s no indication of widespread rain up there between now and then, that could be a problem,” Swain said. “We might actually see an episode of fires break out in far northern California into the Pacific Northwest.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Swain said that there are already evacuation orders for the MP 18 Fire — referring to Mile Post 18 — north of Hoopa in Humboldt County. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During his briefing, Swain highlighted lightning signatures above Big Sur, where the Timber Fire is currently raging. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fire could cause enough damage to the watershed along steep slopes in the region that it would trigger mudslides cutting off access along the Pacific Coast Highway this winter. Forecasters expect a very wet, very strong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089721/why-this-could-be-an-unpredictable-year-for-fires-in-california\">El Niño winter\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The odds that Highway 1 has big problems this winter were already high, and along this segment they might be even higher now,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Even as crews battle the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12094533/big-sur-wildfire-map-evacuation-timber-fire-august-2026\">Timber Fire\u003c/a> and other wildfires across California, the state overall is at around just a quarter-million acres burned — making 2026 so far within the lowest 10% of years for acres burned in recent decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the scheme of things, this has been a relatively quiet year in California so far,” climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Daniel Swain said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/wxPHDkC1dIE\">livestream \u003c/a>briefing on Wednesday. “It is getting more active as we speak, and the peak of the season is probably still yet to come.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Swain said that the next few days are expected to bring much of the West isolated lightning storms, some fostering dry lightning, a term reserved for thunderstorms on this side of the Mississippi River that drop 0.10 inch or less of rainfall nearby. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094843\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/TimberFireGetty6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A firefighter battles with flames as the Timber Fire continues in Big Sur, California, Aug. 10, 2026. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, a division of the U.S. Forest Service, notes that dry lightning is the \u003ca href=\"https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/projects/lightningstrikes\">most common ignition source\u003c/a> for natural wildland fire, meaning tracking dry lightning storms is of interest to land managers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Big Sur could see some additional fire starts, as well as the eastern Sierra, the Tahoe-Reno area and some areas of Southern California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Looking past this week, forecasts indicate possible widespread dry lightning along northwest California, and into Oregon and Washington, through next week. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Because there’s no indication of widespread rain up there between now and then, that could be a problem,” Swain said. “We might actually see an episode of fires break out in far northern California into the Pacific Northwest.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Swain said that there are already evacuation orders for the MP 18 Fire — referring to Mile Post 18 — north of Hoopa in Humboldt County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During his briefing, Swain highlighted lightning signatures above Big Sur, where the Timber Fire is currently raging. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fire could cause enough damage to the watershed along steep slopes in the region that it would trigger mudslides cutting off access along the Pacific Coast Highway this winter. Forecasters expect a very wet, very strong \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12089721/why-this-could-be-an-unpredictable-year-for-fires-in-california\">El Niño winter\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The odds that Highway 1 has big problems this winter were already high, and along this segment they might be even higher now,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "3.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles San Francisco and the East Bay",
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"content": "\u003cp>A series of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/earthquakes\">earthquakes\u003c/a> struck the Bay Area on Thursday morning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first and largest hit at 8:30 a.m., centered about \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417557/executive\">2.4 miles north of San Leandro\u003c/a>, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency initially put it at magnitude 4.1, then revised it down to 3.9 and later to 3.8.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents reported feeling strong shaking in the East Bay, with rumblings across the water into San Francisco, according to social media \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1vne0os/that_was_a_big_earthquake/\">posts\u003c/a> on Reddit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Two smaller quakes followed at 9:07 a.m., four seconds apart. The USGS recorded one at \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417577/executive\">magnitude 3.0\u003c/a> and a \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417582/executive\">second at 2.8\u003c/a>, also centered about 2 miles north of San Leandro.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART slowed service systemwide. The agency said trains were running at reduced speeds while crews completed safety track inspections and told riders to expect residual delays of up to 20 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Hayward Fault runs through the area, from San Pablo Bay south to Fremont. The USGS said the initial quake was strong enough to trigger ShakeAlert, the West Coast early warning system, which issued its first message 3.7 seconds after the quake began. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No wireless emergency alerts went out to phones because the system only sends those when a quake is estimated at magnitude 5.0 or higher.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first and largest hit at 8:30 a.m., centered about \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417557/executive\">2.4 miles north of San Leandro\u003c/a>, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency initially put it at magnitude 4.1, then revised it down to 3.9 and later to 3.8.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The first and largest hit at 8:30 a.m., centered about \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417557/executive\">2.4 miles north of San Leandro\u003c/a>, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency initially put it at magnitude 4.1, then revised it down to 3.9 and later to 3.8.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Residents reported feeling strong shaking in the East Bay, with rumblings across the water into San Francisco, according to social media \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1vne0os/that_was_a_big_earthquake/\">posts\u003c/a> on Reddit. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Residents reported feeling strong shaking in the East Bay, with rumblings across the water into San Francisco, according to social media \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/1vne0os/that_was_a_big_earthquake/\">posts\u003c/a> on Reddit. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Two smaller quakes followed at 9:07 a.m., four seconds apart. The USGS recorded one at \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417577/executive\">magnitude 3.0\u003c/a> and a \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75417582/executive\">second at 2.8\u003c/a>, also centered about 2 miles north of San Leandro.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>BART slowed service systemwide. The agency said trains were running at reduced speeds while crews completed safety track inspections and told riders to expect residual delays of up to 20 minutes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Hayward Fault runs through the area, from San Pablo Bay south to Fremont. The USGS said the initial quake was strong enough to trigger ShakeAlert, the West Coast early warning system, which issued its first message 3.7 seconds after the quake began. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Hayward Fault runs through the area, from San Pablo Bay south to Fremont. The USGS said the initial quake was strong enough to trigger ShakeAlert, the West Coast early warning system, which issued its first message 3.7 seconds after the quake began. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>No wireless emergency alerts went out to phones because the system only sends those when a quake is estimated at magnitude 5.0 or higher.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The quake, which struck near San Leandro Thursday morning, was followed by two smaller ones about 37 minutes later. BART slowed trains for track inspections.",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"masters-of-scale": {
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"order": 11
},
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"on-the-media": {
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"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
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"order": 14
},
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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