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"content": "\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072234/california-governor-candidates-held-their-first-televised-debate-heres-our-takeaways\">race for governor\u003c/a> remains deadlocked with just over two months until voting begins in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070167/governors-race-takes-shape-as-bonta-opts-out-mahan-weighs-run\">June 2 primary\u003c/a>, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071018/california-governor-candidates-denounce-ice-at-san-francisco-forum\">clear frontrunner\u003c/a> has emerged among the roughly dozen contenders vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is termed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republican commentator Steve Hilton leads the field with the support of 14% of likely voters, followed by former Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat, at 13%. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, received 12%, followed by two Democrats — Rep. Eric Swalwell at 11% and investor Tom Steyer at 10%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The poll’s margin of error was 3.9%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California’s top-two system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of party — meaning a crowded Democratic field could allow Hilton and Bianco to effectively lock Democrats out of November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No telling at this point who the top two candidates are going to be — and whether they’re going to be Democrats or Republicans that are going to be running for governor in November,” said Mark Baldassare, PPIC statewide survey director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tom Steyer speaks with reporters during a media availability at the California Democratic Party 2026 State Convention on Feb. 21, 2026, in San Francisco. Steyer received about 13% of the vote in the party’s gubernatorial endorsement contest, which ended without a candidate reaching the 60% threshold required for endorsement. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Recent polling — both public surveys and private polling commissioned by campaigns — has found a consistent top five. An \u003ca href=\"https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2026-poll-hilton-swalwell-bianco-lead-nonpartisan-primary-for-governor/\">Emerson College survey\u003c/a> released last week found Hilton at 17%, Swalwell and Bianco at 14%, Porter at 10% and Steyer at 9%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell and Steyer entered the race late last year, months after Porter, Bianco and Hilton. Swalwell has used his high-profile perch in Congress to remain a visible critic of President Donald Trump, while Steyer has tapped his own wealth to spend more than $27 million on a barrage of television ads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When [Swalwell and Steyer] entered the race, support for two Democrats declined: Katie Porter’s support declined and Xavier Becerra’s support declined,” Baldassare said. “That’s where the movement has been.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra, the former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services and California attorney general, finished at 5% in the PPIC poll — tied with Democrats Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, and Betty Yee, the former state controller.[aside postID=news_12073986 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/231113-APEC-36-BL_qed.jpg']Other Democrats in the poll included San José Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071841/can-a-centrist-democrat-win-the-governors-race\">Matt Mahan\u003c/a>, who received support from 3% of likely voters, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond at 2% and former state Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073866/californias-first-millennial-lawmaker-ian-calderon-makes-his-case-for-governor\">Ian Calderon\u003c/a> at 1%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crowded Democratic field prevented any candidate from reaching the 60% delegate support required to secure the state party’s endorsement at its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073986/california-democrats-descend-on-sf-as-party-rifts-emerge\">convention last weekend\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Republican vote is going to be split two ways versus a Democratic vote that could be split — I mean, we have nine major candidates, it could be split into pieces,” said Nancy Tung, chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. “It’s not a negligible concern; it’s definitely something I think about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baldassare said a Hilton-Bianco general election is possible, “but I wouldn’t say it’s probable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The PPIC poll found a smaller share of Republicans (5%) than Democrats (9%) were undecided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party, said the field would shrink before voting begins in early May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074712\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think in many ways the primary process itself is going to do some of the winnowing — whether it is traction that candidates get with voters across the state, those who are able to raise the resources to communicate a message, those who land significant endorsements and supporters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even the landscape of key \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069984/who-will-labor-support-in-the-race-for-california-governor\">Democratic endorsements\u003c/a> remains splintered. On Tuesday, the powerful union SEIU California stopped short of endorsing anyone in the race, instead issuing an anti-endorsement of Hilton, Bianco and Mahan — a business-friendly Democrat who has sparred with labor in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, SEIU California President David Huerta added a gentle nudge for some low-polling candidates to begin heading toward the exits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“SEIU members urge candidates who have not built the coalition, campaign, and resources to compete in a statewide race of this magnitude to seriously reconsider their candidacy and re-focus their leadership on advancing a more just and equitable future for California’s working families,” Huerta said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/scottshafer\">\u003cem>Scott Shafer\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072234/california-governor-candidates-held-their-first-televised-debate-heres-our-takeaways\">race for governor\u003c/a> remains deadlocked with just over two months until voting begins in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070167/governors-race-takes-shape-as-bonta-opts-out-mahan-weighs-run\">June 2 primary\u003c/a>, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071018/california-governor-candidates-denounce-ice-at-san-francisco-forum\">clear frontrunner\u003c/a> has emerged among the roughly dozen contenders vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is termed out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Republican commentator Steve Hilton leads the field with the support of 14% of likely voters, followed by former Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat, at 13%. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, received 12%, followed by two Democrats — Rep. Eric Swalwell at 11% and investor Tom Steyer at 10%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The poll’s margin of error was 3.9%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California’s top-two system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of party — meaning a crowded Democratic field could allow Hilton and Bianco to effectively lock Democrats out of November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No telling at this point who the top two candidates are going to be — and whether they’re going to be Democrats or Republicans that are going to be running for governor in November,” said Mark Baldassare, PPIC statewide survey director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260223-GAZA-DEMS-GH-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tom Steyer speaks with reporters during a media availability at the California Democratic Party 2026 State Convention on Feb. 21, 2026, in San Francisco. Steyer received about 13% of the vote in the party’s gubernatorial endorsement contest, which ended without a candidate reaching the 60% threshold required for endorsement. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Recent polling — both public surveys and private polling commissioned by campaigns — has found a consistent top five. An \u003ca href=\"https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2026-poll-hilton-swalwell-bianco-lead-nonpartisan-primary-for-governor/\">Emerson College survey\u003c/a> released last week found Hilton at 17%, Swalwell and Bianco at 14%, Porter at 10% and Steyer at 9%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell and Steyer entered the race late last year, months after Porter, Bianco and Hilton. Swalwell has used his high-profile perch in Congress to remain a visible critic of President Donald Trump, while Steyer has tapped his own wealth to spend more than $27 million on a barrage of television ads.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When [Swalwell and Steyer] entered the race, support for two Democrats declined: Katie Porter’s support declined and Xavier Becerra’s support declined,” Baldassare said. “That’s where the movement has been.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Becerra, the former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services and California attorney general, finished at 5% in the PPIC poll — tied with Democrats Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, and Betty Yee, the former state controller.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Other Democrats in the poll included San José Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071841/can-a-centrist-democrat-win-the-governors-race\">Matt Mahan\u003c/a>, who received support from 3% of likely voters, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond at 2% and former state Assemblymember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073866/californias-first-millennial-lawmaker-ian-calderon-makes-his-case-for-governor\">Ian Calderon\u003c/a> at 1%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The crowded Democratic field prevented any candidate from reaching the 60% delegate support required to secure the state party’s endorsement at its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073986/california-democrats-descend-on-sf-as-party-rifts-emerge\">convention last weekend\u003c/a> in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Republican vote is going to be split two ways versus a Democratic vote that could be split — I mean, we have nine major candidates, it could be split into pieces,” said Nancy Tung, chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. “It’s not a negligible concern; it’s definitely something I think about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Baldassare said a Hilton-Bianco general election is possible, “but I wouldn’t say it’s probable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The PPIC poll found a smaller share of Republicans (5%) than Democrats (9%) were undecided.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party, said the field would shrink before voting begins in early May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074712\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074712\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think in many ways the primary process itself is going to do some of the winnowing — whether it is traction that candidates get with voters across the state, those who are able to raise the resources to communicate a message, those who land significant endorsements and supporters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even the landscape of key \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069984/who-will-labor-support-in-the-race-for-california-governor\">Democratic endorsements\u003c/a> remains splintered. On Tuesday, the powerful union SEIU California stopped short of endorsing anyone in the race, instead issuing an anti-endorsement of Hilton, Bianco and Mahan — a business-friendly Democrat who has sparred with labor in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, SEIU California President David Huerta added a gentle nudge for some low-polling candidates to begin heading toward the exits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“SEIU members urge candidates who have not built the coalition, campaign, and resources to compete in a statewide race of this magnitude to seriously reconsider their candidacy and re-focus their leadership on advancing a more just and equitable future for California’s working families,” Huerta said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/scottshafer\">\u003cem>Scott Shafer\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "a-south-bay-mystery-what-happened-to-all-the-tree-frogs",
"title": "A South Bay Mystery: What Happened to All the Tree Frogs?",
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"headTitle": "A South Bay Mystery: What Happened to All the Tree Frogs? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Springtime in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> brings with it lush green landscapes, vibrant wildflowers and buds breaking open on trees. And in some places, the soundtrack to all that visual beauty is the chorusing of tree frogs, which can be incredibly loud in the spring when they mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our local frog is the Pacific tree frog. They may sound mighty, but they’re not your stereotypical big, bloated bullfrogs. They’re little green frogs, just a couple of inches long, with bulging eyes and giant toe pads that allow them to climb trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to wonder how people that lived next to them could sleep in the springtime because the frogs were so loud,” said Bay Curious listener Dave Ellis, who grew up in the South Bay city of Saratoga.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave grew up a quarter mile from a creek, which runs through West Valley College. He said he used to be able to hear the loud chorus of frogs all the way from his house, and would sometimes venture to the creek in search of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, even though he still lives nearby, he never hears them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074229\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074229\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leticia Gallardo, a biology professor at West Valley College, points out fungi growing on bark to student Galen Ventresca during a frog hunt on Feb. 19, 2026, at West Valley College in Saratoga. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s so weird, it used to be so loud this time of year, and it’s just dead silent,” he said. “All of a sudden, the silence was just deafening.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, now Dave’s wondering, what happened to the tree frogs?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The decline of amphibians\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are many possible explanations for the disappearance of the tree frogs in Dave’s neighborhood, making it hard to pinpoint an exact cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One is the use of pesticides on the West Valley College campus, through which the creek runs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12055329 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250811-WILD-BOAR-OSA-03-KQED.jpg']“West Valley College uses limited pesticides in specific locations on campus when necessary,” a spokesperson for the college wrote in an email. “All applications are performed by licensed professionals and in accordance with California state regulations and safety guidelines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pesticides could inflict direct harm on frogs, or they could kill the insects the frogs rely on for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another possible contributor could be changes in habitat over time. For example, perhaps West Valley College has paved over certain parts of the creekbed, or disturbed it in some other way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you bulldoze or cover in concrete a creek bed, then a lot of times you’ll wipe out the water-loving species, including amphibians,” said Emily Taylor, a biology professor at Cal Poly who specializes in reptiles and amphibians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frogs are particularly vulnerable to changes in their environment because they have permeable skin, which makes them susceptible to many toxins and diseases. Some scientists even refer to them as canaries in the coal mine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s why both locally here in California, as well as globally, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06578-4\">amphibians are on the decline\u003c/a>, in large part due to habitat destruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We used to, up until literally just a couple hundred years ago, have this vast untouched landscape full of pristine wetlands,” Taylor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074233\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074233\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Pacific tree frog sits inside a sprinkler box on campus after West Valley College student Galen Ventresca discovered it during a frog hunt on Feb. 19, 2026, at West Valley College in Saratoga. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, much of that habitat has been paved over for interstate freeways and housing developments, or cultivated for farmland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that time, the climate has also changed a lot, which has led to more drought. Frogs need wet environments to survive, and drought poses real danger to them over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New diseases have cropped up as well, including one caused by the \u003ca href=\"https://cisr.ucr.edu/invasive-species/chytrid-fungus\">chytrid fungus\u003c/a>, which affects frogs’ skin and prevents them from regulating their water intake. The chytrid fungus is a major factor in amphibian declines around the world, as well as here in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look at California frogs in general, more than half of them are threatened or endangered,” Taylor said. “It’s really dire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A resilient species\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Interestingly, though, that global trend doesn’t apply to the Pacific tree frog species, the one that Dave grew up hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, statewide, the population is thriving.[aside postID=news_12052988 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250804-BC-BIODIVERSITY-01-KQED.jpg']“They are known for being very resilient,” Taylor said. “So whereas other species of frogs have become locally extinct in certain areas, Pacific chorus frogs are doing very well still.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their propensity for living in urban areas, including under garden hose drips, in backyard water features and small creeks, has made them resilient to all the changes the Bay Area has seen over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which means the fact that Dave isn’t hearing those specific frogs anymore means there’s something going on more locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that’s actually something that’s really concerning, because this is probably one of the most resilient amphibian species that we have,” Taylor said. “So if it is being impacted, then that does imply that there’s probably something amiss in that particular neighborhood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily, Taylor said, the solution to bringing them back is quite simple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the best thing people can do to encourage a thriving tree frog population in their neighborhoods is avoid pesticide use, have a water feature and plant native plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: If you grew up here in the Bay Area … or if you’ve lived here a long time … I bet this sound is familiar to you:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of Pacific tree frogs chorusing\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Tree frogs. A quintessential soundtrack to the Bay Area. These aren’t your stereotypical big, bloated bullfrogs. They’re little green frogs just a couple inches long, with bulging eyes and giant toe pads that allow them to climb trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re especially noisy during the springtime, which is their mating season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis: \u003c/strong>I used to wonder how people that lived next to them could sleep in the springtime because the frogs were so loud. It was really cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Dave Ellis grew up in the South Bay city of Saratoga.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis: \u003c/strong>We live about a quarter mile from the creek, and you could hear the tree frogs that far away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: When he was a kid, he used to go to the creek, which ran through a community college campus, to try to see the frogs for himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis:\u003c/strong> We used to go to West Valley College and we used to catch them in the creek there um because they had like a little bridge you could climb down it was really easy to get into the creek um and you could hear lots of them there too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Dave still lives in Saratoga, not too far from that creek. But now, come springtime, it’s silent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis:\u003c/strong> It’s so weird, it used to be so loud this time of year, and it’s just dead silent. All of a sudden, the silence was just deafening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: He says he has hardly heard a single frog sound for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis:\u003c/strong> So I was wondering what happened. I mean, it could be pesticides. It could be climate change. It could mean, who knows, but it’s such a dramatic change because for years and years and probably before we moved here when I was a kid, even there was tree frogs and now there’s like literally none. There’s not a single one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Dave’s question won a public voting round at BayCurious.org. Which reminds me, head over to Bay Curious dot org to cast your vote in this month’s contest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bay Curious theme music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and today on Bay Curious, we look into the mystery of the disappearing tree frogs. We’ll visit that creek on the West Valley College campus … and enlist the help of some students … all to find out what happened to the tree frogs. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor message\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: This week, we’re looking into the odd lack of tree frog choruses that one Bay Curious listener has noticed. We sent Bay Curious reporter Dana Cronin on a hunt to find out what’s going on with the tree frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> I can totally relate to Dave’s nostalgia for the sound of frogs in the springtime. I, too, grew up across the street from some frogs. I’m not sure how many of them there were, but boy, were they loud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I figured the best way to find out what happened to Dave’s frogs was to go straight to the source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I headed to the West Valley College campus — the one in the neighborhood where Dave grew up, with the creek running through it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> So this is the creek?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>This is the Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I met up with West Valley College biology professor Leticia Gallardo … who has agreed to go on this frog hunt with me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>I thought we’d walk up a little bit farther up … We have a little, bit of a wetland. I’m hoping we might have some luck looking for some frogs up there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>That sounds great!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>So, we set off. It’s early fall, which isn’t the best time of year to be looking for them since it’s so dry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But nonetheless, Professor Gallardo tells me we’re looking for the Pacific tree frog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> Their characteristic look is this black stripe over their eye. So if you see a little frog, maybe about two inches or so, with a black almost mask. Over their face, you’re probably looking at a tree frog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Pacific tree frogs like living in cool, wet environments. In creekbeds … but even underneath a drip from a garden hose, or in a fountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we’re keeping our ears — as well as our eyes — peeled. Because even though these frogs are small, their sound is mighty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> In fact, it’s the frog that Hollywood records right in the hills. And so they call it sometimes the Hollywood frog because when you hear frogs in the background of a movie or a TV show, is oftentimes that Pacific tree frog. That’s the one chorusing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We walk along the creek, which winds through campus. We pass by classrooms, walk through a mini golf course, all the while looking for frog habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professor Gallardo spots a utility box, makes a beeline for it, and turns it over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> They sometimes hang out in the nice little cozy, moist utility box. They like those.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>But not today. So, we keep walking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> Do you hear that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We think we hear one. So we start to follow the sound back down to the creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> I was trying to find a spot that doesn’t have as much poison oak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>But someone — ahem, me — wasn’t willing to brave the poison oak. So we keep walking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professor Gallardo has one more spot in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>The next spot where there’s water, we might get lucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> Sure, let’s do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of running water\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We start walking back downstream, and get to a part of the creek where there’s a slow, steady drip – IDEAL frog habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>I thought I heard one. Were you recording?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> I was, I didn’t hear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> You didn’t hear it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> No. Now we’re imagining frogs. (laughs)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We wait in silence, hoping for just one croak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>Well dang, it might be a strikeout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>No frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I’m bummed. But Professor Gallardo is more than bummed; she seems disturbed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> It just seems that there should be something in here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>After all, this little creek is perfect habitat for tree frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, where are they all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Dave’s right. What was once a booming tree frog population at West Valley College seems to have been nearly erased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what happened to this particular population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But still, I tried by asking Emily Taylor, a biology professor at Cal Poly, who specializes in amphibians and reptiles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor: \u003c/strong>So my guess would be that they could be declining in some areas due to a combination of increased pesticide use, possibly. Which could be directly harming them, or it could be killing the insects that they rely on for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Indeed, there was a noticeable lack of bugs along the creekbed at West Valley College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And sure enough, when I asked, a West Valley spokesperson said the college quote “uses limited pesticides in specific locations on campus when necessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professor Taylor said the decline could also be due to habitat changes in the creek bed where these frogs used to live. Like, maybe the college has paved over certain parts of it or has disturbed it in some other way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> If you bulldoze or cover in concrete a creek bed to manage the watersheds, then a lot of times you’ll wipe out the water-loving species, including amphibians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Frogs in general are especially vulnerable to changes in their environment because they have permeable skin, which makes them susceptible to certain types of toxins and also disease. Some scientists even refer to them as canaries in the coal mine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s why both locally here in California and globally, amphibians are on the decline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because think about how much things have changed here for frogs over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> We used to, up until literally just a couple hundred years ago, like pre-Gold Rush era, have just this vast untouched landscape full of pristine wetlands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We’ve destroyed a lot of that habitat over time to make room for interstate freeways, housing developments and farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in that time, our climate has also changed a lot, leading to more drought, which — as we’ve learned — is not good for frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New diseases have cropped up over time as well, including one caused by the chytrid fungus, which affects frogs’ skin and prevents them from regulating their water intake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The chytrid fungus is a major factor in amphibian declines around the world and here in California, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> If you look at California frogs in general, more than half of them are threatened or endangered. It’s really dire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>But interestingly, Pacific tree frogs — the ones that Dave asked about — are not threatened or endangered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, their population is thriving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> They are known for being very resilient. So, whereas other species of frogs have become locally extinct in certain areas, Pacific chorus frogs are doing very well still.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Professor Taylor says their propensity for living in urban areas … including under garden hose drips, in backyard water features, and small creeks has made them resilient to all the changes the Bay Area has seen over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the fact that Dave’s not hearing his neighborhood frogs anymore means there’s something going on more locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor: \u003c/strong>I think that’s actually something that’s really concerning, because this is probably one of the most resilient amphibian species that we have. And so if it is being impacted, then that does imply that there’s probably something amiss in that particular neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>The good news is that the solution is also pretty hyperlocal. Dave doesn’t need to solve climate change or cure any diseases to bring his neighborhood frogs back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution is actually quite simple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> The best thing people can do, really, is to plant native plants in your yard, have a water feature, and really avoid pesticide use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of flowing water\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Which is exactly what Leticia Gallardo has done at West Valley College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> This little plant right in here, this big-leafed, low-growing plant, is called yerba mansa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Professor Gallardo and her students have been working on installing native gardens for the past few years. They want to create habitat for all kinds of native critters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’re starting to see results! Just this year, a monarch butterfly caterpillar affixed its chrysalis to a big metal pole right outside their classroom. It’s the first time they’ve seen a monarch on campus, and they’re very protective of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Student Melanie Zarza reads me a sign that students pinned up next to the chrysalis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza:\u003c/strong> “This is a monarch butterfly chrysalis. He is cooking. Don’t bug him If you hurt this little creature the entire biology department will have beef with you and you and will release the curse of Ra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>As Melanie and I are admiring the chrysalis, Professor Gallardo is examining the native milkweed they have planted in the garden nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>There’s more caterpillars!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza: \u003c/strong>Really?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>There are more of them, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>There’s an itty bitty tiny one right here. …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza: \u003c/strong>There’s one right there, under you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>You see another one?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza:\u003c/strong> Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>Oh my God, oh my God! There’s more!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We fan out and start peeking under leaves and closely examining stalks — and we keep seeing more and more caterpillars, with vibrant yellow, black and white stripes lining their chunky bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza: \u003c/strong>So, how many do we have now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>I think we should count them. Oh, look, there’s another one. Oh my god, that’s so exciting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>It’s amazing when you like, spend so much time planting and like waiting for the critters to come and then they come. It makes it all worth it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>Do you think this could be? I mean, not that it has to be all about the frogs, but do you think that this could be an indication that the frog species here on campus could start to really come back?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>Well, I think if you restore the habitat, you make a home for them, you make space for them. Yeah. If we can have less contaminants going into that creek, it’s totally hospitable. They are really adaptable, generalized little critters, And so I think they totally could.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>Fingers crossed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Sure enough, a couple months after my visit to West Valley College, I got an email from Professor Gallardo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that winter rains brought out some frogs and that they’re now consistently hearing a few frogs in the gardens and the creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not a huge chorus yet, she said, not like the one that Dave remembers. But it’s a step in that direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: That was KQED’s Dana Cronin. Thanks to Dave Ellis for asking this week’s question, which won a public voting round on Bay Curious dot org. There’s still time left to vote in February’s contest, so head on over and cast your vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Springtime in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> brings with it lush green landscapes, vibrant wildflowers and buds breaking open on trees. And in some places, the soundtrack to all that visual beauty is the chorusing of tree frogs, which can be incredibly loud in the spring when they mate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our local frog is the Pacific tree frog. They may sound mighty, but they’re not your stereotypical big, bloated bullfrogs. They’re little green frogs, just a couple of inches long, with bulging eyes and giant toe pads that allow them to climb trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I used to wonder how people that lived next to them could sleep in the springtime because the frogs were so loud,” said Bay Curious listener Dave Ellis, who grew up in the South Bay city of Saratoga.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave grew up a quarter mile from a creek, which runs through West Valley College. He said he used to be able to hear the loud chorus of frogs all the way from his house, and would sometimes venture to the creek in search of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, even though he still lives nearby, he never hears them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074229\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074229\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_006-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leticia Gallardo, a biology professor at West Valley College, points out fungi growing on bark to student Galen Ventresca during a frog hunt on Feb. 19, 2026, at West Valley College in Saratoga. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s so weird, it used to be so loud this time of year, and it’s just dead silent,” he said. “All of a sudden, the silence was just deafening.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, now Dave’s wondering, what happened to the tree frogs?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The decline of amphibians\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are many possible explanations for the disappearance of the tree frogs in Dave’s neighborhood, making it hard to pinpoint an exact cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One is the use of pesticides on the West Valley College campus, through which the creek runs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“West Valley College uses limited pesticides in specific locations on campus when necessary,” a spokesperson for the college wrote in an email. “All applications are performed by licensed professionals and in accordance with California state regulations and safety guidelines.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pesticides could inflict direct harm on frogs, or they could kill the insects the frogs rely on for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another possible contributor could be changes in habitat over time. For example, perhaps West Valley College has paved over certain parts of the creekbed, or disturbed it in some other way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you bulldoze or cover in concrete a creek bed, then a lot of times you’ll wipe out the water-loving species, including amphibians,” said Emily Taylor, a biology professor at Cal Poly who specializes in reptiles and amphibians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frogs are particularly vulnerable to changes in their environment because they have permeable skin, which makes them susceptible to many toxins and diseases. Some scientists even refer to them as canaries in the coal mine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s why both locally here in California, as well as globally, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06578-4\">amphibians are on the decline\u003c/a>, in large part due to habitat destruction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We used to, up until literally just a couple hundred years ago, have this vast untouched landscape full of pristine wetlands,” Taylor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074233\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074233\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021926_TREEFROG-_GH_014-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Pacific tree frog sits inside a sprinkler box on campus after West Valley College student Galen Ventresca discovered it during a frog hunt on Feb. 19, 2026, at West Valley College in Saratoga. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Now, much of that habitat has been paved over for interstate freeways and housing developments, or cultivated for farmland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that time, the climate has also changed a lot, which has led to more drought. Frogs need wet environments to survive, and drought poses real danger to them over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New diseases have cropped up as well, including one caused by the \u003ca href=\"https://cisr.ucr.edu/invasive-species/chytrid-fungus\">chytrid fungus\u003c/a>, which affects frogs’ skin and prevents them from regulating their water intake. The chytrid fungus is a major factor in amphibian declines around the world, as well as here in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look at California frogs in general, more than half of them are threatened or endangered,” Taylor said. “It’s really dire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A resilient species\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Interestingly, though, that global trend doesn’t apply to the Pacific tree frog species, the one that Dave grew up hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, statewide, the population is thriving.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“They are known for being very resilient,” Taylor said. “So whereas other species of frogs have become locally extinct in certain areas, Pacific chorus frogs are doing very well still.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their propensity for living in urban areas, including under garden hose drips, in backyard water features and small creeks, has made them resilient to all the changes the Bay Area has seen over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which means the fact that Dave isn’t hearing those specific frogs anymore means there’s something going on more locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think that’s actually something that’s really concerning, because this is probably one of the most resilient amphibian species that we have,” Taylor said. “So if it is being impacted, then that does imply that there’s probably something amiss in that particular neighborhood.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Luckily, Taylor said, the solution to bringing them back is quite simple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the best thing people can do to encourage a thriving tree frog population in their neighborhoods is avoid pesticide use, have a water feature and plant native plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: If you grew up here in the Bay Area … or if you’ve lived here a long time … I bet this sound is familiar to you:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of Pacific tree frogs chorusing\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Tree frogs. A quintessential soundtrack to the Bay Area. These aren’t your stereotypical big, bloated bullfrogs. They’re little green frogs just a couple inches long, with bulging eyes and giant toe pads that allow them to climb trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re especially noisy during the springtime, which is their mating season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis: \u003c/strong>I used to wonder how people that lived next to them could sleep in the springtime because the frogs were so loud. It was really cool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Dave Ellis grew up in the South Bay city of Saratoga.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis: \u003c/strong>We live about a quarter mile from the creek, and you could hear the tree frogs that far away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: When he was a kid, he used to go to the creek, which ran through a community college campus, to try to see the frogs for himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis:\u003c/strong> We used to go to West Valley College and we used to catch them in the creek there um because they had like a little bridge you could climb down it was really easy to get into the creek um and you could hear lots of them there too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Dave still lives in Saratoga, not too far from that creek. But now, come springtime, it’s silent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis:\u003c/strong> It’s so weird, it used to be so loud this time of year, and it’s just dead silent. All of a sudden, the silence was just deafening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: He says he has hardly heard a single frog sound for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dave Ellis:\u003c/strong> So I was wondering what happened. I mean, it could be pesticides. It could be climate change. It could mean, who knows, but it’s such a dramatic change because for years and years and probably before we moved here when I was a kid, even there was tree frogs and now there’s like literally none. There’s not a single one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: Dave’s question won a public voting round at BayCurious.org. Which reminds me, head over to Bay Curious dot org to cast your vote in this month’s contest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bay Curious theme music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and today on Bay Curious, we look into the mystery of the disappearing tree frogs. We’ll visit that creek on the West Valley College campus … and enlist the help of some students … all to find out what happened to the tree frogs. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor message\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: This week, we’re looking into the odd lack of tree frog choruses that one Bay Curious listener has noticed. We sent Bay Curious reporter Dana Cronin on a hunt to find out what’s going on with the tree frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin:\u003c/strong> I can totally relate to Dave’s nostalgia for the sound of frogs in the springtime. I, too, grew up across the street from some frogs. I’m not sure how many of them there were, but boy, were they loud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I figured the best way to find out what happened to Dave’s frogs was to go straight to the source.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So I headed to the West Valley College campus — the one in the neighborhood where Dave grew up, with the creek running through it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> So this is the creek?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>This is the Creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I met up with West Valley College biology professor Leticia Gallardo … who has agreed to go on this frog hunt with me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>I thought we’d walk up a little bit farther up … We have a little, bit of a wetland. I’m hoping we might have some luck looking for some frogs up there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>That sounds great!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>So, we set off. It’s early fall, which isn’t the best time of year to be looking for them since it’s so dry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But nonetheless, Professor Gallardo tells me we’re looking for the Pacific tree frog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> Their characteristic look is this black stripe over their eye. So if you see a little frog, maybe about two inches or so, with a black almost mask. Over their face, you’re probably looking at a tree frog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Pacific tree frogs like living in cool, wet environments. In creekbeds … but even underneath a drip from a garden hose, or in a fountain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we’re keeping our ears — as well as our eyes — peeled. Because even though these frogs are small, their sound is mighty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> In fact, it’s the frog that Hollywood records right in the hills. And so they call it sometimes the Hollywood frog because when you hear frogs in the background of a movie or a TV show, is oftentimes that Pacific tree frog. That’s the one chorusing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We walk along the creek, which winds through campus. We pass by classrooms, walk through a mini golf course, all the while looking for frog habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professor Gallardo spots a utility box, makes a beeline for it, and turns it over.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> They sometimes hang out in the nice little cozy, moist utility box. They like those.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>But not today. So, we keep walking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> Do you hear that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We think we hear one. So we start to follow the sound back down to the creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> I was trying to find a spot that doesn’t have as much poison oak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>But someone — ahem, me — wasn’t willing to brave the poison oak. So we keep walking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professor Gallardo has one more spot in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>The next spot where there’s water, we might get lucky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> Sure, let’s do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of running water\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We start walking back downstream, and get to a part of the creek where there’s a slow, steady drip – IDEAL frog habitat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>I thought I heard one. Were you recording?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> I was, I didn’t hear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> You didn’t hear it?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene):\u003c/strong> No. Now we’re imagining frogs. (laughs)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We wait in silence, hoping for just one croak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>Well dang, it might be a strikeout.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>No frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>I’m bummed. But Professor Gallardo is more than bummed; she seems disturbed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> It just seems that there should be something in here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>After all, this little creek is perfect habitat for tree frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, where are they all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Dave’s right. What was once a booming tree frog population at West Valley College seems to have been nearly erased.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what happened to this particular population.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But still, I tried by asking Emily Taylor, a biology professor at Cal Poly, who specializes in amphibians and reptiles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor: \u003c/strong>So my guess would be that they could be declining in some areas due to a combination of increased pesticide use, possibly. Which could be directly harming them, or it could be killing the insects that they rely on for food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Indeed, there was a noticeable lack of bugs along the creekbed at West Valley College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And sure enough, when I asked, a West Valley spokesperson said the college quote “uses limited pesticides in specific locations on campus when necessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Professor Taylor said the decline could also be due to habitat changes in the creek bed where these frogs used to live. Like, maybe the college has paved over certain parts of it or has disturbed it in some other way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> If you bulldoze or cover in concrete a creek bed to manage the watersheds, then a lot of times you’ll wipe out the water-loving species, including amphibians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Frogs in general are especially vulnerable to changes in their environment because they have permeable skin, which makes them susceptible to certain types of toxins and also disease. Some scientists even refer to them as canaries in the coal mine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s why both locally here in California and globally, amphibians are on the decline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because think about how much things have changed here for frogs over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> We used to, up until literally just a couple hundred years ago, like pre-Gold Rush era, have just this vast untouched landscape full of pristine wetlands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We’ve destroyed a lot of that habitat over time to make room for interstate freeways, housing developments and farms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in that time, our climate has also changed a lot, leading to more drought, which — as we’ve learned — is not good for frogs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New diseases have cropped up over time as well, including one caused by the chytrid fungus, which affects frogs’ skin and prevents them from regulating their water intake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The chytrid fungus is a major factor in amphibian declines around the world and here in California, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> If you look at California frogs in general, more than half of them are threatened or endangered. It’s really dire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>But interestingly, Pacific tree frogs — the ones that Dave asked about — are not threatened or endangered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, their population is thriving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> They are known for being very resilient. So, whereas other species of frogs have become locally extinct in certain areas, Pacific chorus frogs are doing very well still.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Professor Taylor says their propensity for living in urban areas … including under garden hose drips, in backyard water features, and small creeks has made them resilient to all the changes the Bay Area has seen over time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the fact that Dave’s not hearing his neighborhood frogs anymore means there’s something going on more locally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor: \u003c/strong>I think that’s actually something that’s really concerning, because this is probably one of the most resilient amphibian species that we have. And so if it is being impacted, then that does imply that there’s probably something amiss in that particular neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>The good news is that the solution is also pretty hyperlocal. Dave doesn’t need to solve climate change or cure any diseases to bring his neighborhood frogs back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution is actually quite simple.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Taylor:\u003c/strong> The best thing people can do, really, is to plant native plants in your yard, have a water feature, and really avoid pesticide use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of flowing water\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Which is exactly what Leticia Gallardo has done at West Valley College.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo:\u003c/strong> This little plant right in here, this big-leafed, low-growing plant, is called yerba mansa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Professor Gallardo and her students have been working on installing native gardens for the past few years. They want to create habitat for all kinds of native critters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’re starting to see results! Just this year, a monarch butterfly caterpillar affixed its chrysalis to a big metal pole right outside their classroom. It’s the first time they’ve seen a monarch on campus, and they’re very protective of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Student Melanie Zarza reads me a sign that students pinned up next to the chrysalis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza:\u003c/strong> “This is a monarch butterfly chrysalis. He is cooking. Don’t bug him If you hurt this little creature the entire biology department will have beef with you and you and will release the curse of Ra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>As Melanie and I are admiring the chrysalis, Professor Gallardo is examining the native milkweed they have planted in the garden nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>There’s more caterpillars!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza: \u003c/strong>Really?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>There are more of them, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>There’s an itty bitty tiny one right here. …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza: \u003c/strong>There’s one right there, under you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>You see another one?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza:\u003c/strong> Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>Oh my God, oh my God! There’s more!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>We fan out and start peeking under leaves and closely examining stalks — and we keep seeing more and more caterpillars, with vibrant yellow, black and white stripes lining their chunky bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melanie Zarza: \u003c/strong>So, how many do we have now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>I think we should count them. Oh, look, there’s another one. Oh my god, that’s so exciting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>It’s amazing when you like, spend so much time planting and like waiting for the critters to come and then they come. It makes it all worth it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>Do you think this could be? I mean, not that it has to be all about the frogs, but do you think that this could be an indication that the frog species here on campus could start to really come back?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Leticia Gallardo: \u003c/strong>Well, I think if you restore the habitat, you make a home for them, you make space for them. Yeah. If we can have less contaminants going into that creek, it’s totally hospitable. They are really adaptable, generalized little critters, And so I think they totally could.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin (in scene): \u003c/strong>Fingers crossed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dana Cronin: \u003c/strong>Sure enough, a couple months after my visit to West Valley College, I got an email from Professor Gallardo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that winter rains brought out some frogs and that they’re now consistently hearing a few frogs in the gardens and the creek.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not a huge chorus yet, she said, not like the one that Dave remembers. But it’s a step in that direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price\u003c/strong>: That was KQED’s Dana Cronin. Thanks to Dave Ellis for asking this week’s question, which won a public voting round on Bay Curious dot org. There’s still time left to vote in February’s contest, so head on over and cast your vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"slug": "santa-clara-county-leaders-cut-out-flock-safety-in-new-surveillance-policy",
"title": "Santa Clara County Leaders Cut Out Flock Safety in New Surveillance Policy",
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"headTitle": "Santa Clara County Leaders Cut Out Flock Safety in New Surveillance Policy | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Santa Clara County leaders are distancing themselves from automated license plate reader company Flock Safety due to growing concerns about the use of its data for immigration enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A split decision on Tuesday afternoon by the Board of Supervisors to effectively cut ties with Flock brings the county in league with dozens of other local governments that have canceled or paused contracts with, or otherwise separated from, the prolific license plate reader vendor in recent months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The severings follow media reports that federal agencies like Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were able to access data from vast local Flock camera networks across the country, at times even while local police departments and city officials said they were unaware the data sharing was happening. In some cases, the data sharing went directly against local or state policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do not believe the County of Santa Clara should be doing business with Flock,” District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong said at a press conference on Tuesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flock is a problematic company, and their reported conduct and sharing of private data is incompatible with our county’s values, my personal values and the values that I promised the voters of District 2 that I would uphold, and with multiple policies that we as a board have unanimously approved in recent years,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074576\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074576\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-2000x1426.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-1536x1095.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-2048x1461.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are seen at the intersection of Washington and La Cienega boulevards on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Culver City, California. \u003ccite>(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While there are many license plate reader vendors, Flock has become one of the largest suppliers, with tens of thousands of cameras in more than 5,000 cities and counties around the nation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board voted 3-2 in favor of amending its own policies to effectively render Flock cameras useless in Cupertino and Saratoga, two South Bay cities that currently contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for public safety services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board’s decision also applies to Los Altos Hills, though that small town’s leadership decided to terminate its contract with Flock last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because the sheriff’s office runs law enforcement for those three places, it also oversees the license plate cameras that those cities and towns use. All three have relied on Atlanta-based Flock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the newly updated county “Surveillance Use Policy” adopted by the board, the sheriff’s office will no longer access or use any data sourced from a Flock camera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Effective immediately, the sheriff’s office and the staff cannot operate, manage or touch the cameras, the data, transmission, anything from ALPRs that are operated by Flock, vended by Flock,” Duong told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the county doesn’t have the authority to force those cities to end their Flock contracts, the change in policy appears to make the images and data being logged by those cameras moot, as there isn’t another law enforcement agency to pursue leads it generates.[aside postID=news_12072077 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg']Cupertino City Manager Tina Kapoor confirmed Tuesday that the city’s Flock contract is active.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will be evaluating the agreement based on the county’s decision and other considerations at the moment, such as our upcoming law enforcement contract with the county and the budget,” Kapoor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong noted that if Cupertino or Saratoga were to find new vendors for license plate readers, the sheriff’s office would likely be able to quickly resume oversight and operation of that technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some county leaders raised broader concerns about the technology of ALPRs, which, in Flock’s case, record not only a car’s license plate, but also its make and model, color and defining features like roof racks and bumper stickers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Susan Ellenberg voted against the change in policy on Tuesday because she feels license plate readers in general represent an “excessive invasion of privacy,” and that those concerns outweigh any public safety benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flock is particularly problematic. But I differ from my colleagues in that I don’t believe they are an outlying bad actor and alternatives are not necessarily any safer,” Ellenberg said during the county board meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am really existentially troubled by the expansion of the surveillance state and its contribution to the erosion of democracy, civil liberties and other protections that actually create safe communities,” Ellenberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Alleviating poverty and ensuring stable housing, sufficient nutrition, access to health care and education, clean and well-lit streets, of course, create more safety than surveillance cameras, even when used under the strictest use policies,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066777\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1279px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066777\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1279\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED.jpg 1279w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Law enforcement agencies are deploying vehicle-tracking networks with settings that some advocates say can make local data nationally searchable. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Flock Safety)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nick Hidalgo, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, said the county’s move was encouraging but that it does not go far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no guarantee that rival ALPR vendors will do better,” he said. “These companies market their systems as easy to share with other law enforcement agencies — sharing is by design, and vendors are incentivized to facilitate it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Flock Safety, Paris Lewbel, said in an emailed statement that the company “is proud of the impact our technology has had in helping solve crimes and locate missing people in Santa Clara County and across the state of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Locally, other cities have also taken steps to back away from Flock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain View’s City Council voted unanimously to\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072077/as-california-cities-grow-wary-of-flock-safety-cameras-mountain-views-shuts-its-off\"> end a contract and terminate\u003c/a> automatic license plate readers on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Ellen Kamei said the city learned a lesson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Acknowledging a situation, acting quickly and communicating openly reflects integrity and public service,” she said. “We’ve talked about how our city is known as a community for all, and being a community for all means telling the truth, even when it’s difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz became the first city in California to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069705/santa-cruz-the-first-in-california-to-terminate-its-contract-with-flock-safety\">sever ties with Flock \u003c/a>in January, following similar data-sharing problems, which violate longstanding state laws against sharing ALPR data with federal agencies and other agencies out of state.[aside postID=news_12069705 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/SFFlockSafetyGetty.jpg']In the wake of those cases, where local officials blamed Flock’s software platform for the unwanted searches of their databases, the company has pushed back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each Flock customer fully owns and controls 100% of its data. Only our customers have sole authority over if, when, and with whom information is shared,” Lewbel, the Flock spokesperson, said. “By default, vehicle data is automatically deleted after 30 days unless local law or policy requires otherwise. Flock never shares data on its own, and customers may limit, revoke or deny data access at any time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to NPR, at least 30 localities have either deactivated their Flock cameras or canceled their contracts since the beginning of 2025, with many of the changes happening this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has heightened awareness and concern around such technologies, but privacy and civil liberties advocates have long pushed back against the growing webs of long-lasting data being created about people all over the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of civil-liberties and immigrant-support organizations\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use\"> sued San José\u003c/a> over what they allege is the city’s “deeply invasive” mass surveillance network of hundreds of Flock cameras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city, the largest in the Bay Area, holds onto all ALPR data for a year, well beyond the 30-day default of Flock, whether a car is implicated in a crime or not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s new policy will also require immediate reporting to the board if any unauthorized ALPR data under county control is shared with the federal government. It will also require audits of the sheriff’s office’s compliance with the new policy every four months by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Senior Editor\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/aemslie\">\u003cem> Alex Emslie\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Santa Clara County leaders are distancing themselves from automated license plate reader company Flock Safety due to growing concerns about the use of its data for immigration enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A split decision on Tuesday afternoon by the Board of Supervisors to effectively cut ties with Flock brings the county in league with dozens of other local governments that have canceled or paused contracts with, or otherwise separated from, the prolific license plate reader vendor in recent months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The severings follow media reports that federal agencies like Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were able to access data from vast local Flock camera networks across the country, at times even while local police departments and city officials said they were unaware the data sharing was happening. In some cases, the data sharing went directly against local or state policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do not believe the County of Santa Clara should be doing business with Flock,” District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong said at a press conference on Tuesday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flock is a problematic company, and their reported conduct and sharing of private data is incompatible with our county’s values, my personal values and the values that I promised the voters of District 2 that I would uphold, and with multiple policies that we as a board have unanimously approved in recent years,” Duong said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074576\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074576\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-2000x1426.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-1536x1095.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2247092731-2048x1461.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are seen at the intersection of Washington and La Cienega boulevards on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Culver City, California. \u003ccite>(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While there are many license plate reader vendors, Flock has become one of the largest suppliers, with tens of thousands of cameras in more than 5,000 cities and counties around the nation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board voted 3-2 in favor of amending its own policies to effectively render Flock cameras useless in Cupertino and Saratoga, two South Bay cities that currently contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for public safety services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board’s decision also applies to Los Altos Hills, though that small town’s leadership decided to terminate its contract with Flock last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because the sheriff’s office runs law enforcement for those three places, it also oversees the license plate cameras that those cities and towns use. All three have relied on Atlanta-based Flock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the newly updated county “Surveillance Use Policy” adopted by the board, the sheriff’s office will no longer access or use any data sourced from a Flock camera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Effective immediately, the sheriff’s office and the staff cannot operate, manage or touch the cameras, the data, transmission, anything from ALPRs that are operated by Flock, vended by Flock,” Duong told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the county doesn’t have the authority to force those cities to end their Flock contracts, the change in policy appears to make the images and data being logged by those cameras moot, as there isn’t another law enforcement agency to pursue leads it generates.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Cupertino City Manager Tina Kapoor confirmed Tuesday that the city’s Flock contract is active.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will be evaluating the agreement based on the county’s decision and other considerations at the moment, such as our upcoming law enforcement contract with the county and the budget,” Kapoor said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Duong noted that if Cupertino or Saratoga were to find new vendors for license plate readers, the sheriff’s office would likely be able to quickly resume oversight and operation of that technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, some county leaders raised broader concerns about the technology of ALPRs, which, in Flock’s case, record not only a car’s license plate, but also its make and model, color and defining features like roof racks and bumper stickers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Susan Ellenberg voted against the change in policy on Tuesday because she feels license plate readers in general represent an “excessive invasion of privacy,” and that those concerns outweigh any public safety benefit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Flock is particularly problematic. But I differ from my colleagues in that I don’t believe they are an outlying bad actor and alternatives are not necessarily any safer,” Ellenberg said during the county board meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I am really existentially troubled by the expansion of the surveillance state and its contribution to the erosion of democracy, civil liberties and other protections that actually create safe communities,” Ellenberg said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Alleviating poverty and ensuring stable housing, sufficient nutrition, access to health care and education, clean and well-lit streets, of course, create more safety than surveillance cameras, even when used under the strictest use policies,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12066777\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1279px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12066777\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1279\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED.jpg 1279w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-License-Plate-Readers-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1279px) 100vw, 1279px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Law enforcement agencies are deploying vehicle-tracking networks with settings that some advocates say can make local data nationally searchable. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Flock Safety)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nick Hidalgo, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, said the county’s move was encouraging but that it does not go far enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is no guarantee that rival ALPR vendors will do better,” he said. “These companies market their systems as easy to share with other law enforcement agencies — sharing is by design, and vendors are incentivized to facilitate it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Flock Safety, Paris Lewbel, said in an emailed statement that the company “is proud of the impact our technology has had in helping solve crimes and locate missing people in Santa Clara County and across the state of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Locally, other cities have also taken steps to back away from Flock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain View’s City Council voted unanimously to\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12072077/as-california-cities-grow-wary-of-flock-safety-cameras-mountain-views-shuts-its-off\"> end a contract and terminate\u003c/a> automatic license plate readers on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Ellen Kamei said the city learned a lesson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Acknowledging a situation, acting quickly and communicating openly reflects integrity and public service,” she said. “We’ve talked about how our city is known as a community for all, and being a community for all means telling the truth, even when it’s difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Cruz became the first city in California to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069705/santa-cruz-the-first-in-california-to-terminate-its-contract-with-flock-safety\">sever ties with Flock \u003c/a>in January, following similar data-sharing problems, which violate longstanding state laws against sharing ALPR data with federal agencies and other agencies out of state.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In the wake of those cases, where local officials blamed Flock’s software platform for the unwanted searches of their databases, the company has pushed back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Each Flock customer fully owns and controls 100% of its data. Only our customers have sole authority over if, when, and with whom information is shared,” Lewbel, the Flock spokesperson, said. “By default, vehicle data is automatically deleted after 30 days unless local law or policy requires otherwise. Flock never shares data on its own, and customers may limit, revoke or deny data access at any time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to NPR, at least 30 localities have either deactivated their Flock cameras or canceled their contracts since the beginning of 2025, with many of the changes happening this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has heightened awareness and concern around such technologies, but privacy and civil liberties advocates have long pushed back against the growing webs of long-lasting data being created about people all over the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of civil-liberties and immigrant-support organizations\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064587/civil-liberties-groups-sue-san-jose-over-license-plate-reader-use\"> sued San José\u003c/a> over what they allege is the city’s “deeply invasive” mass surveillance network of hundreds of Flock cameras.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city, the largest in the Bay Area, holds onto all ALPR data for a year, well beyond the 30-day default of Flock, whether a car is implicated in a crime or not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The county’s new policy will also require immediate reporting to the board if any unauthorized ALPR data under county control is shared with the federal government. It will also require audits of the sheriff’s office’s compliance with the new policy every four months by the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Senior Editor\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/aemslie\">\u003cem> Alex Emslie\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "travel-europe-uk-england-visa-etias-eta-2025-2026-authorization",
"title": "Want to Visit Europe Soon? Here’s Who Needs to Apply for New Travel Authorization",
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"headTitle": "Want to Visit Europe Soon? Here’s Who Needs to Apply for New Travel Authorization | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Before last year, United States citizens visiting the United Kingdom and Europe didn’t need a visa waiver or travel authorization to enter these countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that all changed, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018848/want-to-visit-europe-in-2025-youll-need-to-apply-for-new-travel-authorization#apply-uk-eta\">the U.K. now requires an electronic travel authorization (ETA) \u003c/a>for visitors from countries including the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (Jump straight to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018848/want-to-visit-europe-in-2025-youll-need-to-apply-for-new-travel-authorization#apply-uk-eta\">how to apply for an ETA to visit the U.K.)\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And later in 2026, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018848/want-to-visit-europe-in-2025-youll-need-to-apply-for-new-travel-authorization#apply-europe-etias\">the European Union also plans to introduce its own visa waiver document called an ETIAS\u003c/a> for visitors, including U.S. citizens. The ETA and the ETIAS processes are separate, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887\">the U.K. officially left the European Union in 2020\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few recent developments to know if you’re planning to travel to Europe in 2026:\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The UK is now enforcing ETA rules\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As of Feb. 25, visitors from 85 countries that require an ETA “will not be able to legally travel to the UK” without securing this document in advance, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/no-permission-no-travel-uk-set-to-enforce-eta-scheme\">according to the U.K. Home Office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ETA system was originally \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-opens-pre-travel-requirement-to-non-europeans\">rolled out to non-Europeans in January 2025\u003c/a>, but “was not strictly enforced, to give visitors ample time to adjust to the new requirement,” the British government said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>There’s still no firm launch date for ETIAS \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) was originally scheduled to take effect sometime in mid-2025. But in March 2025, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/revised-timeline-ees-and-etias-2025-03-07_en\">the EU announced that ETIAS had been postponed until “the last quarter of 2026.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re already making plans to travel into the European Union starting Oct. 1, 2026, you should know: there still is no firm date for the ETIAS launch, and advance applications aren’t open. The EU said that officials will announce a specific opening date “several months prior” to the system’s launch, and that “no action is required from travelers at this point.” We’ll update this guide with more information when we know it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Rising fees for tourists to Europe\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 2025, just a few months after the program rolled out for travelers including American citizens, the U.K. raised the cost of an ETA by 60%: from £10 (around $13.50 at the current exchange rate) to its new cost of £16 (almost $22.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now,\u003ca href=\"https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_25_1879\"> the European Union has announced that it plans to similarly raise fees\u003c/a> by almost triple for its own ETIAS visitor application, from €7 (around $8) to €20 (around $23.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news? The online process for obtaining permission to travel to these areas should be fairly simple — and speedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you’re hoping to visit Europe in 2026, keep reading for everything you need to know about obtaining the right travel authorization before your visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#apply-europe-etias\">What permissions will U.S. citizens need to visit Europe?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"apply-uk-eta\">\u003c/a>New travel rules for U.S. citizens visiting the UK in 2026\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What will change in 2026 about travel to the U.K.?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re a U.S. citizen visiting the U.K., you’ll need to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for any travel to (and through) that country. Starting Feb. 25, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/no-permission-no-travel-uk-set-to-enforce-eta-scheme\">this requirement will be strictly enforced\u003c/a>, and the U.K. government says that unless you’re exempt, \u003ca href=\"https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-february-2026/\">you won’t be able to board\u003c/a> your flight without an ETA. [aside postID=news_11970450 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/12/230925-TaxiDriver-001-BL-qut.jpg']The new rules include any children who are traveling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After applying, you’ll receive an email confirmation, so check your spam folder if you don’t see anything. This authorization will be digitally linked to the passport you applied with and will last for two years — during which time “\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta\">you can travel to the U.K. \u003c/a>as many times as you want,” according to the U.K. government website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta\">Dual citizens who have British or Irish citizenship \u003c/a>do not need to apply for an ETA and must enter the U.K. using their British or Irish passport (or \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-guide-for-dual-citizens\">a certificate of entitlement\u003c/a>) as proof of their exemption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>European visitors to the U.K. also\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-extend-electronic-travel-to-european-visitors\"> now need to apply\u003c/a> for an ETA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If I’m just transiting through a U.K. airport, do I still need an ETA?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have a connecting flight that takes you to the U.K., and you’ll pass through U.K. passport control at the airport to catch your next flight, the British government says \u003ca href=\"https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-february-2026/\">you’ll need an ETA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, “those transiting through Heathrow and Manchester airports who do not go through U.K. passport control do not currently need an ETA,” says the U.K Home Office. Consider checking directly with your airline to be sure of your entry requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do I apply for an ETA?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Home Office recommends that you apply for your ETA \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQVvTTbHIu4\">\u003cem>before\u003c/em> booking your travel to the U.K.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. citizens can apply for an ETA via:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-uk-eta-app\">The official U.K. ETA app for iPhone or Android\u003c/a> or\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk/apply/electronic-travel-authorisation/how-to-apply\">The official gov.uk website\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12018960\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12018960 size-full\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: transparent; color: #767676;\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-1020x574.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-1536x864.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. citizens thinking about making travel plans to a European city like Edinburgh, Scotland, should be aware of the big travel changes to the U.K. and Europe in 2025 and 2026. \u003ccite>(Guven Ozdemir/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The U.K. government strongly recommends applying via the app and \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-uk-eta-app\">has a detailed guide to applying for an ETA this way\u003c/a>. However,\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta\"> if you’re applying for someone else who is not with you in person during the application\u003c/a> — for example, a member of your travel party — they advise applying online rather than using the app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To apply, you’ll need to upload a photo of your passport and, for travelers age 10 and over, your face. You’ll then be asked several questions and pay the cost of the application, which is now £16 (almost $22.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beware of any third-party website seeking to charge you more for processing your ETA application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How long will getting an ETA take?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.K. government said that the ETA app “enables most applicants to receive a decision in hours” and that applicants will “usually get a decision within 3 working days, but you may get a quicker decision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the Home Office warns that it may “occasionally” take longer than three working days. So make sure you apply for your ETA well ahead of your departure date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/check-eta\">check the status of your ETA online on gov.uk.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What if my ETA application is unsuccessful?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.K. Home Office said that \u003ca href=\"https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-february-2026/\">if your ETA application is “rejected,” you’ll be informed of the reason and can apply again\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if your ETA application is “refused,” you won’t be able to apply again, and you can’t appeal the decision. Instead, you’ll have to apply for a visa to visit the U.K.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"apply-europe-etias\">\u003c/a>New travel rules for U.S. citizens visiting Europe in 2026\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do I need to know about visiting Europe as a U.S. citizen in the next few years?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2024, European Union officials announced that U.S. citizens visiting 30 European countries would soon need to apply online for travel authorization through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ETIAS was originally scheduled to come into effect sometime in mid-2025. But in March that year, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/revised-timeline-ees-and-etias-2025-03-07_en\">the EU announced that ETIAS had been postponed until “the last quarter of 2026.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is still no firm 2026 date for ETIAS travel authorizations taking effect, and applications aren’t open. The EU said that officials will announce a specific opening date “several months prior” to the system’s launch, and that “no action is required from travelers at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When ETIAS \u003cem>does\u003c/em> launch, which could be any time starting Oct. 1, this new requirement will include any children who are traveling and will also apply to travelers who are transiting through these countries. You’ll apply for ETIAS online, after which you’ll receive an email confirming your ETIAS travel authorization has been successful. This authorization will then be digitally linked to the passport you applied with and \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#validity-and-renewal\">will last for three years or until your passport expires\u003c/a> — whichever comes first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember, the ETA and the ETIAS processes are separate, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887\">the U.K. officially left the European Union in 2020\u003c/a>, so even if you have a valid ETA to visit the U.K., you’ll still need an ETIAS to enter Europe when the system is implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12018959\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12018959\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-800x533.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-1020x680.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you’re hoping to visit a European country like Italy in 2025, stay up-to-date with applications for the ETIAS travel authorization for U.S. citizens. \u003ccite>(Lorado/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Which European countries will U.S. citizens need ETIAS travel authorization to visit in 2026?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/who-should-apply_en#ETIAS-countries\">The full list of countries that U.S. citizens will need ETIAS travel authorization to visit in late 2026\u003c/a>: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. citizens who also have European Union (EU) nationality will not need to apply for ETIAS travel authorization. \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en\">See who else will be exempt from ETIAS travel authorization\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How will I apply for ETIAS travel authorization when it comes into effect?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When applications finally open later in 2026, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en\">you’ll apply online on the EU’s website\u003c/a>. Applications will cost €20 (almost $24), but those costs are waived for minors. \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#applying-for-an-etias-travel-authorisation\">Read more about the types of information you’ll be asked to provide in your application\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One important thing if you’re planning to visit Europe in late 2026: To receive ETIAS travel authorization, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#applying-for-an-etias-travel-authorisation\">your U.S. passport will need to be valid for more than three months after you \u003cem>leave\u003c/em> Europe\u003c/a>. Also, your passport can’t be more than 10 years old. So, if you were looking for a reason to renew your U.S. passport, now might be a good time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When applications open, beware of any third-party website seeking to charge you more for processing your ETIAS travel authorization application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How long will getting ETIAS travel authorization take?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EU said that \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#applying-for-an-etias-travel-authorisation\">most ETIAS travel authorization applications “will be processed within minutes and at the latest within 96 hours”\u003c/a> — but warns that “some applicants may be asked to provide additional information or documentation or to participate in an interview with national authorities, which may take up to an additional 30 days.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this reason, “we strongly advise you to obtain the ETIAS travel authorization before you buy your tickets and book your hotels,” officials say. So, if you’re hoping to visit Europe in 2026, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en\">it’s worth keeping an eye on the EU’s official ETIAS website for updates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What if my ETIAS travel authorization application is unsuccessful?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EU lists \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#refusals-cancellations-and-appeals\">several reasons your ETIAS travel authorization could be denied\u003c/a>, including if you’re “considered to pose a security, illegal immigration or high epidemic risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re denied, you’ll be told the reason by email, which will also provide information about your options to appeal the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Before last year, United States citizens visiting the United Kingdom and Europe didn’t need a visa waiver or travel authorization to enter these countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that all changed, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018848/want-to-visit-europe-in-2025-youll-need-to-apply-for-new-travel-authorization#apply-uk-eta\">the U.K. now requires an electronic travel authorization (ETA) \u003c/a>for visitors from countries including the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (Jump straight to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018848/want-to-visit-europe-in-2025-youll-need-to-apply-for-new-travel-authorization#apply-uk-eta\">how to apply for an ETA to visit the U.K.)\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And later in 2026, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12018848/want-to-visit-europe-in-2025-youll-need-to-apply-for-new-travel-authorization#apply-europe-etias\">the European Union also plans to introduce its own visa waiver document called an ETIAS\u003c/a> for visitors, including U.S. citizens. The ETA and the ETIAS processes are separate, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887\">the U.K. officially left the European Union in 2020\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few recent developments to know if you’re planning to travel to Europe in 2026:\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The UK is now enforcing ETA rules\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As of Feb. 25, visitors from 85 countries that require an ETA “will not be able to legally travel to the UK” without securing this document in advance, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/no-permission-no-travel-uk-set-to-enforce-eta-scheme\">according to the U.K. Home Office\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ETA system was originally \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-opens-pre-travel-requirement-to-non-europeans\">rolled out to non-Europeans in January 2025\u003c/a>, but “was not strictly enforced, to give visitors ample time to adjust to the new requirement,” the British government said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>There’s still no firm launch date for ETIAS \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) was originally scheduled to take effect sometime in mid-2025. But in March 2025, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/revised-timeline-ees-and-etias-2025-03-07_en\">the EU announced that ETIAS had been postponed until “the last quarter of 2026.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if you’re already making plans to travel into the European Union starting Oct. 1, 2026, you should know: there still is no firm date for the ETIAS launch, and advance applications aren’t open. The EU said that officials will announce a specific opening date “several months prior” to the system’s launch, and that “no action is required from travelers at this point.” We’ll update this guide with more information when we know it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Rising fees for tourists to Europe\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 2025, just a few months after the program rolled out for travelers including American citizens, the U.K. raised the cost of an ETA by 60%: from £10 (around $13.50 at the current exchange rate) to its new cost of £16 (almost $22.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now,\u003ca href=\"https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_25_1879\"> the European Union has announced that it plans to similarly raise fees\u003c/a> by almost triple for its own ETIAS visitor application, from €7 (around $8) to €20 (around $23.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news? The online process for obtaining permission to travel to these areas should be fairly simple — and speedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you’re hoping to visit Europe in 2026, keep reading for everything you need to know about obtaining the right travel authorization before your visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#apply-europe-etias\">What permissions will U.S. citizens need to visit Europe?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"apply-uk-eta\">\u003c/a>New travel rules for U.S. citizens visiting the UK in 2026\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What will change in 2026 about travel to the U.K.?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re a U.S. citizen visiting the U.K., you’ll need to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for any travel to (and through) that country. Starting Feb. 25, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/no-permission-no-travel-uk-set-to-enforce-eta-scheme\">this requirement will be strictly enforced\u003c/a>, and the U.K. government says that unless you’re exempt, \u003ca href=\"https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-february-2026/\">you won’t be able to board\u003c/a> your flight without an ETA. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The new rules include any children who are traveling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After applying, you’ll receive an email confirmation, so check your spam folder if you don’t see anything. This authorization will be digitally linked to the passport you applied with and will last for two years — during which time “\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta\">you can travel to the U.K. \u003c/a>as many times as you want,” according to the U.K. government website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta\">Dual citizens who have British or Irish citizenship \u003c/a>do not need to apply for an ETA and must enter the U.K. using their British or Irish passport (or \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-guide-for-dual-citizens\">a certificate of entitlement\u003c/a>) as proof of their exemption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>European visitors to the U.K. also\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-to-extend-electronic-travel-to-european-visitors\"> now need to apply\u003c/a> for an ETA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If I’m just transiting through a U.K. airport, do I still need an ETA?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have a connecting flight that takes you to the U.K., and you’ll pass through U.K. passport control at the airport to catch your next flight, the British government says \u003ca href=\"https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-february-2026/\">you’ll need an ETA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, “those transiting through Heathrow and Manchester airports who do not go through U.K. passport control do not currently need an ETA,” says the U.K Home Office. Consider checking directly with your airline to be sure of your entry requirements.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do I apply for an ETA?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Home Office recommends that you apply for your ETA \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQVvTTbHIu4\">\u003cem>before\u003c/em> booking your travel to the U.K.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. citizens can apply for an ETA via:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-uk-eta-app\">The official U.K. ETA app for iPhone or Android\u003c/a> or\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk/apply/electronic-travel-authorisation/how-to-apply\">The official gov.uk website\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12018960\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12018960 size-full\" style=\"font-weight: bold; background-color: transparent; color: #767676;\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-1020x574.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/scotland-tourism-1536x864.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. citizens thinking about making travel plans to a European city like Edinburgh, Scotland, should be aware of the big travel changes to the U.K. and Europe in 2025 and 2026. \u003ccite>(Guven Ozdemir/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The U.K. government strongly recommends applying via the app and \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-uk-eta-app\">has a detailed guide to applying for an ETA this way\u003c/a>. However,\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta\"> if you’re applying for someone else who is not with you in person during the application\u003c/a> — for example, a member of your travel party — they advise applying online rather than using the app.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To apply, you’ll need to upload a photo of your passport and, for travelers age 10 and over, your face. You’ll then be asked several questions and pay the cost of the application, which is now £16 (almost $22.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beware of any third-party website seeking to charge you more for processing your ETA application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How long will getting an ETA take?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.K. government said that the ETA app “enables most applicants to receive a decision in hours” and that applicants will “usually get a decision within 3 working days, but you may get a quicker decision.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the Home Office warns that it may “occasionally” take longer than three working days. So make sure you apply for your ETA well ahead of your departure date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/check-eta\">check the status of your ETA online on gov.uk.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What if my ETA application is unsuccessful?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.K. Home Office said that \u003ca href=\"https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-february-2026/\">if your ETA application is “rejected,” you’ll be informed of the reason and can apply again\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But if your ETA application is “refused,” you won’t be able to apply again, and you can’t appeal the decision. Instead, you’ll have to apply for a visa to visit the U.K.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"apply-europe-etias\">\u003c/a>New travel rules for U.S. citizens visiting Europe in 2026\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do I need to know about visiting Europe as a U.S. citizen in the next few years?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2024, European Union officials announced that U.S. citizens visiting 30 European countries would soon need to apply online for travel authorization through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ETIAS was originally scheduled to come into effect sometime in mid-2025. But in March that year, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/revised-timeline-ees-and-etias-2025-03-07_en\">the EU announced that ETIAS had been postponed until “the last quarter of 2026.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is still no firm 2026 date for ETIAS travel authorizations taking effect, and applications aren’t open. The EU said that officials will announce a specific opening date “several months prior” to the system’s launch, and that “no action is required from travelers at this point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When ETIAS \u003cem>does\u003c/em> launch, which could be any time starting Oct. 1, this new requirement will include any children who are traveling and will also apply to travelers who are transiting through these countries. You’ll apply for ETIAS online, after which you’ll receive an email confirming your ETIAS travel authorization has been successful. This authorization will then be digitally linked to the passport you applied with and \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#validity-and-renewal\">will last for three years or until your passport expires\u003c/a> — whichever comes first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember, the ETA and the ETIAS processes are separate, as \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887\">the U.K. officially left the European Union in 2020\u003c/a>, so even if you have a valid ETA to visit the U.K., you’ll still need an ETIAS to enter Europe when the system is implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12018959\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12018959\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-800x533.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-1020x680.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-160x107.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/italy-tourism-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you’re hoping to visit a European country like Italy in 2025, stay up-to-date with applications for the ETIAS travel authorization for U.S. citizens. \u003ccite>(Lorado/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Which European countries will U.S. citizens need ETIAS travel authorization to visit in 2026?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/who-should-apply_en#ETIAS-countries\">The full list of countries that U.S. citizens will need ETIAS travel authorization to visit in late 2026\u003c/a>: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>U.S. citizens who also have European Union (EU) nationality will not need to apply for ETIAS travel authorization. \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en\">See who else will be exempt from ETIAS travel authorization\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How will I apply for ETIAS travel authorization when it comes into effect?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When applications finally open later in 2026, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en\">you’ll apply online on the EU’s website\u003c/a>. Applications will cost €20 (almost $24), but those costs are waived for minors. \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#applying-for-an-etias-travel-authorisation\">Read more about the types of information you’ll be asked to provide in your application\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One important thing if you’re planning to visit Europe in late 2026: To receive ETIAS travel authorization, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#applying-for-an-etias-travel-authorisation\">your U.S. passport will need to be valid for more than three months after you \u003cem>leave\u003c/em> Europe\u003c/a>. Also, your passport can’t be more than 10 years old. So, if you were looking for a reason to renew your U.S. passport, now might be a good time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When applications open, beware of any third-party website seeking to charge you more for processing your ETIAS travel authorization application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How long will getting ETIAS travel authorization take?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EU said that \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#applying-for-an-etias-travel-authorisation\">most ETIAS travel authorization applications “will be processed within minutes and at the latest within 96 hours”\u003c/a> — but warns that “some applicants may be asked to provide additional information or documentation or to participate in an interview with national authorities, which may take up to an additional 30 days.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this reason, “we strongly advise you to obtain the ETIAS travel authorization before you buy your tickets and book your hotels,” officials say. So, if you’re hoping to visit Europe in 2026, \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en\">it’s worth keeping an eye on the EU’s official ETIAS website for updates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What if my ETIAS travel authorization application is unsuccessful?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The EU lists \u003ca href=\"https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en#refusals-cancellations-and-appeals\">several reasons your ETIAS travel authorization could be denied\u003c/a>, including if you’re “considered to pose a security, illegal immigration or high epidemic risk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re denied, you’ll be told the reason by email, which will also provide information about your options to appeal the decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "yosemite-national-park-no-reservations-2026-glacier-arches-timed-entry",
"title": "Yosemite Won't Require Car Reservations in 2026. Park Advocates Are Worried",
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"headTitle": "Yosemite Won’t Require Car Reservations in 2026. Park Advocates Are Worried | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Advocates and tourism workers say they’re alarmed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/yosemite-national-park\">Yosemite National Park\u003c/a>‘s plans to scrap timed vehicle entry reservations in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPS vehicle reservation systems at \u003ca href=\"https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utahs-national-parks/arches-national-park-ditches-reservation-system-open-to-visitors-at-all-times\">Arches National Park in Utah\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/glacier-confirms-its-dropping-ticketed-entry/\">Glacier National Park in Montana\u003c/a> were also withdrawn in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Feb. 18 press release, National Park Service spokesperson Scott Gediman wrote that the Yosemite decision “follows a comprehensive evaluation of traffic patterns, parking availability and visitor use during the 2025 season.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But operators within the park and advocates have expressed concern that the Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS, is downplaying the likelihood of overcrowding during the summer months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also worry that, in addition to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065737/yosemite-national-park-new-fees-international-tourists-foreigners-annual-pass-2026\">new fees being collected from international visitors\u003c/a>, wait times to get into the park and damage to its natural environment could increase dramatically this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12062223\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12062223 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tour guide William Fontana points visitors to climbers on El Capitan during a tour of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada on Oct. 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I really don’t know what this looks like,” said Elisabeth Barton, founding member and CEO of tour company Echo Adventure Cooperative, which operates guided tours in and around Yosemite and Stanislaus National Forest. “I’m nervous because this is where I work and I play and I live, and the idea of it being run ragged just breaks my heart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to concerns about traffic and congestion, Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-national-park-reservation-21338944.php\"> told the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that “[h]aving the park being full is not a bad thing, it’s not a crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s always been high demand for Yosemite,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Pretty problematic’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While it was discussed before the COVID-19 pandemic, the system was first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11823478/yosemite-open-to-public-again-starting-thursday\">implemented in 2020\u003c/a> in response to the pandemic and after record visitation to the park in 2019 to limit overcrowding at the park. After a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/yosemite-national-park-public-comment-crowds/3267489/\">pause in 2023,\u003c/a> the program continued through the 2024 and 2025 seasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reservations have previously been made through \u003ca href=\"http://recreation.gov\">Recreation.gov\u003c/a>, the federal government’s booking system for making reservations on national park land, including camping slots. The “\u003ca href=\"https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086745\">Yosemite National Park Ticketed Entry\u003c/a>” page is still live, but informs visitors that reservations will not be in place for 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12062211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12062211 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors look at a welcome at the entrance to Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910047/yosemite-and-other-ca-national-parks-underfunded-understaffed-this-summer\">staffing already down\u003c/a> at the park, the decision to remove timed vehicle reservations has the potential to overwhelm park staff and cause damage, warned Mark Rose, Sierra Nevada program manager for advocacy group the National Parks Conservation Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose also expressed concern about the possibility of hours-long wait times to enter the park, which could ultimately result in would-be visitors being turned away due to a lack of parking.[aside postID=news_12074453 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SJ-with-Trans-Flag-in-Background-Photographer-Miya-Tsudome.jpg']“The park experience that you’re gonna get at Yosemite this summer is something that nobody should have to face,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose said he’s most worried about the Fourth of July, which is also free to enter this year as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065737/yosemite-national-park-new-fees-international-tourists-foreigners-annual-pass-2026\">Trump administration’s changes to fee-free days\u003c/a> — which included removing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of days on which visitors can enter the park for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, having it free, having no reservation system in place, having seen what it can be like on Fourth of July in the past? We know it’s gonna be pretty problematic this year,” Rose said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla echoed advocates’ concerns, calling the Yosemite decision “shortsighted.” Padilla also urged Congress to pass \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4451/text\">a bill he introduced\u003c/a> last year to review reservation systems across all federal lands to make improvements in transparency, usability and fairness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With our national park system already strained by Donald Trump’s funding and staffing cuts, this decision will limit outdoor recreation opportunities, degrade the Park’s natural resources, and strain local businesses that rely on a steady stream of Park visitors,” Padilla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The view from Yosemite\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to the release, the park’s analysis “found that most weekdays maintained available parking, stable traffic flow and visitation levels within the park’s operational capacity,” NPS’s Gediman said. “These findings indicate that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most effective approach for 2026.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But tour guide Barton contested the NPS’s claims that crowds ever truly subside during the summer, even on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12062225\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12062225\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors stand at Tunnel View overlook in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there is no such thing as a weekday or a weekend,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/11337-interior-cancels-successful-reservation-systems-at-arches-and-yosemite\">National Parks Conservation Association\u003c/a>, visitation to Yosemite increased by more than 30% between 2000 and 2019. And from 2020 to 2024, Rose said staff “fine-tuned” a visitor access management system — one he said was embraced by the public, staff and surrounding communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Rose said he’s concerned how data from Yosemite’s 2025 season, when the park was still using vehicle reservations, has been used to justify removing such reservations in 2026. KQED has reached out to NPS for more specifics on the 2025 reservation system.[aside postID=news_12074158 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2206235259.jpg']“It’s ignoring the decades of work that was put into creating the reservation system,” Rose said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NPS did not respond to inquiries about the analysis that led to their decision to eliminate reservations. But in the news release announcing the end of the reservation program, Yosemite’s McPadden said that “[w]e are committed to visitor access, safety, and resource protection, and will continue active traffic management strategies to ensure a great visitor experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While reservation systems are one valuable management tool, our data demonstrates that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most effective approach for the coming season,” McPadden said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The release also noted the park plans to continue strategies that “proved effective” during the 2025 season, like real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management, added staffing during peak periods, improved visitor information and promoting visitation during off-days and outside of Yosemite Valley, where the park tends to be the busiest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Park advocates say Yosemite scrapping timed tickets could mean overcrowding and long wait times this summer — and even damage to the park.",
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"title": "Yosemite Won't Require Car Reservations in 2026. Park Advocates Are Worried | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Advocates and tourism workers say they’re alarmed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/yosemite-national-park\">Yosemite National Park\u003c/a>‘s plans to scrap timed vehicle entry reservations in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPS vehicle reservation systems at \u003ca href=\"https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utahs-national-parks/arches-national-park-ditches-reservation-system-open-to-visitors-at-all-times\">Arches National Park in Utah\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/glacier-confirms-its-dropping-ticketed-entry/\">Glacier National Park in Montana\u003c/a> were also withdrawn in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Feb. 18 press release, National Park Service spokesperson Scott Gediman wrote that the Yosemite decision “follows a comprehensive evaluation of traffic patterns, parking availability and visitor use during the 2025 season.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But operators within the park and advocates have expressed concern that the Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS, is downplaying the likelihood of overcrowding during the summer months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also worry that, in addition to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065737/yosemite-national-park-new-fees-international-tourists-foreigners-annual-pass-2026\">new fees being collected from international visitors\u003c/a>, wait times to get into the park and damage to its natural environment could increase dramatically this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12062223\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12062223 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-93-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tour guide William Fontana points visitors to climbers on El Capitan during a tour of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada on Oct. 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I really don’t know what this looks like,” said Elisabeth Barton, founding member and CEO of tour company Echo Adventure Cooperative, which operates guided tours in and around Yosemite and Stanislaus National Forest. “I’m nervous because this is where I work and I play and I live, and the idea of it being run ragged just breaks my heart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to concerns about traffic and congestion, Yosemite Superintendent Ray McPadden\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/yosemite-national-park-reservation-21338944.php\"> told the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that “[h]aving the park being full is not a bad thing, it’s not a crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s always been high demand for Yosemite,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Pretty problematic’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While it was discussed before the COVID-19 pandemic, the system was first \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11823478/yosemite-open-to-public-again-starting-thursday\">implemented in 2020\u003c/a> in response to the pandemic and after record visitation to the park in 2019 to limit overcrowding at the park. After a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/yosemite-national-park-public-comment-crowds/3267489/\">pause in 2023,\u003c/a> the program continued through the 2024 and 2025 seasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reservations have previously been made through \u003ca href=\"http://recreation.gov\">Recreation.gov\u003c/a>, the federal government’s booking system for making reservations on national park land, including camping slots. The “\u003ca href=\"https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086745\">Yosemite National Park Ticketed Entry\u003c/a>” page is still live, but informs visitors that reservations will not be in place for 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12062211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12062211 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251027-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-18-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors look at a welcome at the entrance to Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101910047/yosemite-and-other-ca-national-parks-underfunded-understaffed-this-summer\">staffing already down\u003c/a> at the park, the decision to remove timed vehicle reservations has the potential to overwhelm park staff and cause damage, warned Mark Rose, Sierra Nevada program manager for advocacy group the National Parks Conservation Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose also expressed concern about the possibility of hours-long wait times to enter the park, which could ultimately result in would-be visitors being turned away due to a lack of parking.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The park experience that you’re gonna get at Yosemite this summer is something that nobody should have to face,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rose said he’s most worried about the Fourth of July, which is also free to enter this year as part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065737/yosemite-national-park-new-fees-international-tourists-foreigners-annual-pass-2026\">Trump administration’s changes to fee-free days\u003c/a> — which included removing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of days on which visitors can enter the park for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, having it free, having no reservation system in place, having seen what it can be like on Fourth of July in the past? We know it’s gonna be pretty problematic this year,” Rose said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla echoed advocates’ concerns, calling the Yosemite decision “shortsighted.” Padilla also urged Congress to pass \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4451/text\">a bill he introduced\u003c/a> last year to review reservation systems across all federal lands to make improvements in transparency, usability and fairness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With our national park system already strained by Donald Trump’s funding and staffing cuts, this decision will limit outdoor recreation opportunities, degrade the Park’s natural resources, and strain local businesses that rely on a steady stream of Park visitors,” Padilla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The view from Yosemite\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to the release, the park’s analysis “found that most weekdays maintained available parking, stable traffic flow and visitation levels within the park’s operational capacity,” NPS’s Gediman said. “These findings indicate that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most effective approach for 2026.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But tour guide Barton contested the NPS’s claims that crowds ever truly subside during the summer, even on weekdays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12062225\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12062225\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251028-YOSEMITESHUTDOWN-114-BL_QED-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Visitors stand at Tunnel View overlook in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Oct. 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there is no such thing as a weekday or a weekend,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/11337-interior-cancels-successful-reservation-systems-at-arches-and-yosemite\">National Parks Conservation Association\u003c/a>, visitation to Yosemite increased by more than 30% between 2000 and 2019. And from 2020 to 2024, Rose said staff “fine-tuned” a visitor access management system — one he said was embraced by the public, staff and surrounding communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Rose said he’s concerned how data from Yosemite’s 2025 season, when the park was still using vehicle reservations, has been used to justify removing such reservations in 2026. KQED has reached out to NPS for more specifics on the 2025 reservation system.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It’s ignoring the decades of work that was put into creating the reservation system,” Rose said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NPS did not respond to inquiries about the analysis that led to their decision to eliminate reservations. But in the news release announcing the end of the reservation program, Yosemite’s McPadden said that “[w]e are committed to visitor access, safety, and resource protection, and will continue active traffic management strategies to ensure a great visitor experience.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While reservation systems are one valuable management tool, our data demonstrates that a season-wide reservation requirement is not the most effective approach for the coming season,” McPadden said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The release also noted the park plans to continue strategies that “proved effective” during the 2025 season, like real-time traffic monitoring, active parking management, added staffing during peak periods, improved visitor information and promoting visitation during off-days and outside of Yosemite Valley, where the park tends to be the busiest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "yosemite-park-ranger-who-was-fired-after-hanging-transgender-flag-files-lawsuit",
"title": "Yosemite Park Ranger Who Was Fired After Hanging Transgender Flag Files Lawsuit",
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"headTitle": "Yosemite Park Ranger Who Was Fired After Hanging Transgender Flag Files Lawsuit | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A Yosemite National Park ranger and biologist who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053078/yosemite-biologist-fired-after-hanging-transgender-pride-flag-from-el-capitan\">fired last year\u003c/a> after hanging a transgender pride flag on El Capitan has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Department of the Interior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last spring, SJ Joslin and several others lugged the 58-pound flag up the imposing granite wall and flew it on a heart-shaped feature of the rock for several hours. Joslin did so in an off-duty capacity, they said in an interview with KQED last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in August, Joslin received a termination letter, which said they had “failed to demonstrate acceptable conduct.” At the time, a National Park Service representative told KQED it was “pursuing administrative action against multiple employees for failing to follow National Park Service regulations” and that there had been multiple “unauthorized demonstrations involving El Capitan,” which require a permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joslin told KQED in August that flying the flag was not a demonstration but a celebration of their transgender identity. They criticized the park service for taking action against them but not others who have similarly displayed flags on the prominent rock wall facing Yosemite Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://peer.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2_23_26-Joslin-v-DOI-Complaint.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a>, filed on Monday, points out a “tradition” of flying flags across Yosemite — none of which, to Joslin and her team’s knowledge, have led to any legal or other consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11947774\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11947774\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A view of El Capitan in Yosemite, a sheer rock face with a bright blue sky behind it. An orange car drives on the road in the foreground.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on Oct. 23, 2022. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Nobody had ever been disciplined before, much less fired and subject to criminal investigation,” said Paula Dinerstein, senior counsel at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which is representing Joslin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The question of whether or not it was a demonstration also doesn’t matter, Dinerstein said, because Joslin’s First Amendment rights were violated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our claim is that the only reason that SJ and their fellow climbers were singled out was because of the message affirming transgender rights,” she said.[aside postID=news_12053078 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/YosemiteTransFlagGetty.jpg']The lawsuit also alleges that Joslin’s rights under the Privacy Act were violated, stemming from claims that the National Park Service’s records describing Joslin’s actions include false or harmful information, Dinerstein said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the Department of the Interior would not comment on the specific case, a spokesperson emphasized in a statement to KQED that department officials “take the protection of the park’s resources and the experience of our visitors very seriously and will not tolerate violations of laws and regulations that impact those resources and experiences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No matter the cause, demonstrating without a permit outside of designated First-Amendment areas detracts from the visitor experience and the protection of the park,” the statement said. “To safeguard the protection of visitors, visitor experiences, and park resources, many demonstrations require a permit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dinerstein also noted that the National Park Service told Joslin it had opened a criminal investigation, which the complaint in the suit calls part of a “vindictive campaign” that “continues to chill their expressive conduct and speech.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dinerstein said that because they filed a preliminary injunction, the parties are meeting now with lawyers from the Department of the Interior to set a schedule to begin legal proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "SJ Joslin lost their job last year after hanging the trans pride flag on El Capitan. Their lawsuit alleges First Amendment and Privacy Act violations.",
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"title": "Yosemite Park Ranger Who Was Fired After Hanging Transgender Flag Files Lawsuit | KQED",
"description": "SJ Joslin lost their job last year after hanging the trans pride flag on El Capitan. Their lawsuit alleges First Amendment and Privacy Act violations.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A Yosemite National Park ranger and biologist who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12053078/yosemite-biologist-fired-after-hanging-transgender-pride-flag-from-el-capitan\">fired last year\u003c/a> after hanging a transgender pride flag on El Capitan has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Department of the Interior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last spring, SJ Joslin and several others lugged the 58-pound flag up the imposing granite wall and flew it on a heart-shaped feature of the rock for several hours. Joslin did so in an off-duty capacity, they said in an interview with KQED last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in August, Joslin received a termination letter, which said they had “failed to demonstrate acceptable conduct.” At the time, a National Park Service representative told KQED it was “pursuing administrative action against multiple employees for failing to follow National Park Service regulations” and that there had been multiple “unauthorized demonstrations involving El Capitan,” which require a permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joslin told KQED in August that flying the flag was not a demonstration but a celebration of their transgender identity. They criticized the park service for taking action against them but not others who have similarly displayed flags on the prominent rock wall facing Yosemite Valley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://peer.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2_23_26-Joslin-v-DOI-Complaint.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a>, filed on Monday, points out a “tradition” of flying flags across Yosemite — none of which, to Joslin and her team’s knowledge, have led to any legal or other consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11947774\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11947774\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A view of El Capitan in Yosemite, a sheer rock face with a bright blue sky behind it. An orange car drives on the road in the foreground.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/04/RS64733_GettyImages-1244209043-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on Oct. 23, 2022. \u003ccite>(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Nobody had ever been disciplined before, much less fired and subject to criminal investigation,” said Paula Dinerstein, senior counsel at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which is representing Joslin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The question of whether or not it was a demonstration also doesn’t matter, Dinerstein said, because Joslin’s First Amendment rights were violated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our claim is that the only reason that SJ and their fellow climbers were singled out was because of the message affirming transgender rights,” she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The lawsuit also alleges that Joslin’s rights under the Privacy Act were violated, stemming from claims that the National Park Service’s records describing Joslin’s actions include false or harmful information, Dinerstein said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the Department of the Interior would not comment on the specific case, a spokesperson emphasized in a statement to KQED that department officials “take the protection of the park’s resources and the experience of our visitors very seriously and will not tolerate violations of laws and regulations that impact those resources and experiences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No matter the cause, demonstrating without a permit outside of designated First-Amendment areas detracts from the visitor experience and the protection of the park,” the statement said. “To safeguard the protection of visitors, visitor experiences, and park resources, many demonstrations require a permit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dinerstein also noted that the National Park Service told Joslin it had opened a criminal investigation, which the complaint in the suit calls part of a “vindictive campaign” that “continues to chill their expressive conduct and speech.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dinerstein said that because they filed a preliminary injunction, the parties are meeting now with lawyers from the Department of the Interior to set a schedule to begin legal proceedings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Blackbird Mountain Guides Was Built on Avalanche Safety, Then One Struck",
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"content": "\u003cp>Zebulon “Zeb” Blais has skied six of the seven continents, summited Mount Everest twice, and built what would become a leading provider of avalanche education in North America. He holds the highest professional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/avalanche\">avalanche\u003c/a> certifications available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also knows, firsthand, what it feels like to be buried by one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the morning of Feb. 17, an avalanche swept through a 15-person group near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada — four of them guides from Blais’ company, Blackbird Mountain Guides — as they returned from a three-day backcountry ski trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074292/all-9-tahoe-avalanche-victims-identified-and-bodies-recovered\">Nine people are dead\u003c/a>, including three of Blackbird’s own guides. It’s the deadliest avalanche in modern California history, and it struck a company that built its identity around the idea that preparation, training and sound judgment could keep people alive in exactly this kind of terrain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve had some close calls with avalanches,” Blais said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/\">2024 episode\u003c/a> of Mountain Voices, a podcast series from the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, where he described being buried in the snow. “And what it comes down to is really it’s all about human factors and decision making. We typically have a good idea of when the snowpack is unstable. We can read the forecast, we can see that a storm just came in, and we ignore it because of pressure from our group, pressure we put on ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tragedy has thrust Blackbird into the center of a painful and still-unresolved question that even its founder had already tried to answer out loud: How does something like this happen to people who seemed to know better than almost anyone what the mountains can do?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is Blackbird\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Founded by Blais in 2020, Truckee-based Blackbird Mountain Guides offers mountaineering courses, backcountry ski trips, and guided expeditions in California, Washington and internationally. It is not a casual operation. By one key industry measure, it was the most significant avalanche education provider in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2024, the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education named Blackbird the most prolific AIARE provider in North America for the 2023-2024 season. They trained more students and ran more avalanche courses than any other provider in the US.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074295\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074295\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People observe a moment of silence during a vigil for the 9 people who died in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada, on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Truckee, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For years, founder Zeb Blais and the Blackbird team have worked tirelessly to gain the trust of thousands of students, one small group at a time,” the company said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/blackbird-guides_aiare-avalancheeducation-moststudentstrained-activity-7249501211681251328-1pxS/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABMr-DsB5AD_QyGOwGqwFicqPX-yXqy-wRE\">LinkedIn post\u003c/a> at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The credentials of Blackbird’s guide team reflect that identity. Of the 39 guides listed on the company’s website before February’s avalanche, 35 carry Wilderness First Responder \u003ca href=\"https://nasar.org/page/WFR\">certifications\u003c/a>. Thirty-five are listed as AIARE Course Leaders — \u003ca href=\"https://avtraining.org/course-leader-training/\">certified\u003c/a> to teach avalanche safety courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seven hold AIARE’s highest level of avalanche \u003ca href=\"https://avtraining.org/pro/\">certification\u003c/a>. Eight hold the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations/American Mountain Guide \u003ca href=\"https://www.amga.com/programs/mountain-guide-programs\">designation\u003c/a>, regarded as the gold standard in international mountain guiding. Twelve are AMGA \u003ca href=\"https://www.amga.com/programs/mountain-guide-programs/ski-guide-program\">Certified\u003c/a> Ski Guides.[aside postID=news_12074158 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2206235259.jpg']The AIARE designations require multi-day, field-based training and formal assessment in avalanche terrain, including rescue scenarios and hazard evaluation. Course Leaders are authorized not just to take classes, but to teach them and mentor other instructors. The highest avalanche certifications in AIARE’s professional track are typically earned only after years of field experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similarly, AMGA certifications require a multi-year progression of documented guiding days, technical exams and in-person assessments in alpine, rock and ski terrain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California law does not require those credentials to guide paying clients in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/avalanche\">avalanche\u003c/a> terrain, but within the industry, they function as markers of advanced professional competence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All four guides on the Castle Peak trip reportedly carried those kinds of credentials. In a statement released Wednesday, Blais said they were all AMGA-trained or certified and AIARE instructors, certified to teach avalanche education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three of those four guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada; Michael Henry, 30, of Soda Springs; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are,” Blackbird said of them in a \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/pages/live-incident-updates\">statement\u003c/a> released Saturday, after all nine victims had been identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird Mountain Guides did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Blais did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A trusted name in the backcountry community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Blackbird had more than 270 Google reviews at the time of the accident; all of them five-star. \u003cem>CapRadio\u003c/em> reached out to more than a dozen former Blackbird customers in the wake of the avalanche. Most declined to comment. Those who did speak described guides as meticulous, knowledgeable and genuinely invested in safety education rather than pushing clients toward risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Stenerson, a Tahoe-area snowboarder who took an AIARE Level 2 avalanche \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/collections/avalanche-courses/products/aiare-2-avalanche-course-in-tahoe?variant=50504992260395\">course\u003c/a> with Blackbird, said the experience was thorough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the beginning, they were very knowledgeable, very smart, very professional and very friendly,” Stenerson said. “There’s no question in my mind that they were doing their best job. I would 100% have recommended them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074191\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Castle Peak area is shown in an aerial view on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, near Soda Springs, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Reno-based physical therapist and experienced backcountry skier Matthew Oravitz joined a Blackbird-coordinated trip in Japan. He said the guide’s approach was defined by careful communication and clear authority, without any pressure to push beyond comfort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My experience with them is that they’re very open, but they’re not very persuadable,” Oravitz said. “The guide was clearly in charge. He was comfortable making the final decision with some input from us, but it was never like we could overrule him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oravitz said he still trusts the company enough that, despite the accident, he is moving forward with a summer rock climbing trip to Chamonix, France — and plans to request Blais as his guide. “When I worked with Blackbird, I felt like they were experts and they did the work to get there,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The trip\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The group was on a three-day excursion to the Frog Lake Huts, a backcountry cabin complex northwest of Truckee owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust. The huts are \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwFKSiLlO2o\">well-appointed\u003c/a> for a backcountry setting with a commercial kitchen, communal dining hall and heated sleeping quarters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/collections/ski-splitboard/products/frog-lake-huts?variant=51070530552107\">lists\u003c/a> the trip for as much as $1,165 per person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The terrain surrounding the huts, per Blackbird’s own listing, ranges from intermediate to expert level and requires participants to have a minimum of 20 days of prior backcountry experience. Clients were required to bring their own avalanche safety gear: beacon, shovel, and probe; group safety equipment was provided by the guides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074382\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/022326_frog-lake-huts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/022326_frog-lake-huts.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/022326_frog-lake-huts-160x70.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of the Frog Lake Huts trip advertised on the Blackbird Mountain Guides website.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The group departed Sunday, Feb 15. On Tuesday morning, as conditions deteriorated, the group decided to leave early, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Saturday, trying to get off the mountain ahead of the weather. The route they were on when the avalanche struck was described by officials as “a normally traveled route.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 911 call came in at approximately 11:30 a.m. The avalanche was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/observations/avalanches/83ba330a-5eb4-446e-95b0-495c26faf06b#/avalanche/83ba330a-5eb4-446e-95b0-495c26faf06b\">classified\u003c/a> as a D2.5, on a \u003ca href=\"https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/avalanche/avalanche-problems/avalanche-size/destructive-force-d-scale/\">scale\u003c/a> where a D2 is powerful enough to bury a person and a D3 can destroy a house. Its path was roughly the size of a football field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the 15 people in the group, two individuals near the rear were not swept away, according to early reports from the sheriff’s office. Twelve were buried. Nine of them did not survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Nevada County Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Haack, the survivors had already located three of the buried victims by the time the first rescue teams made contact at 5:30 p.m., working through what officials described as white-out conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A warning the company helped spread\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Blackbird Mountain Guides did not shy away from the fact that it operates trips in inclement weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do not expect a trip to be cancelled due to weather. Unless we specifically cancel the trip, please assume the trip will run regardless of weather,” the company’s \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/pages/policies\">policies page\u003c/a> reads, adding that both California and Washington State “have severe weather that can make travel extremely difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The page also specifies that refunds cannot be given due to weather, environmental conditions “or other unforeseen circumstances beyond our control that causes a trip to be cancelled.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073999\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073999\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow covers the roof of the Nevada County Sheriff’s office on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Truckee, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The victims’ families said the friend group had organized their trip to the Frog Lake Huts “well in advance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Publicly, Blackbird often posted about \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/backcountry-ski-splitboard\">backcountry skiing\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/avalanche-education\">avalanche education\u003c/a>. A backcountry skiing post authored by Blais in \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/backcountry-ski-splitboard/tips-for-safe-early-season-backcountry-skiing\">November 2025\u003c/a> outlined a recommended gear checklist, including an avalanche beacon, helmet and first aid kit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The post tells skiers to track snow and weather patterns, check regional avalanche centers — including the Sierra, East Sierra and Mt. Shasta avalanche centers — for advisories, and to practice avalanche rescue with travel partners.[aside postID=science_2000137 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/10/GettyImages-1482972333-1020x678.jpg']The Sierra Avalanche Center had posted an avalanche watch on Sunday, Feb. 15, the same day the 15-person group set out for Frog Lake. That was upgraded to an avalanche warning on Tuesday, hours before the deadly slide swept the skiers away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s social media accounts also include multiple posts about snow conditions in the region, with guides performing compression tests out in the field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/896103729865191\">video posted Feb. 15\u003c/a> from the Mt. Rose area of Nevada warns of a “big storm incoming” and noted a weak layer of snow, which “could lead to some unpredictable avalanches.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/33745716301742707\">video from Feb. 13\u003c/a>, filmed in the North Lake Tahoe area, showed a guide executing a compression test on the snow and said to “watch out for that weak layer!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Feutrier, forest supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest, confirmed the avalanche had occurred when “a persistent weak layer had a large load of snow over the top of it.” The precise scenario Blackbird’s own post had flagged days earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether and how the guides weighed those conditions against the decision to proceed remains under investigation. Moon said the company had been cooperative. “Those are the decisions the guide company clearly had made,” she said Wednesday. “We’re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird required participants to carry trip insurance on its international excursions, including $250,000 in evacuation and repatriation coverage and $50,000 in medical coverage. But this insurance was only recommended for clients on domestic trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The victims\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The six clients who died were Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae. They were part of a group of eight friends who had organized the trip together, all of them experienced backcountry skiers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a joint statement, their families described them as “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains” who “trusted their professional guides on this trip” and “were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074001\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074001\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Avalanche victims (clockwise from top left) Carrie Atkin, Kate Morse, Danielle Keatley and Caroline Sekar. \u003ccite>(Family Handout)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said some of the victims were family friends, called the event “the most devastating avalanche, in terms of loss of life, we’ve ever experienced” in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These were some experienced guides that were out there,” he said. “And that’s what’s even more concerning and disturbing about this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Questions remain\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health confirmed it has opened a workplace safety investigation into Blackbird. State law requires Cal/OSHA to complete its investigation within six months and issue citations if it finds violations. The agency has not provided additional details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to how companies like Blackbird are regulated, the picture is murky. California has no dedicated professional license for backcountry ski guides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Avalanche Center forecasters observe a crack in the snow on Feb. 17, 2026. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nolan Averbuch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There is no state board that certifies them, no mandatory credential required to legally lead paying clients into avalanche terrain. The AMGA certifications and AIARE instructor designations that Blackbird’s guides carried are industry standards, widely expected by clients and insurers, but they are not legally required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What regulation does exist comes primarily through other channels. Guide companies operating on federal public lands, which include most of the Sierra Nevada backcountry, must \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/contracts-commercial-permits/special-use-permit-application\">obtain\u003c/a> special use permits or outfitter authorizations from land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service. Those permits impose insurance and safety requirements, but they are not professional licenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A search of OSHA’s complaint \u003ca href=\"https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.search?p_logger=1&establishment=blackbird&State=all&officetype=all&Office=all&sitezip=&p_case=all&p_violations_exist=all&startmonth=02&startday=22&startyear=2021&endmonth=02&endday=22&endyear=2026\">database\u003c/a> found no prior complaints against Blackbird. California Secretary of State records show the company’s LLC paperwork is current.[aside postID=news_12074177 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021726_avalancherescuers-p.jpg']Both Stenerson and Oravitz pushed back on the rush to blame that emerged online in the days after the slide. Neither had been on this trip, but both had traveled with Blackbird, and they kept returning to the same point: the mountains don’t yield, even to expertise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people are casting judgment, they really have no idea what they’re talking about,” Stenerson said. “You can’t predict everything with 100% certainty. You use a handful of tools and your own risk tolerance to make the best decision you can. Unfortunately, this time it was a very sad outcome.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oravitz put it another way, on what it means to trust someone else’s expertise in a domain where certainty isn’t possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody goes out there for this outcome, and if you weren’t part of that group, everything that you’re doing is speculative and based on unvalidated assumptions,” he said. “That is the worst way to understand what is ultimately a tragedy for individuals, family and a community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a question Blais himself had tried to answer publicly, two years before the mountain answered it for him. In that 2024 podcast interview, he described the transceiver not as a symbol of danger, but of commitment. The one tool a guide straps on at the trailhead and doesn’t remove until the day is done, the thing that remains when everything else fails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We like to say, on at the car, off at the bar,” he said. “Number one is just choosing the right terrain for the conditions and avoiding avalanches in the first place. There’s a lot of uncertainty. So that’s why we rely on the transceiver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All nine victims were wearing theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sarit Laschinsky contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Blackbird Mountain Guides was the most prolific avalanche education provider in North America. Then one of its own trips became California’s deadliest avalanche. A closer look at the company at the center of the tragedy.",
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"title": "Blackbird Mountain Guides Was Built on Avalanche Safety, Then One Struck | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Zebulon “Zeb” Blais has skied six of the seven continents, summited Mount Everest twice, and built what would become a leading provider of avalanche education in North America. He holds the highest professional \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/avalanche\">avalanche\u003c/a> certifications available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also knows, firsthand, what it feels like to be buried by one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the morning of Feb. 17, an avalanche swept through a 15-person group near Castle Peak in the Sierra Nevada — four of them guides from Blais’ company, Blackbird Mountain Guides — as they returned from a three-day backcountry ski trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074292/all-9-tahoe-avalanche-victims-identified-and-bodies-recovered\">Nine people are dead\u003c/a>, including three of Blackbird’s own guides. It’s the deadliest avalanche in modern California history, and it struck a company that built its identity around the idea that preparation, training and sound judgment could keep people alive in exactly this kind of terrain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve had some close calls with avalanches,” Blais said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.theuiaa.org/mountainvoices/\">2024 episode\u003c/a> of Mountain Voices, a podcast series from the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, where he described being buried in the snow. “And what it comes down to is really it’s all about human factors and decision making. We typically have a good idea of when the snowpack is unstable. We can read the forecast, we can see that a storm just came in, and we ignore it because of pressure from our group, pressure we put on ourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tragedy has thrust Blackbird into the center of a painful and still-unresolved question that even its founder had already tried to answer out loud: How does something like this happen to people who seemed to know better than almost anyone what the mountains can do?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What is Blackbird\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Founded by Blais in 2020, Truckee-based Blackbird Mountain Guides offers mountaineering courses, backcountry ski trips, and guided expeditions in California, Washington and internationally. It is not a casual operation. By one key industry measure, it was the most significant avalanche education provider in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In October 2024, the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education named Blackbird the most prolific AIARE provider in North America for the 2023-2024 season. They trained more students and ran more avalanche courses than any other provider in the US.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074295\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074295\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalanche1AP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People observe a moment of silence during a vigil for the 9 people who died in an avalanche in California’s Sierra Nevada, on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Truckee, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“For years, founder Zeb Blais and the Blackbird team have worked tirelessly to gain the trust of thousands of students, one small group at a time,” the company said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/blackbird-guides_aiare-avalancheeducation-moststudentstrained-activity-7249501211681251328-1pxS/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABMr-DsB5AD_QyGOwGqwFicqPX-yXqy-wRE\">LinkedIn post\u003c/a> at the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The credentials of Blackbird’s guide team reflect that identity. Of the 39 guides listed on the company’s website before February’s avalanche, 35 carry Wilderness First Responder \u003ca href=\"https://nasar.org/page/WFR\">certifications\u003c/a>. Thirty-five are listed as AIARE Course Leaders — \u003ca href=\"https://avtraining.org/course-leader-training/\">certified\u003c/a> to teach avalanche safety courses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seven hold AIARE’s highest level of avalanche \u003ca href=\"https://avtraining.org/pro/\">certification\u003c/a>. Eight hold the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations/American Mountain Guide \u003ca href=\"https://www.amga.com/programs/mountain-guide-programs\">designation\u003c/a>, regarded as the gold standard in international mountain guiding. Twelve are AMGA \u003ca href=\"https://www.amga.com/programs/mountain-guide-programs/ski-guide-program\">Certified\u003c/a> Ski Guides.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The AIARE designations require multi-day, field-based training and formal assessment in avalanche terrain, including rescue scenarios and hazard evaluation. Course Leaders are authorized not just to take classes, but to teach them and mentor other instructors. The highest avalanche certifications in AIARE’s professional track are typically earned only after years of field experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similarly, AMGA certifications require a multi-year progression of documented guiding days, technical exams and in-person assessments in alpine, rock and ski terrain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California law does not require those credentials to guide paying clients in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/avalanche\">avalanche\u003c/a> terrain, but within the industry, they function as markers of advanced professional competence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All four guides on the Castle Peak trip reportedly carried those kinds of credentials. In a statement released Wednesday, Blais said they were all AMGA-trained or certified and AIARE instructors, certified to teach avalanche education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three of those four guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, of Verdi, Nevada; Michael Henry, 30, of Soda Springs; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are,” Blackbird said of them in a \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/pages/live-incident-updates\">statement\u003c/a> released Saturday, after all nine victims had been identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird Mountain Guides did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Blais did not respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A trusted name in the backcountry community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Blackbird had more than 270 Google reviews at the time of the accident; all of them five-star. \u003cem>CapRadio\u003c/em> reached out to more than a dozen former Blackbird customers in the wake of the avalanche. Most declined to comment. Those who did speak described guides as meticulous, knowledgeable and genuinely invested in safety education rather than pushing clients toward risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Stenerson, a Tahoe-area snowboarder who took an AIARE Level 2 avalanche \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/collections/avalanche-courses/products/aiare-2-avalanche-course-in-tahoe?variant=50504992260395\">course\u003c/a> with Blackbird, said the experience was thorough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the beginning, they were very knowledgeable, very smart, very professional and very friendly,” Stenerson said. “There’s no question in my mind that they were doing their best job. I would 100% have recommended them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074191\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Castle Peak area is shown in an aerial view on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, near Soda Springs, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Reno-based physical therapist and experienced backcountry skier Matthew Oravitz joined a Blackbird-coordinated trip in Japan. He said the guide’s approach was defined by careful communication and clear authority, without any pressure to push beyond comfort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My experience with them is that they’re very open, but they’re not very persuadable,” Oravitz said. “The guide was clearly in charge. He was comfortable making the final decision with some input from us, but it was never like we could overrule him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oravitz said he still trusts the company enough that, despite the accident, he is moving forward with a summer rock climbing trip to Chamonix, France — and plans to request Blais as his guide. “When I worked with Blackbird, I felt like they were experts and they did the work to get there,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The trip\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The group was on a three-day excursion to the Frog Lake Huts, a backcountry cabin complex northwest of Truckee owned by the Truckee Donner Land Trust. The huts are \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwFKSiLlO2o\">well-appointed\u003c/a> for a backcountry setting with a commercial kitchen, communal dining hall and heated sleeping quarters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/collections/ski-splitboard/products/frog-lake-huts?variant=51070530552107\">lists\u003c/a> the trip for as much as $1,165 per person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The terrain surrounding the huts, per Blackbird’s own listing, ranges from intermediate to expert level and requires participants to have a minimum of 20 days of prior backcountry experience. Clients were required to bring their own avalanche safety gear: beacon, shovel, and probe; group safety equipment was provided by the guides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074382\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074382\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/022326_frog-lake-huts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/022326_frog-lake-huts.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/022326_frog-lake-huts-160x70.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A screenshot of the Frog Lake Huts trip advertised on the Blackbird Mountain Guides website.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The group departed Sunday, Feb 15. On Tuesday morning, as conditions deteriorated, the group decided to leave early, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Saturday, trying to get off the mountain ahead of the weather. The route they were on when the avalanche struck was described by officials as “a normally traveled route.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 911 call came in at approximately 11:30 a.m. The avalanche was \u003ca href=\"https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/observations/avalanches/83ba330a-5eb4-446e-95b0-495c26faf06b#/avalanche/83ba330a-5eb4-446e-95b0-495c26faf06b\">classified\u003c/a> as a D2.5, on a \u003ca href=\"https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/avalanche/avalanche-problems/avalanche-size/destructive-force-d-scale/\">scale\u003c/a> where a D2 is powerful enough to bury a person and a D3 can destroy a house. Its path was roughly the size of a football field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the 15 people in the group, two individuals near the rear were not swept away, according to early reports from the sheriff’s office. Twelve were buried. Nine of them did not survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Nevada County Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Haack, the survivors had already located three of the buried victims by the time the first rescue teams made contact at 5:30 p.m., working through what officials described as white-out conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A warning the company helped spread\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Blackbird Mountain Guides did not shy away from the fact that it operates trips in inclement weather.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do not expect a trip to be cancelled due to weather. Unless we specifically cancel the trip, please assume the trip will run regardless of weather,” the company’s \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/pages/policies\">policies page\u003c/a> reads, adding that both California and Washington State “have severe weather that can make travel extremely difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The page also specifies that refunds cannot be given due to weather, environmental conditions “or other unforeseen circumstances beyond our control that causes a trip to be cancelled.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073999\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073999\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow covers the roof of the Nevada County Sheriff’s office on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Truckee, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The victims’ families said the friend group had organized their trip to the Frog Lake Huts “well in advance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Publicly, Blackbird often posted about \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/backcountry-ski-splitboard\">backcountry skiing\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/avalanche-education\">avalanche education\u003c/a>. A backcountry skiing post authored by Blais in \u003ca href=\"https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/backcountry-ski-splitboard/tips-for-safe-early-season-backcountry-skiing\">November 2025\u003c/a> outlined a recommended gear checklist, including an avalanche beacon, helmet and first aid kit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The post tells skiers to track snow and weather patterns, check regional avalanche centers — including the Sierra, East Sierra and Mt. Shasta avalanche centers — for advisories, and to practice avalanche rescue with travel partners.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The Sierra Avalanche Center had posted an avalanche watch on Sunday, Feb. 15, the same day the 15-person group set out for Frog Lake. That was upgraded to an avalanche warning on Tuesday, hours before the deadly slide swept the skiers away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s social media accounts also include multiple posts about snow conditions in the region, with guides performing compression tests out in the field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/896103729865191\">video posted Feb. 15\u003c/a> from the Mt. Rose area of Nevada warns of a “big storm incoming” and noted a weak layer of snow, which “could lead to some unpredictable avalanches.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/33745716301742707\">video from Feb. 13\u003c/a>, filmed in the North Lake Tahoe area, showed a guide executing a compression test on the snow and said to “watch out for that weak layer!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Feutrier, forest supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest, confirmed the avalanche had occurred when “a persistent weak layer had a large load of snow over the top of it.” The precise scenario Blackbird’s own post had flagged days earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether and how the guides weighed those conditions against the decision to proceed remains under investigation. Moon said the company had been cooperative. “Those are the decisions the guide company clearly had made,” she said Wednesday. “We’re still in conversation with them on the decision factors that they made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird required participants to carry trip insurance on its international excursions, including $250,000 in evacuation and repatriation coverage and $50,000 in medical coverage. But this insurance was only recommended for clients on domestic trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The victims\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The six clients who died were Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae. They were part of a group of eight friends who had organized the trip together, all of them experienced backcountry skiers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a joint statement, their families described them as “passionate, skilled skiers who cherished time together in the mountains” who “trusted their professional guides on this trip” and “were fully equipped with avalanche safety equipment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074001\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074001\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Avalanche victims (clockwise from top left) Carrie Atkin, Kate Morse, Danielle Keatley and Caroline Sekar. \u003ccite>(Family Handout)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said some of the victims were family friends, called the event “the most devastating avalanche, in terms of loss of life, we’ve ever experienced” in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These were some experienced guides that were out there,” he said. “And that’s what’s even more concerning and disturbing about this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Questions remain\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health confirmed it has opened a workplace safety investigation into Blackbird. State law requires Cal/OSHA to complete its investigation within six months and issue citations if it finds violations. The agency has not provided additional details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to how companies like Blackbird are regulated, the picture is murky. California has no dedicated professional license for backcountry ski guides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12073957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12073957\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Avalanche Center forecasters observe a crack in the snow on Feb. 17, 2026. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nolan Averbuch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There is no state board that certifies them, no mandatory credential required to legally lead paying clients into avalanche terrain. The AMGA certifications and AIARE instructor designations that Blackbird’s guides carried are industry standards, widely expected by clients and insurers, but they are not legally required.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What regulation does exist comes primarily through other channels. Guide companies operating on federal public lands, which include most of the Sierra Nevada backcountry, must \u003ca href=\"https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/contracts-commercial-permits/special-use-permit-application\">obtain\u003c/a> special use permits or outfitter authorizations from land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service. Those permits impose insurance and safety requirements, but they are not professional licenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A search of OSHA’s complaint \u003ca href=\"https://www.osha.gov/ords/imis/establishment.search?p_logger=1&establishment=blackbird&State=all&officetype=all&Office=all&sitezip=&p_case=all&p_violations_exist=all&startmonth=02&startday=22&startyear=2021&endmonth=02&endday=22&endyear=2026\">database\u003c/a> found no prior complaints against Blackbird. California Secretary of State records show the company’s LLC paperwork is current.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Both Stenerson and Oravitz pushed back on the rush to blame that emerged online in the days after the slide. Neither had been on this trip, but both had traveled with Blackbird, and they kept returning to the same point: the mountains don’t yield, even to expertise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people are casting judgment, they really have no idea what they’re talking about,” Stenerson said. “You can’t predict everything with 100% certainty. You use a handful of tools and your own risk tolerance to make the best decision you can. Unfortunately, this time it was a very sad outcome.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oravitz put it another way, on what it means to trust someone else’s expertise in a domain where certainty isn’t possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody goes out there for this outcome, and if you weren’t part of that group, everything that you’re doing is speculative and based on unvalidated assumptions,” he said. “That is the worst way to understand what is ultimately a tragedy for individuals, family and a community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a question Blais himself had tried to answer publicly, two years before the mountain answered it for him. In that 2024 podcast interview, he described the transceiver not as a symbol of danger, but of commitment. The one tool a guide straps on at the trailhead and doesn’t remove until the day is done, the thing that remains when everything else fails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We like to say, on at the car, off at the bar,” he said. “Number one is just choosing the right terrain for the conditions and avoiding avalanches in the first place. There’s a lot of uncertainty. So that’s why we rely on the transceiver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All nine victims were wearing theirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sarit Laschinsky contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The names of three backcountry ski guides who died in last week’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/2000137/could-climate-change-reshape-avalanche-danger-in-the-sierra-nevada-scientists-say-its-complicated\">Tahoe avalanche\u003c/a> — now the deadliest in modern California history — have been released by the guiding company they worked for, and the bodies of all nine victims have been recovered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Blackbird Mountain Guides employees who were killed are Andrew Alissandratos of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry of Soda Springs, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird’s news release said they were each “skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their bodies and those of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073851/tahoe-avalanche-heres-what-we-know-about-the-victims\">six clients\u003c/a> who died — all women and many of them from the Bay Area — were recovered Friday and Saturday from the site of the avalanche near Tahoe’s Donner Summit, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recovery was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073933/treacherous-sierra-nevada-storm-delays-recovery-of-9-presumed-avalanche-victims\">initially delayed\u003c/a> by bad weather, but on Friday, the Sheriff’s Office and PG&E conducted avalanche mitigation work, Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Hack said at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KCRA3/videos/1572869143932784\">press conference\u003c/a> on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074191\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Castle Peak area is shown in an aerial view on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, near Soda Springs, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Search-and-rescue personnel from the California Highway Patrol recovered five of the bodies and found the remains of a final missing skier who had been presumed dead. They and the California National Guard recovered the remaining bodies on Saturday, Hack said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday, the Tahoe-area city of Truckee held a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kunr.org/live-updates/lake-tahoe-avalanche\">vigil in honor of the avalanche victims\u003c/a>. KUNR reported more than 100 people attended, leaving flowers, origami peace cranes and written messages.[aside postID=news_12074158 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/GettyImages-2206235259.jpg']After a brief closure to support search-and-rescue operations, the area of the Tahoe National Forest where the slide occurred was \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1389731249862819&set=a.308275298008425&locale=mt_MT\">reopened on Monday\u003c/a> by the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We extend our deepest sympathies to the individuals and families impacted by this tragic backcountry incident, and we grieve with our community,” Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier wrote in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KQED on Friday that it has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074177/california-authorities-launch-investigation-of-criminal-negligence-in-deadly-tahoe-avalanche\">launched an investigation\u003c/a> into Blackbird Mountain Guides “to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence.” The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened a separate investigation, the department confirmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird has not responded to KQED’s request for comment on the investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The names of three backcountry ski guides who died in last week’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/2000137/could-climate-change-reshape-avalanche-danger-in-the-sierra-nevada-scientists-say-its-complicated\">Tahoe avalanche\u003c/a> — now the deadliest in modern California history — have been released by the guiding company they worked for, and the bodies of all nine victims have been recovered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Blackbird Mountain Guides employees who were killed are Andrew Alissandratos of Verdi, Nevada; Nicole Choo of South Lake Tahoe; and Michael Henry of Soda Springs, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird’s news release said they were each “skilled professionals, colleagues, and friends whose passion for the mountains shaped who we are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their bodies and those of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073851/tahoe-avalanche-heres-what-we-know-about-the-victims\">six clients\u003c/a> who died — all women and many of them from the Bay Area — were recovered Friday and Saturday from the site of the avalanche near Tahoe’s Donner Summit, according to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recovery was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073933/treacherous-sierra-nevada-storm-delays-recovery-of-9-presumed-avalanche-victims\">initially delayed\u003c/a> by bad weather, but on Friday, the Sheriff’s Office and PG&E conducted avalanche mitigation work, Sheriff’s Lt. Dennis Hack said at a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KCRA3/videos/1572869143932784\">press conference\u003c/a> on Saturday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074191\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074191\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP4-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Castle Peak area is shown in an aerial view on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, near Soda Springs, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Search-and-rescue personnel from the California Highway Patrol recovered five of the bodies and found the remains of a final missing skier who had been presumed dead. They and the California National Guard recovered the remaining bodies on Saturday, Hack said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday, the Tahoe-area city of Truckee held a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kunr.org/live-updates/lake-tahoe-avalanche\">vigil in honor of the avalanche victims\u003c/a>. KUNR reported more than 100 people attended, leaving flowers, origami peace cranes and written messages.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After a brief closure to support search-and-rescue operations, the area of the Tahoe National Forest where the slide occurred was \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1389731249862819&set=a.308275298008425&locale=mt_MT\">reopened on Monday\u003c/a> by the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We extend our deepest sympathies to the individuals and families impacted by this tragic backcountry incident, and we grieve with our community,” Tahoe National Forest Supervisor Chris Feutrier wrote in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KQED on Friday that it has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074177/california-authorities-launch-investigation-of-criminal-negligence-in-deadly-tahoe-avalanche\">launched an investigation\u003c/a> into Blackbird Mountain Guides “to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence.” The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has opened a separate investigation, the department confirmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blackbird has not responded to KQED’s request for comment on the investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "after-major-blackouts-san-francisco-lawmakers-power-up-efforts-to-break-with-pge",
"title": "After Major Blackouts, San Francisco Lawmakers Power Up Efforts to Break With PG&E",
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"headTitle": "After Major Blackouts, San Francisco Lawmakers Power Up Efforts to Break With PG&E | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> lawmakers escalated efforts to break up with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pge\">PG&E\u003c/a> on Monday — and replace it with a publicly owned utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068177/pge-outage-leaves-130000-across-san-francisco-without-power\">massive power outages\u003c/a> this winter that affected some residents for multiple days, state Sen. Scott Wiener and others gathered at City Hall to announce a state bill, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB875\">SB 875\u003c/a>, that would clear some of the legal hurdles cities face when exploring a public acquisition of their utility service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just unacceptable,” Wiener said, flanked by several city supervisors. “For decades, San Francisco has been trying to get out of this toxic relationship. The city has repeatedly offered to purchase PG&E’s infrastructure here in San Francisco, and PG&E keeps refusing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 130,000 San Franciscans lost power in December 2025 after a circuit breaker sparked a fire at a PG&E substation and cut off power for up to three days for some residents. During the blackout, the company issued several incorrect updates on when power might be restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials have responded by reigniting their attempts to buy out PG&E in San Francisco and instead operate a publicly-owned utility, similar to what Sacramento and Palo Alto have done in recent years. Supporters point to utility rates up to 50% lower for consumers in those cities compared to San Francisco, where residents have faced cost hikes — despite inadequate PG&E infrastructure maintenance and service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Residents in my district were without power. Food was spoiling, heat wasn’t working. And PG&E left people waiting for minutes, then hours, and then days,” Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said on Monday, recalling the blackout in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051931\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supervisor Bilal Mahmood speaks at an event celebrating the creation of a union by the workers at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation at Boeddeker Park in San Francisco on Aug. 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mahmood, who represents the Tenderloin and Nob Hill, recently participated in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073229/san-francisco-supervisors-probe-pge-after-widespread-winter-power-outages\">public hearing\u003c/a> where city officials grilled PG&E over the causes and responses during the outages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their answers bordered on comedy,” Mahmood said at Monday’s press conference about the responses PG&E officials shared at the hearing. “It was clear after the hearing that PG&E has neither the ability nor the interest of San Franciscans in mind. It’s time to chart our own destiny and make progress towards public power.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E officials have claimed responsibility for the outages and said they are working to upgrade their communication systems. Repairs at the substation where the December fire broke out are complete. PG&E has hired the engineering firm Exponent to conduct the ongoing third-party investigation into the overall incident.[aside postID=news_12073229 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-24-BL_qed.jpg']“We are bringing in another third party that’s focused specifically on how we can improve our restoration time estimates during large localized events, particularly when operating conditions are otherwise normal,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E CEO, at the Feb. 12 hearing. “But in the meantime, we have already implemented a rapid escalation process for large-impact localized events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City leaders have called for a public utility option for years, but have struggled to push through the utility giant’s lobbying efforts and legal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener’s bill aims to allow cities to break with companies like PG&E through a variety of reforms, including creating enforceable timelines to block excessive delays and limiting the California Public Utility Commission’s review process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In existing law, there is a 180-day deadline for the CPUC, which it has missed, and that is unacceptable,” Wiener said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill, which will head to the state energy and utility committee sometime this spring, could face an uphill battle in the Legislature. Wiener previously put forward \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068307/scott-wiener-revives-push-for-san-francisco-to-break-with-pge-after-massive-outage\">legislation that aimed\u003c/a> to make all of PG&E a publicly-owned utility, but it failed to gather enough support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12068290\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12068290 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">PG&E employees work to repair a substation on Mission and Eighth streets in San Francisco on Dec. 22, 2025, after a fire at the site over the weekend contributed to a major citywide power outage. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>PG&E, which serves 16 million people across Northern and Central California, has long caused \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11802477/judge-rips-pge-for-poor-safety-record-leading-to-wildfires\">controversy in the state\u003c/a> over its safety record. Some state lawmakers, particularly after PG&E equipment sparked devastating wildfires in 2018 and other years, have expressed interest in a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2020/02/what-happens-if-california-takes-over-pge/\">statewide takeover\u003c/a> of power utilities like PG&E, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials in San Francisco on Monday said, despite the setbacks in earlier attempts to reform the legal system around municipal power, they plan to push ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Rafael Mandelman plans to introduce a resolution at the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in support of Wiener’s bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board is also likely to pass two additional resolutions related to PG&E, one reaffirming the city’s support to acquire the power company’s infrastructure and another holding PG&E accountable for the recent outages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All across the Board of Supervisors, I think this is something that we are all in agreement on,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey said. “It’s time to municipalize these assets and have a public power system that delivers for rate payers rather than shareholders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> lawmakers escalated efforts to break up with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pge\">PG&E\u003c/a> on Monday — and replace it with a publicly owned utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068177/pge-outage-leaves-130000-across-san-francisco-without-power\">massive power outages\u003c/a> this winter that affected some residents for multiple days, state Sen. Scott Wiener and others gathered at City Hall to announce a state bill, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB875\">SB 875\u003c/a>, that would clear some of the legal hurdles cities face when exploring a public acquisition of their utility service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s just unacceptable,” Wiener said, flanked by several city supervisors. “For decades, San Francisco has been trying to get out of this toxic relationship. The city has repeatedly offered to purchase PG&E’s infrastructure here in San Francisco, and PG&E keeps refusing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 130,000 San Franciscans lost power in December 2025 after a circuit breaker sparked a fire at a PG&E substation and cut off power for up to three days for some residents. During the blackout, the company issued several incorrect updates on when power might be restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials have responded by reigniting their attempts to buy out PG&E in San Francisco and instead operate a publicly-owned utility, similar to what Sacramento and Palo Alto have done in recent years. Supporters point to utility rates up to 50% lower for consumers in those cities compared to San Francisco, where residents have faced cost hikes — despite inadequate PG&E infrastructure maintenance and service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Residents in my district were without power. Food was spoiling, heat wasn’t working. And PG&E left people waiting for minutes, then hours, and then days,” Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said on Monday, recalling the blackout in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12051931\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12051931\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250812-TNDC-UNION-MD-07-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supervisor Bilal Mahmood speaks at an event celebrating the creation of a union by the workers at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation at Boeddeker Park in San Francisco on Aug. 12, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mahmood, who represents the Tenderloin and Nob Hill, recently participated in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073229/san-francisco-supervisors-probe-pge-after-widespread-winter-power-outages\">public hearing\u003c/a> where city officials grilled PG&E over the causes and responses during the outages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Their answers bordered on comedy,” Mahmood said at Monday’s press conference about the responses PG&E officials shared at the hearing. “It was clear after the hearing that PG&E has neither the ability nor the interest of San Franciscans in mind. It’s time to chart our own destiny and make progress towards public power.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>PG&E officials have claimed responsibility for the outages and said they are working to upgrade their communication systems. Repairs at the substation where the December fire broke out are complete. PG&E has hired the engineering firm Exponent to conduct the ongoing third-party investigation into the overall incident.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We are bringing in another third party that’s focused specifically on how we can improve our restoration time estimates during large localized events, particularly when operating conditions are otherwise normal,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E CEO, at the Feb. 12 hearing. “But in the meantime, we have already implemented a rapid escalation process for large-impact localized events.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City leaders have called for a public utility option for years, but have struggled to push through the utility giant’s lobbying efforts and legal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener’s bill aims to allow cities to break with companies like PG&E through a variety of reforms, including creating enforceable timelines to block excessive delays and limiting the California Public Utility Commission’s review process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In existing law, there is a 180-day deadline for the CPUC, which it has missed, and that is unacceptable,” Wiener said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill, which will head to the state energy and utility committee sometime this spring, could face an uphill battle in the Legislature. Wiener previously put forward \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068307/scott-wiener-revives-push-for-san-francisco-to-break-with-pge-after-massive-outage\">legislation that aimed\u003c/a> to make all of PG&E a publicly-owned utility, but it failed to gather enough support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12068290\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12068290 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251222-PGEUpdates-07-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">PG&E employees work to repair a substation on Mission and Eighth streets in San Francisco on Dec. 22, 2025, after a fire at the site over the weekend contributed to a major citywide power outage. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>PG&E, which serves 16 million people across Northern and Central California, has long caused \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11802477/judge-rips-pge-for-poor-safety-record-leading-to-wildfires\">controversy in the state\u003c/a> over its safety record. Some state lawmakers, particularly after PG&E equipment sparked devastating wildfires in 2018 and other years, have expressed interest in a \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/2020/02/what-happens-if-california-takes-over-pge/\">statewide takeover\u003c/a> of power utilities like PG&E, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials in San Francisco on Monday said, despite the setbacks in earlier attempts to reform the legal system around municipal power, they plan to push ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Rafael Mandelman plans to introduce a resolution at the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in support of Wiener’s bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board is also likely to pass two additional resolutions related to PG&E, one reaffirming the city’s support to acquire the power company’s infrastructure and another holding PG&E accountable for the recent outages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All across the Board of Supervisors, I think this is something that we are all in agreement on,” Supervisor Matt Dorsey said. “It’s time to municipalize these assets and have a public power system that delivers for rate payers rather than shareholders.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "californias-winter-storms-do-little-to-ease-climate-change-worries",
"title": "California's Winter Storms Do Little to Ease Climate Change Worries",
"publishDate": 1771872712,
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"headTitle": "California’s Winter Storms Do Little to Ease Climate Change Worries | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">\u003cstrong>Here are the headline stories for the morning of Monday, February 23rd, 2026:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\u003cli>The string of storms that have swept through California has brought much-needed water and snow throughout the state, but climate scientists say, levels may still fall short of what’s needed in the coming warm weather months.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The town of Truckee held a memorial for the victims of last week’s avalanche in the Sierra. This comes after search and rescue crews finished recovering all nine of their bodies over the weekend.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>State Senator, Scott Wiener, is proposing legislation to force a split between San Francisco and Pacific Gas & Electric.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073190/big-storms-boost-california-water-supply-but-snowpack-lags\">\u003cstrong>Low Overall Snow Levels Leave Experts Worried About California’s Long Term Water Supplies \u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> was pummeled by a series of storms in fall and early winter, experts have said the state’s water supply is looking strong for this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those storms — with a potential bump from the ones hitting much of the state this week — have \u003ca href=\"https://cww.water.ca.gov/\">helped refill reservoirs and eased immediate drought worries in many parts of the state.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But experts also say that a few wet storms don’t mean we’re out of the woods. That’s because this winter is a “classically climate-change-flavored one,” according to Daniel Swain, a weather and climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s not because it’s been a particularly dry winter, he explained. It’s because it’s the warmest winter the West has ever seen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the Western U.S., the snowpack is, on average, terrible,” Swain said. “It’s about as bad as it’s ever been in observed history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This warm winter creates a wrinkle: While the season’s rain has turned hillsides green, temperatures haven’t been cold enough at low enough elevations to bring as much snow as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Truckee Holds Candlelight Vigil Amid a Tragic February \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The town of Truckee in the Sierra held a candlelight vigil last night, amid a string of tragedies in the last few weeks has thrust the small mountain community into the national spotlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last night’s vigil was organized by Truckee’s Vice Mayor, Courtney Henderson, and was held at the Eagle Statue in downtown. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kunr.org/live-updates/lake-tahoe-avalanche#truckee-community-members-plan-vigil-provide-grief-support\">The event\u003c/a> comes on the heels of the deadliest avalanche in California history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The avalanche blanketed the region near Castle Peak at Donner Summit on Tuesday. A group of 15 back-country skiers were caught in the disaster. A total of nine people died in the avalanche. Search and rescue crews\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073933/treacherous-sierra-nevada-storm-delays-recovery-of-9-presumed-avalanche-victims\"> were slowed by strong gusts and heavy snow\u003c/a> throughout the week–before avalanche mitigation efforts and calmer weather conditions allowed them to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/21/nx-s1-5722357/skiers-recovered-identified-california-avalanche-tahoe\">recover the bodies of the nine victims on Friday and Saturday.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073851/tahoe-avalanche-heres-what-we-know-about-the-victims\">Four of the victims had connections to the Bay Area.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henderson told KQED that the avalanche came at a time when Truckee was already grappling with the aftermath of two incidents that took place earlier in the month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On February 7th, a man was arrested after \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/truckee-safeway-vehicle-pedestrian-crash-arrest/\">he drove his car into a little league baseball team as they were fundraising outside a Safeway grocery store\u003c/a> on Donner Pass Road. The man injured four children and four adults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a week later, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/gunshots-truckee-crossroads-save-mart-arrest/70385094\">a 15-year-old opened fire on a group of people during an altercation\u003c/a> in the parking lot of a different grocery store. Nobody was injured in the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">As attendees left flowers and written messages at the site of the vigil to honor those lost, Henderson shared a message of togetherness during these dark times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">The Vice Mayor said, “Grief has a way of making us feel very small and very isolated. My deepest hope for tonight is that you feel the opposite. Held by the hundreds of neighbors who showed up tonight because that is simply what we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "California's Winter Storms Do Little to Ease Climate Change Worries | KQED",
"description": "Here are the headline stories for the morning of Monday, February 23rd, 2026: The string of storms that have swept through California has brought much-needed water and snow throughout the state, but climate scientists say, levels may still fall short of what's needed in the coming warm weather months. The town of Truckee held a memorial for the victims of last week's avalanche in the Sierra. This comes after search and rescue crews finished recovering all nine of their bodies over the weekend. State Senator, Scott Wiener, is proposing legislation to force a split between San Francisco and Pacific Gas",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">\u003cstrong>Here are the headline stories for the morning of Monday, February 23rd, 2026:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\u003cli>The string of storms that have swept through California has brought much-needed water and snow throughout the state, but climate scientists say, levels may still fall short of what’s needed in the coming warm weather months.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The town of Truckee held a memorial for the victims of last week’s avalanche in the Sierra. This comes after search and rescue crews finished recovering all nine of their bodies over the weekend.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>State Senator, Scott Wiener, is proposing legislation to force a split between San Francisco and Pacific Gas & Electric.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073190/big-storms-boost-california-water-supply-but-snowpack-lags\">\u003cstrong>Low Overall Snow Levels Leave Experts Worried About California’s Long Term Water Supplies \u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever since \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California\u003c/a> was pummeled by a series of storms in fall and early winter, experts have said the state’s water supply is looking strong for this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those storms — with a potential bump from the ones hitting much of the state this week — have \u003ca href=\"https://cww.water.ca.gov/\">helped refill reservoirs and eased immediate drought worries in many parts of the state.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But experts also say that a few wet storms don’t mean we’re out of the woods. That’s because this winter is a “classically climate-change-flavored one,” according to Daniel Swain, a weather and climate scientist with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s not because it’s been a particularly dry winter, he explained. It’s because it’s the warmest winter the West has ever seen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the Western U.S., the snowpack is, on average, terrible,” Swain said. “It’s about as bad as it’s ever been in observed history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This warm winter creates a wrinkle: While the season’s rain has turned hillsides green, temperatures haven’t been cold enough at low enough elevations to bring as much snow as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Truckee Holds Candlelight Vigil Amid a Tragic February \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The town of Truckee in the Sierra held a candlelight vigil last night, amid a string of tragedies in the last few weeks has thrust the small mountain community into the national spotlight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last night’s vigil was organized by Truckee’s Vice Mayor, Courtney Henderson, and was held at the Eagle Statue in downtown. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kunr.org/live-updates/lake-tahoe-avalanche#truckee-community-members-plan-vigil-provide-grief-support\">The event\u003c/a> comes on the heels of the deadliest avalanche in California history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The avalanche blanketed the region near Castle Peak at Donner Summit on Tuesday. A group of 15 back-country skiers were caught in the disaster. A total of nine people died in the avalanche. Search and rescue crews\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073933/treacherous-sierra-nevada-storm-delays-recovery-of-9-presumed-avalanche-victims\"> were slowed by strong gusts and heavy snow\u003c/a> throughout the week–before avalanche mitigation efforts and calmer weather conditions allowed them to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/02/21/nx-s1-5722357/skiers-recovered-identified-california-avalanche-tahoe\">recover the bodies of the nine victims on Friday and Saturday.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073851/tahoe-avalanche-heres-what-we-know-about-the-victims\">Four of the victims had connections to the Bay Area.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henderson told KQED that the avalanche came at a time when Truckee was already grappling with the aftermath of two incidents that took place earlier in the month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On February 7th, a man was arrested after \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/truckee-safeway-vehicle-pedestrian-crash-arrest/\">he drove his car into a little league baseball team as they were fundraising outside a Safeway grocery store\u003c/a> on Donner Pass Road. The man injured four children and four adults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About a week later, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcra.com/article/gunshots-truckee-crossroads-save-mart-arrest/70385094\">a 15-year-old opened fire on a group of people during an altercation\u003c/a> in the parking lot of a different grocery store. Nobody was injured in the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">As attendees left flowers and written messages at the site of the vigil to honor those lost, Henderson shared a message of togetherness during these dark times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">The Vice Mayor said, “Grief has a way of making us feel very small and very isolated. My deepest hope for tonight is that you feel the opposite. Held by the hundreds of neighbors who showed up tonight because that is simply what we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\">\n\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "ciao-bella-do-italians-still-live-in-san-franciscos-north-beach",
"title": "Ciao Bella: Do Italians Still Live in San Francisco’s North Beach?",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grant Strother loves a good caprese sandwich from North Beach. On weekdays, he walks to Molinari Delicatessen on Columbus Avenue from his job in San Francisco’sFinancial District during his lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s such an easy walk,” he said. “Not too many hills to climb.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day, on a particularly meandering walk, Strother passed by Saints Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square. It still offers bilingual mass in Italian, he noticed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was intrigued. Are there still Italian speakers in the neighborhood?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Immigration patterns have undoubtedly changed,” Strother said. Twenty years ago, he’d hear Italian spoken outside restaurants like Mario’s Bohemian Cafe and Caffe Trieste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But nowadays, aside from all the restaurants, he wondered: “How Italian is it?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The history of Italians in North Beach\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since the Gold Rush, Italian immigrants have come to San Francisco in waves. The\u003ca href=\"https://search.worldcat.org/title/The-Italian-American-community-of-San-Francisco-:-a-descriptive-study/oclc/1393057217\"> height\u003c/a> of the Italian population was in 1930, when the ethnic community numbered just under 60,000 and made up nine percent of the overall population of San Francisco\u003ca href=\"https://search.worldcat.org/title/The-Italian-American-community-of-San-Francisco-:-a-descriptive-study/oclc/1393057217\">.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern Italians, from Liguria and Tuscany, first arrived in San Francisco, making up more than half of the ethnic enclave. Later, folks from southern regions like Sicily and Calabria started emigrating. Many Italians settled in North Beach, although the Excelsior District was also a cluster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071066\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071066\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saints Peter and Paul Church, a Catholic church in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, on Nov. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steve Leveroni, board president of \u003ca href=\"https://www.italiancs.org/\">Italian Community Services\u003c/a> in North Beach, vice president of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and an insurance businessman, has deep roots in North Beach. His great-great-grandfather, Luigi, emigrated from Genoa in Northern Italy in the 1860s. When Steve was growing up in North Beach in the 1960s, descendants of the Genovese lived on Green Street, from Mason Street to Grant Avenue, and Sts. Peter and Paul Church was their centerpoint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all got baptized there, we all got married there, and unfortunately, our funerals are gonna be there,” Leveroni said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The church still towers above Washington Square Park, where residents bask in the sun, play with dogs and practice tai chi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remnants of Italian culture are still all around the neighborhood. Liguria Bakery, on one corner of the park, has been going strong since 1911. Bay Area residents still flock there for mushroom or raisin focaccia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After every mass, we were given a few dollars, and our duty was to pick up the focaccia to bring back to the house for lunch,” Leveroni remembered.[aside postID=news_12063643 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251008-GirlintheFishbowl-01-BL.jpg']Now, as Steve walks down Columbus Avenue, the neighborhood is much more multicultural.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>Now I can walk a block or two and not know somebody that I grew up with,” he said. And today, there’s no clear line between Chinatown and North Beach anymore. “At one time, Broadway Street, down here, was kind of the line of demarcation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leveroni moved to the Richmond District on San Francisco’s West Side when he got married. While North Beach may not be where the descendants of Italian immigrants live anymore, he said, it’s where people come to celebrate and be with family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The North Beach area is the gathering place for all the Italians to come back to,” he said. “Where do they go? To the restaurants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A changed neighborhood\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A look at the latest census data shows that only 4% of residents who reported ancestry in North Beach’s main ZIP code have any Italian roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, Italian Americans joined many other San Franciscans in flight to the suburbs. Since then, North Beach morphed into a hangout for the Beat Generation, new residence for the Chinese community and a thriving tourist destination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michele Ferrante (center) sits with friends at Stella Pastry in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood on Nov. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nowadays, you have to look pretty hard to find old-time Italians in North Beach, but it’s not impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michele Ferrante and Frank Balistreri are two of a handful of Sicilians who gather at Stella Pastry & Cafe on Columbus Avenue every morning to drink espresso and talk sports and politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[We] come out here and bullsh–t all day long,” said Balistreri, who used to own Portofino, a North Beach Italian restaurant. He speaks a Sicilian dialect with Ferrante, who also ran an Italian restaurant in North Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferrante came to San Francisco as a young adult in the 1960s. He left Palermo for New York with his parents, but went further west by himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard about the Fisherman’s Wharf full of restaurants, full of Italians, mostly Sicilians, the Aliotos and others,” Ferrante said. Having learned how to cook in the Army and being Sicilian, he figured, “I can go there and get a job.”[aside postID=news_12059962 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/Jello-Biafra-of-the-Dead-Kennedys-performing-at-the-Mabuhay-Gardens-.jpg']By the late 1960s, North Beach was already transforming. Beatnik culture was well established.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those were the days of the hippie generation,” Ferrante said. “There were clubs all over Broadway. All kinds of shows, performances. You could not even walk on Broadway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beat artists and Italians \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/The_Emergence_of_the_North_Beach_Beat_Scene\">got along\u003c/a> perhaps better than expected. Italian property owners reportedly kept rents low and poets liked the cafes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1976, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights Bookstore, took note of waning Italian culture in North Beach in his famous \u003ca href=\"https://www.scalponefamilytree.info/OldItaliansDyingPoem.htm\">poem\u003c/a>\u003cem> Old Italians are Dying\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“For years the old Italians in faded felt hats have been sunning themselves and dying.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You have seen them on the benches in the park in Washington Square \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The old Italians in their high button shoes \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The old men in their felt fedoras with stained hatbands have been dying and dying day by day. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071071\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Clement Hudson plays the accordion on Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on Jan. 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the early 1980s, Ferrante said, North Beach didn’t feel like an Italian enclave anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They all moved to Burlingame, San Mateo, Napa, St. Helena, Sonoma,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The way I was raised here, you knew who was Italian and who wasn’t,” said Balistreri. “Now you don’t know who’s who.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Preserving history is good business\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, the North Beach Chamber of Commerce kicked off a\u003ca href=\"https://www.proquest.com/docview/304187079?%20Theses&accountid=13802&parentSessionId=OAtwzKcX6YzQPUr6brPkGvuKr4%2FF9YEmAoAyrh9mrIo%3D&parentSessionId=PVrf0rGU7WE%2BjHgKUIi7mzkDXo%2B5u5jwDXRNQdxuNI0%3D&pq-origsite=primo&searchKeywords=North%20Beach%20San%20Francisco%20ethnic%20neighborhood&sourcetype=Dissertations%20\"> marketing\u003c/a> campaign called “Little Italy of the West.” Light poles were painted with Italian flag colors. People could buy t-shirts that read: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.proquest.com/docview/304187079?accountid=13802&parentSessionId=PVrf0rGU7WE%2BjHgKUIi7mzkDXo%2B5u5jwDXRNQdxuNI0%3D&pq-origsite=primo&searchKeywords=North%20Beach%20San%20Francisco%20ethnic%20neighborhood&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses\">I’m proud to be half- Italian\u003c/a>.” After all,\u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4287693/\"> research shows, \u003c/a>preserving a neighborhood’s ethnic identity is good for business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cultural groups, new and old, are coming up with new ways to keep Italian heritage alive in North Beach as well. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sflittleitaly.us/\">San Francisco Little Italy Honor Walk\u003c/a> has installed five bronze plaques in the sidewalks around Washington Square that commemorate notable Italian immigrants in San Francisco, from Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini to former mayor George Moscone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071072\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071072\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Businesses line Green Street in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on Jan. 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It is the first time that we have multigenerational Italian Americans here, part of one group,” said the organization’s president, Gina Von Esmarch, at a ceremony to unveil the plaques. She’s a relative of both former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto and the owners of Alioto’s Restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Von Esmarch hopes the plaques will teach the next generation about the accomplishments of San Francisco’s early Italians. “Yes, it’s to pay homage or tribute,” she said, but the plaques will also be “a living classroom” to tourists and history buffs alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, new Italian immigrants are coming to San Francisco to work in\u003ca href=\"https://innovitsf.com/about/\"> tech\u003c/a>, and specifically to North Beach to open \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Italian-Homemade-Co-makes-S-F-s-only-piadine-6101783.php\">new\u003c/a> or take over \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/the-city/reopened-north-beach-restaurant-thriving-under-new-ownership/article_dd5fdd67-94b5-4f01-86f0-1374ef5a9181.html\">old restaurants\u003c/a>. Von Esmarch said it’s part of a “re-gentrification” of North Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfiac.org/\"> San Francisco Italian Athletic Club\u003c/a> on Washington Square, open only to people with Italian heritage, said it has doubled membership in the past decade. The new crop is younger and is a mix of Italians from first to fourth generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While North Beach may not be home to as many Italians anymore, it’s still culturally at the heart of the community. Every year, people return for the Italian Heritage Parade on Columbus Avenue. But instead of living down the street, people commute here to enjoy pasta with friends and family — something everyone can enjoy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071067\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Corbelli works at Liguria Bakery in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, on Nov. 18, 2025. The long-standing bakery specializes in traditional focaccia. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Facts in this story were sourced from historian Rose Scherini, author of The Italian American Community of San Francisco: a Descriptive Study \u003c/em>\u003cem>and many other works, as well as historians Dino Cinel and Sebastian Fichera.\u003c/em>\u003cem> Special thanks to the library at San Francisco State University.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Parade sounds\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>San Francisco’s Italian Heritage parade creates a massive public party in North Beach every October. Streets are blocked off from Fisherman’s Wharf to Washington Square Park on Columbus Day weekend. Bystanders wave mini Italian flags and eat gelato as they watch the fancy floats and trolleys go by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Parade music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>At Saints Peter and Paul church, people play a salami toss game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Salami toss sounds\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Word is, this is the longest-running Italian parade in the country – started back in 1869. Our question asker this week, Grant Strother [STRUH-ther]], says, he’s not Italian, but he’s walked these streets since he was a teenager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Grant Strother:\u003c/strong> I do remember in high school in the early 2000s, you would still hear some Italian conversations on the street. I remember like hearing that at Mario’s and Trieste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Now, as an adult, he works in the financial district and sometimes walks to North Beach for lunch, to grab a caprese sandwich at Molinari’s Deli. But during one of those walks, he wondered … Do Italian people still live in North Beach, or is it all just a tourist trap?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Grant Strother:\u003c/strong> Obviously, immigration patterns have undoubtedly changed since North Beach was populated. But I was just interested then in how Italian North Beach really is, aside from a lot of the restaurants that are still there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and today on Bay Curious, we’ll look at the Italian roots of North Beach, track how things have changed and learn about some of the efforts to keep this history alive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor message\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Located on San Francisco’s northeast side, North Beach is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and has been home to immigrants from many backgrounds over the years. It sits right next to Chinatown and where Little Manilatown used to be. Now, it’s teeming with Italian cafes, restaurants and bakeries. KQED’s Pauline Bartolone went to find out whether any Italians still live in this neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Columbus Avenue\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Remnants of Italian culture are still all around North Beach, but to spot them, it helps to have a guide. Someone like Steve Leveroni, who grew up in North Beach in the 50s and 60s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/strong>Way back when… home of the Genoveses lived on Green street from Green and Mason all the way up to Green and Grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Steve gives me a tour of the neighborhood, his great-great-grandfather, Luigi, landed back in the 1860s. Like many Italian immigrants in North Beach, he came from Northern Italy, the Genoa region. In the decades that followed, other Italians came from Tuscany, Sicily and Calabria to escape poverty and seek new opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>(Sound of walking up steps)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>They settled around the Italian Cathedral, Sts. Peter and Paul Church…still a center point for later generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/strong>So this is where you come for your baptism, you come for marriage, you also come for your funeral.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>The church towers above Washington Square Park, where residents bask in the sun, play with dogs, practice tai chi and blast music. Steve says when he was growing up, Italians used to hang out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>You’d see groups sitting down of men and women and they would be speaking in Italian. So that is probably one thing that’s not as much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>You don’t hear Italian very much because not many Italians live here anymore. At its height in 1930, the Italian community numbered about 60,000 people, almost a tenth of the population of San Francisco. But as early as the 1950s, the Italians here joined many others in the flight to the suburbs. Now, only four percent of residents in North Beach’s main ZIP code have Italian heritage, that’s according to the latest census data of people who reported ancestry. But Steve says even if younger generations moved out of the city, they still come back to the neighborhood for celebrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>The North Beach area is the gathering place for all the Italians to come back to. But where do they go? They come, you know, to the restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>The restaurants of North Beach are now the most visible and lasting legacy of the Italian enclave here. Graffeo’s coffee on Columbus, since 1935. Molinari’s Deli, our question-asker’s spot, Italian-owned since 1896. Liguria Bakery known for its mushroom or raisin focaccia since 1911.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Restaurant sounds\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Steve wraps up our tour by taking me inside one of the city’s best seafood spots: Sotto Mare, owned by his grammar school friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/strong>Their sauces are all, I can see all on the stovetop there, so we’re getting some aromas from that. And then probably one of those pots is their crab chipino, which is, which is excellent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Nowadays, you have to look pretty hard to find Italian old-timers in the neighborhood, but it’s not impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>People speaking Sicilian\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>After weeks of looking around, I finally heard some chatter at Stella’s pastry shop on Columbus Avenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante:\u003c/strong> We come every morning, seven days a week. Just, you know, we just get a drink espresso and you know we talk Italian, Sicilian actually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri:\u003c/strong> It’s a meeting spot. Come out here and bullshit all day long. That’s it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Michele Ferrante and Frank Balistreri both ran Italian restaurants in the neighborhood and still live here. They’re just two of the Sicilians who talk sports and politics here every morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante:\u003c/strong> We are known as the peccatore. We are all sinners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri:\u003c/strong> Give him the Academy Award, please. Make him happy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>In fact, San Francisco’s Italian restaurants are what drew Michele here as a young adult in the 1960s. His parents left Palermo for New York, but Michele wanted to come further west.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante: \u003c/strong>I told my father, my mother says, Arrivederci, I’m going to California. I heard about the Fisherman Wharf full of restaurants, full of Italians, mostly Sicilians, the Aliotos and others. And also because I was hearing so much about North Beach, and being Sicilian, and being a cook, so well, I can go there and get a job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>By the late 1960s, North Beach’s reputation was evolving beyond an Italian neighborhood. Beatnik culture was well established by then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante: \u003c/strong>Those were the days of the hippie generation, you know, ‘67 was the summer of love. Everything was going on. One of my favorite hangout was at La Rocca’s Corner, which is still here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>The beat culture, artists and Italians got along perhaps better than expected… Italian property owners reportedly kept rents low, and poets liked the cafes. In 1976, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights Bookstore, took note of North Beach’s waning Italian culture in his famous poem “Old Italians are Dying.” Here’s a recording of him reading it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lawrence Ferlinghetti:\u003c/strong> For years the old Italians in faded felt hats have been sunning themselves and dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You have seen them on the benches in the park in Washington Square\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The old Italians in their black high button shoes\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The old men in their felt fedoras with stained hatbands have been dying and dying day by day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>By the early 1980s, Michele says, North Beach didn’t feel like an Italian enclave anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante: \u003c/strong>They all move, Burlingame, San Mateo, Napa, San Helena, Sonoma. San Francisco, not too many living here anymore, very little.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri: \u003c/strong>Sure, we saw it change. There’s still some kind of flavor, but not originally what I grew up with. The way I was raised here, you knew who was Italian and who wasn’t. Now you don’t know who’s who. So, basically, you feel like nobody’s here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>That feeling of “no Italians” – didn’t sit well with the North Beach chamber of commerce. In the 1990s, they kicked off a marketing campaign for the neighborhood, “Little Italy of the West.” Light poles were painted with Italian flag colors. People could buy “I’m proud to be half Italian” t-shirts. Afterall, research shows, preserving a neighborhood’s ethnic identity is good for business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of kids singing in Italian\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Now, new initiatives are popping up to keep Italian heritage alive, like the Little Italy Honor Walk, a series of bronze sidewalk squares that memorialize notable Italians in San Francisco history. Five have been installed around Washington Square Park, and there’s more on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Singing fades out and sounds of Italian being spoken fade in\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Back at Stella’s pastry shop, Michele and Frank say remembering North Beach’s Italian history is important, but they don’t need monuments to remind them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri: \u003c/strong>Times change, things change, I don’t worry about it, as long as I’m here where I want to be. Italians are no Italians, I know who I am, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>North Beach’s original Italian enclave may be long gone, but the neighborhood’s history and food will keep bringing tourists…and locals with Italians heritage… back for years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> That story was brought to you by KQED reporter Pauline Bartolone. Special thanks to the San Francisco State University library where Pauline researched some of North Beach’s history. Thanks also to Jim McKee of EarWax Productions for the recording of Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading “Old Italians Are Dying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today’s question came from Grant Strother, and you could be next! Submit your question about the Bay Area at BayCurious.org.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood is known for its Italian restaurants, cafes and bakeries. But is it still an enclave for Northern California’s Italian immigrants?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">\u003ci>View the full episode transcript.\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Grant Strother loves a good caprese sandwich from North Beach. On weekdays, he walks to Molinari Delicatessen on Columbus Avenue from his job in San Francisco’sFinancial District during his lunch break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s such an easy walk,” he said. “Not too many hills to climb.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One day, on a particularly meandering walk, Strother passed by Saints Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square. It still offers bilingual mass in Italian, he noticed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He was intrigued. Are there still Italian speakers in the neighborhood?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Immigration patterns have undoubtedly changed,” Strother said. Twenty years ago, he’d hear Italian spoken outside restaurants like Mario’s Bohemian Cafe and Caffe Trieste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But nowadays, aside from all the restaurants, he wondered: “How Italian is it?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The history of Italians in North Beach\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Since the Gold Rush, Italian immigrants have come to San Francisco in waves. The\u003ca href=\"https://search.worldcat.org/title/The-Italian-American-community-of-San-Francisco-:-a-descriptive-study/oclc/1393057217\"> height\u003c/a> of the Italian population was in 1930, when the ethnic community numbered just under 60,000 and made up nine percent of the overall population of San Francisco\u003ca href=\"https://search.worldcat.org/title/The-Italian-American-community-of-San-Francisco-:-a-descriptive-study/oclc/1393057217\">.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Northern Italians, from Liguria and Tuscany, first arrived in San Francisco, making up more than half of the ethnic enclave. Later, folks from southern regions like Sicily and Calabria started emigrating. Many Italians settled in North Beach, although the Excelsior District was also a cluster.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071066\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071066\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-12-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saints Peter and Paul Church, a Catholic church in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, on Nov. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steve Leveroni, board president of \u003ca href=\"https://www.italiancs.org/\">Italian Community Services\u003c/a> in North Beach, vice president of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and an insurance businessman, has deep roots in North Beach. His great-great-grandfather, Luigi, emigrated from Genoa in Northern Italy in the 1860s. When Steve was growing up in North Beach in the 1960s, descendants of the Genovese lived on Green Street, from Mason Street to Grant Avenue, and Sts. Peter and Paul Church was their centerpoint.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all got baptized there, we all got married there, and unfortunately, our funerals are gonna be there,” Leveroni said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The church still towers above Washington Square Park, where residents bask in the sun, play with dogs and practice tai chi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remnants of Italian culture are still all around the neighborhood. Liguria Bakery, on one corner of the park, has been going strong since 1911. Bay Area residents still flock there for mushroom or raisin focaccia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“After every mass, we were given a few dollars, and our duty was to pick up the focaccia to bring back to the house for lunch,” Leveroni remembered.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Now, as Steve walks down Columbus Avenue, the neighborhood is much more multicultural.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>Now I can walk a block or two and not know somebody that I grew up with,” he said. And today, there’s no clear line between Chinatown and North Beach anymore. “At one time, Broadway Street, down here, was kind of the line of demarcation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leveroni moved to the Richmond District on San Francisco’s West Side when he got married. While North Beach may not be where the descendants of Italian immigrants live anymore, he said, it’s where people come to celebrate and be with family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The North Beach area is the gathering place for all the Italians to come back to,” he said. “Where do they go? To the restaurants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A changed neighborhood\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A look at the latest census data shows that only 4% of residents who reported ancestry in North Beach’s main ZIP code have any Italian roots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the 1950s, Italian Americans joined many other San Franciscans in flight to the suburbs. Since then, North Beach morphed into a hangout for the Beat Generation, new residence for the Chinese community and a thriving tourist destination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-08-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michele Ferrante (center) sits with friends at Stella Pastry in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood on Nov. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nowadays, you have to look pretty hard to find old-time Italians in North Beach, but it’s not impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michele Ferrante and Frank Balistreri are two of a handful of Sicilians who gather at Stella Pastry & Cafe on Columbus Avenue every morning to drink espresso and talk sports and politics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[We] come out here and bullsh–t all day long,” said Balistreri, who used to own Portofino, a North Beach Italian restaurant. He speaks a Sicilian dialect with Ferrante, who also ran an Italian restaurant in North Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferrante came to San Francisco as a young adult in the 1960s. He left Palermo for New York with his parents, but went further west by himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard about the Fisherman’s Wharf full of restaurants, full of Italians, mostly Sicilians, the Aliotos and others,” Ferrante said. Having learned how to cook in the Army and being Sicilian, he figured, “I can go there and get a job.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>By the late 1960s, North Beach was already transforming. Beatnik culture was well established.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those were the days of the hippie generation,” Ferrante said. “There were clubs all over Broadway. All kinds of shows, performances. You could not even walk on Broadway.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beat artists and Italians \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/The_Emergence_of_the_North_Beach_Beat_Scene\">got along\u003c/a> perhaps better than expected. Italian property owners reportedly kept rents low and poets liked the cafes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1976, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights Bookstore, took note of waning Italian culture in North Beach in his famous \u003ca href=\"https://www.scalponefamilytree.info/OldItaliansDyingPoem.htm\">poem\u003c/a>\u003cem> Old Italians are Dying\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>“For years the old Italians in faded felt hats have been sunning themselves and dying.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You have seen them on the benches in the park in Washington Square \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The old Italians in their high button shoes \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The old men in their felt fedoras with stained hatbands have been dying and dying day by day. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071071\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071071\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Clement Hudson plays the accordion on Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on Jan. 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the early 1980s, Ferrante said, North Beach didn’t feel like an Italian enclave anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They all moved to Burlingame, San Mateo, Napa, St. Helena, Sonoma,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The way I was raised here, you knew who was Italian and who wasn’t,” said Balistreri. “Now you don’t know who’s who.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Preserving history is good business\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the 1990s, the North Beach Chamber of Commerce kicked off a\u003ca href=\"https://www.proquest.com/docview/304187079?%20Theses&accountid=13802&parentSessionId=OAtwzKcX6YzQPUr6brPkGvuKr4%2FF9YEmAoAyrh9mrIo%3D&parentSessionId=PVrf0rGU7WE%2BjHgKUIi7mzkDXo%2B5u5jwDXRNQdxuNI0%3D&pq-origsite=primo&searchKeywords=North%20Beach%20San%20Francisco%20ethnic%20neighborhood&sourcetype=Dissertations%20\"> marketing\u003c/a> campaign called “Little Italy of the West.” Light poles were painted with Italian flag colors. People could buy t-shirts that read: “\u003ca href=\"https://www.proquest.com/docview/304187079?accountid=13802&parentSessionId=PVrf0rGU7WE%2BjHgKUIi7mzkDXo%2B5u5jwDXRNQdxuNI0%3D&pq-origsite=primo&searchKeywords=North%20Beach%20San%20Francisco%20ethnic%20neighborhood&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses\">I’m proud to be half- Italian\u003c/a>.” After all,\u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4287693/\"> research shows, \u003c/a>preserving a neighborhood’s ethnic identity is good for business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cultural groups, new and old, are coming up with new ways to keep Italian heritage alive in North Beach as well. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.sflittleitaly.us/\">San Francisco Little Italy Honor Walk\u003c/a> has installed five bronze plaques in the sidewalks around Washington Square that commemorate notable Italian immigrants in San Francisco, from Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini to former mayor George Moscone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071072\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071072\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260123-ITALIANNORTHBEACH-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Businesses line Green Street in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco on Jan. 23, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It is the first time that we have multigenerational Italian Americans here, part of one group,” said the organization’s president, Gina Von Esmarch, at a ceremony to unveil the plaques. She’s a relative of both former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto and the owners of Alioto’s Restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Von Esmarch hopes the plaques will teach the next generation about the accomplishments of San Francisco’s early Italians. “Yes, it’s to pay homage or tribute,” she said, but the plaques will also be “a living classroom” to tourists and history buffs alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, new Italian immigrants are coming to San Francisco to work in\u003ca href=\"https://innovitsf.com/about/\"> tech\u003c/a>, and specifically to North Beach to open \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Italian-Homemade-Co-makes-S-F-s-only-piadine-6101783.php\">new\u003c/a> or take over \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/the-city/reopened-north-beach-restaurant-thriving-under-new-ownership/article_dd5fdd67-94b5-4f01-86f0-1374ef5a9181.html\">old restaurants\u003c/a>. Von Esmarch said it’s part of a “re-gentrification” of North Beach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfiac.org/\"> San Francisco Italian Athletic Club\u003c/a> on Washington Square, open only to people with Italian heritage, said it has doubled membership in the past decade. The new crop is younger and is a mix of Italians from first to fourth generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While North Beach may not be home to as many Italians anymore, it’s still culturally at the heart of the community. Every year, people return for the Italian Heritage Parade on Columbus Avenue. But instead of living down the street, people commute here to enjoy pasta with friends and family — something everyone can enjoy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12071067\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12071067\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/251118-HOWITALIANISNORTHBEACH-20-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Corbelli works at Liguria Bakery in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, on Nov. 18, 2025. The long-standing bakery specializes in traditional focaccia. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Facts in this story were sourced from historian Rose Scherini, author of The Italian American Community of San Francisco: a Descriptive Study \u003c/em>\u003cem>and many other works, as well as historians Dino Cinel and Sebastian Fichera.\u003c/em>\u003cem> Special thanks to the library at San Francisco State University.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode Transcript\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Parade sounds\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>San Francisco’s Italian Heritage parade creates a massive public party in North Beach every October. Streets are blocked off from Fisherman’s Wharf to Washington Square Park on Columbus Day weekend. Bystanders wave mini Italian flags and eat gelato as they watch the fancy floats and trolleys go by.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Parade music\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>At Saints Peter and Paul church, people play a salami toss game.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Salami toss sounds\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Word is, this is the longest-running Italian parade in the country – started back in 1869. Our question asker this week, Grant Strother [STRUH-ther]], says, he’s not Italian, but he’s walked these streets since he was a teenager.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Grant Strother:\u003c/strong> I do remember in high school in the early 2000s, you would still hear some Italian conversations on the street. I remember like hearing that at Mario’s and Trieste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Now, as an adult, he works in the financial district and sometimes walks to North Beach for lunch, to grab a caprese sandwich at Molinari’s Deli. But during one of those walks, he wondered … Do Italian people still live in North Beach, or is it all just a tourist trap?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Grant Strother:\u003c/strong> Obviously, immigration patterns have undoubtedly changed since North Beach was populated. But I was just interested then in how Italian North Beach really is, aside from a lot of the restaurants that are still there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>I’m Olivia Allen-Price, and today on Bay Curious, we’ll look at the Italian roots of North Beach, track how things have changed and learn about some of the efforts to keep this history alive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor message\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Located on San Francisco’s northeast side, North Beach is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and has been home to immigrants from many backgrounds over the years. It sits right next to Chinatown and where Little Manilatown used to be. Now, it’s teeming with Italian cafes, restaurants and bakeries. KQED’s Pauline Bartolone went to find out whether any Italians still live in this neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Columbus Avenue\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Remnants of Italian culture are still all around North Beach, but to spot them, it helps to have a guide. Someone like Steve Leveroni, who grew up in North Beach in the 50s and 60s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/strong>Way back when… home of the Genoveses lived on Green street from Green and Mason all the way up to Green and Grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Steve gives me a tour of the neighborhood, his great-great-grandfather, Luigi, landed back in the 1860s. Like many Italian immigrants in North Beach, he came from Northern Italy, the Genoa region. In the decades that followed, other Italians came from Tuscany, Sicily and Calabria to escape poverty and seek new opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>(Sound of walking up steps)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>They settled around the Italian Cathedral, Sts. Peter and Paul Church…still a center point for later generations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/strong>So this is where you come for your baptism, you come for marriage, you also come for your funeral.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>The church towers above Washington Square Park, where residents bask in the sun, play with dogs, practice tai chi and blast music. Steve says when he was growing up, Italians used to hang out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>You’d see groups sitting down of men and women and they would be speaking in Italian. So that is probably one thing that’s not as much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>You don’t hear Italian very much because not many Italians live here anymore. At its height in 1930, the Italian community numbered about 60,000 people, almost a tenth of the population of San Francisco. But as early as the 1950s, the Italians here joined many others in the flight to the suburbs. Now, only four percent of residents in North Beach’s main ZIP code have Italian heritage, that’s according to the latest census data of people who reported ancestry. But Steve says even if younger generations moved out of the city, they still come back to the neighborhood for celebrations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>The North Beach area is the gathering place for all the Italians to come back to. But where do they go? They come, you know, to the restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>The restaurants of North Beach are now the most visible and lasting legacy of the Italian enclave here. Graffeo’s coffee on Columbus, since 1935. Molinari’s Deli, our question-asker’s spot, Italian-owned since 1896. Liguria Bakery known for its mushroom or raisin focaccia since 1911.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Restaurant sounds\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Steve wraps up our tour by taking me inside one of the city’s best seafood spots: Sotto Mare, owned by his grammar school friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Steve Leveroni: \u003c/strong>Their sauces are all, I can see all on the stovetop there, so we’re getting some aromas from that. And then probably one of those pots is their crab chipino, which is, which is excellent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Nowadays, you have to look pretty hard to find Italian old-timers in the neighborhood, but it’s not impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>People speaking Sicilian\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>After weeks of looking around, I finally heard some chatter at Stella’s pastry shop on Columbus Avenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante:\u003c/strong> We come every morning, seven days a week. Just, you know, we just get a drink espresso and you know we talk Italian, Sicilian actually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri:\u003c/strong> It’s a meeting spot. Come out here and bullshit all day long. That’s it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Michele Ferrante and Frank Balistreri both ran Italian restaurants in the neighborhood and still live here. They’re just two of the Sicilians who talk sports and politics here every morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante:\u003c/strong> We are known as the peccatore. We are all sinners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri:\u003c/strong> Give him the Academy Award, please. Make him happy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>In fact, San Francisco’s Italian restaurants are what drew Michele here as a young adult in the 1960s. His parents left Palermo for New York, but Michele wanted to come further west.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante: \u003c/strong>I told my father, my mother says, Arrivederci, I’m going to California. I heard about the Fisherman Wharf full of restaurants, full of Italians, mostly Sicilians, the Aliotos and others. And also because I was hearing so much about North Beach, and being Sicilian, and being a cook, so well, I can go there and get a job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>By the late 1960s, North Beach’s reputation was evolving beyond an Italian neighborhood. Beatnik culture was well established by then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante: \u003c/strong>Those were the days of the hippie generation, you know, ‘67 was the summer of love. Everything was going on. One of my favorite hangout was at La Rocca’s Corner, which is still here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>The beat culture, artists and Italians got along perhaps better than expected… Italian property owners reportedly kept rents low, and poets liked the cafes. In 1976, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights Bookstore, took note of North Beach’s waning Italian culture in his famous poem “Old Italians are Dying.” Here’s a recording of him reading it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lawrence Ferlinghetti:\u003c/strong> For years the old Italians in faded felt hats have been sunning themselves and dying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You have seen them on the benches in the park in Washington Square\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The old Italians in their black high button shoes\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The old men in their felt fedoras with stained hatbands have been dying and dying day by day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>By the early 1980s, Michele says, North Beach didn’t feel like an Italian enclave anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Michele Ferrante: \u003c/strong>They all move, Burlingame, San Mateo, Napa, San Helena, Sonoma. San Francisco, not too many living here anymore, very little.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri: \u003c/strong>Sure, we saw it change. There’s still some kind of flavor, but not originally what I grew up with. The way I was raised here, you knew who was Italian and who wasn’t. Now you don’t know who’s who. So, basically, you feel like nobody’s here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>That feeling of “no Italians” – didn’t sit well with the North Beach chamber of commerce. In the 1990s, they kicked off a marketing campaign for the neighborhood, “Little Italy of the West.” Light poles were painted with Italian flag colors. People could buy “I’m proud to be half Italian” t-shirts. Afterall, research shows, preserving a neighborhood’s ethnic identity is good for business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of kids singing in Italian\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Now, new initiatives are popping up to keep Italian heritage alive, like the Little Italy Honor Walk, a series of bronze sidewalk squares that memorialize notable Italians in San Francisco history. Five have been installed around Washington Square Park, and there’s more on the way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Singing fades out and sounds of Italian being spoken fade in\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>Back at Stella’s pastry shop, Michele and Frank say remembering North Beach’s Italian history is important, but they don’t need monuments to remind them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Frank Balistreri: \u003c/strong>Times change, things change, I don’t worry about it, as long as I’m here where I want to be. Italians are no Italians, I know who I am, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pauline Bartolone: \u003c/strong>North Beach’s original Italian enclave may be long gone, but the neighborhood’s history and food will keep bringing tourists…and locals with Italians heritage… back for years to come.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> That story was brought to you by KQED reporter Pauline Bartolone. Special thanks to the San Francisco State University library where Pauline researched some of North Beach’s history. Thanks also to Jim McKee of EarWax Productions for the recording of Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading “Old Italians Are Dying.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today’s question came from Grant Strother, and you could be next! Submit your question about the Bay Area at BayCurious.org.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and me, Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a wonderful week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"slug": "how-an-aging-california-is-turning-to-senior-centers-for-romance-community-and-health",
"title": "How an Aging California Is Turning to Senior Centers for Romance, Community and Health",
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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\u003cp>[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lmeter Carroll sits alone on a couch inside the Watts Senior Citizen Community Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s almost noon, but the place is nearly empty. Fitness mats and other workout gear lay stacked in a distant corner. No one shows up for a morning gym class except her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She points across the room to a wall covered with photos of smiling, well-dressed Black men and women gathered at events throughout the years. “They’re all gone. Everyone on that wall. Passed away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the same in her personal life. Widowed once, Almeter lost a second partner years later to COVID. For the most part, she likes being independent and taking care of herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of course, I get lonely,” she says. “I miss my husband. I miss my boyfriend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074089\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"823\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-2000x658.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-1536x506.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-2048x674.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: A memorial wall honoring past members at the Watts Senior Center in Los Angeles. Right: Almeter Carroll, 87, sits at the Watts Senior Center in Los Angeles. “I like coming here, I like getting together with the group and playing cards,” said Ms. Carroll. “People come for fellowship. To talk.” She added, “The pandemic did a lot to this place and to my church.” \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CatchLight/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She speaks of these things matter-of-factly, but still holds a positive outlook and carries a knowing smile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quiet as it may be at the moment, the Watts Center will begin to buzz with activity come lunchtime. Almeter will be surrounded by friends soon enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074063\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074063\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shane Shabad, 90, sits at Palisades Park in Santa Monica. Shane has lived alone for over a decade and struggles with vision loss associated with macular degeneration. He became increasingly socially isolated during the pandemic. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/seniors\">Older adults\u003c/a> represent a significantly expanding portion of California’s population. By 2030, individuals over age 65 will begin to outnumber those under 18. But living longer also means people will see more loss, experience more grief and face more isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2026/02/look-inside-los-angeles-senior-centers/\">Neighborhood senior centers\u003c/a> may offer a good solution. They localize important resources and provide a safe, accessible space where older adults can go to find community and friendship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re absolutely essential and critical and part of the backbone of older adult services in our state,” said California Department of Aging Director Susan DeMarois. “They’re integral to our communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074090\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2021px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074090 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2021\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED.jpg 2021w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED-2000x1484.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2021px) 100vw, 2021px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Beverlee Kelly, 70, spends time at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles. Ms. Kelly used to be active at a senior center near her home before the pandemic. She has not returned since the shutdown in 2020 due to health concerns, as she is unvaccinated. Right: Shane Shabad, 90, stands in his apartment in Santa Monica. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under Gov. Gavin Newsom, the aging department drew up a 10-year master plan that lays out five “bold” goals essential for sustaining longevity — housing, health care, inclusion, caregiving and affordability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Senior centers can address the inclusion component, although how exactly remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2026/02/senior-centers-what-we-learned/\">No two senior centers are alike\u003c/a>. Local demographics and economic factors shape each center’s unique dynamics. With hardly any state oversight, most are largely left to themselves to figure out their own best practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, no one can even say how many are operating in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074094\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074094 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"823\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-2000x658.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-1536x506.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-2048x674.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Lewis Brown, 80, Director, sits in his office at the Tehachapi Senior Center. Right: Tony Kotch, 86, sits at a table for lunch at the Tehachapi Senior Center. The Tehachapi Senior Center is volunteer-run, and the older adults cover costs through donations. Older adults residing in rural areas are at an increased risk of social isolation. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded an alarm in naming loneliness and social isolation a national epidemic in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf\">2023 report\u003c/a> — equating the long-term health effects with smoking 15 cigarettes a day. One in five older Californians like Almeter live alone, making it even more difficult for them to maintain social connections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going to the senior center may benefit a person’s mental and physical health, according to a 2025 study by researchers from California State University, Northridge, and Kaiser Permanente. They distributed surveys at 23 Los Angeles-area senior centers to gauge how attendance affected the well-being of participants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who attended frequently — several times a week — or over long periods of time had better mental health and felt less lonely. Frequent senior center attendance was associated with a greater reduction in loneliness among users under age 75, while the positive relationship between senior center attendance and physical health was more evident among users over age 75. Based on those findings, the authors encouraged local officials and doctors “to promote” senior centers as a healthy resource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074062\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Residents of an affordable senior housing complex in Santa Monica stand in a hallway in 2020. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hit hard by the social distancing impacts of COVID, community-based centers faced significant challenges when things began to return to normal. Older adults stayed away for some time out of caution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some returned to centers with a renewed focus on health and well-being. Rather than look for traditional recreation like bingo, post-COVID older adults wanted to see fitness classes and longevity training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the population changes, as the opportunities change, as the needs change — senior centers evolve with that,” said Dianne Stone of the National Council on Aging. “At the core of it, senior centers are highly social places. It’s all about creating opportunities for social engagement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That might be just sitting around having a cup of coffee. It might be taking a class and finding people that are interested in the same things you’re interested in. But all of it is an opportunity to come in and meet people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Karaoke, tai chi and romance\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Less than 20 miles from Watts, the Culver City Senior Center surges with energy and enthusiasm. Sunlight filters through large glass windows onto tables bustling with Mah Jong and other games. For $20 a year, participants get daily access to rooms filled with exercise classes, arts and crafts workshops and movie screenings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members gather early to hit the gym as soon as doors open at 9 a.m. Billiards players bring their own cues to shoot pool. Twice a week, packed-house karaoke sessions involve not just free-spirited singing, but also plenty of dancing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074091\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2019px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074091 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2019\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED.jpg 2019w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED-2000x1486.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED-1536x1141.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2019px) 100vw, 2019px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members dance during weekly karaoke at the Culver City Senior Center. Some older adults attend the center with their caregivers, who are also members. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a sunny, gorgeous day in mid-November, the karaoke team brought microphones and speakers out into the fresh air of Culver’s spacious central courtyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Selvee Provost bounced around and chatted knowingly with almost every person sitting under the verandas and shade umbrellas. As people took turns singing, she danced intermittently with different friends. Her simple social activity appeared to come naturally, but it was in the aftermath of loss and loneliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074059\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toni DiModica, 84, and Jim Diego, 82, dance during karaoke, as Verna Akwa, 77, sings, and Lee Karol, 69, and Stan Kamens, 78, manage the program at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Selvee first came to the Culver Center with her husband, Jim, in 2018. When COVID hit, things shut down. Then Jim died, and Selvee felt utterly alone. She could feel herself spiraling down in isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I knew if I sit at home and keep thinking about Jim, I’m gonna get more and more depressed,” she said. “That’s what motivated me to come here and try a class or something — just try anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074092\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2019px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074092\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2019\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED.jpg 2019w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED-2000x1486.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED-1536x1141.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2019px) 100vw, 2019px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Cristina Guevara, 78, embraces Julia Sedana, 82, at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center. Right: Selvee Provost, 67, bows during a Tai-Chi class at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tai chi became her pathway to community. “I didn’t know anybody, really. But by going to this class, I met people and learned they have a group about dealing with grief.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where she met Daniel Kerson. He’d lost his wife at almost the same time as Selvee lost Jim. “Both of us really needed to find companionship to survive,” she said. They moved in together right away and now come to the center throughout the week for classes, events and to socialize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074060\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Gelb, 78, brushes his hair while seated in the courtyard at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CatchLight/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Louis Cangemi, a newcomer over the last few months, mingled with Selvee and made his own rounds amongst the outdoor karaoke singers and dancers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard about this place and came to meet more people,” said the energetic 80-year-old. “I’m still a bachelor, so I hope to hit it off here with more women.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he might encounter a bit of competition. Other men like Jim Diego, 82, have been dancing and courting at Culver for years ahead of Cangemi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Find a public senior center in Los Angeles\" aria-label=\"Locator map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-cMgPL\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/cMgPL/4/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"695\" data-external=\"1\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coffee, tea and art — “Cafe, te y arte” — are the kind of social opportunities that begin each weekday at the Lincoln Heights Senior Citizen Center, all gratis for the mostly Spanish-speaking older adults who make themselves at home here. In one large community room, they share galletas and pasteles along with the free coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As mid-morning hits, fitness classes like chair yoga and Latin dance entice a dozen or so participants — predominantly women — to move, smile and laugh together beside the room’s raised performance stage. The men mostly sit and watch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twice a week, la lotería keeps the tables full for a couple of hours. Holiday dances draw crowds of over a hundred and feature DJs and live musicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris Garcia, 78, dances with Eva De La Torre, 75, alongside other members of the Lincoln Heights Senior Center during a Halloween party in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s such a lovely community,” said the Lincoln Heights director and one-man staff, Anthony Montiel. “I’m really fortunate to be part of this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As director, he maintains the schedule of classes and fills in wherever necessary. People are asked to contribute a few dollars per class, if they can afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his backroom office, he logs in and accounts for handfuls of dog-eared $1 bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lone ping pong player looks for the director in the afternoons. If he’s not too busy with his other duties, he’ll take a break for a quick match. “We have practically a brand new table,” said Montiel. “It’s nice equipment, but the guy usually has no one to play with but me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Shared meals, shared space, shared community\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Putting a finger on the pulse of how senior centers maintain relevance, adapt and thrive is no easy task. Each center relies on a mix of different funding and resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides the classes and activities, subsidized lunch programs at all these centers play a crucial role in helping older adults stay healthy. The nutritionally balanced meals provide free or low-cost sustenance, but offering the food in a shared, congregate space might be equally just as vital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074065\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074065\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members gather at different tables in the afternoon at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When people are able to go to a setting like a senior center to enjoy a meal in the company of others, possibly to have music and entertainment and activities, that can be really good for people’s mental health,” said DeMarois of the Department of Aging. “That’s a big part of it — just trying to foster that connection and engagement on the preventive side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congregate setting meal programs accounted for over 2.3 million older adult meals in the City of Los Angeles and in L.A. County in 2024, according to California Department of Aging records. But this data is not specific to senior centers, as it also includes meals in senior care facilities and other older adult group spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it comes to senior centers, there is not good data,” said Stone. “There is not that central database of senior centers or community-based organizations, and there’s not even a shared definition of what they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074093\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074093 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"823\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-2000x658.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-1536x506.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-2048x674.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Maudell Robinson, 95, at the Watts Senior Center in Los Angeles. Right: A member of the Watts Senior Center prepares to depart for the day in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Senior centers are community responses to community aging. No two are the same because no two communities are the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking anecdotally from her own experience, Stone sees the bulk of most senior center populations as being between 75 and 85 years old. But that age range is evolving as older adult communities expand.[aside postID=news_12050210 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/la-seniors-688a20454f1fc.jpg']DeMarois sees the same dynamics taking shape. “When we talk about people 60-plus, we’re experiencing the greatest longevity ever right now,” she said. “The fastest growing demographic in California is 85-plus. We’re talking about four decades of life for many people from 60 to 100, so their needs and preferences will change over time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in Watts, Almeter’s not much interested in a free meal. “I eat my own food.” She sits around as other older adults filter into the center one by one. Many grab their subsidized lunch in styrofoam containers and soon walk right back out the door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She waits patiently for her friends to arrive — women like Luretha Muckelroy, Maudell Robinson and Watts advisory board member Linda Cleveland. They gather here two or three times each week to play Spades or Bid Whist, card games that evoke plenty of smack talking and mirth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need more men around here,” said Linda, as she noted the all-female crowd. Older adult males show up for some functions and events, but women seem to comprise most of the Watts Center attendance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074066\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074066\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sharron Robinson, 80, Laura Shroder, 89, and Johnnie Devereaux, 86, hold hands and dance as other members sing karaoke at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CatchLight/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For a few hours, the close-knit group makes the place come alive. Four players compete in two-person teams, while others keep tally. The losing team must vacate their seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They laugh, point fingers and chastise one another — all in good fun. The games can sometimes get heated. In between hands and shuffles, they share snacks and pour sodas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked how she feels about aging alone, Almeter answers without hesitation. “Oh, I love being 87. It’s great to be alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Joe Garcia is a California Local News fellow. \u003c/em>\u003cem>This story was produced jointly by CalMatters and CatchLight as part of our \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.catchlight.io/mental-health\">\u003cem>mental health initiative\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2026/02/senior-centers-aging-health/\">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>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "No two senior centers are alike. We visited three very different venues in L.A. to learn how they’re changing for California’s aging population.",
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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\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">A\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>lmeter Carroll sits alone on a couch inside the Watts Senior Citizen Community Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s almost noon, but the place is nearly empty. Fitness mats and other workout gear lay stacked in a distant corner. No one shows up for a morning gym class except her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She points across the room to a wall covered with photos of smiling, well-dressed Black men and women gathered at events throughout the years. “They’re all gone. Everyone on that wall. Passed away.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the same in her personal life. Widowed once, Almeter lost a second partner years later to COVID. For the most part, she likes being independent and taking care of herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of course, I get lonely,” she says. “I miss my husband. I miss my boyfriend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074089\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074089\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"823\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-2000x658.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-1536x506.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-1-KQED-2048x674.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: A memorial wall honoring past members at the Watts Senior Center in Los Angeles. Right: Almeter Carroll, 87, sits at the Watts Senior Center in Los Angeles. “I like coming here, I like getting together with the group and playing cards,” said Ms. Carroll. “People come for fellowship. To talk.” She added, “The pandemic did a lot to this place and to my church.” \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CatchLight/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She speaks of these things matter-of-factly, but still holds a positive outlook and carries a knowing smile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quiet as it may be at the moment, the Watts Center will begin to buzz with activity come lunchtime. Almeter will be surrounded by friends soon enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074063\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074063\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/221326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-04-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shane Shabad, 90, sits at Palisades Park in Santa Monica. Shane has lived alone for over a decade and struggles with vision loss associated with macular degeneration. He became increasingly socially isolated during the pandemic. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/seniors\">Older adults\u003c/a> represent a significantly expanding portion of California’s population. By 2030, individuals over age 65 will begin to outnumber those under 18. But living longer also means people will see more loss, experience more grief and face more isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2026/02/look-inside-los-angeles-senior-centers/\">Neighborhood senior centers\u003c/a> may offer a good solution. They localize important resources and provide a safe, accessible space where older adults can go to find community and friendship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re absolutely essential and critical and part of the backbone of older adult services in our state,” said California Department of Aging Director Susan DeMarois. “They’re integral to our communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074090\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2021px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074090 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2021\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED.jpg 2021w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED-2000x1484.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-2-KQED-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2021px) 100vw, 2021px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Beverlee Kelly, 70, spends time at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area in Los Angeles. Ms. Kelly used to be active at a senior center near her home before the pandemic. She has not returned since the shutdown in 2020 due to health concerns, as she is unvaccinated. Right: Shane Shabad, 90, stands in his apartment in Santa Monica. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Under Gov. Gavin Newsom, the aging department drew up a 10-year master plan that lays out five “bold” goals essential for sustaining longevity — housing, health care, inclusion, caregiving and affordability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Senior centers can address the inclusion component, although how exactly remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2026/02/senior-centers-what-we-learned/\">No two senior centers are alike\u003c/a>. Local demographics and economic factors shape each center’s unique dynamics. With hardly any state oversight, most are largely left to themselves to figure out their own best practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, no one can even say how many are operating in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074094\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074094 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"823\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-2000x658.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-1536x506.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-3-KQED-2048x674.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Lewis Brown, 80, Director, sits in his office at the Tehachapi Senior Center. Right: Tony Kotch, 86, sits at a table for lunch at the Tehachapi Senior Center. The Tehachapi Senior Center is volunteer-run, and the older adults cover costs through donations. Older adults residing in rural areas are at an increased risk of social isolation. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded an alarm in naming loneliness and social isolation a national epidemic in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf\">2023 report\u003c/a> — equating the long-term health effects with smoking 15 cigarettes a day. One in five older Californians like Almeter live alone, making it even more difficult for them to maintain social connections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going to the senior center may benefit a person’s mental and physical health, according to a 2025 study by researchers from California State University, Northridge, and Kaiser Permanente. They distributed surveys at 23 Los Angeles-area senior centers to gauge how attendance affected the well-being of participants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People who attended frequently — several times a week — or over long periods of time had better mental health and felt less lonely. Frequent senior center attendance was associated with a greater reduction in loneliness among users under age 75, while the positive relationship between senior center attendance and physical health was more evident among users over age 75. Based on those findings, the authors encouraged local officials and doctors “to promote” senior centers as a healthy resource.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074062\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/3LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-09-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Residents of an affordable senior housing complex in Santa Monica stand in a hallway in 2020. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hit hard by the social distancing impacts of COVID, community-based centers faced significant challenges when things began to return to normal. Older adults stayed away for some time out of caution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some returned to centers with a renewed focus on health and well-being. Rather than look for traditional recreation like bingo, post-COVID older adults wanted to see fitness classes and longevity training.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As the population changes, as the opportunities change, as the needs change — senior centers evolve with that,” said Dianne Stone of the National Council on Aging. “At the core of it, senior centers are highly social places. It’s all about creating opportunities for social engagement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That might be just sitting around having a cup of coffee. It might be taking a class and finding people that are interested in the same things you’re interested in. But all of it is an opportunity to come in and meet people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Karaoke, tai chi and romance\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Less than 20 miles from Watts, the Culver City Senior Center surges with energy and enthusiasm. Sunlight filters through large glass windows onto tables bustling with Mah Jong and other games. For $20 a year, participants get daily access to rooms filled with exercise classes, arts and crafts workshops and movie screenings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Members gather early to hit the gym as soon as doors open at 9 a.m. Billiards players bring their own cues to shoot pool. Twice a week, packed-house karaoke sessions involve not just free-spirited singing, but also plenty of dancing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074091\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2019px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074091 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2019\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED.jpg 2019w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED-2000x1486.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-4-KQED-1536x1141.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2019px) 100vw, 2019px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members dance during weekly karaoke at the Culver City Senior Center. Some older adults attend the center with their caregivers, who are also members. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On a sunny, gorgeous day in mid-November, the karaoke team brought microphones and speakers out into the fresh air of Culver’s spacious central courtyard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Selvee Provost bounced around and chatted knowingly with almost every person sitting under the verandas and shade umbrellas. As people took turns singing, she danced intermittently with different friends. Her simple social activity appeared to come naturally, but it was in the aftermath of loss and loneliness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074059\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074059\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/1-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-12-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Toni DiModica, 84, and Jim Diego, 82, dance during karaoke, as Verna Akwa, 77, sings, and Lee Karol, 69, and Stan Kamens, 78, manage the program at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Selvee first came to the Culver Center with her husband, Jim, in 2018. When COVID hit, things shut down. Then Jim died, and Selvee felt utterly alone. She could feel herself spiraling down in isolation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I knew if I sit at home and keep thinking about Jim, I’m gonna get more and more depressed,” she said. “That’s what motivated me to come here and try a class or something — just try anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074092\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2019px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074092\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2019\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED.jpg 2019w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED-2000x1486.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-5-KQED-1536x1141.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2019px) 100vw, 2019px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Cristina Guevara, 78, embraces Julia Sedana, 82, at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center. Right: Selvee Provost, 67, bows during a Tai-Chi class at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Tai chi became her pathway to community. “I didn’t know anybody, really. But by going to this class, I met people and learned they have a group about dealing with grief.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where she met Daniel Kerson. He’d lost his wife at almost the same time as Selvee lost Jim. “Both of us really needed to find companionship to survive,” she said. They moved in together right away and now come to the center throughout the week for classes, events and to socialize.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074060\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-15-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Gelb, 78, brushes his hair while seated in the courtyard at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CatchLight/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Louis Cangemi, a newcomer over the last few months, mingled with Selvee and made his own rounds amongst the outdoor karaoke singers and dancers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard about this place and came to meet more people,” said the energetic 80-year-old. “I’m still a bachelor, so I hope to hit it off here with more women.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he might encounter a bit of competition. Other men like Jim Diego, 82, have been dancing and courting at Culver for years ahead of Cangemi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Find a public senior center in Los Angeles\" aria-label=\"Locator map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-cMgPL\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/cMgPL/4/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"695\" data-external=\"1\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Coffee, tea and art — “Cafe, te y arte” — are the kind of social opportunities that begin each weekday at the Lincoln Heights Senior Citizen Center, all gratis for the mostly Spanish-speaking older adults who make themselves at home here. In one large community room, they share galletas and pasteles along with the free coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As mid-morning hits, fitness classes like chair yoga and Latin dance entice a dozen or so participants — predominantly women — to move, smile and laugh together beside the room’s raised performance stage. The men mostly sit and watch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twice a week, la lotería keeps the tables full for a couple of hours. Holiday dances draw crowds of over a hundred and feature DJs and live musicians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074064\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074064\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-16-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris Garcia, 78, dances with Eva De La Torre, 75, alongside other members of the Lincoln Heights Senior Center during a Halloween party in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s such a lovely community,” said the Lincoln Heights director and one-man staff, Anthony Montiel. “I’m really fortunate to be part of this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As director, he maintains the schedule of classes and fills in wherever necessary. People are asked to contribute a few dollars per class, if they can afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In his backroom office, he logs in and accounts for handfuls of dog-eared $1 bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A lone ping pong player looks for the director in the afternoons. If he’s not too busy with his other duties, he’ll take a break for a quick match. “We have practically a brand new table,” said Montiel. “It’s nice equipment, but the guy usually has no one to play with but me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Shared meals, shared space, shared community\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Putting a finger on the pulse of how senior centers maintain relevance, adapt and thrive is no easy task. Each center relies on a mix of different funding and resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides the classes and activities, subsidized lunch programs at all these centers play a crucial role in helping older adults stay healthy. The nutritionally balanced meals provide free or low-cost sustenance, but offering the food in a shared, congregate space might be equally just as vital.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074065\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074065\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members gather at different tables in the afternoon at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“When people are able to go to a setting like a senior center to enjoy a meal in the company of others, possibly to have music and entertainment and activities, that can be really good for people’s mental health,” said DeMarois of the Department of Aging. “That’s a big part of it — just trying to foster that connection and engagement on the preventive side.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Congregate setting meal programs accounted for over 2.3 million older adult meals in the City of Los Angeles and in L.A. County in 2024, according to California Department of Aging records. But this data is not specific to senior centers, as it also includes meals in senior care facilities and other older adult group spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When it comes to senior centers, there is not good data,” said Stone. “There is not that central database of senior centers or community-based organizations, and there’s not even a shared definition of what they are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074093\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12074093 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"823\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-2000x658.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-1536x506.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-01-DIP-6-KQED-2048x674.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Maudell Robinson, 95, at the Watts Senior Center in Los Angeles. Right: A member of the Watts Senior Center prepares to depart for the day in Los Angeles. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CalMatters/CatchLight)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Senior centers are community responses to community aging. No two are the same because no two communities are the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking anecdotally from her own experience, Stone sees the bulk of most senior center populations as being between 75 and 85 years old. But that age range is evolving as older adult communities expand.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>DeMarois sees the same dynamics taking shape. “When we talk about people 60-plus, we’re experiencing the greatest longevity ever right now,” she said. “The fastest growing demographic in California is 85-plus. We’re talking about four decades of life for many people from 60 to 100, so their needs and preferences will change over time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in Watts, Almeter’s not much interested in a free meal. “I eat my own food.” She sits around as other older adults filter into the center one by one. Many grab their subsidized lunch in styrofoam containers and soon walk right back out the door.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She waits patiently for her friends to arrive — women like Luretha Muckelroy, Maudell Robinson and Watts advisory board member Linda Cleveland. They gather here two or three times each week to play Spades or Bid Whist, card games that evoke plenty of smack talking and mirth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need more men around here,” said Linda, as she noted the all-female crowd. Older adult males show up for some functions and events, but women seem to comprise most of the Watts Center attendance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074066\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074066\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/NOT4FILE-021326-LA-Senior-Center-IK-CM-20-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sharron Robinson, 80, Laura Shroder, 89, and Johnnie Devereaux, 86, hold hands and dance as other members sing karaoke at the Culver City Senior Center. \u003ccite>(Isadora Kosofsky for CatchLight/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For a few hours, the close-knit group makes the place come alive. Four players compete in two-person teams, while others keep tally. The losing team must vacate their seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They laugh, point fingers and chastise one another — all in good fun. The games can sometimes get heated. In between hands and shuffles, they share snacks and pour sodas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked how she feels about aging alone, Almeter answers without hesitation. “Oh, I love being 87. It’s great to be alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Joe Garcia is a California Local News fellow. \u003c/em>\u003cem>This story was produced jointly by CalMatters and CatchLight as part of our \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.catchlight.io/mental-health\">\u003cem>mental health initiative\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/health/mental-health/2026/02/senior-centers-aging-health/\">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>\u003c/div>",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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