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"content": "\u003cp>For the first time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/monterey-bay-aquarium\">the Monterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a> is offering free admission to anyone receiving food assistance — also known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/361\">SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits\u003c/a> or food stamps, and called \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh\">CalFresh\u003c/a> in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Memorial Day (May 27), anyone with an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card can use this as proof of their eligibility at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s ticketing desks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/newsroom/press-releases/museums-for-all\">get free tickets for up to four people\u003c/a>, as part of the nationwide \u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/\">Museums for All program\u003c/a>. There’s no application process, and you don’t have to reserve your free tickets in advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium cost $59.95 for adults, $49.95 for youth ages 13–17, $44.95 for children ages 5–12 and $49.95 for seniors age 70 and over (although children 4 and under can always visit the aquarium for free). Using an EBT card means a group of two adults and two children can save well over $200 on admission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what to know about using your EBT card for free admission to the Monterey Bay Aquarium — plus more ways to save even more money on your visit. And if you’re not an EBT holder, remember: You still have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943906/how-to-find-free-museum-tickets-in-the-bay-area\">several ways to find free museum tickets around the Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Don’t currently receive SNAP benefits but think you could be eligible? \u003ca href=\"https://www.getcalfresh.org/?source=dssfood\">Find out how to apply for CalFresh.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #1: Know what you need to bring to get free aquarium admission\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re using an EBT card to get free aquarium admission for up to four people, the holder of the EBT card needs to be part of your group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As well as their physical EBT card, that person \u003cem>also \u003c/em>needs to have a valid photo ID with a name that matches the name on the EBT card.[aside postID='news_11987214,news_11986383,news_11984496,news_11979339' label='More Guides from KQED']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you’ve got those things, all you have to do is go to the ticket desk at the aquarium with your group, show your EBT card and ask for “Museums for All tickets.” Remember, no reservation is required, and free tickets are available whenever the museum is open.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #2: Once you’re in Monterey, you can use a free trolley car to get around\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day, the City of Monterey and Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) operates \u003ca href=\"https://monterey.gov/city_hall/departments/ride_the_free_trolley_shuttle/index.php\">a free trolley car that serves Downtown Monterey, Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a> — which you can use to avoid higher-cost parking garage fees closer to the aquarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The free MST Trolley will run 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily and connects the downtown parking garages (where all-day parking is $12) with the aquarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #3: Time your aquarium visit according to what you want to see\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Because your free admission with an EBT card isn’t restricted to particular times or days, you can choose to visit on a schedule that works for you — and offers you what you want to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to exhibits including \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/into-the-deep\">deep-sea creatures\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/sea-otters\">sea otters\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/giant-pacific-octopus\">the Giant Pacific octopus\u003c/a> and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/kelp-forest\">kelp forest\u003c/a>, the aquarium also offers daily talks, screenings and public feeding demonstrations for the animals. \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/hours-schedule\">Look at the Aquarium schedule \u003c/a>beforehand to ensure you don’t miss an event you want to catch.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #4: The aquarium isn’t the only place offering free admission for EBT holders in Monterey\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/\">The Museums for All program\u003c/a> offers free or reduced admission to 1,300 museums around the United States — so the aquarium is by no means the only place an EBT card can save you a lot of money as a visitor. [aside postID=news_11986383 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur-1020x680.jpg']In Monterey, the following paid museums offer free or low-cost admission for up to four people with an EBT card, for you to visit before or after the aquarium:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://mymuseum.org/\">Monterey County Youth Museum (MY Museum)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://montereyart.org/\">Monterey Museum of Art – Pacific Street\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://montereyart.org/\">Monterey Museum of Art – La Mirada\u003c/a> (open only for special events and programs)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://montereyhistory.org/stanton-center/\">Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>When asking for Museums for All tickets, remember that sometimes a staff member might be newer or hasn’t received their training on the Museums for All program yet and could be less familiar with the discount. If this happens when you arrive, we recommend staying patient and showing the staffer \u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/#!\">museum’s listing on the Museums for All site\u003c/a> on your phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #5: Remember you can use your EBT card for free museum tickets around the Bay Area too\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Back in the Bay, many local museums are participating in the Museums for All program, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/\">California Academy of Sciences\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.exploratorium.edu/\">Exploratorium\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://deyoung.famsf.org/\">de Young Museum\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/\">Legion of Honor\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/\">Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://museumca.org/\">Oakland Museum of California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://filoli.org/\">Filoli Historic House and Garden\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/san-francisco-museums-all\">San Francisco also has its own local version of the Museums For All program, which covers \u003c/a>over 20 museums and cultural spaces and offers free or reduced admission to SF residents who are Medi-Cal recipients, as well as to EBT users.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See a \u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/#!\">full list of all the Bay Area museums participating in the Museums for All program\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11915329/how-to-get-free-or-low-cost-museum-entry-this-summer-with-your-ebt-card\">read more about using your EBT card to get free museum tickets.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting by KQED’s Jasmine Garnett, Sarah Mohamad and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For the first time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/monterey-bay-aquarium\">the Monterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a> is offering free admission to anyone receiving food assistance — also known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/361\">SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits\u003c/a> or food stamps, and called \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh\">CalFresh\u003c/a> in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting Memorial Day (May 27), anyone with an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card can use this as proof of their eligibility at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s ticketing desks to \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/newsroom/press-releases/museums-for-all\">get free tickets for up to four people\u003c/a>, as part of the nationwide \u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/\">Museums for All program\u003c/a>. There’s no application process, and you don’t have to reserve your free tickets in advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium cost $59.95 for adults, $49.95 for youth ages 13–17, $44.95 for children ages 5–12 and $49.95 for seniors age 70 and over (although children 4 and under can always visit the aquarium for free). Using an EBT card means a group of two adults and two children can save well over $200 on admission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for what to know about using your EBT card for free admission to the Monterey Bay Aquarium — plus more ways to save even more money on your visit. And if you’re not an EBT holder, remember: You still have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11943906/how-to-find-free-museum-tickets-in-the-bay-area\">several ways to find free museum tickets around the Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Don’t currently receive SNAP benefits but think you could be eligible? \u003ca href=\"https://www.getcalfresh.org/?source=dssfood\">Find out how to apply for CalFresh.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #1: Know what you need to bring to get free aquarium admission\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’re using an EBT card to get free aquarium admission for up to four people, the holder of the EBT card needs to be part of your group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As well as their physical EBT card, that person \u003cem>also \u003c/em>needs to have a valid photo ID with a name that matches the name on the EBT card.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you’ve got those things, all you have to do is go to the ticket desk at the aquarium with your group, show your EBT card and ask for “Museums for All tickets.” Remember, no reservation is required, and free tickets are available whenever the museum is open.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #2: Once you’re in Monterey, you can use a free trolley car to get around\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Starting Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day, the City of Monterey and Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) operates \u003ca href=\"https://monterey.gov/city_hall/departments/ride_the_free_trolley_shuttle/index.php\">a free trolley car that serves Downtown Monterey, Fisherman’s Wharf, Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a> — which you can use to avoid higher-cost parking garage fees closer to the aquarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The free MST Trolley will run 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily and connects the downtown parking garages (where all-day parking is $12) with the aquarium.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #3: Time your aquarium visit according to what you want to see\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Because your free admission with an EBT card isn’t restricted to particular times or days, you can choose to visit on a schedule that works for you — and offers you what you want to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to exhibits including \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/into-the-deep\">deep-sea creatures\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/sea-otters\">sea otters\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/giant-pacific-octopus\">the Giant Pacific octopus\u003c/a> and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/exhibits/kelp-forest\">kelp forest\u003c/a>, the aquarium also offers daily talks, screenings and public feeding demonstrations for the animals. \u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/visit/hours-schedule\">Look at the Aquarium schedule \u003c/a>beforehand to ensure you don’t miss an event you want to catch.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #4: The aquarium isn’t the only place offering free admission for EBT holders in Monterey\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/\">The Museums for All program\u003c/a> offers free or reduced admission to 1,300 museums around the United States — so the aquarium is by no means the only place an EBT card can save you a lot of money as a visitor. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In Monterey, the following paid museums offer free or low-cost admission for up to four people with an EBT card, for you to visit before or after the aquarium:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://mymuseum.org/\">Monterey County Youth Museum (MY Museum)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://montereyart.org/\">Monterey Museum of Art – Pacific Street\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://montereyart.org/\">Monterey Museum of Art – La Mirada\u003c/a> (open only for special events and programs)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://montereyhistory.org/stanton-center/\">Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>When asking for Museums for All tickets, remember that sometimes a staff member might be newer or hasn’t received their training on the Museums for All program yet and could be less familiar with the discount. If this happens when you arrive, we recommend staying patient and showing the staffer \u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/#!\">museum’s listing on the Museums for All site\u003c/a> on your phone.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tip #5: Remember you can use your EBT card for free museum tickets around the Bay Area too\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Back in the Bay, many local museums are participating in the Museums for All program, including:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/\">California Academy of Sciences\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.exploratorium.edu/\">Exploratorium\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://deyoung.famsf.org/\">de Young Museum\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/\">Legion of Honor\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/\">Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The \u003ca href=\"https://museumca.org/\">Oakland Museum of California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://filoli.org/\">Filoli Historic House and Garden\u003c/a>.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfhsa.org/san-francisco-museums-all\">San Francisco also has its own local version of the Museums For All program, which covers \u003c/a>over 20 museums and cultural spaces and offers free or reduced admission to SF residents who are Medi-Cal recipients, as well as to EBT users.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See a \u003ca href=\"https://museums4all.org/#!\">full list of all the Bay Area museums participating in the Museums for All program\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11915329/how-to-get-free-or-low-cost-museum-entry-this-summer-with-your-ebt-card\">read more about using your EBT card to get free museum tickets.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting by KQED’s Jasmine Garnett, Sarah Mohamad and Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Sonoma School District Cuts Bilingual Liaison. Immigrant Families Are Fighting Back",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11990145/en-el-condado-de-sonoma-padres-inmigrantes-luchan-para-recuperar-el-enlace-bilingue-de-las-escuelas\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My only goal in this country is that my children go to college,” Sandra Cruz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cruz first arrived in Santa Rosa in 2006 with her husband and two children. Originally from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, they had left everything behind to start all over again in the North Bay — where she enrolled her two kids in the Oak Grove Union School District, which serves families in west Santa Rosa and nearby communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite not speaking English and working as a housecleaner, Cruz wanted to be a part of her children’s education and began volunteering at school events and field trips. “It was like finding a family,” she said, “even though we didn’t speak the language, folks opened doors for us at every school event.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the roughly 800 students enrolled in Oak Grove’s two school sites, about a third are Latino, and many of them are also learning English as a second language. As her children grew up and moved on to a different district for high school, Cruz kept many of the friendships she made with parents and teachers. When she and her husband had a third child, a girl, she knew she wanted to go back to Oak Grove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her youngest is now 9 years old, a third-grader in Oak Grove Elementary. This time around, Cruz said that Spanish-speaking students are even more integrated into the classrooms, thanks to Ana Castillo-Williams, the district’s part-time bilingual liaison. Castillo-Williams makes sure all communication to parents is available in both English and Spanish, translates in parent-teacher meetings and helps organize the district’s multicultural events like the Día de los Niños celebration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s earned the trust of families as many parents don’t feel comfortable coming to the schools because they don’t know the language,” Cruz said. “But she works with them so they have the courage to show up, and she also makes sure that their voices are heard even when they don’t speak English.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, on March 13, the Oak Grove Board of Trustees \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/13QfcRaf_zQFgwVCBQvkgyvNvZlgrCzh7/view\">voted to cut the hours of 10 positions\u003c/a> — eliminating the bilingual liaison — as the district seeks to close budget gaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the district’s announcement, Cruz and dozens of other parents \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/oak-grove-union-spanish-speaking-parents-protest-district-firing-its-only-t/\">have been leading weekly protests demanding the district revert its decision\u003c/a>. They’ve garnered the support of the community at large, including the teachers’ union and groups like the North Bay Organizing Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All over Bay Area school districts, immigrant parents have shown their organizing power — with or without English. In Oakland, Mam-speaking parents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11855640/how-native-speakers-are-helping-1300-mam-students-in-oakland-through-remote-learning\">mobilized to help out Indigenous families struggling with remote learning during the pandemic\u003c/a>. Over in San Francisco, Cantonese-speaking parents led the efforts to pass Proposition N in 2016, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/sf-school-board-non-citizen-voting-upheld-proposition-n-california-court-of-appeal/\">allowing noncitizen parents and guardians to vote in school board elections\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Oak Grove, families argue that without the bilingual liaison position, the gap between Latino students and their peers will continue to grow. And parents said they’re not planning to step back on their demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A fight for ‘language justice’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On March 8, Oak Grove trustees were scheduled to have their first meeting since approving the staff layoffs. Even before the meeting began, dozens of parents were already protesting outside the gym of Willowside Middle School, where the board meets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With signs that read, “Keep our bilingual liaison” and “Language justice,” parents and community members chanted: “¡Amber, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” — “Amber, listen to us, we’re in this fight!” referring to district Superintendent Amber Stringfellow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986141\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986141\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-800x525.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-1020x669.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-1536x1008.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-1920x1260.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Willowside Middle School in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a statement, Stringfellow told KQED that the Sonoma County Office of Education has directed the district to cut back on spending to match projected state funding. The \u003cem>Press Democrat\u003c/em> first reported in February \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/state-budget-better-than-expected-but-sonoma-county-school-districts-still/\">that Oak Grove is one of three districts in the county facing the most financial stress\u003c/a>, with cash reserves running below state requirements. With all the staff cuts announced in March, the district hopes to save $237,242, but officials are still looking for more ways to rein in spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The district understands and is committed to providing avenues of communication for our community, including our parents and guardians who are not fluent in English,” Stringfellow said. She added that the district provides stipends to other bilingual staff who pitch in with translation services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, for some teachers, getting other district employees to fill the shoes of the bilingual liaison isn’t a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have 13 people getting a stipend for bilingualism,” said sixth-grade teacher Cari Cardle, who is also the co-president of the Oak Grove Union Elementary Educators Association. “But you know what? Those 13 people have a job. And it’s not to be the bilingual liaison. It’s not to be an interpreter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cardle has taught at Oak Grove for 25 years. Whatever the topic is, she can teach it, she said — but adds that over time, what teachers are responsible for has grown considerably. “The mental health, physical health, the social media aspect, all of those things combined have changed this job so dramatically,” she said, “and that’s the part that’s hard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But all of this goes into forming relationships with students and their families, she said. This is especially important for students learning English as a second language, who have to learn material twice as fast to catch up with their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only thing that matters in a school system for student success is relationships,” Cardle said. “If you don’t have a relationship, you’re not going to get the best out of the kid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where Castillo-Williams would play a key role as bilingual liaison, she explains. When something was going on at home, Spanish-speaking parents would call the bilingual liaison — not teachers or school administrators. Parents told KQED that Castillo-Williams felt like the only staff member they could comfortably talk about delicate family issues. (Castillo-Williams herself was not available to talk to KQED for this story.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s not just the families that are benefiting. It’s also the teachers who can then help the kids because we have an avenue to find out what’s going on,” Cardle said. In its March meeting, over 90% of the Educators Association voted in favor of supporting parents’ demand to bring back the bilingual liaison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do you reach that kid who doesn’t have what they need?” Cardle said. “If they’re hungry, they can’t learn.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We cannot stay quiet’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>School districts up and down California are struggling with widening deficits. San Francisco Unified \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11978035/sfusd-considers-school-closures-and-mergers-amid-declining-enrollment\">could see a $100 million budget shortfall next year,\u003c/a> and the district projects student enrollment will continue to shrink for the rest of the decade. Over in Los Angeles, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-08/thousands-rally-over-expected-cuts-to-l-a-schools-a-rebuke-to-lausds-no-layoff-claims\">LAUSD could see a deficit of roughly $1.75 billion next year.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And despite recent promises from Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/newsom-again-pledges-to-spare-cuts-for-schools-and-community-colleges-but-not-for-csu-and-uc/711722\">to protect K–12 funding at the state level\u003c/a>, federal grants that helped buoy up school districts during the pandemic \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239609135/the-190-billion-in-emergency-funds-given-to-schools-during-the-pandemic-is-endin\">have essentially run out\u003c/a>. “What to cut?” is the top question at many school board meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, cutting the bilingual liaison could specifically make it harder for Latino students to make up lost learning, parents said.[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='education']According to \u003ca href=\"https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/DashViewReportSB?ps=true&lstTestYear=2023&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1&lstGrade=13&lstSchoolType=A&lstCounty=49&lstDistrict=70839-000&lstSchool=0000000&lstFocus=a\">state testing data\u003c/a>, approximately 52% of all students in Oak Grove schools met or exceeded English Language Arts (ELA) standards at the end of the 2022–23 school year. In math, that number was 42%. Among students who identify as Latino or Hispanic, the numbers were lower: 42% in ELA and 28% in math. While research has confirmed that testing results \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2024/02/10/research-shows-what-state-standardized-tests-actually-measure/?sh=352fad7375e5\">are rarely good indicators of student success\u003c/a>, this data can be used to identify student needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We cannot stay quiet while we see the needs of our Hispanic community ignored,” said parent María Gayosso at the district’s March 8 meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if one group of students is struggling, that could also affect other students, said Rhianna Casesa, associate professor at Sonoma State University. She focuses on bilingual education and works with many young educators who want to teach in Sonoma schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since 2017, Sonoma County has gone through one trauma after another, with fires, COVID-19, flooding,” she said. “If you don’t know what it’s like from a child’s perspective or from a parent’s perspective, it’s really hard to appropriately teach that child in that classroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that is why it’s so important for parents to speak up, she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Something that I’ve seen happening more and more is that parents are demanding what they deserve,” she said. “Parents now feel that they have the agency to make these demands because, ultimately, it’s their tax money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Oak Grove, the school board is considering a process for reinstating positions once next year’s budget is finalized in June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandra Cruz says she and other parents will keep protesting every week until they get the bilingual liaison back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the most important thing is the seed we plant in our children,” she said. “The courage we show them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Sonoma School District Cuts Bilingual Liaison. Immigrant Families Are Fighting Back | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11990145/en-el-condado-de-sonoma-padres-inmigrantes-luchan-para-recuperar-el-enlace-bilingue-de-las-escuelas\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My only goal in this country is that my children go to college,” Sandra Cruz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cruz first arrived in Santa Rosa in 2006 with her husband and two children. Originally from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, they had left everything behind to start all over again in the North Bay — where she enrolled her two kids in the Oak Grove Union School District, which serves families in west Santa Rosa and nearby communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite not speaking English and working as a housecleaner, Cruz wanted to be a part of her children’s education and began volunteering at school events and field trips. “It was like finding a family,” she said, “even though we didn’t speak the language, folks opened doors for us at every school event.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out of the roughly 800 students enrolled in Oak Grove’s two school sites, about a third are Latino, and many of them are also learning English as a second language. As her children grew up and moved on to a different district for high school, Cruz kept many of the friendships she made with parents and teachers. When she and her husband had a third child, a girl, she knew she wanted to go back to Oak Grove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her youngest is now 9 years old, a third-grader in Oak Grove Elementary. This time around, Cruz said that Spanish-speaking students are even more integrated into the classrooms, thanks to Ana Castillo-Williams, the district’s part-time bilingual liaison. Castillo-Williams makes sure all communication to parents is available in both English and Spanish, translates in parent-teacher meetings and helps organize the district’s multicultural events like the Día de los Niños celebration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s earned the trust of families as many parents don’t feel comfortable coming to the schools because they don’t know the language,” Cruz said. “But she works with them so they have the courage to show up, and she also makes sure that their voices are heard even when they don’t speak English.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, on March 13, the Oak Grove Board of Trustees \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/13QfcRaf_zQFgwVCBQvkgyvNvZlgrCzh7/view\">voted to cut the hours of 10 positions\u003c/a> — eliminating the bilingual liaison — as the district seeks to close budget gaps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the district’s announcement, Cruz and dozens of other parents \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/oak-grove-union-spanish-speaking-parents-protest-district-firing-its-only-t/\">have been leading weekly protests demanding the district revert its decision\u003c/a>. They’ve garnered the support of the community at large, including the teachers’ union and groups like the North Bay Organizing Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All over Bay Area school districts, immigrant parents have shown their organizing power — with or without English. In Oakland, Mam-speaking parents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11855640/how-native-speakers-are-helping-1300-mam-students-in-oakland-through-remote-learning\">mobilized to help out Indigenous families struggling with remote learning during the pandemic\u003c/a>. Over in San Francisco, Cantonese-speaking parents led the efforts to pass Proposition N in 2016, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/sf-school-board-non-citizen-voting-upheld-proposition-n-california-court-of-appeal/\">allowing noncitizen parents and guardians to vote in school board elections\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Oak Grove, families argue that without the bilingual liaison position, the gap between Latino students and their peers will continue to grow. And parents said they’re not planning to step back on their demands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A fight for ‘language justice’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On March 8, Oak Grove trustees were scheduled to have their first meeting since approving the staff layoffs. Even before the meeting began, dozens of parents were already protesting outside the gym of Willowside Middle School, where the board meets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With signs that read, “Keep our bilingual liaison” and “Language justice,” parents and community members chanted: “¡Amber, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” — “Amber, listen to us, we’re in this fight!” referring to district Superintendent Amber Stringfellow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986141\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986141\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1312\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-800x525.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-1020x669.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-1536x1008.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240514_OAKGROVEUNIONDISTRICTPARENTS-10-KQED-1920x1260.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Willowside Middle School in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a statement, Stringfellow told KQED that the Sonoma County Office of Education has directed the district to cut back on spending to match projected state funding. The \u003cem>Press Democrat\u003c/em> first reported in February \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/state-budget-better-than-expected-but-sonoma-county-school-districts-still/\">that Oak Grove is one of three districts in the county facing the most financial stress\u003c/a>, with cash reserves running below state requirements. With all the staff cuts announced in March, the district hopes to save $237,242, but officials are still looking for more ways to rein in spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The district understands and is committed to providing avenues of communication for our community, including our parents and guardians who are not fluent in English,” Stringfellow said. She added that the district provides stipends to other bilingual staff who pitch in with translation services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, for some teachers, getting other district employees to fill the shoes of the bilingual liaison isn’t a solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have 13 people getting a stipend for bilingualism,” said sixth-grade teacher Cari Cardle, who is also the co-president of the Oak Grove Union Elementary Educators Association. “But you know what? Those 13 people have a job. And it’s not to be the bilingual liaison. It’s not to be an interpreter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cardle has taught at Oak Grove for 25 years. Whatever the topic is, she can teach it, she said — but adds that over time, what teachers are responsible for has grown considerably. “The mental health, physical health, the social media aspect, all of those things combined have changed this job so dramatically,” she said, “and that’s the part that’s hard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But all of this goes into forming relationships with students and their families, she said. This is especially important for students learning English as a second language, who have to learn material twice as fast to catch up with their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The only thing that matters in a school system for student success is relationships,” Cardle said. “If you don’t have a relationship, you’re not going to get the best out of the kid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where Castillo-Williams would play a key role as bilingual liaison, she explains. When something was going on at home, Spanish-speaking parents would call the bilingual liaison — not teachers or school administrators. Parents told KQED that Castillo-Williams felt like the only staff member they could comfortably talk about delicate family issues. (Castillo-Williams herself was not available to talk to KQED for this story.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And it’s not just the families that are benefiting. It’s also the teachers who can then help the kids because we have an avenue to find out what’s going on,” Cardle said. In its March meeting, over 90% of the Educators Association voted in favor of supporting parents’ demand to bring back the bilingual liaison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do you reach that kid who doesn’t have what they need?” Cardle said. “If they’re hungry, they can’t learn.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We cannot stay quiet’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>School districts up and down California are struggling with widening deficits. San Francisco Unified \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11978035/sfusd-considers-school-closures-and-mergers-amid-declining-enrollment\">could see a $100 million budget shortfall next year,\u003c/a> and the district projects student enrollment will continue to shrink for the rest of the decade. Over in Los Angeles, \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-08/thousands-rally-over-expected-cuts-to-l-a-schools-a-rebuke-to-lausds-no-layoff-claims\">LAUSD could see a deficit of roughly $1.75 billion next year.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And despite recent promises from Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://edsource.org/2024/newsom-again-pledges-to-spare-cuts-for-schools-and-community-colleges-but-not-for-csu-and-uc/711722\">to protect K–12 funding at the state level\u003c/a>, federal grants that helped buoy up school districts during the pandemic \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239609135/the-190-billion-in-emergency-funds-given-to-schools-during-the-pandemic-is-endin\">have essentially run out\u003c/a>. “What to cut?” is the top question at many school board meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, cutting the bilingual liaison could specifically make it harder for Latino students to make up lost learning, parents said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/DashViewReportSB?ps=true&lstTestYear=2023&lstTestType=B&lstGroup=1&lstSubGroup=1&lstGrade=13&lstSchoolType=A&lstCounty=49&lstDistrict=70839-000&lstSchool=0000000&lstFocus=a\">state testing data\u003c/a>, approximately 52% of all students in Oak Grove schools met or exceeded English Language Arts (ELA) standards at the end of the 2022–23 school year. In math, that number was 42%. Among students who identify as Latino or Hispanic, the numbers were lower: 42% in ELA and 28% in math. While research has confirmed that testing results \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2024/02/10/research-shows-what-state-standardized-tests-actually-measure/?sh=352fad7375e5\">are rarely good indicators of student success\u003c/a>, this data can be used to identify student needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We cannot stay quiet while we see the needs of our Hispanic community ignored,” said parent María Gayosso at the district’s March 8 meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if one group of students is struggling, that could also affect other students, said Rhianna Casesa, associate professor at Sonoma State University. She focuses on bilingual education and works with many young educators who want to teach in Sonoma schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since 2017, Sonoma County has gone through one trauma after another, with fires, COVID-19, flooding,” she said. “If you don’t know what it’s like from a child’s perspective or from a parent’s perspective, it’s really hard to appropriately teach that child in that classroom.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that is why it’s so important for parents to speak up, she adds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Something that I’ve seen happening more and more is that parents are demanding what they deserve,” she said. “Parents now feel that they have the agency to make these demands because, ultimately, it’s their tax money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Oak Grove, the school board is considering a process for reinstating positions once next year’s budget is finalized in June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sandra Cruz says she and other parents will keep protesting every week until they get the bilingual liaison back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the most important thing is the seed we plant in our children,” she said. “The courage we show them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Highway 1 to Big Sur Has Reopened — What to Know About Visiting from the Bay Area",
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"headTitle": "Highway 1 to Big Sur Has Reopened — What to Know About Visiting from the Bay Area | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 8:40 a.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When will Highway 1 reopen?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For months, that’s been the question for many Bay Area residents hoping to drive south to visit Big Sur — the remote coastal region cut off since March 30, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101905691/the-uncertain-future-of-iconic-battered-highway-1\">a rockslide forced the closure of this iconic stretch of road\u003c/a>. Now, there’s an answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The affected portion of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek Bridge, around 17 miles south of Monterey, reopened to traffic early on Friday, May 17 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/05/03/highway-1-targeted-to-reopen-by-may-25-as-governor-takes-action-to-support-repairs-in-topanga-canyon-and-other-communities-damaged-by-storms/\">eight days earlier than previously announced\u003c/a> — to allow 24/7 traffic south into Big Sur again. For the last two months, residents and visitors have only been allowed in and out of the region twice a day in convoys, using the still-intact northbound lane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Rocky Creek closure came on the heels of \u003cem>another \u003c/em>Highway 1 closure further south around the town of Lucia — a longer stretch of the coastal highway closed by a similar rockslide over a year ago. But while that Lucia closure remains in place, Friday’s reopening means Bay Area residents can once again access Big Sur from the north.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve been eagerly awaiting this Highway 1 reopening and want to plan a long-delayed trip to Big Sur this summer, there are several things that prospective visitors to the region should know. Keep reading for a number of updates about visiting Big Sur this year, even if you’ve been there before — and some advice on being the best tourist to Big Sur from the Bay you can possibly be.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>You still can’t drive Highway 1 all the way to L.A. — yet\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Highway 1 closure at Paul’s Slide around the town of Lucia has been in effect since January 2023. And because it’s an entirely separate reopening operation to the Rocky Creek “slip-out” to the north, this southern stretch will remain closed after Friday even as that other part of Highway 1 reopens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of this week, there’s still no firm date for the Lucia highway closure to reopen, although \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-14/highway-1-in-big-sur-to-reopen\">Caltrans said they hope to open this stretch of Highway 1 sometime this summer\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986500\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur.png\" alt=\"A blue and green toned map of the California Central Coast showing the closures along Highway 1.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1409\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-800x587.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-1020x749.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-160x117.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-1536x1127.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">What the closure along this stretch of Highway 1 through Big Sur has looked like since March 30 (as seen before Friday’s reopening at Rocky Creek.) \u003ccite>(Courtesy CalTrans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That means until that reopening at Lucia occurs, there is simply no way to drive from the Bay Area on Highway 1 through Big Sur to the Central Coast and Southern California. And because no roads over the Santa Lucia mountains connect Highway 1 to Highway 101, anyone wanting to complete that journey from the Bay would have to double back at the Lucia closure and drive to at least Monterey to access those other routes to Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/road-trips/pacific-coast-highway-itinerary\">the San-Francisco-to-LA Pacific Coast Highway \u003c/a>road trip is a longstanding tradition not just for state residents but for countless visitors to the West Coast, the fact that it remains physically impossible to drive right now is still catching folks by surprise, said Ben Perlmutter, managing partner at the Big Sur River Inn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see it all the time,” he said — attributing it at least, in part, to “just the nature of the way people are when they’re on vacation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Prepare for an already-slow drive to get even slower\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Just because Highway 1 is now reopened at Rocky Creek as of Friday doesn’t mean it’s \u003cem>fully \u003c/em>reopening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead,\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/05/14/governor-newsom-announces-the-reopening-of-highway-1-ahead-of-schedule/\"> drivers approaching this area are now met with a 24/7 timed signal \u003c/a>allowing one-way alternating traffic through in both directions, using only the northbound lane that wasn’t impacted by the rockslide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986441\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986441\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Road workers from Treichert Construction finish creating a temporary one-way roadway on the site of the U.S. Highway 1 road collapse, called the Rocky Creek Slip in Big Sur, California, on Saturday, April 6, 2024. \u003ccite>(Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because the signal means one direction of traffic has to “wait its turn,” you should anticipate extra journey time traveling into Big Sur — added onto an already leisurely journey where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour maximum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(But hopefully, you already know that Big Sur is not the place to visit if you’re in a hurry.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Plan for an almost total lack of cellphone service\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Even for people excited to enjoy Big Sur’s remoteness, the complete lack of cellphone coverage in much of this region — and the unavailability of high-speed Wi-Fi in the region’s businesses — can still come as a surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Big Sur River Inn’s Perlmutter, who was born and raised in Big Sur, said that the very first thing many visitors to his hotel and restaurant do after completing the winding drive south from Carmel is to “look for cell service: ‘I need to text mom … I need to tell my significant other that I’m still alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And, of course, they don’t \u003cem>have\u003c/em> cell service — and a lot of them end up getting kind of frustrated,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, for many visitors, the lack of connectivity is a plus rather than a drawback. But for those who really need to find signal, Perlmutter recommends asking workers in Big Sur’s local businesses for their advice. They’ll likely know the spots, turnouts and parking lots where you might find spots of coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But also, you’re here in Big Sur,” he noted. “Maybe take a couple of breaths, relax a little bit, and soak it in — like, hey, guess what? You’re not going to get a work email when you’re down here, and that could be really awesome for the next 24–48 hours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you use Google Maps for navigation, consider downloading an offline map of Big Sur before you leave, which you can use without cellphone service. \u003ca href=\"https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&oco=0\">Read a guide to downloading offline Google Maps on your iPhone or Android\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Don’t underestimate the challenging drive of Highway 1\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’ve never driven Highway 1 through Big Sur before, the steep and winding nature of this road can come as a shock, especially if you’re more accustomed to city or freeway driving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you need to take it slower on Highway 1’s curves or simply don’t want to rush your way through the incredible ocean views, that’s OK — but remain mindful of any cars behind you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986444\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986444\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hole is visible where a section of southbound Highway 1 broke off and fell into the ocean at Rocky Creek Bridge on April 02, 2024, near Big Sur, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Highway 1 contains many turnouts for a reason, so just pull over to allow others to pass. Not only will you get to linger and enjoy the scenery from there — or as Perlmutter said, “any turnout would be a beautiful campsite if you were allowed to camp [there]” — but you’ll be avoiding an impatient driver behind you attempting to overtake you on Big Sur’s steep winding roads which might cause a potentially dangerous situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you just want to pull over to take a picture? Make sure you’re parked in a safe place that’s \u003cem>completely \u003c/em>off the highway, totally within the white road markings — especially if you’re parked near a bend, where oncoming traffic can’t necessarily see you.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Double-check Highway 1 conditions \u003cem>before \u003c/em>you leave\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To stay up-to-date on the latest road conditions, and to be sure your route isn’t impacted by any new closures or delays you weren’t anticipating, consider using \u003ca href=\"https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/\">Caltrans’ own QuickMap site\u003c/a>, or \u003ca href=\"https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/QM/app.htm\">the QuickMap app (available on the App Store and Google Play)\u003c/a>. This map uses Caltrans’ data to show you the latest road conditions and travel information so you can be prepared ahead of your journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When first using QuickMap, hit “Options” on either the website or the app, and select all the options you want to see on the map, including “Full closures” and “Highway information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you’ve done this, you can zoom into the Big Sur area on the map, just as you would using Google Maps. You can then tap on the icons you see on the map to learn more about what they mean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember: Given the lack of cellphone coverage that awaits you in Big Sur, you’ll want to do all of this \u003cem>before \u003c/em>you enter the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Leave no trace; pick up your trash\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Big Sur draws people from all around the globe for its beauty, so do your part in keeping it that way. Perlmutter said that reminding visitors to Big Sur not to litter the landscape is “first and foremost the most important thing” for residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be sure to pick up all your trash, and consider keeping a trash bag or two in your car to aid you in that.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finally: Be prepared for the unpredictable\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Big Sur’s stunning coastal landscape is the very thing that makes it so vulnerable to events like these highway slip-outs.[aside postID=news_11984496 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0768-3-1020x765.jpg']“We’re talking about the steepest mountain range along the coast in the lower 48,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101905691/the-uncertain-future-of-iconic-battered-highway-1\">Jonathan Warrick, a research geologist based in Santa Cruz with the United States Geological Survey, told KQED Forum\u003c/a>. “Most of the range of Big Sur is about a thousand feet high, and it plummets straight down into the ocean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big Sur, explained Warrick, gets a lot of rainfall — which, combined with its steepness, means the landscape “erodes quite quickly,” at a rate of “about a foot a year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perched right along this coast is the only road in and out of the region: Highway 1. And it’s accordingly vulnerable to “all kinds of things, from simple rock falls to massive, deep-seated landslides that are undermining the roadway,” Warrick said — and “these types of landslides that cause road closures increase during the wet winters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you’re planning to visit Big Sur during or after a period of wet weather, remember that this kind of rainfall has historically increased the chances of a slip-out along the coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If another Highway 1 closure strikes before your trip:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always frustrating when a much-anticipated vacation is affected by unforeseen circumstances. But don’t panic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, be sure to check if any highway closures will actually affect your route using a resource like \u003ca href=\"https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/\">Caltrans’ QuickMap site\u003c/a>. And if they do, and you have accommodation reserved that you’re unsure you’ll be able to physically reach, the Big Sur River Inn’s Perlmutter recommends giving that establishment a call straightaway to see what they know about access and what’s possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Slip-outs that force Highway 1 closures have hit local businesses hard by cutting off most tourist access — and Perlmutter suggests that travelers who want a way to keep supporting these local businesses might consider \u003cem>rescheduling\u003c/em> a reservation to a later month if they’re able, rather than canceling it outright.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/amadrigal\">\u003cem>Alexis Madrigal\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/avignet\">\u003cem>Anna Vignet\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A rockslide on March 30 closed U.S. Highway 1 into Big Sur, but the iconic highway has now reopened as of Friday. Here's what to know a making a Big Sur roadtrip again.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 8:40 a.m. Friday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When will Highway 1 reopen?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For months, that’s been the question for many Bay Area residents hoping to drive south to visit Big Sur — the remote coastal region cut off since March 30, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101905691/the-uncertain-future-of-iconic-battered-highway-1\">a rockslide forced the closure of this iconic stretch of road\u003c/a>. Now, there’s an answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The affected portion of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek Bridge, around 17 miles south of Monterey, reopened to traffic early on Friday, May 17 — \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/05/03/highway-1-targeted-to-reopen-by-may-25-as-governor-takes-action-to-support-repairs-in-topanga-canyon-and-other-communities-damaged-by-storms/\">eight days earlier than previously announced\u003c/a> — to allow 24/7 traffic south into Big Sur again. For the last two months, residents and visitors have only been allowed in and out of the region twice a day in convoys, using the still-intact northbound lane.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Rocky Creek closure came on the heels of \u003cem>another \u003c/em>Highway 1 closure further south around the town of Lucia — a longer stretch of the coastal highway closed by a similar rockslide over a year ago. But while that Lucia closure remains in place, Friday’s reopening means Bay Area residents can once again access Big Sur from the north.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’ve been eagerly awaiting this Highway 1 reopening and want to plan a long-delayed trip to Big Sur this summer, there are several things that prospective visitors to the region should know. Keep reading for a number of updates about visiting Big Sur this year, even if you’ve been there before — and some advice on being the best tourist to Big Sur from the Bay you can possibly be.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>You still can’t drive Highway 1 all the way to L.A. — yet\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Highway 1 closure at Paul’s Slide around the town of Lucia has been in effect since January 2023. And because it’s an entirely separate reopening operation to the Rocky Creek “slip-out” to the north, this southern stretch will remain closed after Friday even as that other part of Highway 1 reopens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of this week, there’s still no firm date for the Lucia highway closure to reopen, although \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-14/highway-1-in-big-sur-to-reopen\">Caltrans said they hope to open this stretch of Highway 1 sometime this summer\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986500\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur.png\" alt=\"A blue and green toned map of the California Central Coast showing the closures along Highway 1.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1409\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-800x587.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-1020x749.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-160x117.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/big-sur-1536x1127.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">What the closure along this stretch of Highway 1 through Big Sur has looked like since March 30 (as seen before Friday’s reopening at Rocky Creek.) \u003ccite>(Courtesy CalTrans)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That means until that reopening at Lucia occurs, there is simply no way to drive from the Bay Area on Highway 1 through Big Sur to the Central Coast and Southern California. And because no roads over the Santa Lucia mountains connect Highway 1 to Highway 101, anyone wanting to complete that journey from the Bay would have to double back at the Lucia closure and drive to at least Monterey to access those other routes to Southern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since \u003ca href=\"https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/road-trips/pacific-coast-highway-itinerary\">the San-Francisco-to-LA Pacific Coast Highway \u003c/a>road trip is a longstanding tradition not just for state residents but for countless visitors to the West Coast, the fact that it remains physically impossible to drive right now is still catching folks by surprise, said Ben Perlmutter, managing partner at the Big Sur River Inn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We see it all the time,” he said — attributing it at least, in part, to “just the nature of the way people are when they’re on vacation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Prepare for an already-slow drive to get even slower\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Just because Highway 1 is now reopened at Rocky Creek as of Friday doesn’t mean it’s \u003cem>fully \u003c/em>reopening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead,\u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/05/14/governor-newsom-announces-the-reopening-of-highway-1-ahead-of-schedule/\"> drivers approaching this area are now met with a 24/7 timed signal \u003c/a>allowing one-way alternating traffic through in both directions, using only the northbound lane that wasn’t impacted by the rockslide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986441\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986441\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/BigSur02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Road workers from Treichert Construction finish creating a temporary one-way roadway on the site of the U.S. Highway 1 road collapse, called the Rocky Creek Slip in Big Sur, California, on Saturday, April 6, 2024. \u003ccite>(Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because the signal means one direction of traffic has to “wait its turn,” you should anticipate extra journey time traveling into Big Sur — added onto an already leisurely journey where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour maximum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(But hopefully, you already know that Big Sur is not the place to visit if you’re in a hurry.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Plan for an almost total lack of cellphone service\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Even for people excited to enjoy Big Sur’s remoteness, the complete lack of cellphone coverage in much of this region — and the unavailability of high-speed Wi-Fi in the region’s businesses — can still come as a surprise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Big Sur River Inn’s Perlmutter, who was born and raised in Big Sur, said that the very first thing many visitors to his hotel and restaurant do after completing the winding drive south from Carmel is to “look for cell service: ‘I need to text mom … I need to tell my significant other that I’m still alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And, of course, they don’t \u003cem>have\u003c/em> cell service — and a lot of them end up getting kind of frustrated,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, for many visitors, the lack of connectivity is a plus rather than a drawback. But for those who really need to find signal, Perlmutter recommends asking workers in Big Sur’s local businesses for their advice. They’ll likely know the spots, turnouts and parking lots where you might find spots of coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But also, you’re here in Big Sur,” he noted. “Maybe take a couple of breaths, relax a little bit, and soak it in — like, hey, guess what? You’re not going to get a work email when you’re down here, and that could be really awesome for the next 24–48 hours.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you use Google Maps for navigation, consider downloading an offline map of Big Sur before you leave, which you can use without cellphone service. \u003ca href=\"https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&oco=0\">Read a guide to downloading offline Google Maps on your iPhone or Android\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Don’t underestimate the challenging drive of Highway 1\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you’ve never driven Highway 1 through Big Sur before, the steep and winding nature of this road can come as a shock, especially if you’re more accustomed to city or freeway driving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you need to take it slower on Highway 1’s curves or simply don’t want to rush your way through the incredible ocean views, that’s OK — but remain mindful of any cars behind you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986444\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986444\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-2134103658-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A hole is visible where a section of southbound Highway 1 broke off and fell into the ocean at Rocky Creek Bridge on April 02, 2024, near Big Sur, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Highway 1 contains many turnouts for a reason, so just pull over to allow others to pass. Not only will you get to linger and enjoy the scenery from there — or as Perlmutter said, “any turnout would be a beautiful campsite if you were allowed to camp [there]” — but you’ll be avoiding an impatient driver behind you attempting to overtake you on Big Sur’s steep winding roads which might cause a potentially dangerous situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you just want to pull over to take a picture? Make sure you’re parked in a safe place that’s \u003cem>completely \u003c/em>off the highway, totally within the white road markings — especially if you’re parked near a bend, where oncoming traffic can’t necessarily see you.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Double-check Highway 1 conditions \u003cem>before \u003c/em>you leave\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>To stay up-to-date on the latest road conditions, and to be sure your route isn’t impacted by any new closures or delays you weren’t anticipating, consider using \u003ca href=\"https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/\">Caltrans’ own QuickMap site\u003c/a>, or \u003ca href=\"https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/QM/app.htm\">the QuickMap app (available on the App Store and Google Play)\u003c/a>. This map uses Caltrans’ data to show you the latest road conditions and travel information so you can be prepared ahead of your journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When first using QuickMap, hit “Options” on either the website or the app, and select all the options you want to see on the map, including “Full closures” and “Highway information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you’ve done this, you can zoom into the Big Sur area on the map, just as you would using Google Maps. You can then tap on the icons you see on the map to learn more about what they mean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember: Given the lack of cellphone coverage that awaits you in Big Sur, you’ll want to do all of this \u003cem>before \u003c/em>you enter the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Leave no trace; pick up your trash\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Big Sur draws people from all around the globe for its beauty, so do your part in keeping it that way. Perlmutter said that reminding visitors to Big Sur not to litter the landscape is “first and foremost the most important thing” for residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be sure to pick up all your trash, and consider keeping a trash bag or two in your car to aid you in that.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finally: Be prepared for the unpredictable\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Big Sur’s stunning coastal landscape is the very thing that makes it so vulnerable to events like these highway slip-outs.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We’re talking about the steepest mountain range along the coast in the lower 48,” \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101905691/the-uncertain-future-of-iconic-battered-highway-1\">Jonathan Warrick, a research geologist based in Santa Cruz with the United States Geological Survey, told KQED Forum\u003c/a>. “Most of the range of Big Sur is about a thousand feet high, and it plummets straight down into the ocean.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Big Sur, explained Warrick, gets a lot of rainfall — which, combined with its steepness, means the landscape “erodes quite quickly,” at a rate of “about a foot a year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perched right along this coast is the only road in and out of the region: Highway 1. And it’s accordingly vulnerable to “all kinds of things, from simple rock falls to massive, deep-seated landslides that are undermining the roadway,” Warrick said — and “these types of landslides that cause road closures increase during the wet winters.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you’re planning to visit Big Sur during or after a period of wet weather, remember that this kind of rainfall has historically increased the chances of a slip-out along the coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>If another Highway 1 closure strikes before your trip:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always frustrating when a much-anticipated vacation is affected by unforeseen circumstances. But don’t panic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, be sure to check if any highway closures will actually affect your route using a resource like \u003ca href=\"https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/\">Caltrans’ QuickMap site\u003c/a>. And if they do, and you have accommodation reserved that you’re unsure you’ll be able to physically reach, the Big Sur River Inn’s Perlmutter recommends giving that establishment a call straightaway to see what they know about access and what’s possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Slip-outs that force Highway 1 closures have hit local businesses hard by cutting off most tourist access — and Perlmutter suggests that travelers who want a way to keep supporting these local businesses might consider \u003cem>rescheduling\u003c/em> a reservation to a later month if they’re able, rather than canceling it outright.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/amadrigal\">\u003cem>Alexis Madrigal\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/avignet\">\u003cem>Anna Vignet\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "what-to-do-when-your-bike-is-stolen-in-the-bay-area",
"title": "What to Do When Your Bike Is Stolen in the Bay Area",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 4:30 p.m. Monday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve ridden my bicycle all over the Bay Area since middle school and never had a bike stolen before. But that all changed this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a night out with friends, I locked my bike to a rack in San Francisco’s Castro District. It was a busy intersection, but I was using a sturdy U-Lock (one advertised as “anti-theft,” no less) through the wheel and frame. I’ll only be gone for a few hours, I told myself. But when I got back, both my bike and lock had disappeared without a trace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, bike theft is common here in the Bay Area — it can happen to anyone, regardless of how much experience you have riding or even how elaborate your system of locks is. However, the Bay is also home to many communities of cyclists who support each other after these types of incidents and are also pushing local officials to boost bike protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to many of these folks — through interviews and Reddit — to gain insights into the necessary actions to take following a bike theft. We also delve into some of the bigger lessons learned after losing what is, for many of us, more than a mode of transport, but also a sidekick we can always depend on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you haven’t lost your bike but are looking for ways to better protect it from theft, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has an extensive guide on \u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/resources/bike-security-and-locking/\">how to better lock your ride\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howtoquicklygetthewordoutaboutyourmissingbike\">How to quickly get the word out about your missing bike\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howcanyoureportastolenbiketothepolice\">How can you report a stolen bike to the police?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howcanIlookforabikeinperson\">How can I look for a bike in person?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#seekoutabikecommunity\">Seek out a bike community\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>What to do first when your bike is missing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You’re looking around. Your palms are sweaty. You’re hoping that maybe you’re just — looking in the wrong place? But you feel it at the bottom of your gut: Your bike has disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984790\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984790 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A set of bikes are displayed at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on Tuesday April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Remember your No. 1 priority: Your safety\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that moment, what matters the most is making sure you’re safe. Experienced bike thieves can pick a lock in less than a few minutes, so whoever has your bike could still be nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While our first instinct could be to confront whoever took our bike and try to get it back, it’s also important to remember that these situations are unpredictable and could quickly escalate. As you scan the area for any trace of your bike, also keep an eye out for anyone who could be watching \u003cem>you\u003c/em> at that moment — and get out of there if you start feeling unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Start documenting the scene\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do feel safe staying in the area, write down the street corner you’re closest to, along with any nearby landmarks or recognizable businesses. This information will be helpful later on whether you let your friends on social media know your bike is missing or decide to file a police report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other things to look out for are pieces of your bike that were left behind, including wheels, the bike seat, or even the chain. Knowing that your bike is missing certain parts is also relevant information when identifying your bike to others.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howtoquicklygetthewordoutaboutyourmissingbike\">\u003c/a>How to quickly get the word out about your missing bike\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Elisa González of the San Francisco bike community \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bicisdelpueblo/\">Bicis del Pueblo\u003c/a> has one big piece of advice for people who’ve just had their bike stolen: Get the word out on social media as soon as you can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>González got involved with Bicis del Pueblo — which organizes community rides, promotes bike literacy, advocates for inclusive bike infrastructure and holds weekly repair and refurbishment sessions — around the same time her bike was stolen a few years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984793\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984793 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison LaBonte installs brakes on her father’s old bike at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on Tuesday April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I went through the whole cycle of being shocked, in denial, feeling angry, feeling sad, and finally, in acceptance,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being vocal about the theft in your community online can increase your chances of reuniting with your bike, González said. You don’t need to have a massive social media following for this to be effective — and the post can be pretty straightforward, with a photo of your bike that clearly shows the color of the frame, the handlebars and any unique markers like stickers or add-ons.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have a photo of your bike, one option is to look up the make and model online to find a photo that most closely matches what your bike looked like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what happens if a friend does spot your bike in the wild? Maybe they spot it at a \u003ca href=\"#fleamarket\">flea market\u003c/a> or a bike shop. Have them reach out to you and share your bike’s serial number with them so they can confirm if it is your bicycle. If it is yours, head over to talk with the vendor or bike shop staff and have ready your serial number along with photos of you with your bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you or your friends spot someone else using your bike, you may consider negotiating with this person, but keep a few things in mind first:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Your safety:\u003c/strong> Is this a situation that could quickly become unpredictable?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Once a bike is stolen:\u003c/strong> It may go through many different hands, and the person riding your bike may have bought it without knowing it was a missing bike.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Avoid escalation:\u003c/strong> For whatever reason, this person may not be willing to negotiate. Have a plan to exit the situation, prioritizing your safety and that of those around you.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984800\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984800 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-800x478.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-1020x610.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-160x96.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-1536x919.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-1920x1148.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison LaBonte works on her bike’s brakes at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What to know about serial numbers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knowing your bike’s serial number might prove very helpful in tracking it down — and it can also prevent it from being confused with a similar-looking bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For most bikes, the serial number is located on their underside: If you flip a bicycle upside down, next to the chainrings, you’ll see there’s a point in the frame where three of the metal tubes come together. That’s where you can usually find the serial number.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(This is a good opportunity to remind your friends to write down their bikes’ serial numbers somewhere — just in case.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Online communities to repost missing bikes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are multiple Bay Area-specific groups across social media where riders share details about their bikes and help others find theirs, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stolenbikesbayarea/\">stolenbikesbayarea\u003c/a> on Instagram and \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/SanJoseStolenBicycleGroup/\">San José Stolen Bicycle Group\u003c/a> on Facebook, which includes multiple cities in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also add your bike to an online registry, like \u003ca href=\"https://bikeindex.org/news/bike-index--now-a-nonprofit\">Bike Index\u003c/a>, which is a publicly searchable database of missing bicycles across North America. When community groups, bike shops, or police departments find an abandoned bike, they often search the serial number on Bike Index to see if there’s a rider looking for it somewhere and contact them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Check: Is the cost of my bike covered by insurance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you have home or renters insurance, call your policy provider as soon as possible after your bicycle is stolen — because \u003ca href=\"https://www.progressive.com/answers/does-insurance-cover-bike-theft/\">some insurance plans can actually help cover the cost of a missing bike\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, this doesn’t mean your insurance company will pay the \u003cem>complete\u003c/em> cost of replacing the bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s usually a deductible you will have to pay first before your insurer doles out any cash. Let’s say you have renters insurance, and your deductible for stolen property is $1,000, but your bike is worth $1,200. This means that you may ultimately get just $200 from your insurer to buy a replacement. But if your bike is worth less than the deductible — let’s say a $800 bike with a $1,000 deductible — then sadly, your insurance won’t be much help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else to keep in mind: \u003ca href=\"https://www.progressive.com/answers/replacement-cost-vs-actual-cash-value/\">Some insurance policies cover personal property based on its actual cash value (ACV)\u003c/a> and not its replacement cost (RCV). The difference is that RCV represents what an object is worth at purchase, while ACV is what it is worth when the owner loses it. Most insurance policies will argue that items like cars, motorcycles and bikes lose value over time. So, if you bought a $2,000 bicycle ten years ago, the RCV is $2,000 — but your insurance company may tell you that the ACV is much lower than that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you decide to file a claim with your insurance company, remember that you will have to provide a police report.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howcanyoureportastolenbiketothepolice\">\u003c/a>How can you report a stolen bike to the police?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you choose to get the police involved, keep in mind different police departments vary in how they look for missing bikes, but most will usually ask you for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The bicycle’s make\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Its model\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Its serial number\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sometimes, proof of purchase as well\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984794\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984794 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison LaBonte measures the distance between her bike’s brakes on April 30, 2024, at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some cities, like San José, collect abandoned bicycles that are not on private property and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjpd.org/reporting-crime/bicycle-theft\">compare the serial numbers of these bikes with those reported as stolen\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s important to mention that not everyone is comfortable with dealing with the police. In its guide on bicycle security, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition \u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/resources/bike-security-and-locking/#considerations\">notes that it ended any formal relationship with the city’s police department in 2020 due to racialized police violence\u003c/a>, adding in a statement that “because policing is interwoven into nearly all current solutions to bike theft, some of our recommendations do involve minimal contact with the police.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howcanIlookforabikeinperson\">\u003c/a>How can I look for a bike in person?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once a bicycle is stolen, it will likely pass through many different hands. In some cases, \u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/news/how-to-avoid-buying-a-stolen-bike/\">someone may buy a bike — either to ride or resell later on — and not even know it was stolen from its previous owner\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay, there are many places you can buy second-hand bikes where riders have found their stolen bikes. One option is Craigslist: If you glance through the site’s SF Bay portal, \u003ca href=\"https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/bia#search=1~gallery~0~0\">you will find an online bike market that changes \u003c/a>every day. Make sure to use the selection tools to narrow down your search to save yourself time. If you don’t find it the first time you look, keep coming back for several days, as the listings are updated pretty frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984789\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984789 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sergio Navarro fixes the brakes on his bike at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another option is to head out to one of the many \u003ca id=\"fleamarket\">\u003c/a>flea markets located all over the Bay Area. At some of the bigger ones, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11972507/tales-of-celebration-stories-of-survival-at-this-beloved-east-bay-swap-meet\">Oakland’s Coliseum Swap Meet\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905374/la-pulga-san-jose-flea-market-redevelopment-eulogy\">San José’s Berryessa Flea Market\u003c/a>, you can usually find a handful of bicycle vendors during the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do happen to spot your bike before anything else, remember once again that after a bike is stolen, it may change hands many times, and the person selling your bike may not even know it was stolen. This is especially important if you decide to talk to the vendor about the bike. For decades, Bay Area flea markets \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878548/san-jose-flea-market-leaders-end-hunger-strike-but-future-of-la-pulga-still-hangs-in-the-balance\">have provided a livelihood to hundreds of vendors and their families\u003c/a>, and folks working there are familiar with cyclists looking to find their missing bikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have your missing bike’s serial number handy, first make sure to compare it with the bike you’ve spotted. Let the vendor know that they have your bike, and if possible, show them the bike’s serial number or photos of you with it. You can always ask market staff for support in clarifying the situation, and it’s always a good idea to bring along a friend as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Craigslist and flea markets are also good options for finding much more affordable bikes, which you may want to consider if you need an immediate replacement — especially if your job requires you to have a bicycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Letting your bike go \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, no matter how hard you look, your bike isn’t going to come back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, Benjamin Chang’s bicycle was stolen right outside his Oakland apartment. He had placed an AirTag on the bike and saw online that the bike was somewhere in San Francisco. Despite knowing where the bike was, he decided not to go look for it.[aside postID=news_11984496 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0768-3-1020x765.jpg']“Whoever stole it, isn’t going to resell it,” he said. “My guess is that they’re just using it, and at that point, it’s a tough loss, but the likelihood I’m going to get it back is pretty darn low.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he also felt the loss of the bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was the first bike I had built myself. I had spent a lot of time finding parts for it, putting it together. It was the bike that got me into cycling, so it meant a lot to me,” he said. “I wanted to memorialize it in some fashion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he did. Using a music stand, he created a makeshift memorial for his bike in the garden where it went missing, along with several candles and the message, “Easy come, easy go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11985948\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11985948\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"In a backyard, there is a music stand. On the music stand, there is a piece of paper with a photo of a bicycle printed on it. In front of the music stand, there are two candles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After his bicycle was stolen outside his home in 2022, Benjamin Chang decided it would be best to accept the bike was permanently gone. Soon after, he built a small makeshift memorial in his yard. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Benjamin Chang)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"seekoutabikecommunity\">\u003c/a>Seek out a bike community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Compared to many other places in the country, it’s a lot easier in the Bay Area to use a bicycle daily to commute, connect with public transit, grab groceries and meet up with friends (or in my case, go to the club). Along the way, you end up forming a very close bond with your bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984798\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984798 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Bicis Del Pueblo team members Jacqui Gutiérrez, Jessie Fernández and Mampu Lona pose for a portrait at the group’s repair shop in the Mission District on April 30, 2024. Bicis del Pueblo has been operating since 2011. Through their earn-a-bike program, individuals get a free refurbished bike donated by the city and receive lessons on the mechanics and operation of the bike. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I started riding as a young adult because of Bicis del Pueblo,” said Jacqui Gutiérrez, who is also part of this San Francisco-based bike community. Other folks at Bicis showed her how to customize her bike so it felt like a better fit for her, and now she passes on this knowledge to riders starting their bike journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Bicis del Pueblo was created for working-class communities of color,” she said, adding that one of the goals of the group is to remove financial barriers that prevent people from picking up a bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Folks who come to the group’s Tuesday workshops can earn a bike for themselves as they learn about environmental justice, bike accessibility, and how to take care of a bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people come in here and earn a bike, they’re going to hang out here for a couple hours, and they’re going to either work on their own bike or work on somebody else’s bike,” she said. “Maybe there isn’t money exchanged, but there is a level of reciprocity … people can use the space as a resource, but they’re also contributing in a way that is necessary to keep the space together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And as she forms deeper connections with other riders in Bicis del Pueblo, she knows they have her back if her bike disappears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m part of a bike community,” she said. “My friends are ready to help me look for it and figure out what I need to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many groups all over the Bay Area that organize community rides, offer skill-sharing workshops or help make riding more accessible to different groups. They include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bicisdelpueblo/\">Bicis del Pueblo (San Francisco)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/\">San Francisco Bicycle Coalition\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlackGirlsDoBikeBayArea/\">Black Girls Do Bike: Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://bikeeastbay.org/\">Bike East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/eastbaybikeparty/\">East Bay Bike Party\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rar.bayarea/\">Radical Adventure Riders Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2024. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, helpful explainers and guides about issues like COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken id=\"10483\" src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10483.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "We spoke to cyclists across the Bay Area to hear about their experiences losing their bikes and what they learned after.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 4:30 p.m. Monday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve ridden my bicycle all over the Bay Area since middle school and never had a bike stolen before. But that all changed this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a night out with friends, I locked my bike to a rack in San Francisco’s Castro District. It was a busy intersection, but I was using a sturdy U-Lock (one advertised as “anti-theft,” no less) through the wheel and frame. I’ll only be gone for a few hours, I told myself. But when I got back, both my bike and lock had disappeared without a trace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, bike theft is common here in the Bay Area — it can happen to anyone, regardless of how much experience you have riding or even how elaborate your system of locks is. However, the Bay is also home to many communities of cyclists who support each other after these types of incidents and are also pushing local officials to boost bike protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to many of these folks — through interviews and Reddit — to gain insights into the necessary actions to take following a bike theft. We also delve into some of the bigger lessons learned after losing what is, for many of us, more than a mode of transport, but also a sidekick we can always depend on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you haven’t lost your bike but are looking for ways to better protect it from theft, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has an extensive guide on \u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/resources/bike-security-and-locking/\">how to better lock your ride\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howtoquicklygetthewordoutaboutyourmissingbike\">How to quickly get the word out about your missing bike\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howcanyoureportastolenbiketothepolice\">How can you report a stolen bike to the police?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howcanIlookforabikeinperson\">How can I look for a bike in person?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#seekoutabikecommunity\">Seek out a bike community\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>What to do first when your bike is missing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You’re looking around. Your palms are sweaty. You’re hoping that maybe you’re just — looking in the wrong place? But you feel it at the bottom of your gut: Your bike has disappeared.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984790\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984790 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-2-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A set of bikes are displayed at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on Tuesday April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Remember your No. 1 priority: Your safety\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In that moment, what matters the most is making sure you’re safe. Experienced bike thieves can pick a lock in less than a few minutes, so whoever has your bike could still be nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While our first instinct could be to confront whoever took our bike and try to get it back, it’s also important to remember that these situations are unpredictable and could quickly escalate. As you scan the area for any trace of your bike, also keep an eye out for anyone who could be watching \u003cem>you\u003c/em> at that moment — and get out of there if you start feeling unsafe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Start documenting the scene\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do feel safe staying in the area, write down the street corner you’re closest to, along with any nearby landmarks or recognizable businesses. This information will be helpful later on whether you let your friends on social media know your bike is missing or decide to file a police report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other things to look out for are pieces of your bike that were left behind, including wheels, the bike seat, or even the chain. Knowing that your bike is missing certain parts is also relevant information when identifying your bike to others.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howtoquicklygetthewordoutaboutyourmissingbike\">\u003c/a>How to quickly get the word out about your missing bike\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Elisa González of the San Francisco bike community \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bicisdelpueblo/\">Bicis del Pueblo\u003c/a> has one big piece of advice for people who’ve just had their bike stolen: Get the word out on social media as soon as you can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>González got involved with Bicis del Pueblo — which organizes community rides, promotes bike literacy, advocates for inclusive bike infrastructure and holds weekly repair and refurbishment sessions — around the same time her bike was stolen a few years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984793\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984793 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-10-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison LaBonte installs brakes on her father’s old bike at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on Tuesday April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I went through the whole cycle of being shocked, in denial, feeling angry, feeling sad, and finally, in acceptance,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Being vocal about the theft in your community online can increase your chances of reuniting with your bike, González said. You don’t need to have a massive social media following for this to be effective — and the post can be pretty straightforward, with a photo of your bike that clearly shows the color of the frame, the handlebars and any unique markers like stickers or add-ons.\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have a photo of your bike, one option is to look up the make and model online to find a photo that most closely matches what your bike looked like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what happens if a friend does spot your bike in the wild? Maybe they spot it at a \u003ca href=\"#fleamarket\">flea market\u003c/a> or a bike shop. Have them reach out to you and share your bike’s serial number with them so they can confirm if it is your bicycle. If it is yours, head over to talk with the vendor or bike shop staff and have ready your serial number along with photos of you with your bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you or your friends spot someone else using your bike, you may consider negotiating with this person, but keep a few things in mind first:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Your safety:\u003c/strong> Is this a situation that could quickly become unpredictable?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Once a bike is stolen:\u003c/strong> It may go through many different hands, and the person riding your bike may have bought it without knowing it was a missing bike.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Avoid escalation:\u003c/strong> For whatever reason, this person may not be willing to negotiate. Have a plan to exit the situation, prioritizing your safety and that of those around you.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984800\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984800 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-800x478.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-1020x610.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-160x96.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-1536x919.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-24-GC-KQED-1920x1148.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison LaBonte works on her bike’s brakes at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What to know about serial numbers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Knowing your bike’s serial number might prove very helpful in tracking it down — and it can also prevent it from being confused with a similar-looking bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For most bikes, the serial number is located on their underside: If you flip a bicycle upside down, next to the chainrings, you’ll see there’s a point in the frame where three of the metal tubes come together. That’s where you can usually find the serial number.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(This is a good opportunity to remind your friends to write down their bikes’ serial numbers somewhere — just in case.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Online communities to repost missing bikes\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are multiple Bay Area-specific groups across social media where riders share details about their bikes and help others find theirs, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stolenbikesbayarea/\">stolenbikesbayarea\u003c/a> on Instagram and \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/SanJoseStolenBicycleGroup/\">San José Stolen Bicycle Group\u003c/a> on Facebook, which includes multiple cities in the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can also add your bike to an online registry, like \u003ca href=\"https://bikeindex.org/news/bike-index--now-a-nonprofit\">Bike Index\u003c/a>, which is a publicly searchable database of missing bicycles across North America. When community groups, bike shops, or police departments find an abandoned bike, they often search the serial number on Bike Index to see if there’s a rider looking for it somewhere and contact them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Check: Is the cost of my bike covered by insurance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you have home or renters insurance, call your policy provider as soon as possible after your bicycle is stolen — because \u003ca href=\"https://www.progressive.com/answers/does-insurance-cover-bike-theft/\">some insurance plans can actually help cover the cost of a missing bike\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, this doesn’t mean your insurance company will pay the \u003cem>complete\u003c/em> cost of replacing the bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s usually a deductible you will have to pay first before your insurer doles out any cash. Let’s say you have renters insurance, and your deductible for stolen property is $1,000, but your bike is worth $1,200. This means that you may ultimately get just $200 from your insurer to buy a replacement. But if your bike is worth less than the deductible — let’s say a $800 bike with a $1,000 deductible — then sadly, your insurance won’t be much help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Something else to keep in mind: \u003ca href=\"https://www.progressive.com/answers/replacement-cost-vs-actual-cash-value/\">Some insurance policies cover personal property based on its actual cash value (ACV)\u003c/a> and not its replacement cost (RCV). The difference is that RCV represents what an object is worth at purchase, while ACV is what it is worth when the owner loses it. Most insurance policies will argue that items like cars, motorcycles and bikes lose value over time. So, if you bought a $2,000 bicycle ten years ago, the RCV is $2,000 — but your insurance company may tell you that the ACV is much lower than that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you decide to file a claim with your insurance company, remember that you will have to provide a police report.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howcanyoureportastolenbiketothepolice\">\u003c/a>How can you report a stolen bike to the police?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you choose to get the police involved, keep in mind different police departments vary in how they look for missing bikes, but most will usually ask you for:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The bicycle’s make\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Its model\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Its serial number\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Sometimes, proof of purchase as well\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984794\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984794 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-14-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alison LaBonte measures the distance between her bike’s brakes on April 30, 2024, at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some cities, like San José, collect abandoned bicycles that are not on private property and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sjpd.org/reporting-crime/bicycle-theft\">compare the serial numbers of these bikes with those reported as stolen\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s important to mention that not everyone is comfortable with dealing with the police. In its guide on bicycle security, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition \u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/resources/bike-security-and-locking/#considerations\">notes that it ended any formal relationship with the city’s police department in 2020 due to racialized police violence\u003c/a>, adding in a statement that “because policing is interwoven into nearly all current solutions to bike theft, some of our recommendations do involve minimal contact with the police.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howcanIlookforabikeinperson\">\u003c/a>How can I look for a bike in person?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Once a bicycle is stolen, it will likely pass through many different hands. In some cases, \u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/news/how-to-avoid-buying-a-stolen-bike/\">someone may buy a bike — either to ride or resell later on — and not even know it was stolen from its previous owner\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay, there are many places you can buy second-hand bikes where riders have found their stolen bikes. One option is Craigslist: If you glance through the site’s SF Bay portal, \u003ca href=\"https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/bia#search=1~gallery~0~0\">you will find an online bike market that changes \u003c/a>every day. Make sure to use the selection tools to narrow down your search to save yourself time. If you don’t find it the first time you look, keep coming back for several days, as the listings are updated pretty frequently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984789\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984789 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-1-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sergio Navarro fixes the brakes on his bike at the Bicis del Pueblo repair shop in the Mission District on April 30, 2024. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another option is to head out to one of the many \u003ca id=\"fleamarket\">\u003c/a>flea markets located all over the Bay Area. At some of the bigger ones, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11972507/tales-of-celebration-stories-of-survival-at-this-beloved-east-bay-swap-meet\">Oakland’s Coliseum Swap Meet\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13905374/la-pulga-san-jose-flea-market-redevelopment-eulogy\">San José’s Berryessa Flea Market\u003c/a>, you can usually find a handful of bicycle vendors during the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do happen to spot your bike before anything else, remember once again that after a bike is stolen, it may change hands many times, and the person selling your bike may not even know it was stolen. This is especially important if you decide to talk to the vendor about the bike. For decades, Bay Area flea markets \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11878548/san-jose-flea-market-leaders-end-hunger-strike-but-future-of-la-pulga-still-hangs-in-the-balance\">have provided a livelihood to hundreds of vendors and their families\u003c/a>, and folks working there are familiar with cyclists looking to find their missing bikes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you have your missing bike’s serial number handy, first make sure to compare it with the bike you’ve spotted. Let the vendor know that they have your bike, and if possible, show them the bike’s serial number or photos of you with it. You can always ask market staff for support in clarifying the situation, and it’s always a good idea to bring along a friend as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Craigslist and flea markets are also good options for finding much more affordable bikes, which you may want to consider if you need an immediate replacement — especially if your job requires you to have a bicycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Letting your bike go \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, no matter how hard you look, your bike isn’t going to come back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2022, Benjamin Chang’s bicycle was stolen right outside his Oakland apartment. He had placed an AirTag on the bike and saw online that the bike was somewhere in San Francisco. Despite knowing where the bike was, he decided not to go look for it.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Whoever stole it, isn’t going to resell it,” he said. “My guess is that they’re just using it, and at that point, it’s a tough loss, but the likelihood I’m going to get it back is pretty darn low.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he also felt the loss of the bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was the first bike I had built myself. I had spent a lot of time finding parts for it, putting it together. It was the bike that got me into cycling, so it meant a lot to me,” he said. “I wanted to memorialize it in some fashion.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And he did. Using a music stand, he created a makeshift memorial for his bike in the garden where it went missing, along with several candles and the message, “Easy come, easy go.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11985948\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11985948\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"In a backyard, there is a music stand. On the music stand, there is a piece of paper with a photo of a bicycle printed on it. In front of the music stand, there are two candles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-scaled.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/IMG_0530-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">After his bicycle was stolen outside his home in 2022, Benjamin Chang decided it would be best to accept the bike was permanently gone. Soon after, he built a small makeshift memorial in his yard. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Benjamin Chang)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"seekoutabikecommunity\">\u003c/a>Seek out a bike community\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Compared to many other places in the country, it’s a lot easier in the Bay Area to use a bicycle daily to commute, connect with public transit, grab groceries and meet up with friends (or in my case, go to the club). Along the way, you end up forming a very close bond with your bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984798\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11984798 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240430_STOLENBIKESGUIDE-20-GC-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Bicis Del Pueblo team members Jacqui Gutiérrez, Jessie Fernández and Mampu Lona pose for a portrait at the group’s repair shop in the Mission District on April 30, 2024. Bicis del Pueblo has been operating since 2011. Through their earn-a-bike program, individuals get a free refurbished bike donated by the city and receive lessons on the mechanics and operation of the bike. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I started riding as a young adult because of Bicis del Pueblo,” said Jacqui Gutiérrez, who is also part of this San Francisco-based bike community. Other folks at Bicis showed her how to customize her bike so it felt like a better fit for her, and now she passes on this knowledge to riders starting their bike journey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Bicis del Pueblo was created for working-class communities of color,” she said, adding that one of the goals of the group is to remove financial barriers that prevent people from picking up a bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Folks who come to the group’s Tuesday workshops can earn a bike for themselves as they learn about environmental justice, bike accessibility, and how to take care of a bike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When people come in here and earn a bike, they’re going to hang out here for a couple hours, and they’re going to either work on their own bike or work on somebody else’s bike,” she said. “Maybe there isn’t money exchanged, but there is a level of reciprocity … people can use the space as a resource, but they’re also contributing in a way that is necessary to keep the space together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And as she forms deeper connections with other riders in Bicis del Pueblo, she knows they have her back if her bike disappears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m part of a bike community,” she said. “My friends are ready to help me look for it and figure out what I need to do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are many groups all over the Bay Area that organize community rides, offer skill-sharing workshops or help make riding more accessible to different groups. They include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/bicisdelpueblo/\">Bicis del Pueblo (San Francisco)\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://sfbike.org/\">San Francisco Bicycle Coalition\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlackGirlsDoBikeBayArea/\">Black Girls Do Bike: Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://bikeeastbay.org/\">Bike East Bay\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/eastbaybikeparty/\">East Bay Bike Party\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rar.bayarea/\">Radical Adventure Riders Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2024. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, helpful explainers and guides about issues like COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Bonnie Lewkowicz recalls her first time ever trying a motorized beach wheelchair on the sands of Mission Beach down in San Diego — over 15 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kind of was like I was riding my chariot. It was bright yellow, so it really stood out,” said Lewkowicz, program manager at Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program. “But people weren’t staring at me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The feeling of being “just another person on the beach,” she said, was “really kind of revelatory for me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#wheelchairrentalsbayareabeach\">Where to rent a beach wheelchair in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Lewkowicz has worked for more than forty years advocating for accessibility in sports and outdoor recreation for people with disabilities and is the creator of \u003ca href=\"https://accessnca.org/\">Access Northern California\u003c/a>, a site that promotes accessible trails in the region. And motorized beach wheelchairs like the one Lewkowicz describes are an example of an all-terrain wheelchair designed for disabled people to use out in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of these all-terrain wheelchairs are highly sophisticated and use the same type of technology that tanks use in their designs. “You have chairs that climb mountains,” Lewkowicz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, she tested an all-terrain \u003ca href=\"https://freedomtrax.com/\">Freedom Trax\u003c/a> wheelchair, which enabled her to take the stairs directly down to the beach for the first time in over 50 years. “It didn’t prevent me from getting onto the beach — and then going wherever I wanted to, and just be[ing] on the beach like everyone else, and under my own power,” she said. “It was indescribable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What to bear in mind when looking for a beach wheelchair rental\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Beaches can be challenging to make accessible, Lewkowicz said. Designing a wheelchair for the beach is not an easy task, which makes the resulting equipment very expensive to own as an individual — and even more so for a motorized one. “But they sure offer a greater amount of independence,” Lewkowicz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, manual — non-motorized — wheelchairs can be more affordable but bring drawbacks. They’re not always easy to push on the beach, Lewkowicz said, and require a second person to assist with pushing the chair. For example, “Two elderly people that have mobility disabilities … might not be able to push one another,” Lewkowicz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, manual beach wheelchairs can offer large wheels meant to tackle the sandy terrain and specialized handles to make this pushing easier. While beaches in the Bay Area do not yet offer motorized beach wheelchairs for rent, you can still find many areas where manual wheelchairs are available — usually for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lewkowicz said that this kind of adaptive equipment “doesn’t have to be so narrowly thought of that it’s just for someone that has a permanent disability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Maybe you’re recovering from hip surgery or something, and you’re an avid beachgoer [who wants] to get on the beach while you’re recovering,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Exploring the Golden Gate with a wheelchair rental\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), \u003ca href=\"https://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/beach-wheelchairs.html\">the beach wheelchair program began thanks to a donation from the California Coastal Commission\u003c/a>. “The donation was to purchase a beach wheelchair and make it free to individuals visiting the park. And after 15 years, our program has grown over time, and it’s a very popular program,” said Richard De La O, accessibility program manager at GGNRA, Muir Woods National Monument and Fort Point National Historic Site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">GGNRA offers beach wheelchairs as a free service to visitors throughout the park\u003c/a>. Wheelchairs are kept in lockers on-site at Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, Rodeo Beach, Baker Beach and Crissy Field’s East Beach. They can also be picked up from the GGNRA headquarters building at Fort Mason for use elsewhere in the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To reserve a wheelchair, you can email the accessibility team at goga_accessibility@nps.gov with your name, phone number and the location within the park that you’ll be visiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, seasonal beach mats are available at Rodeo Beach and Crissy Field’s East Beach — to provide a surface that’s easier for a wheelchair to navigate at the entrance of each beach. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Read more information about wheelchairs and beach mats at GGNRA\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"wheelchairrentalsbayareabeach\">\u003c/a>Where can I rent or borrow a beach wheelchair in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Here’s a list of beaches that offer beach wheelchair reservations in the Bay Area, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/beach-wheelchairs.html\">California Coastal Commission.\u003c/a> Ways to reserve a wheelchair can greatly differ from place to place, so be sure you’ve made the right arrangements for the spot you’re heading to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>City and County of San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Baker Beach, San Francisco.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ocean Beach, San Francisco\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>East Beach, Crissy Field, San Francisco\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Mason, San Francisco\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Reserve a chair ahead of time\u003c/a> to pick up from Fort Mason and drive to other San Francisco beaches. Email goga_accessibility@nps.gov or call 415-561-4700.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>San Mateo County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Francis Beach\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Two manual wheelchairs are available free of charge from the entrance kiosk upon request. Call 650-726-8821 or \u003ca href=\"https://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=100&type=0\">find more information online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alameda County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Crown Memorial State Beach, Alameda\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. They require an assistant to push and are not intended to enter the water. To arrange for the use of a chair, call the Crab Cove Visitors Center at 510-544-3187 or the Crown Beach park office at 888-27-2757, option 3, ext. 4522. Arrangements will be made to bring the chair out to the beach. It takes approximately 15 minutes to prepare the chair. Staff will give a brief orientation to the chair and arrange a time for the chair to be returned. For more information, call 510-544-3187 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/crown-beach\">find more details online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marin County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Schoonmaker Point Marina, Sausalito. Contact Environmental Traveling Companions to reserve a chair: 415-474-7662 x13 or email kayak@etctrips.org\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Rodeo Beach, Headlands Visitor Center, Ft. Barry: The chair must be reserved ahead of time. To reserve and find more information, call 415-331-1540 or 415-561-4700 or email goga_accessibility@nps.gov.\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\"> Read more information online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Beach: The chair must be reserved ahead of time. To reserve and find more information, call 415-331-1540 or 415-561-4700 or email goga_accessibility@nps.gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Read more information online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>China Camp State Park, San Rafael: Two beach wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. They can be checked out from the China Camp Village cafe at 100 China Camp Village Road, San Rafael, open Saturday and Sunday except during winter months. For further information, contact Friends of China Camp at info@friendsofchinacamp.org or 415-456-0766.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Heart’s Desire Beach, Tomales Bay: A wheelchair is available year-round and is secured in the parking area at Heart’s Desire Beach. Visitors need to contact staff in advance to request the wheelchair and complete the waiver form. Call the Tomales Bay office at 415-669-1140 and leave a message regarding the chair, or email Nicholas Turner at Nicholas.Turner@parks.ca.gov or Michael Stockinger at Michael.Stockinger@parks.ca.gov.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stinson Beach: For more information, call 415-561-4700 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">find more details online.\u003c/a> To reserve a chair ahead of time, email goga_accessibility@nps.gov.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sonoma County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Doran Beach Regional Park, Bodega Bay: All-terrain wheelchairs are available for free use on a first-come, first-served basis. Parks staff will assist with the check-out/check-in process. Please inquire with park staff at the entry station. \u003ca href=\"https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/visit/find-a-park/doran-regional-park\">Find more information online\u003c/a> or contact Sonoma County Regional Park’s Accessibility and Inclusivity Manager Nubia Padilla, at nubia.padilla@sonoma-county.org.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bodega Dunes Campground: For availability, call 707-875-3483 and\u003ca href=\"http://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=65&type=0\"> find more details online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Wright’s Beach Campground, Sonoma: A beach wheelchair is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, call 707-875-3483 or \u003ca href=\"https://wheelingcalscoast.org/site.php?site=94\">find details online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Ross State Historic Park, Jenner: A beach wheelchair is available from the visitor center. \u003ca href=\"https://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=63&type=4\">Find more information online\u003c/a> or call 707-847-3437.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gualala Point Regional Park, Sonoma: At the visitor center, available on a first-come, first-served basis. On-site park staff will assist with the check-out/check-in process. \u003ca href=\"https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/visit/find-a-park/gualala-point-regional-park\">Find more information online\u003c/a> or call 707-785-2377.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Bonnie Lewkowicz recalls her first time ever trying a motorized beach wheelchair on the sands of Mission Beach down in San Diego — over 15 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It kind of was like I was riding my chariot. It was bright yellow, so it really stood out,” said Lewkowicz, program manager at Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program. “But people weren’t staring at me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The feeling of being “just another person on the beach,” she said, was “really kind of revelatory for me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#wheelchairrentalsbayareabeach\">Where to rent a beach wheelchair in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Lewkowicz has worked for more than forty years advocating for accessibility in sports and outdoor recreation for people with disabilities and is the creator of \u003ca href=\"https://accessnca.org/\">Access Northern California\u003c/a>, a site that promotes accessible trails in the region. And motorized beach wheelchairs like the one Lewkowicz describes are an example of an all-terrain wheelchair designed for disabled people to use out in nature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of these all-terrain wheelchairs are highly sophisticated and use the same type of technology that tanks use in their designs. “You have chairs that climb mountains,” Lewkowicz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recently, she tested an all-terrain \u003ca href=\"https://freedomtrax.com/\">Freedom Trax\u003c/a> wheelchair, which enabled her to take the stairs directly down to the beach for the first time in over 50 years. “It didn’t prevent me from getting onto the beach — and then going wherever I wanted to, and just be[ing] on the beach like everyone else, and under my own power,” she said. “It was indescribable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What to bear in mind when looking for a beach wheelchair rental\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Beaches can be challenging to make accessible, Lewkowicz said. Designing a wheelchair for the beach is not an easy task, which makes the resulting equipment very expensive to own as an individual — and even more so for a motorized one. “But they sure offer a greater amount of independence,” Lewkowicz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By contrast, manual — non-motorized — wheelchairs can be more affordable but bring drawbacks. They’re not always easy to push on the beach, Lewkowicz said, and require a second person to assist with pushing the chair. For example, “Two elderly people that have mobility disabilities … might not be able to push one another,” Lewkowicz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, manual beach wheelchairs can offer large wheels meant to tackle the sandy terrain and specialized handles to make this pushing easier. While beaches in the Bay Area do not yet offer motorized beach wheelchairs for rent, you can still find many areas where manual wheelchairs are available — usually for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lewkowicz said that this kind of adaptive equipment “doesn’t have to be so narrowly thought of that it’s just for someone that has a permanent disability.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Maybe you’re recovering from hip surgery or something, and you’re an avid beachgoer [who wants] to get on the beach while you’re recovering,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Exploring the Golden Gate with a wheelchair rental\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), \u003ca href=\"https://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/beach-wheelchairs.html\">the beach wheelchair program began thanks to a donation from the California Coastal Commission\u003c/a>. “The donation was to purchase a beach wheelchair and make it free to individuals visiting the park. And after 15 years, our program has grown over time, and it’s a very popular program,” said Richard De La O, accessibility program manager at GGNRA, Muir Woods National Monument and Fort Point National Historic Site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">GGNRA offers beach wheelchairs as a free service to visitors throughout the park\u003c/a>. Wheelchairs are kept in lockers on-site at Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, Rodeo Beach, Baker Beach and Crissy Field’s East Beach. They can also be picked up from the GGNRA headquarters building at Fort Mason for use elsewhere in the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To reserve a wheelchair, you can email the accessibility team at goga_accessibility@nps.gov with your name, phone number and the location within the park that you’ll be visiting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, seasonal beach mats are available at Rodeo Beach and Crissy Field’s East Beach — to provide a surface that’s easier for a wheelchair to navigate at the entrance of each beach. (\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Read more information about wheelchairs and beach mats at GGNRA\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"wheelchairrentalsbayareabeach\">\u003c/a>Where can I rent or borrow a beach wheelchair in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Here’s a list of beaches that offer beach wheelchair reservations in the Bay Area, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/beach-wheelchairs.html\">California Coastal Commission.\u003c/a> Ways to reserve a wheelchair can greatly differ from place to place, so be sure you’ve made the right arrangements for the spot you’re heading to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>City and County of San Francisco\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Baker Beach, San Francisco.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ocean Beach, San Francisco\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>East Beach, Crissy Field, San Francisco\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Mason, San Francisco\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Reserve a chair ahead of time\u003c/a> to pick up from Fort Mason and drive to other San Francisco beaches. Email goga_accessibility@nps.gov or call 415-561-4700.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>San Mateo County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Francis Beach\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Half Moon Bay State Beach\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Two manual wheelchairs are available free of charge from the entrance kiosk upon request. Call 650-726-8821 or \u003ca href=\"https://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=100&type=0\">find more information online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alameda County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Crown Memorial State Beach, Alameda\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. They require an assistant to push and are not intended to enter the water. To arrange for the use of a chair, call the Crab Cove Visitors Center at 510-544-3187 or the Crown Beach park office at 888-27-2757, option 3, ext. 4522. Arrangements will be made to bring the chair out to the beach. It takes approximately 15 minutes to prepare the chair. Staff will give a brief orientation to the chair and arrange a time for the chair to be returned. For more information, call 510-544-3187 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/crown-beach\">find more details online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marin County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Schoonmaker Point Marina, Sausalito. Contact Environmental Traveling Companions to reserve a chair: 415-474-7662 x13 or email kayak@etctrips.org\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Rodeo Beach, Headlands Visitor Center, Ft. Barry: The chair must be reserved ahead of time. To reserve and find more information, call 415-331-1540 or 415-561-4700 or email goga_accessibility@nps.gov.\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\"> Read more information online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Beach: The chair must be reserved ahead of time. To reserve and find more information, call 415-331-1540 or 415-561-4700 or email goga_accessibility@nps.gov. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">Read more information online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>China Camp State Park, San Rafael: Two beach wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. They can be checked out from the China Camp Village cafe at 100 China Camp Village Road, San Rafael, open Saturday and Sunday except during winter months. For further information, contact Friends of China Camp at info@friendsofchinacamp.org or 415-456-0766.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Heart’s Desire Beach, Tomales Bay: A wheelchair is available year-round and is secured in the parking area at Heart’s Desire Beach. Visitors need to contact staff in advance to request the wheelchair and complete the waiver form. Call the Tomales Bay office at 415-669-1140 and leave a message regarding the chair, or email Nicholas Turner at Nicholas.Turner@parks.ca.gov or Michael Stockinger at Michael.Stockinger@parks.ca.gov.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stinson Beach: For more information, call 415-561-4700 or \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/beach-wheelchairs.htm\">find more details online.\u003c/a> To reserve a chair ahead of time, email goga_accessibility@nps.gov.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sonoma County\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Doran Beach Regional Park, Bodega Bay: All-terrain wheelchairs are available for free use on a first-come, first-served basis. Parks staff will assist with the check-out/check-in process. Please inquire with park staff at the entry station. \u003ca href=\"https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/visit/find-a-park/doran-regional-park\">Find more information online\u003c/a> or contact Sonoma County Regional Park’s Accessibility and Inclusivity Manager Nubia Padilla, at nubia.padilla@sonoma-county.org.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Bodega Dunes Campground: For availability, call 707-875-3483 and\u003ca href=\"http://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=65&type=0\"> find more details online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Wright’s Beach Campground, Sonoma: A beach wheelchair is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, call 707-875-3483 or \u003ca href=\"https://wheelingcalscoast.org/site.php?site=94\">find details online.\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Ross State Historic Park, Jenner: A beach wheelchair is available from the visitor center. \u003ca href=\"https://access.parks.ca.gov/parkinfo.asp?park=63&type=4\">Find more information online\u003c/a> or call 707-847-3437.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gualala Point Regional Park, Sonoma: At the visitor center, available on a first-come, first-served basis. On-site park staff will assist with the check-out/check-in process. \u003ca href=\"https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/visit/find-a-park/gualala-point-regional-park\">Find more information online\u003c/a> or call 707-785-2377.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "applying-for-fafsa-in-2023-will-be-different-what-to-know-including-deadlines",
"title": "FAFSA Changes: What to Know and Important Deadlines to Keep in Mind",
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"headTitle": "FAFSA Changes: What to Know and Important Deadlines to Keep in Mind | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reminder: The May 2 deadline for California Students to complete FAFSA in order to qualify for state aid, including the Cal Grant, has now passed. Students should have\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong> submitted their FAFSA — or CADAA if they’re an undocumented student — before the deadline so they can be eligible to receive state money as part of their financial aid package. Many colleges also required students to make a decision on what school they will be attending next year by May 1. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Original guide continues:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the best of times, \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa\">the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA —\u003c/a> can be a dreaded process for students across the country hoping to go to college. But this year, it got even more complicated when it was meant to become simpler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Education, which manages the FAFSA, \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa\">launched a revamped version of the form on Dec. 30, 2023,\u003c/a> that aimed to streamline the infamously lengthy and detailed application. However, the federal agency has reported several complications in this year’s FASFSA rollout, leading to delays and much stress for students and their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to these delays, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\">a bill on March 25 extending the deadline \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\">for California students to file their FAFSA to May 2, 2024, in order to be eligible for state financial aid\u003c/a>. This means that students who are aiming to go to a four-year university in California can submit their applications by May 2 and still be eligible for financial aid. This also includes the CalGrant and the Middle Class Scholarship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This extension by the state will come as a relief for many students amid a fraught nationwide rollout of the new FAFSA. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979072/months-into-botched-fafsa-revamp-some-colleges-finally-receiving-students-financial-aid-info\">Federal officials only began sending out students’ FAFSA data to colleges on March 10\u003c/a>, months later than in years past. This delay — caused by a glitch in the form that wasn’t taking into account the economic inflation of recent years — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979072/months-into-botched-fafsa-revamp-some-colleges-finally-receiving-students-financial-aid-info\">has given schools less time to calculate students’ financial packages\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, students from mixed-status families — where a student has a Social Security number, but their parent doesn’t — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979367/fafsa-2024-the-big-error-affecting-mixed-status-families-and-what-to-do-if-youre-an-affected-student\">could only complete their FAFSA until March 12 due to an entirely separate technical issue with the form\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news? Despite the multiple technical issues the new FAFSA has seen during its launch, some of the changes in the revamped form \u003cem>have\u003c/em> made the process of filling out the form easier for students. Keep reading to learn more about the new FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#deadline\">\u003cstrong>Important deadlines and due dates for FAFSA in 2024\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#measure\">\u003cstrong>How will FAFSA now measure a student’s financial need?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#undocumented\">\u003cstrong>Undocumented or from a mixed-status family? What you need to know about FAFSA and financial aid\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#private\">\u003cstrong>What to know if you’re also applying to private colleges\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#taxes\">\u003cstrong>My parents don’t have tax information available. How can I complete FAFSA?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Rest assured that there \u003ci>are \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/california-student-opportunity-and-access-program-cal-soap\">resources\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cash4college.csac.ca.gov/RCO/RegionalCoordinatingOrganizations\">organizations\u003c/a> available to help you with FAFSA — including the upcoming Cash for College Webinars organized by the California Student Aid Commission, \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\">scheduled throughout March and April\u003c/a>. These are free and available to any student completing the FAFSA or the Dream Act application. The Commission also hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/cash-college-train-trainer-program\">Train the Trainer workshops\u003c/a> to teach community partners also to host financial aid workshops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11968584/fafsa-application-money-family-discussions\">We also have a guide to talking to your family about FAFSA — \u003c/a>especially if they’re not usually comfortable talking about their finances with you.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>There’s a new FAFSA timeline for 2024\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"deadline\">\u003c/a>In December 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act with the goal of making it easier for students to claim available financial aid and tackle the application’s infamous length and detailed, confusing tax questions — \u003ca href=\"https://mailchi.mp/658643bea675/california-student-aid-commission-public-affairs-newsletter-13577271\">complications that have historically left billions of dollars of aid unclaimed. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, the Department of Education promised that the revamped FAFSA would launch sometime in December. And it did — but on Dec. 30. Because the form became available much later than normal, a lot of the steps in the financial aid process have been pushed back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11927018/fafsa-opens-oct-1-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-applications-for-federal-student-aid\">students applying for financial aid for the next academic year could start on their FAFSA around October,\u003c/a> then apply for regular admission for most schools around December, and finally receive acceptance letters in March and April. Along with their acceptance letters, many schools also send out additional documents with information on annual costs and how much financial aid a student is eligible for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>This year, FAFSA came out when many students were rushing to get their college applications in before the deadline. And in January, the Department of Education confirmed that it needed to fix \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63005/exclusive-the-education-department-says-it-will-fix-its-1-8-billion-fafsa-mistake\">a major mistake in how FAFSA calculated a student’s financial need\u003c/a>. The time needed to fix this glitch pushed back the date for the Department of Education to start sending students’ FAFSA data to colleges. This usually \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63075/a-new-fafsa-setback-means-many-college-financial-aid-offers-wont-come-until-april\">takes place at the end of January,\u003c/a> but this year, federal officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979072/months-into-botched-fafsa-revamp-some-colleges-finally-receiving-students-financial-aid-info\">started transferring student information until mid-March\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you receive an acceptance letter that doesn’t include information on financial aid you qualify for, don’t panic. Email the school’s financial aid office and ask their timeline for sending out this information. They may be sending that letter out later than in previous years. Additionally, you can ask the college if they plan to push back the deadline for when they expect students to decide on whether to enroll in the school. For example, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975534/california-students-panic-after-new-financial-aid-application-blocks-them\">schools in the University of California and California State University systems have now pushed back this deadline to May 15\u003c/a>.[aside postID=\"news_11979367\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/GettyImages-1403066184-1020x680.jpg\"]Students in California will also have more time to apply for state aid. If you are a high school senior or a transfer student planning to go to a four-year institution — like a school in the University of California or Cal State system — you now have until May 2 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/cal-grants\">apply for the Cal Grant\u003c/a>. You must complete the FAFSA before that date to qualify for a Cal Grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previously, the deadline to file the FAFSA to be eligible for the Cal Grant and other state aid was April 2. But\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\"> legislators have now approved a bill that pushes back this date\u003c/a>. “This new law will give California students more time to complete the FAFSA and gain access to the financial resources they need to begin their college careers in earnest,” said State Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, who introduced the legislation extending the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you plan to enroll in a California community college, there’s more good news: The deadline to apply for community college-specific state aid is now set for much later in 2024. Make sure your FAFSA is completed by Sept. 2 to qualify for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/cal-grant-community-college-entitlement-award\">Cal Grant Community College Entitlement Award\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In 2024, your FAFSA application isn’t as long\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The FAFSA and financial aid process can be very overwhelming, very complex,” said Michael Lemus, the outreach and marketing manager at the California Student Aid Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The original FAFSA application was over 100 questions. Now, as of this year, it is going to be fewer than 50 questions, Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s always been super, super long,” Lemus said of the application. “I’m someone that filled it out myself when I was in high school and in college, and I just remember it being a stressful period of time,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FAFSA’s infamous length, Lemus said, can be a deterrent — “especially for folks that their families might not be as comfortable with filling out these applications or just aware of all the terminology.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So some of the changes that are being looked at are making those questions easier to understand and lessening the questions,” Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new FAFSA will be connected to data from the Internal Revenue Service to automatically populate that tax information in the forms, Lemus said. “So it’ll save a lot of time, and it’ll just actually populate from the information that the family’s able to provide instead of a lot of the manual entry that a lot of folks are used to,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/fafsa-simplification-act\">Some questions being taken out include inquiries on drug convictions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"measure\">\u003c/a>FAFSA now has new ways to measure eligibility for student aid\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There is a new metric to determine how much a student can qualify for aid, said Shelveen Ratnam, a spokesperson for the California Student Aid Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Student Aid Index (SAI) will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that was generated by the FAFSA and is “a metric to understand the relative amount that the formula estimates a student can contribute,” Ratnam told KQED in an email. “The SAI will help inform how much federal aid, and in some instances other institutional aid, for which a student might qualify.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=\"news_11968584\" hero=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/IMG_0524-1020x659.jpg\"]Expected Family Contribution was \u003ca href=\"https://www.discover.com/student-loans/college-planning/how-to-pay/financial-aid/what-is-the-student-aid-index\">something of a misleading name\u003c/a>, Ratnam said because it did not truly reflect the cost someone would be paying for college by including factors like student loan interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ratnam said that the EFC also factored in how many other college students were in a family — which could negatively impact someone’s eligibility for financial aid. The new Student Aid Index does not do this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SAI also has a larger range, meaning students with \u003ca href=\"https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46909\">larger financial needs have more chances for more aid\u003c/a> (PDF).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the SAI, applicants can receive an SAI below $0, with the lowest being negative $1500, which would help make it easier for financial aid counselors to determine a student’s financial need,” Ratnam said. “With the previous EFC, the lowest an applicant would receive would be $0.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The equation for determining \u003ca href=\"https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/what-is-the-student-aid-index\">financial need is calculated by subtracting your SAI from your cost of attendance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More applicants now qualify for grants through FAFSA\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Federal Pell Grant \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/fafsa-simplification-act\">will also be expanded to more students\u003c/a>, linking eligibility to family size and federal poverty level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can use \u003ca href=\"https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/202425DRAFTSAIGuideSupplementEligibilityforMaxorMinPellGrantResource.pdf\">this website (link to PDF) to look up your situation and income to gauge how much aid you can get\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SAI \u003ca href=\"https://www.discover.com/student-loans/college-planning/how-to-pay/financial-aid/what-is-the-student-aid-index\">kicks in here, too\u003c/a>, as students who don’t qualify for Pell Grants based on income \u003ci>may\u003c/i> qualify based on SAI. Another change: “Additionally, incarcerated students will regain the ability to receive a Pell Grant,” Ratnam said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“FAFSA simplification and the new SAI expands eligibility for Pell Grants to more students and increases the numbers of students that will qualify for a maximum Pell Grant,” Ratnam said. “Students with two parents whose adjusted gross income is less [than] or equal to 175% of the poverty line and 225% of the poverty line for a single-parent household now qualify for the maximum Pell Grant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Plus: A new option for students interested in attending HBCUs\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California does not have historically Black colleges or universities, meaning students would have to give up state-based financial aid if they want to go to one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Gov. Gavin Newsom last year \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ab1400_signed_press_release_100223.pdf\">signed into law AB 1400\u003c/a>, which allows for a one-time $5,000 grant to California Community College students transferring to an HBCU.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11968640\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11968640\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A group of young people walk together on what looks like a city street, dressed warmly and smiling at each other.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This year, FAFSA is opening in December. \u003ccite>(Keira Burton/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"undocumented\">\u003c/a>Undocumented or from a mixed-status family? What you need to know\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What if I’m a citizen, but my parents are undocumented and don’t have a Social Security number?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 12, the Department of Education announced it had finally fixed the technical issue that for months prevented mixed-status families — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979367/fafsa-2024-the-big-error-affecting-mixed-status-families-and-what-to-do-if-youre-an-affected-student\">where the student has a Social Security number but their parent does not\u003c/a> — from completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This glitch blocked mixed-status families from completing the form for months, despite the Department of Education confirming with KQED in 2023 that these families would be able to complete the new FAFSA without a problem. Now that the is resolved, undocumented parents can make an FSA ID and fill out the parent’s portion of the form without needing to input a Social Security number.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In order to give mixed-status families more time to complete the FAFSA, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature pushed back the deadline for California students to file FAFSA and be eligible for state aid, like the Cal Grant. The new deadline to complete the FAFSA and be eligible for these aid programs is now May 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>It’s April and the FAFSA form still does not let me proceed without my parent’s Social Security number. What can I do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s okay to feel anxious, but remember: You still have time \u003cem>and\u003c/em> options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On April 9, the state’s Student Aid Commission announced that the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) — which has usually been reserved only for California students who don’t have a Social Security themselves — \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/cadaa-msf\">will be available to students from mixed-status families who are still facing issues completing FAFSA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This does not mean that mixed-status families seeking state aid are now required to complete CADAA \u003cem>on top of\u003c/em> FAFSA. Rather, CADAA is a back-up option for students who are still blocked from completing FAFSA because one of their parents or guardians does not have a Social Security number, despite the recent fixes from the Department of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We encourage [first-time students of mixed-status families] to first attempt to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),” said California State University Chancellor Mildred García.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they are unable to do so, students should then complete the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) well before the May 2 deadline and later complete the FAFSA as soon as that becomes feasible,” García said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What if I’m undocumented? Can I still apply for FAFSA?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you, as the student, are undocumented and do not have a Social Security number, unfortunately, you cannot complete the FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, in this situation, there are still ways to look for financial aid for college, even if you are undocumented. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/california_dream_act_faq.pdf?1694549553\">Undocumented students in California can complete the California Dream Act Application (CADAA\u003c/a>) in order to be eligible for \u003ci>state\u003c/i> grants and loans for college (keep reading for more information on this application). You can also complete the CADAA if you have a valid or expired DACA, a U Visa or Temporary Protected Status.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Undocumented students can also apply to dozens of private colleges and universities and also apply for the scholarships and grants these schools offer. Make sure to check with each school you are interested in to see if they offer aid to undocumented students and what their process is like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Changes to know about the California Dream Act \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CADAA — which provides aid for undocumented students — \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/renewingthedream\">will also be streamlined\u003c/a> in the future to mirror the FAFSA, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/better-fafsa-better-cadaa\">the Better California Dream Act Application\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are the ones, here at the California Student Commission, that administer the California Dream Act application,” Lemus said. “So we actually are the ones that can go ahead and change it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the arrival of the Better FAFSA application, the California Student Commission is now also looking at how to similarly streamline and simplify the California Dream Act for 2023, Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As every year goes by, we’re listening for feedback, and so we’re constantly wanting to make updates as they come up,” Lemus said. “But what we’re looking at is also waiting on the updates to see what the FAFSA is going to look like, to see how we can streamline the California Dream Act.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In short, there may be something of a waiting game for hopeful California Dream Act applicants to find out exactly how that process will work. \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1540/id/2828767\">Newsom has recently signed AB 1540\u003c/a> into law, which takes out an extra step for undocumented students to secure their aid by making the Dream Act application the only form they need to fill out (as opposed to submitting an affidavit to their college to \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ab_1540_signed_press_release_100923.pdf\">verify their residency and be given a nonresident tuition exemption.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind, however, that \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/financial-aid-and-undocumented-students.pdf\">undocumented students\u003c/a> — including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients — are only currently eligible for \u003cem>state\u003c/em> student aid, not federal aid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11968638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11968638\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910.jpg\" alt=\"A young person in a grey hoodie stands smiling and looking at someone whose back is to the camera.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FAFSA will be shorter and streamlined this year. \u003ccite>(William Fortunato/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"private\">\u003c/a>If you’re also applying to private schools, don’t forget to complete the CSS Profile\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/\">CSS Profile\u003c/a> is a separate application operated by the CollegeBoard and used by private colleges and universities to determine how much financial aid they will give to students, in addition to FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Dieken, head of financial aid at Pomona College, a private liberal arts school in Southern California, said that his team looks at both FAFSA and the CSS Profile to get a more complete picture of what a student’s financial situation is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more money the college or university gets out of their own grants or scholarships, the more likely it is that they’re going to ask you to complete additional documentation like the CSS Profile,” he said. Many private schools, including Pomona, provide financial aid packages that include additional funds from donors or grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The CSS Profile is really looking for financial resources that a family has access to,” Dieken said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He points to home ownership as an example. “A family that owns a home, they’re economically stronger than a family that doesn’t own a home,” he said. “But FAFSA doesn’t collect that. That’s something that we only get through the CSS Profile data.”[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Paul Dieken, Director of Financial Aid at Pomona College\"]‘The more money the college or university gets out of their own grants or scholarships, the more likely it is that they’re going to ask you to complete additional documentation.’[/pullquote]If private schools are also on your list, you can go ahead and start the CSS Profile now. You’ll need a few more documents than what FAFSA asks for, including your parents’ W-2, bank statements from the past few months and records of properties or assets your family owns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Make sure to give your family enough time to find the documents you’ll need to complete the CSS Profile. If there are questions you just can’t answer — for example, your parents are separated, and you are unable to contact one of them because of safety reasons — contact the financial aid staff of the schools you’re applying to so they can give you specific instructions on what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"taxes\">\u003c/a>Q. My parents work but don’t have tax information available. How can I complete FAFSA?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>First, let’s do a quick breakdown of tax vocabulary:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>A \u003cb>W-2 form\u003c/b> is a tax document that an employer gives workers once a year, which shows how much the employer paid the worker that year.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A \u003cb>1040 form\u003c/b> is a tax document, also known as a tax return, that a worker completes themselves, usually with the help of a tax expert. This document is sent to the IRS each year to confirm how much that worker got paid and how much they owe the government in taxes.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Most people in the U.S. receive a W-2 form and then complete a 1040 form themselves. FAFSA will ask your parents to share information from last year’s documents. But let’s say you ask your parents and they don’t have this information. It could be for one of these reasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your parent is a gig worker, such as driving for Uber or doing deliveries for GrubHub, they most likely did not get a W-2 form. Instead, the company they work for gave them a 1099 form. Ask for “their 1099” instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your parent did not work last year and received unemployment benefits instead, they most likely did not get a W-2 form. Instead, the state government sent them a 1099-G form, which lists how much they received from unemployment benefits. You can ask for this instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your parent has a W-2 form but does not have last year’s 1040 form, this probably means they haven’t filed their taxes yet. Colleges will still want to see your parents’ taxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Talk to your parents about scheduling an appointment with a tax preparer to catch up on this. There are many community organizations that offer free tax filing services year-round. \u003ca href=\"https://uwba.org/freetaxhelp/\">In the Bay Area, United Way can connect you to online and in-person tax help\u003c/a> — and your parents could potentially qualify to get cash back from the government when they file, based on their income and the size of your family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your family still needs to file their taxes, keep the schools you’re applying to updated about this step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, parents may be working at a job where they just won’t receive a W-2 or 1099 at all. Perhaps they work as a housecleaner, a nanny, a landscaper, a farmworker or another job where they haven’t signed a formal paper contract and are getting paid in cash. If this is your family’s situation, don’t panic. There are solutions. But you’ll have to act quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosanna Ferro, chief of education at Oakland-based nonprofit College Track, recommends you first ask your parents, “How have you gotten paid in the past year or two?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferro, whose organization works to help first-generation and low-income high school students from across the country graduate college, said that the point of this question is twofold: How often do your parents get paid, and how much do they get paid? The piece of information you need is what’s called “proof of income,” which can help you calculate how much your parents got paid per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, let’s say your dad cleans houses and charges $100 per house. Based on the information he shares, you estimate that he can usually clean 10 houses a week. That approximates that he’s earning roughly $4,000 a month. Multiply that by 12 months, and you get an estimated $48,000 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You may have to get crafty to help your parents organize this information, Ferro said. “Whether it’s creating an Excel sheet, a Google folder or scanning something — taking a picture, a receipt or anything that shows income in any kind of way and storing it in a way that’s going to be accessible to you,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Helping your parents create a digital record of their earnings will also help you in the future when you have to fill out FAFSA again every year you’re in college. This will be especially important if you go to a school far away from home and no longer have easy access to physical receipts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While you’re doing this, remember to contact a financial aid officer from any of the schools you’re applying to, who can advise your family on how to best input this information into FAFSA. They may ask you to share additional documents, like a letter from an employer or potentially filing a 1040 form with the data you’ve gathered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All in all, we ask for information that you can put in as accurately as possible,” said Sonia Jethani, the director of the financial aid office at California State University, East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11968635\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11968635\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077.jpg\" alt=\"Three young people walk together on what looks like a city street, dressed warmly and smiling at each other.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">How can you work with your family to accurately complete your FAFSA? \u003ccite>(Keira Burton/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What else should I know about FAFSA in 2024?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California Student Aid Commission’s Michael Lemus said students can use the \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/students\">California Student Commission\u003c/a> as a resource for financial aid questions. Their website will soon have a Better FAFSA tool kit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lemus advised people to start early and for seniors in the fall to stay in close contact with their high school counselor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s interesting this year because the FAFSA is delayed,” he said. “But what I would recommend is just making sure that they start getting more comfortable with the financial aid process,” which could include familiarizing yourself with the types of aid available — to be ready and primed when FAFSA applications finally open in December. “While the application itself is changing, the types of aid, for the most part, are remaining the same,” Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Try not to stress,” Lemus said, even though these changes can feel overwhelming and contain a lot of unknowns. He added that teachers and educators will also be trained on the new changes, providing another point of contact and resources for applicants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you come across something that you just can’t find an answer to? “Just know that [at] the California [Student] Commission, we are very much aware of these, and we have it on our radar,” Lemus said. “So if they want to start off with us, to ask questions, they definitely can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/contact-us\">Get in contact with the California Student Commission\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this story originally published on Feb. 15, and includes reporting from NPR’s Cory Turner and CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2024. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken id=\"10483\" src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10483.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA — is open for 2024–25, but the deadline for California students to apply is almost here, on May 2. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Reminder: The May 2 deadline for California Students to complete FAFSA in order to qualify for state aid, including the Cal Grant, has now passed. Students should have\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong> submitted their FAFSA — or CADAA if they’re an undocumented student — before the deadline so they can be eligible to receive state money as part of their financial aid package. Many colleges also required students to make a decision on what school they will be attending next year by May 1. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Original guide continues:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the best of times, \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa\">the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA —\u003c/a> can be a dreaded process for students across the country hoping to go to college. But this year, it got even more complicated when it was meant to become simpler.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Department of Education, which manages the FAFSA, \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa\">launched a revamped version of the form on Dec. 30, 2023,\u003c/a> that aimed to streamline the infamously lengthy and detailed application. However, the federal agency has reported several complications in this year’s FASFSA rollout, leading to delays and much stress for students and their families.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to these delays, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\">a bill on March 25 extending the deadline \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\">for California students to file their FAFSA to May 2, 2024, in order to be eligible for state financial aid\u003c/a>. This means that students who are aiming to go to a four-year university in California can submit their applications by May 2 and still be eligible for financial aid. This also includes the CalGrant and the Middle Class Scholarship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This extension by the state will come as a relief for many students amid a fraught nationwide rollout of the new FAFSA. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979072/months-into-botched-fafsa-revamp-some-colleges-finally-receiving-students-financial-aid-info\">Federal officials only began sending out students’ FAFSA data to colleges on March 10\u003c/a>, months later than in years past. This delay — caused by a glitch in the form that wasn’t taking into account the economic inflation of recent years — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979072/months-into-botched-fafsa-revamp-some-colleges-finally-receiving-students-financial-aid-info\">has given schools less time to calculate students’ financial packages\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, students from mixed-status families — where a student has a Social Security number, but their parent doesn’t — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979367/fafsa-2024-the-big-error-affecting-mixed-status-families-and-what-to-do-if-youre-an-affected-student\">could only complete their FAFSA until March 12 due to an entirely separate technical issue with the form\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news? Despite the multiple technical issues the new FAFSA has seen during its launch, some of the changes in the revamped form \u003cem>have\u003c/em> made the process of filling out the form easier for students. Keep reading to learn more about the new FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#deadline\">\u003cstrong>Important deadlines and due dates for FAFSA in 2024\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#measure\">\u003cstrong>How will FAFSA now measure a student’s financial need?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#undocumented\">\u003cstrong>Undocumented or from a mixed-status family? What you need to know about FAFSA and financial aid\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#private\">\u003cstrong>What to know if you’re also applying to private colleges\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#taxes\">\u003cstrong>My parents don’t have tax information available. How can I complete FAFSA?\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Rest assured that there \u003ci>are \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/california-student-opportunity-and-access-program-cal-soap\">resources\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://cash4college.csac.ca.gov/RCO/RegionalCoordinatingOrganizations\">organizations\u003c/a> available to help you with FAFSA — including the upcoming Cash for College Webinars organized by the California Student Aid Commission, \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\">scheduled throughout March and April\u003c/a>. These are free and available to any student completing the FAFSA or the Dream Act application. The Commission also hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/cash-college-train-trainer-program\">Train the Trainer workshops\u003c/a> to teach community partners also to host financial aid workshops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11968584/fafsa-application-money-family-discussions\">We also have a guide to talking to your family about FAFSA — \u003c/a>especially if they’re not usually comfortable talking about their finances with you.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>There’s a new FAFSA timeline for 2024\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"deadline\">\u003c/a>In December 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act with the goal of making it easier for students to claim available financial aid and tackle the application’s infamous length and detailed, confusing tax questions — \u003ca href=\"https://mailchi.mp/658643bea675/california-student-aid-commission-public-affairs-newsletter-13577271\">complications that have historically left billions of dollars of aid unclaimed. \u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, the Department of Education promised that the revamped FAFSA would launch sometime in December. And it did — but on Dec. 30. Because the form became available much later than normal, a lot of the steps in the financial aid process have been pushed back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11927018/fafsa-opens-oct-1-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-applications-for-federal-student-aid\">students applying for financial aid for the next academic year could start on their FAFSA around October,\u003c/a> then apply for regular admission for most schools around December, and finally receive acceptance letters in March and April. Along with their acceptance letters, many schools also send out additional documents with information on annual costs and how much financial aid a student is eligible for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#tellus\">Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>This year, FAFSA came out when many students were rushing to get their college applications in before the deadline. And in January, the Department of Education confirmed that it needed to fix \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63005/exclusive-the-education-department-says-it-will-fix-its-1-8-billion-fafsa-mistake\">a major mistake in how FAFSA calculated a student’s financial need\u003c/a>. The time needed to fix this glitch pushed back the date for the Department of Education to start sending students’ FAFSA data to colleges. This usually \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63075/a-new-fafsa-setback-means-many-college-financial-aid-offers-wont-come-until-april\">takes place at the end of January,\u003c/a> but this year, federal officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979072/months-into-botched-fafsa-revamp-some-colleges-finally-receiving-students-financial-aid-info\">started transferring student information until mid-March\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you receive an acceptance letter that doesn’t include information on financial aid you qualify for, don’t panic. Email the school’s financial aid office and ask their timeline for sending out this information. They may be sending that letter out later than in previous years. Additionally, you can ask the college if they plan to push back the deadline for when they expect students to decide on whether to enroll in the school. For example, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11975534/california-students-panic-after-new-financial-aid-application-blocks-them\">schools in the University of California and California State University systems have now pushed back this deadline to May 15\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Students in California will also have more time to apply for state aid. If you are a high school senior or a transfer student planning to go to a four-year institution — like a school in the University of California or Cal State system — you now have until May 2 to \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/cal-grants\">apply for the Cal Grant\u003c/a>. You must complete the FAFSA before that date to qualify for a Cal Grant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previously, the deadline to file the FAFSA to be eligible for the Cal Grant and other state aid was April 2. But\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/state_aid_deadline_extention_ab1887_may_2.pdf\"> legislators have now approved a bill that pushes back this date\u003c/a>. “This new law will give California students more time to complete the FAFSA and gain access to the financial resources they need to begin their college careers in earnest,” said State Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, who introduced the legislation extending the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you plan to enroll in a California community college, there’s more good news: The deadline to apply for community college-specific state aid is now set for much later in 2024. Make sure your FAFSA is completed by Sept. 2 to qualify for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/post/cal-grant-community-college-entitlement-award\">Cal Grant Community College Entitlement Award\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>In 2024, your FAFSA application isn’t as long\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“The FAFSA and financial aid process can be very overwhelming, very complex,” said Michael Lemus, the outreach and marketing manager at the California Student Aid Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The original FAFSA application was over 100 questions. Now, as of this year, it is going to be fewer than 50 questions, Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s always been super, super long,” Lemus said of the application. “I’m someone that filled it out myself when I was in high school and in college, and I just remember it being a stressful period of time,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FAFSA’s infamous length, Lemus said, can be a deterrent — “especially for folks that their families might not be as comfortable with filling out these applications or just aware of all the terminology.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So some of the changes that are being looked at are making those questions easier to understand and lessening the questions,” Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new FAFSA will be connected to data from the Internal Revenue Service to automatically populate that tax information in the forms, Lemus said. “So it’ll save a lot of time, and it’ll just actually populate from the information that the family’s able to provide instead of a lot of the manual entry that a lot of folks are used to,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/fafsa-simplification-act\">Some questions being taken out include inquiries on drug convictions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"measure\">\u003c/a>FAFSA now has new ways to measure eligibility for student aid\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There is a new metric to determine how much a student can qualify for aid, said Shelveen Ratnam, a spokesperson for the California Student Aid Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Student Aid Index (SAI) will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) that was generated by the FAFSA and is “a metric to understand the relative amount that the formula estimates a student can contribute,” Ratnam told KQED in an email. “The SAI will help inform how much federal aid, and in some instances other institutional aid, for which a student might qualify.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Expected Family Contribution was \u003ca href=\"https://www.discover.com/student-loans/college-planning/how-to-pay/financial-aid/what-is-the-student-aid-index\">something of a misleading name\u003c/a>, Ratnam said because it did not truly reflect the cost someone would be paying for college by including factors like student loan interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ratnam said that the EFC also factored in how many other college students were in a family — which could negatively impact someone’s eligibility for financial aid. The new Student Aid Index does not do this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SAI also has a larger range, meaning students with \u003ca href=\"https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46909\">larger financial needs have more chances for more aid\u003c/a> (PDF).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“With the SAI, applicants can receive an SAI below $0, with the lowest being negative $1500, which would help make it easier for financial aid counselors to determine a student’s financial need,” Ratnam said. “With the previous EFC, the lowest an applicant would receive would be $0.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The equation for determining \u003ca href=\"https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/what-is-the-student-aid-index\">financial need is calculated by subtracting your SAI from your cost of attendance\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>More applicants now qualify for grants through FAFSA\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Federal Pell Grant \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/fafsa-simplification-act\">will also be expanded to more students\u003c/a>, linking eligibility to family size and federal poverty level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can use \u003ca href=\"https://fsapartners.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2023-05/202425DRAFTSAIGuideSupplementEligibilityforMaxorMinPellGrantResource.pdf\">this website (link to PDF) to look up your situation and income to gauge how much aid you can get\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SAI \u003ca href=\"https://www.discover.com/student-loans/college-planning/how-to-pay/financial-aid/what-is-the-student-aid-index\">kicks in here, too\u003c/a>, as students who don’t qualify for Pell Grants based on income \u003ci>may\u003c/i> qualify based on SAI. Another change: “Additionally, incarcerated students will regain the ability to receive a Pell Grant,” Ratnam said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“FAFSA simplification and the new SAI expands eligibility for Pell Grants to more students and increases the numbers of students that will qualify for a maximum Pell Grant,” Ratnam said. “Students with two parents whose adjusted gross income is less [than] or equal to 175% of the poverty line and 225% of the poverty line for a single-parent household now qualify for the maximum Pell Grant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Plus: A new option for students interested in attending HBCUs\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California does not have historically Black colleges or universities, meaning students would have to give up state-based financial aid if they want to go to one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Gov. Gavin Newsom last year \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ab1400_signed_press_release_100223.pdf\">signed into law AB 1400\u003c/a>, which allows for a one-time $5,000 grant to California Community College students transferring to an HBCU.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11968640\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11968640\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A group of young people walk together on what looks like a city street, dressed warmly and smiling at each other.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147076-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This year, FAFSA is opening in December. \u003ccite>(Keira Burton/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"undocumented\">\u003c/a>Undocumented or from a mixed-status family? What you need to know\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What if I’m a citizen, but my parents are undocumented and don’t have a Social Security number?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On March 12, the Department of Education announced it had finally fixed the technical issue that for months prevented mixed-status families — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11979367/fafsa-2024-the-big-error-affecting-mixed-status-families-and-what-to-do-if-youre-an-affected-student\">where the student has a Social Security number but their parent does not\u003c/a> — from completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This glitch blocked mixed-status families from completing the form for months, despite the Department of Education confirming with KQED in 2023 that these families would be able to complete the new FAFSA without a problem. Now that the is resolved, undocumented parents can make an FSA ID and fill out the parent’s portion of the form without needing to input a Social Security number.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In order to give mixed-status families more time to complete the FAFSA, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature pushed back the deadline for California students to file FAFSA and be eligible for state aid, like the Cal Grant. The new deadline to complete the FAFSA and be eligible for these aid programs is now May 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>It’s April and the FAFSA form still does not let me proceed without my parent’s Social Security number. What can I do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s okay to feel anxious, but remember: You still have time \u003cem>and\u003c/em> options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On April 9, the state’s Student Aid Commission announced that the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) — which has usually been reserved only for California students who don’t have a Social Security themselves — \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/cadaa-msf\">will be available to students from mixed-status families who are still facing issues completing FAFSA\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This does not mean that mixed-status families seeking state aid are now required to complete CADAA \u003cem>on top of\u003c/em> FAFSA. Rather, CADAA is a back-up option for students who are still blocked from completing FAFSA because one of their parents or guardians does not have a Social Security number, despite the recent fixes from the Department of Education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We encourage [first-time students of mixed-status families] to first attempt to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),” said California State University Chancellor Mildred García.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they are unable to do so, students should then complete the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) well before the May 2 deadline and later complete the FAFSA as soon as that becomes feasible,” García said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What if I’m undocumented? Can I still apply for FAFSA?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you, as the student, are undocumented and do not have a Social Security number, unfortunately, you cannot complete the FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, in this situation, there are still ways to look for financial aid for college, even if you are undocumented. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/california_dream_act_faq.pdf?1694549553\">Undocumented students in California can complete the California Dream Act Application (CADAA\u003c/a>) in order to be eligible for \u003ci>state\u003c/i> grants and loans for college (keep reading for more information on this application). You can also complete the CADAA if you have a valid or expired DACA, a U Visa or Temporary Protected Status.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Undocumented students can also apply to dozens of private colleges and universities and also apply for the scholarships and grants these schools offer. Make sure to check with each school you are interested in to see if they offer aid to undocumented students and what their process is like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Changes to know about the California Dream Act \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CADAA — which provides aid for undocumented students — \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/renewingthedream\">will also be streamlined\u003c/a> in the future to mirror the FAFSA, known as \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/better-fafsa-better-cadaa\">the Better California Dream Act Application\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are the ones, here at the California Student Commission, that administer the California Dream Act application,” Lemus said. “So we actually are the ones that can go ahead and change it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the arrival of the Better FAFSA application, the California Student Commission is now also looking at how to similarly streamline and simplify the California Dream Act for 2023, Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As every year goes by, we’re listening for feedback, and so we’re constantly wanting to make updates as they come up,” Lemus said. “But what we’re looking at is also waiting on the updates to see what the FAFSA is going to look like, to see how we can streamline the California Dream Act.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In short, there may be something of a waiting game for hopeful California Dream Act applicants to find out exactly how that process will work. \u003ca href=\"https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1540/id/2828767\">Newsom has recently signed AB 1540\u003c/a> into law, which takes out an extra step for undocumented students to secure their aid by making the Dream Act application the only form they need to fill out (as opposed to submitting an affidavit to their college to \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ab_1540_signed_press_release_100923.pdf\">verify their residency and be given a nonresident tuition exemption.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep in mind, however, that \u003ca href=\"https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/financial-aid-and-undocumented-students.pdf\">undocumented students\u003c/a> — including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients — are only currently eligible for \u003cem>state\u003c/em> student aid, not federal aid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11968638\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11968638\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910.jpg\" alt=\"A young person in a grey hoodie stands smiling and looking at someone whose back is to the camera.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-william-fortunato-6140910-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">FAFSA will be shorter and streamlined this year. \u003ccite>(William Fortunato/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"private\">\u003c/a>If you’re also applying to private schools, don’t forget to complete the CSS Profile\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/\">CSS Profile\u003c/a> is a separate application operated by the CollegeBoard and used by private colleges and universities to determine how much financial aid they will give to students, in addition to FAFSA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paul Dieken, head of financial aid at Pomona College, a private liberal arts school in Southern California, said that his team looks at both FAFSA and the CSS Profile to get a more complete picture of what a student’s financial situation is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more money the college or university gets out of their own grants or scholarships, the more likely it is that they’re going to ask you to complete additional documentation like the CSS Profile,” he said. Many private schools, including Pomona, provide financial aid packages that include additional funds from donors or grants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The CSS Profile is really looking for financial resources that a family has access to,” Dieken said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He points to home ownership as an example. “A family that owns a home, they’re economically stronger than a family that doesn’t own a home,” he said. “But FAFSA doesn’t collect that. That’s something that we only get through the CSS Profile data.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If private schools are also on your list, you can go ahead and start the CSS Profile now. You’ll need a few more documents than what FAFSA asks for, including your parents’ W-2, bank statements from the past few months and records of properties or assets your family owns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Make sure to give your family enough time to find the documents you’ll need to complete the CSS Profile. If there are questions you just can’t answer — for example, your parents are separated, and you are unable to contact one of them because of safety reasons — contact the financial aid staff of the schools you’re applying to so they can give you specific instructions on what to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"taxes\">\u003c/a>Q. My parents work but don’t have tax information available. How can I complete FAFSA?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>First, let’s do a quick breakdown of tax vocabulary:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>A \u003cb>W-2 form\u003c/b> is a tax document that an employer gives workers once a year, which shows how much the employer paid the worker that year.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A \u003cb>1040 form\u003c/b> is a tax document, also known as a tax return, that a worker completes themselves, usually with the help of a tax expert. This document is sent to the IRS each year to confirm how much that worker got paid and how much they owe the government in taxes.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Most people in the U.S. receive a W-2 form and then complete a 1040 form themselves. FAFSA will ask your parents to share information from last year’s documents. But let’s say you ask your parents and they don’t have this information. It could be for one of these reasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your parent is a gig worker, such as driving for Uber or doing deliveries for GrubHub, they most likely did not get a W-2 form. Instead, the company they work for gave them a 1099 form. Ask for “their 1099” instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your parent did not work last year and received unemployment benefits instead, they most likely did not get a W-2 form. Instead, the state government sent them a 1099-G form, which lists how much they received from unemployment benefits. You can ask for this instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your parent has a W-2 form but does not have last year’s 1040 form, this probably means they haven’t filed their taxes yet. Colleges will still want to see your parents’ taxes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Talk to your parents about scheduling an appointment with a tax preparer to catch up on this. There are many community organizations that offer free tax filing services year-round. \u003ca href=\"https://uwba.org/freetaxhelp/\">In the Bay Area, United Way can connect you to online and in-person tax help\u003c/a> — and your parents could potentially qualify to get cash back from the government when they file, based on their income and the size of your family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your family still needs to file their taxes, keep the schools you’re applying to updated about this step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some cases, parents may be working at a job where they just won’t receive a W-2 or 1099 at all. Perhaps they work as a housecleaner, a nanny, a landscaper, a farmworker or another job where they haven’t signed a formal paper contract and are getting paid in cash. If this is your family’s situation, don’t panic. There are solutions. But you’ll have to act quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rosanna Ferro, chief of education at Oakland-based nonprofit College Track, recommends you first ask your parents, “How have you gotten paid in the past year or two?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ferro, whose organization works to help first-generation and low-income high school students from across the country graduate college, said that the point of this question is twofold: How often do your parents get paid, and how much do they get paid? The piece of information you need is what’s called “proof of income,” which can help you calculate how much your parents got paid per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, let’s say your dad cleans houses and charges $100 per house. Based on the information he shares, you estimate that he can usually clean 10 houses a week. That approximates that he’s earning roughly $4,000 a month. Multiply that by 12 months, and you get an estimated $48,000 per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You may have to get crafty to help your parents organize this information, Ferro said. “Whether it’s creating an Excel sheet, a Google folder or scanning something — taking a picture, a receipt or anything that shows income in any kind of way and storing it in a way that’s going to be accessible to you,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Helping your parents create a digital record of their earnings will also help you in the future when you have to fill out FAFSA again every year you’re in college. This will be especially important if you go to a school far away from home and no longer have easy access to physical receipts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While you’re doing this, remember to contact a financial aid officer from any of the schools you’re applying to, who can advise your family on how to best input this information into FAFSA. They may ask you to share additional documents, like a letter from an employer or potentially filing a 1040 form with the data you’ve gathered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All in all, we ask for information that you can put in as accurately as possible,” said Sonia Jethani, the director of the financial aid office at California State University, East Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11968635\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11968635\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077.jpg\" alt=\"Three young people walk together on what looks like a city street, dressed warmly and smiling at each other.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/pexels-keira-burton-6147077-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">How can you work with your family to accurately complete your FAFSA? \u003ccite>(Keira Burton/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What else should I know about FAFSA in 2024?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The California Student Aid Commission’s Michael Lemus said students can use the \u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/students\">California Student Commission\u003c/a> as a resource for financial aid questions. Their website will soon have a Better FAFSA tool kit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lemus advised people to start early and for seniors in the fall to stay in close contact with their high school counselor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s interesting this year because the FAFSA is delayed,” he said. “But what I would recommend is just making sure that they start getting more comfortable with the financial aid process,” which could include familiarizing yourself with the types of aid available — to be ready and primed when FAFSA applications finally open in December. “While the application itself is changing, the types of aid, for the most part, are remaining the same,” Lemus said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Try not to stress,” Lemus said, even though these changes can feel overwhelming and contain a lot of unknowns. He added that teachers and educators will also be trained on the new changes, providing another point of contact and resources for applicants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you come across something that you just can’t find an answer to? “Just know that [at] the California [Student] Commission, we are very much aware of these, and we have it on our radar,” Lemus said. “So if they want to start off with us, to ask questions, they definitely can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.csac.ca.gov/contact-us\">Get in contact with the California Student Commission\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this story originally published on Feb. 15, and includes reporting from NPR’s Cory Turner and CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2024. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "california-will-help-fund-the-down-payment-for-your-first-house-heres-how-to-apply",
"title": "Just Days Left to Apply for California Program That Helps Pay for Your First House",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981458/ayuda-a-comprar-su-primera-casa-california-2023\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it rolled out last year, the California Dream for All program — a loan application for first-time home buyers — exhausted its approximately $300 million of funding within 11 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That prompted some changes this year for when the down payment assistance program opened again to California residents on April 3. The state has about $250 million on the table, which is expected to assist between 1,600–2,000 new applicants, said Eric Johnson, a spokesperson for the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">The program — officially called the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan\u003c/a> — is designed to have the state step into the role of a parent or grandparent in assisting their offspring buy a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The program is designed to help those who may not have had the benefit of generational wealth in buying their first home,” Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">apply for the California Dream for All program\u003c/a> in 2024, keep reading to see who is eligible, how the program has changed this year, and what you need to do. But hurry: \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">Applications for the program\u003c/a> officially close at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday, April 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#californiadream\">How does the California Dream for All program work?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#eligible\">Who is eligible to apply in 2024?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Who got the money in 2023?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While wildly popular, the California Dream for All program didn’t have the geographic reach its designers had hoped for — nor did it reach its intended demographic target, said Adam Briones, the CEO of California Community Builders, a nonprofit housing research and advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briones and his team did the research that helped design the program to close the racial homeownership gap in the state. In California, nearly 37% of Black households own their homes compared to 63% of white households, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/californias-housing-divide/\">according to the Public Policy Institute of California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The original hope of the program had been that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11952984/reparations-commentary\">formerly redlined communities\u003c/a>, low-wealth communities … [would] be disproportionately supported by this program,” Briones said, “because they’ve been disproportionately held back by inequalities, both in terms of public policy and the way that our economic system works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"Eric Johnson, California Housing Finance Agency\"]‘The program is designed to help those who may not have had the benefit of generational wealth in buying their first home.’[/pullquote]“And we didn’t see that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first round of California Dream For All funding helped nearly 2,200 new homeowners purchase homes. But of those, only 3% of the grantees were Black, \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/images/dfa-phase-I-outcomes.png\">according to CalHFA\u003c/a>. That’s compared to 35% of white recipients, 33% Latino and 19% Asian American and Pacific Islander.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nor were the California Dream for All funds distributed equally on a geographic basis, Briones said. A disproportionate share went to Sacramento residents, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of that had to do with informal knowledge access and understanding of a large program that was going to be rolled out,” Briones said. But he cautioned, “If Californians throughout the state don’t benefit from the program, it’s going to be really hard to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917267/california-legislators-propose-helping-people-buy-homes-in-exchange-for-partial-ownership\">make the argument to voters that they should continue investing in these types of things\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This time around, changes to the 2024 California Dream for All program are meant to address those disparities, Johnson said. Here’s what you need to know to apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"californiadream\">\u003c/a>What is the California Dream For All program, and how does it work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under the California Dream For All program, the state will put down up to 20% of the cost of the home, or up to $150,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That money does have to be repaid, just not right away. It gets repaid — without interest — when you sell the home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, there’s a catch. You also have to pay back 20% of any appreciation on the home’s value (which is why the program is called a Shared Appreciation Loan). So, if you buy a $600,000 home and then sell it 10 years later for $700,000, you would have to pay back the initial $120,000 down payment, along with an additional $20,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11917267,news_11946353 label='California Dream for All']In December, the median price of homes in California was nearly $820,000, \u003ca href=\"https://www.car.org/en/marketdata/data/countysalesactivity\">according to the California Association of Realtors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically, in return for an investment from the state into your down payment, when you sell the home, you should share that appreciation with the state,” Briones said, adding that the money homebuyers repay will go toward funding future California Dream for All loans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As an organization working to close the racial wealth gap we thought that trade-off is fair, to ensure that we can support families now and in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Applicants can \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">apply for the California Dream for All program before it closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 29 at calhfa.ca.gov/dream\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003c/h2>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"eligible\">\u003c/a>Who is eligible to apply for California Dream for All?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Who’s eligible” is where some of the program’s changes this year come into play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like last year, California Dream for All applicants must be California residents — who are either citizens, permanent residents or \u003ca href=\"https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:8%20section:1641%20edition:prelim)\">otherwise defined as a “Qualified Alien”\u003c/a> — and first-time home buyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But unlike last year, at least one person on the application must also be a first-generation home buyer — meaning their parents do not currently own a home in the United States. Applicants who have ever been in foster care also qualify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briones said he was skeptical at first about this requirement that applicants be first-generation home buyers. But, given how quickly the money flew out the door last year, he’s now in favor of the idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do think that this is probably a needed additional step to make sure that this program truly is targeted to people that really do need the funds,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, residents making up to 150% of the area’s median income could apply. But this year, that threshold has been reduced to 120% of the area median income. Those income limits now range from $287,000 in Santa Clara County to $132,000 in some of the more rural or agricultural parts of the state, such as Humboldt and Fresno counties. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/limits/income/income-cadfa.pdf\">Check out the full list of county income limits here (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson said that CalHFA (California Housing Finance Agency) relies on \u003ca href=\"https://ami-lookup-tool.fanniemae.com/\">the income the lender uses to qualify the homebuyers\u003c/a>. So, if, for example, a married couple applies, then the lender uses their combined income. If a single person applies to the program, the lender only uses one income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Applicants must also have a credit score of 680 and a debt-to-income ratio of no more than 45%. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/programs/loans-cadfa.pdf\">Read the full list of eligibility requirements for California Dream for All (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I think I qualify for the California Dream for All program. What’s next?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Don’t start picking out your dream home just yet. Johnson said the first thing to do is to find \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm\">a CalHFA-approved lender\u003c/a> who is offering the California Dream for All program and can get you pre-approved. This is because you’ll need that \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/forms/pre-approval-letter-cadfa.pdf\">pre-approval letter (PDF)\u003c/a> from them to register for the program in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Figure out how much home you can qualify for,” Johnson said. “Then work with a loan officer to make sure your application is ready.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online California Dream for All application \u003c/a>portal will open at 8 a.m. on April 3 and will remain open until 5 p.m. on April 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After that, you’ll need to take a five- to six-hour home-buyer education course and a second one-hour course about how a shared appreciation mortgage works. You can register at \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfadreamforall.com/\">calhfadreamforall.com\u003c/a>, and the classes are online and free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do end up getting selected for a loan under the program, then you have 90 days to find that dream house, enter into a contract to purchase a home and have the lender reserve the loan through CalHFA’s Mortgage Access System.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you aren’t quite ready to talk to a loan officer yet, Johnson said you can also \u003ca href=\"https://www.hud.gov/states/california/homeownership/hsgcounseling\">talk to a free HUD-approved housing counselor\u003c/a>, who can dig into your finances and figure out what you need to do to get ready to buy a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What happens after I apply for California Dream for All?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This is another way the 2024 application differs from last year’s: Unlike 2023’s first round of funding, when loans were given on a first-come, first-served basis, this year, there will be a lottery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means you don’t need to worry about getting your application in right when the program opens up. Johnson confirmed that you will have until the end of April to submit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\"]How to apply\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Find \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm\">an approved loan officer\u003c/a> or talk with \u003ca href=\"https://www.hud.gov/states/california/homeownership/hsgcounseling\">a HUD-approved housing counselor\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Get a pre-approval letter\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Register before \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">the program lottery deadline on April 29\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[/pullquote]After that, Johnson said CalHFA has separated the state into nine geographic zones. The number of applicants selected for the California Dream for All loans will be based on the number of households in each zone. “We really wanted to make sure these funds were distributed equitably,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some people didn’t have time to get their paperwork together [last year],” Johnson said. “We wanted to make sure we had done everything we possibly could and for people to get their finances in order, to make sure they could be successful this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson said it’s OK if the applicant makes an honest mistake or there’s an error on the application: They won’t be rejected outright. CalHFA will work with the applicant to correct any mistakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a very robust customer service platform in place,” he said. “We help people get through the process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he also said starting early to prepare for the application process is important. So, if you haven’t already, \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm\">find a loan officer\u003c/a> who can help assist you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, if it doesn’t happen this year, Johnson said you might also qualify for some of the state’s other home-buyer-assistance programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2024. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, helpful explainers and guides about issues like COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[hearken id=\"10483\" src=\"https://modules.wearehearken.com/kqed/embed/10483.js\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The original version of this story published on Feb. 19, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Applications for the state’s high-demand loan program for first-time home buyers will close on Monday, April 29 at 5 p.m.",
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"title": "Just Days Left to Apply for California Program That Helps Pay for Your First House | KQED",
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"headline": "Just Days Left to Apply for California Program That Helps Pay for Your First House",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981458/ayuda-a-comprar-su-primera-casa-california-2023\">\u003cem>Leer en español\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it rolled out last year, the California Dream for All program — a loan application for first-time home buyers — exhausted its approximately $300 million of funding within 11 days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That prompted some changes this year for when the down payment assistance program opened again to California residents on April 3. The state has about $250 million on the table, which is expected to assist between 1,600–2,000 new applicants, said Eric Johnson, a spokesperson for the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">The program — officially called the California Dream for All Shared Appreciation Loan\u003c/a> — is designed to have the state step into the role of a parent or grandparent in assisting their offspring buy a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The program is designed to help those who may not have had the benefit of generational wealth in buying their first home,” Johnson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re hoping to \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">apply for the California Dream for All program\u003c/a> in 2024, keep reading to see who is eligible, how the program has changed this year, and what you need to do. But hurry: \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">Applications for the program\u003c/a> officially close at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday, April 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#californiadream\">How does the California Dream for All program work?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#eligible\">Who is eligible to apply in 2024?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Who got the money in 2023?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>While wildly popular, the California Dream for All program didn’t have the geographic reach its designers had hoped for — nor did it reach its intended demographic target, said Adam Briones, the CEO of California Community Builders, a nonprofit housing research and advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briones and his team did the research that helped design the program to close the racial homeownership gap in the state. In California, nearly 37% of Black households own their homes compared to 63% of white households, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ppic.org/blog/californias-housing-divide/\">according to the Public Policy Institute of California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The original hope of the program had been that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11952984/reparations-commentary\">formerly redlined communities\u003c/a>, low-wealth communities … [would] be disproportionately supported by this program,” Briones said, “because they’ve been disproportionately held back by inequalities, both in terms of public policy and the way that our economic system works.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘The program is designed to help those who may not have had the benefit of generational wealth in buying their first home.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“And we didn’t see that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first round of California Dream For All funding helped nearly 2,200 new homeowners purchase homes. But of those, only 3% of the grantees were Black, \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/images/dfa-phase-I-outcomes.png\">according to CalHFA\u003c/a>. That’s compared to 35% of white recipients, 33% Latino and 19% Asian American and Pacific Islander.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nor were the California Dream for All funds distributed equally on a geographic basis, Briones said. A disproportionate share went to Sacramento residents, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of that had to do with informal knowledge access and understanding of a large program that was going to be rolled out,” Briones said. But he cautioned, “If Californians throughout the state don’t benefit from the program, it’s going to be really hard to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11917267/california-legislators-propose-helping-people-buy-homes-in-exchange-for-partial-ownership\">make the argument to voters that they should continue investing in these types of things\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This time around, changes to the 2024 California Dream for All program are meant to address those disparities, Johnson said. Here’s what you need to know to apply.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"californiadream\">\u003c/a>What is the California Dream For All program, and how does it work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under the California Dream For All program, the state will put down up to 20% of the cost of the home, or up to $150,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That money does have to be repaid, just not right away. It gets repaid — without interest — when you sell the home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, there’s a catch. You also have to pay back 20% of any appreciation on the home’s value (which is why the program is called a Shared Appreciation Loan). So, if you buy a $600,000 home and then sell it 10 years later for $700,000, you would have to pay back the initial $120,000 down payment, along with an additional $20,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In December, the median price of homes in California was nearly $820,000, \u003ca href=\"https://www.car.org/en/marketdata/data/countysalesactivity\">according to the California Association of Realtors\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Basically, in return for an investment from the state into your down payment, when you sell the home, you should share that appreciation with the state,” Briones said, adding that the money homebuyers repay will go toward funding future California Dream for All loans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As an organization working to close the racial wealth gap we thought that trade-off is fair, to ensure that we can support families now and in the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Applicants can \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">apply for the California Dream for All program before it closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 29 at calhfa.ca.gov/dream\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003c/h2>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"eligible\">\u003c/a>Who is eligible to apply for California Dream for All?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“Who’s eligible” is where some of the program’s changes this year come into play.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like last year, California Dream for All applicants must be California residents — who are either citizens, permanent residents or \u003ca href=\"https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:8%20section:1641%20edition:prelim)\">otherwise defined as a “Qualified Alien”\u003c/a> — and first-time home buyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But unlike last year, at least one person on the application must also be a first-generation home buyer — meaning their parents do not currently own a home in the United States. Applicants who have ever been in foster care also qualify.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briones said he was skeptical at first about this requirement that applicants be first-generation home buyers. But, given how quickly the money flew out the door last year, he’s now in favor of the idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do think that this is probably a needed additional step to make sure that this program truly is targeted to people that really do need the funds,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, residents making up to 150% of the area’s median income could apply. But this year, that threshold has been reduced to 120% of the area median income. Those income limits now range from $287,000 in Santa Clara County to $132,000 in some of the more rural or agricultural parts of the state, such as Humboldt and Fresno counties. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/limits/income/income-cadfa.pdf\">Check out the full list of county income limits here (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson said that CalHFA (California Housing Finance Agency) relies on \u003ca href=\"https://ami-lookup-tool.fanniemae.com/\">the income the lender uses to qualify the homebuyers\u003c/a>. So, if, for example, a married couple applies, then the lender uses their combined income. If a single person applies to the program, the lender only uses one income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Applicants must also have a credit score of 680 and a debt-to-income ratio of no more than 45%. \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/programs/loans-cadfa.pdf\">Read the full list of eligibility requirements for California Dream for All (PDF)\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>I think I qualify for the California Dream for All program. What’s next?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Don’t start picking out your dream home just yet. Johnson said the first thing to do is to find \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm\">a CalHFA-approved lender\u003c/a> who is offering the California Dream for All program and can get you pre-approved. This is because you’ll need that \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homeownership/forms/pre-approval-letter-cadfa.pdf\">pre-approval letter (PDF)\u003c/a> from them to register for the program in April.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Figure out how much home you can qualify for,” Johnson said. “Then work with a loan officer to make sure your application is ready.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online California Dream for All application \u003c/a>portal will open at 8 a.m. on April 3 and will remain open until 5 p.m. on April 29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After that, you’ll need to take a five- to six-hour home-buyer education course and a second one-hour course about how a shared appreciation mortgage works. You can register at \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfadreamforall.com/\">calhfadreamforall.com\u003c/a>, and the classes are online and free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do end up getting selected for a loan under the program, then you have 90 days to find that dream house, enter into a contract to purchase a home and have the lender reserve the loan through CalHFA’s Mortgage Access System.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you aren’t quite ready to talk to a loan officer yet, Johnson said you can also \u003ca href=\"https://www.hud.gov/states/california/homeownership/hsgcounseling\">talk to a free HUD-approved housing counselor\u003c/a>, who can dig into your finances and figure out what you need to do to get ready to buy a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What happens after I apply for California Dream for All?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>This is another way the 2024 application differs from last year’s: Unlike 2023’s first round of funding, when loans were given on a first-come, first-served basis, this year, there will be a lottery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This means you don’t need to worry about getting your application in right when the program opens up. Johnson confirmed that you will have until the end of April to submit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "How to apply\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Find \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm\">an approved loan officer\u003c/a> or talk with \u003ca href=\"https://www.hud.gov/states/california/homeownership/hsgcounseling\">a HUD-approved housing counselor\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Get a pre-approval letter\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Register before \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/dream/\">the program lottery deadline on April 29\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>After that, Johnson said CalHFA has separated the state into nine geographic zones. The number of applicants selected for the California Dream for All loans will be based on the number of households in each zone. “We really wanted to make sure these funds were distributed equitably,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some people didn’t have time to get their paperwork together [last year],” Johnson said. “We wanted to make sure we had done everything we possibly could and for people to get their finances in order, to make sure they could be successful this year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Johnson said it’s OK if the applicant makes an honest mistake or there’s an error on the application: They won’t be rejected outright. CalHFA will work with the applicant to correct any mistakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a very robust customer service platform in place,” he said. “We help people get through the process.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he also said starting early to prepare for the application process is important. So, if you haven’t already, \u003ca href=\"https://www.calhfa.ca.gov/homebuyer/lenders.htm\">find a loan officer\u003c/a> who can help assist you.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, if it doesn’t happen this year, Johnson said you might also qualify for some of the state’s other home-buyer-assistance programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"tellus\">\u003c/a>Tell us: What else do you need information about?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2024. We’ve published \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/coronavirus-resources-and-explainers\">clear, helpful explainers and guides about issues like COVID-19\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11936674/how-to-prepare-for-this-weeks-atmospheric-river-storm-sandbags-emergency-kits-and-more\">how to cope with intense winter weather\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">how to exercise your right to protest safely\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger and help us decide what to cover here on our site and on KQED Public Radio, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "how-can-i-call-my-representative-a-step-by-step-guide-to-the-process",
"title": "How to Contact Your Representative: A Step-by-Step Guide",
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"headTitle": "How to Contact Your Representative: A Step-by-Step Guide | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated Feb. 19, 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]E[/dropcap]lected officials might not always feel accessible to their constituents. But making coordinated calls to flood a representative’s phone line is one way for voters in the United States to make their thoughts known — about various causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to our guide: \u003ca href=\"#whoismyrep\">How does calling your representative work?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Weeks into his second term, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026245/can-trump-actually-change-federal-funding-rules-through-executive-orders\">President Donald Trump’s barrage of executive orders\u003c/a> related to immigration, trans healthcare and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have rattled many in the Bay Area. And as reported by Axios, \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/02/06/democrats-congress-trump-musk-doge-calls\">the offices of some Democratic politicians have been overwhelmed with calls to “fight harder”\u003c/a> against Trump 2.0, amid what \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/nx-s1-5293166/democrats-congress-trump\">many left-leaning Americans say they see as a lack of willingness\u003c/a> to take major action against the new administration. Meanwhile, apps and sites like \u003ca href=\"https://5calls.org/\">5 Calls\u003c/a> have sought to make\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/02/11/5-calls-app-call-representative/\"> the process smoother for constituents \u003c/a>to contact their elected officials’ offices in protest of Trump’s policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last 16 months have also seen many constituents calling their elected representatives about Gaza. During a time when former President Biden was \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calls-for-congress-ceasefire-gaza-israel_n_654d4d0ce4b0373d70b16b0f\">strongly against a ceasefire\u003c/a>, Bay Area Rep. Mike Thompson, whose district includes Napa County and portions of Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma counties, told KQED that his constituents had been reaching out to make their thoughts known to him – both in support of a cease-fire and in support of Israel’s “right to defend themselves and … to work to get the hostages back.” An anonymous Democrat staffer told the Huffington Post that “The phone doesn’t stop ringing at any point in the day”\u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calls-for-congress-ceasefire-gaza-israel_n_654d4d0ce4b0373d70b16b0f\"> in support of a ceasefire in the region\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>So what does ‘call your reps’ actually mean?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ezra Levin is deeply familiar with the process of calling politicians. Levin is\u003ca href=\"https://indivisible.org/ezra-levin-0\"> the co-founder of Indivisible\u003c/a>, a progressive organization created in the wake of Trump’s first election to the White House. Levin said that since 2016, he’s seen a lot of people who weren’t previously engaged in political activity decide to change that – and “what we witnessed was a lot of folks learning how Congress works and how to effectively make their voice heard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said that he sees this kind of “engagement with Congress coming in spikes” and usually prompted by current events. And even though it “can be very difficult to wrap your arms around something as complex as the United States federal government and how representative democracy works,” Levin said he believes that “it’s only healthy for democracy, regardless of what your ideological persuasion is, for a lot of folks in the country to understand exactly how the government works — and how they can fit into it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public reaction and this kind of direct address to elected officials “certainly has an impact,” said Janine Zacharia, former Washington Post Jerusalem bureau chief who is now a lecturer at Stanford University’s Department of Communication. From the White House to members of Congress, “everybody watches public sentiment,” she told KQED in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to contact your elected officials to express your opinion on something, the process — who to contact, how to do that, what to say, and what kind of response you’ll receive — can seem confusing, especially if it’s your first time doing it. KQED spoke to Levin and Seth Morrison, a Bay Area resident and the Bay Area chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace Legislative Work Group’s coordinator, on what constituents should know about calling their representative’s office in support or criticism of any cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#whoismyrep\">Who do I contact, and how do I find their details?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#whathappens\">Who picks up my call or email, and what happens to it?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howtocommunicate\">What can I say to make my call or email most effective?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#arangeinpersonmeetingrep\">How can I arrange an in-person meeting with an official?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#townhalls\">How do town halls work?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"whoismyrep\">\u003c/a>How do I find my elected officials’ contact details?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You can find your state senator, state assembly member, or congressional representative\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/who-are-my-representatives\"> through this California state government website\u003c/a>. Advocacy groups may also have their lists — for example, \u003ca href=\"https://indivisiblesf.org/call-your-reps\">Indivisible’s ‘Contact Your Reps’ list for San Francisco residents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your federal-level elected officials include Sens. Alex Padilla and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963215/laphonza-butler-senate-appointment-draws-praise-speculation-over-2024-plans\">Laphonza Butler\u003c/a> and representatives in the House — as well as the President himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your state-level elected officials are politicians like Gov. Gavin Newsom, assembly members, and state senators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their similar titles, \u003ca href=\"https://www.lesniakinstitute.org/state-senator-or-congressional-senator-what-is-the-difference-and-why-should-you-care/\">federal senators and state senators are two different positions\u003c/a> and scopes of power.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When should I contact my representative versus my senator?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As a quick government refresher, a representative is in the House and leads a slice of the population within the state (although sometimes the same town has different representatives). Your senator, on the other hand, represents the entire state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said that, in most cases, when you want to express your concerns, you would call both your representative and your senator — although “there are special circumstances where you would probably want to focus on one or the other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One example of this would be when we’re talking about the confirmation of federal judges,” Levin said. “The House does not have a role in that. It’s fully done by the Senate.”[aside postID='news_12026245,news_12026817,news_11821950' label='More Explainers and Guides From KQED']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for the vast majority of legislative questions, it \u003ci>is \u003c/i>both the House and the Senate that get to vote. For those who want to dig a little deeper into special circumstances, you can look up where your House member or senator has power by which committee they sit on. (You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.house.gov/representatives#name-p\">find that information on Congress’s website\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it’s not the full House or the full Senate that is voting for a particular piece of legislation, but instead is being considered in one of these committees,” Levin said. “So, for instance, if you’ve got a representative who happens to be on the Budget Committee, and the Budget Committee is first going to be considering the budget before it goes to the full House, you could focus your attention on that member — because they’re going to exercise an additional amount of power at that first step before it goes to the to the Senate, or before it goes to the full House.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seth Morrison with Jewish Voice for Peace also advised people to try both approaches when contacting their reps about any issue. However, he said senators are harder to move since they represent the entire state and are up for election every six years. (Members of Congress are up for election every two years.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So if you have a higher-level issue,” Morrison said — like air pollution throughout the state, for example, and “if you have support from around the state, definitely go to the senator’s office.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you would like a politician to take up your personal case, whether it involves Medicare (MediCal in California), Social Security, or the Veterans Administration, “the senator’s office can sometimes have more weight than the representative’s office,” Morrison noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967627\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967627\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a person wearing a pink shirt holding a black cellphone as if dialing a number. Their face is not visible.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you haven’t contacted your elected officials before, it can be confusing knowing where to start. \u003ccite>(Tim Robberts/Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Should I also call representatives other than my own?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Probably not. Since representatives are focusing on their reelection, they will likely only heed calls from their constituents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said people from other states may read or watch the news and feel strongly about the policies and positions of another state, compelling them to call that district’s representative. However, he said he’s also familiar with how staffers directed these messages from his own time as a congressional staffer prior to starting Indivisible — and says, “We called it the recycling bin because it \u003ci>was \u003c/i>the recycling bin.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just did not respond to folks from outside the district,” Levin said. “So focusing on your own representative or your own senator is a great first place to start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that’s not a knock against those other representatives or senators from the other states or districts,” he clarified. “It’s literally how our representative democracy is structured.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"whathappens\">\u003c/a>Who will answer my call or email, and what will they do with it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Levin said if you are making a call, it will likely be picked up by an intern or a young staffer — and he knows that this makes some folks concerned they’re “not having influence,” or that they might worry “‘‘Oh, there is a 20-year-old who’s answering the phone — how much impact could this actually have?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But any competent congressional office is monitoring all of the incoming communication at their office,” stressed Levin. “Which means that intern or that junior staffer is taking down your information: Who you are, what your address is, what your concerns are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said the staffers then enter that information into a database that the office maintains. Good congressional offices — “ones that hope to do a good job proving to their constituents that they’re actually listening” — keep track of that information, he said. And on a regular basis, those staffers tally up communication from constituents to tell senior staff how many calls they received and the breakdown of who was for an issue and who was against it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While calls and emails like this may not \u003ci>immediately \u003c/i>shift the opinion of the member of Congress, they will factor into their “political calculus,” Levin explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every House member, every Senate senator is waking up every morning thinking, ‘How am I going to get reelected?’” Levin said. “And that gives constituents, particularly organized groups of constituents, a fair amount of power.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howtocommunicate\">\u003c/a>What do I actually say or write when I’m contacting my representatives?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You can call, email or send a letter to your representative. (People on social media have also suggested using faxing to make their representative’s office deal with physical requests and concerns. \u003ca href=\"https://faxzero.com/\">Faxzero is one way to do this online\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said calling on the phone is worthwhile — and can be “relatively easy” to do. He said you can talk for a minute or so, and advises you to make sure to:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give the staffer your name and address — so they can verify you are a legitimate constituent.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Request a response in writing “so that they actually have to look at what you said and take time to write a response to that,” Levin explained.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they do not respond after a few days, follow up and say you still feel passionately about your issue: “‘Hey, I wrote two or three days ago, still haven’t heard — this issue is still really very much on my mind, in the minds of many of the people I’m talking to in our community. I would love to hear a response,’” Levin said as an example. Most congressional offices have “pretty sophisticated” constituent response systems, Levin added, so they should be writing back.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“You do not need to feel like you are the world’s preeminent expert on whatever issue it is that you’re calling on,” Levin said. “You want to be reasonably informed, and you want to know what you’re asking for, but it is okay for your legitimacy to come from the fact that you are a constituent, and they are in office to represent you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I make sure I get my point across?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Your passion for an issue might feel overwhelming once you get on the phone. But Morrison and Levin both advise callers to stay measured once they are talking to a staffer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you’re building a relationship, it’s sometimes hard, but be polite,” Morrison said. “These are staff people. They’re doing their job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be aware that the staffer you’re speaking to “cannot commit the senator or the representative” to a particular position then and there, advised Morrison. “Recognize that they have their policies and procedures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said even if one’s anger is reasonable, a caller may be written off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Usually offices will flag those folks [who curse or threaten staffers] and refuse to interact with them,” he said. “You want to come off as a reasonable, informed constituent that you are and try to make your opinion persuasively based on your own experience and your own consideration of the issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While you can“be firm in your opinion, and be firm in requesting a response,” Levin noted that “politeness actually does work well with these offices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morrison added it’s all a matter of frequency and volume — having many people call and email their elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"townhalls\">\u003c/a>What about town halls? How do they work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Levin said one very common thing both House and Senate members have historically done is hold regular town hall meetings where the public could go and ask their politicians questions. In his experience, these town halls were generally not well attended before the election that made Donald Trump president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember that the volume of public response matters — so Morrison advises, “If the congressperson has a town hall meeting in your district, bring ten people to the town hall meeting and ask your question.” The “bottom line is: They want to get reelected,” he said. “And so if there are large groups of people in their district that disagree with them, they need to hear [that.]”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you look on your representatives’ website and see they haven’t held a town hall or public event to engage with constituents in a while? In this situation, Levin said it is a reasonable request to nudge them for one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your representatives and senators should be expected to show up and talk to you because they do, in quite a literal sense, work for you,” he said. “They are employed to represent you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For representatives who aren’t responsive, Levin said some groups have organized “empty chair town halls, ” where constituents organize the meeting and invite members of Congress to attend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And if they don’t show up, they’ve got a cardboard cutout and an empty chair representing them,” he said. “I remember \u003ca href=\"https://www.wxyz.com/news/angry-constituents-bring-chicken-to-town-hall\">one example in Michigan where they brought a live chicken on stage\u003c/a> to represent the member because he just refused to show up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That kind of name-and-shame tactic can be useful in encouraging your member of Congress to actually listen to constituents,” Levin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967703\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967703\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a white coat and red beret sits at an outdoor table on the phone, writing on a notepad.\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you’re looking to contact your elected officials, who you should contact can depend on what you want to discuss with them. \u003ccite>(Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Do I still need to do anything if I’m actually \u003ci>happy \u003c/i>with my representative’s position?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Let’s say that you do, in fact, appreciate your representative’s action or stance on an issue. Levin said that as a former staff member, any messages of support were much appreciated since they were so rare in an onslaught of emails and calls — sometimes even printed and directly handed to the chief of staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, you could appreciate your representative’s position but worry about the position of the neighboring district’s representative. If this is the case, Levin said you can ask your representative to apply pressure to \u003ci>that \u003c/i>district’s representative — although they will likely only do it in the case that the neighboring district belongs to the opposing party (that is, Democrats will not likely travel to another Democrat’s district.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some representatives may even travel into the neighboring district and hold their own public town hall — if the latter’s representative is unwilling to talk about the issue. That action has two benefits, Levin said: “One, it highlights the fact that that member in a neighboring district has an unpopular position. And two: It builds constituent support in that district to apply pressure to that member.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"arangeinpersonmeetingrep\">\u003c/a>What if I want to meet with my elected official in person — say, about a personal case?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Morrison said it was important to start your outreach with the member of Congress’ staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Congresspeople get hundreds, if not thousands, of inquiries every day — and their staff are a key part of the team,” Morrison said. “And the best way to get a meeting with the congressperson is to first meet with their staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two sets of staff for a member of Congress, Morrison explained. District staff works on areas like Social Security, Medicare (Medi-Cal in California) and Veteran’s Affairs. These district staff will usually be your first point of contact and are called ‘constituent services.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other set of staffers are those working on policy-level decisions — and they’ll often be based in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember, staffers won’t commit their boss to a position on anything in the moment. Rather, Morrison said, a staffer will tell you something like“‘Thank you so much for coming. The congressperson is very concerned about your views.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But you can rest assured that they will pass the information on to the D.C. office,” Morrison said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you ask the district office to look into your personal case, like Medi-Cal, you will likely need to fill out a form to give a member of Congress permission to investigate it. After a week or so, you can follow up with a call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For policy-related issues, you must also fill out the form to meet with the D.C. staff. This is normal government etiquette, Morrison said. He recommends filling out the form and explaining whether you are an individual or part of a group and why you want to meet. There is a good chance those staffers are overburdened, so be realistic that you may need to do it a few times, Morrison explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re new to this, they will come back to you and say, ‘Gee, the congressperson is really, really busy. We’re in session right now. Could you meet with the staff person? My advice is, agree to that,” Morrison said. “We can’t all meet with the congressperson on every issue … Be prepared for a very concise meeting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of their workload, a staffer will most likely offer you a short time slot with them — 15 or 20 minutes, says Morrison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this situation, “accept whatever they offer and be tight,” Morrison said. “If they offer you a 20-minute meeting, plan [for] 15.” Make sure you concisely present your issue, he advises, and be clear that there are a lot of constituents experiencing the same thing if that’s accurate. “Follow up with an email, but also make clear that your goal is to meet with the member. Because that’s really where decisions get made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morrison said it is appropriate to ask for a staff person’s title and email when you meet with them to send a follow-up email.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What if I feel like I’m getting nowhere with these private communications?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you feel like you’re hitting a brick wall with the office and not being listened to, Levin said it could be time to get public attention for your position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Make it difficult for them to just ignore you because it is extremely easy for a representative or a senator to ignore a single constituent,” Levin said. “A typical House member represents somewhere on the order of 750,000 people. A California senator represents nearly 40 million people. One constituent is easy to ignore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But groups of constituents are far more difficult to ignore, he said: “Particularly groups of constituents that are getting positive press for the position that they hold, and the senator representative does not hold.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said showing up at rallies, gathering neighbors and writing op-eds for local press directed at a member of Congress are other ways of grabbing their attention in the public. On the latter tip, Levin noted that some staffers in congressional offices are charged with the task of combing through the local press in the district that mentions the member of Congress — all to be put in a binder and sent to higher-ups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seth Morrison from Jewish Voice for Peace said, “civil disobedience is always a possibility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You should consider it carefully and think about the pros and cons,” Morrison said. “But if you and a good group of people are deeply committed to an issue — if you’ve done your research and if you have tried through normal channels and not gotten a response — civil disobedience is something you should think about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civil disobedience includes attending rallies — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">KQED has a guide from 2022 on your rights as a protester in the Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/protesters-occupy-oakland-federal-building-call-for-ceasefire-in-gaza.amp\">Morrison himself has been \u003c/a>involved in several actions to get members of the House and Senate to sign a resolution calling for a cease-fire, including an attempt to gather at Senator Alex Padilla’s offices — which was closed to them on Nov. 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said freedom of speech and protest are valuable American tenets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it is a domestic or foreign issue, it is very important that you educate your members of the House and Senate,” Morrison said. And while he says he will “always suggest starting with the normal procedure” of reaching out to elected officials through the channels described above, Morrison said, “If the normal procedure is not working, and if you care enough about an issue, take to the streets.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Many people contact their elected officials to express opinions across a spectrum of issues. Here’s what “call your reps” actually means, how to find the right contact details, and what you can expect from a reply.",
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"description": "Reach your representative with purpose—locate their number, prepare your talking points, and handle the call like a pro.",
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"socialDescription": "Reach your representative with purpose—locate their number, prepare your talking points, and handle the call like a pro.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated Feb. 19, 2025\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">E\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>lected officials might not always feel accessible to their constituents. But making coordinated calls to flood a representative’s phone line is one way for voters in the United States to make their thoughts known — about various causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to our guide: \u003ca href=\"#whoismyrep\">How does calling your representative work?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Weeks into his second term, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026245/can-trump-actually-change-federal-funding-rules-through-executive-orders\">President Donald Trump’s barrage of executive orders\u003c/a> related to immigration, trans healthcare and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have rattled many in the Bay Area. And as reported by Axios, \u003ca href=\"https://www.axios.com/2025/02/06/democrats-congress-trump-musk-doge-calls\">the offices of some Democratic politicians have been overwhelmed with calls to “fight harder”\u003c/a> against Trump 2.0, amid what \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/nx-s1-5293166/democrats-congress-trump\">many left-leaning Americans say they see as a lack of willingness\u003c/a> to take major action against the new administration. Meanwhile, apps and sites like \u003ca href=\"https://5calls.org/\">5 Calls\u003c/a> have sought to make\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/02/11/5-calls-app-call-representative/\"> the process smoother for constituents \u003c/a>to contact their elected officials’ offices in protest of Trump’s policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last 16 months have also seen many constituents calling their elected representatives about Gaza. During a time when former President Biden was \u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calls-for-congress-ceasefire-gaza-israel_n_654d4d0ce4b0373d70b16b0f\">strongly against a ceasefire\u003c/a>, Bay Area Rep. Mike Thompson, whose district includes Napa County and portions of Contra Costa, Solano and Sonoma counties, told KQED that his constituents had been reaching out to make their thoughts known to him – both in support of a cease-fire and in support of Israel’s “right to defend themselves and … to work to get the hostages back.” An anonymous Democrat staffer told the Huffington Post that “The phone doesn’t stop ringing at any point in the day”\u003ca href=\"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calls-for-congress-ceasefire-gaza-israel_n_654d4d0ce4b0373d70b16b0f\"> in support of a ceasefire in the region\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>So what does ‘call your reps’ actually mean?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ezra Levin is deeply familiar with the process of calling politicians. Levin is\u003ca href=\"https://indivisible.org/ezra-levin-0\"> the co-founder of Indivisible\u003c/a>, a progressive organization created in the wake of Trump’s first election to the White House. Levin said that since 2016, he’s seen a lot of people who weren’t previously engaged in political activity decide to change that – and “what we witnessed was a lot of folks learning how Congress works and how to effectively make their voice heard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said that he sees this kind of “engagement with Congress coming in spikes” and usually prompted by current events. And even though it “can be very difficult to wrap your arms around something as complex as the United States federal government and how representative democracy works,” Levin said he believes that “it’s only healthy for democracy, regardless of what your ideological persuasion is, for a lot of folks in the country to understand exactly how the government works — and how they can fit into it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public reaction and this kind of direct address to elected officials “certainly has an impact,” said Janine Zacharia, former Washington Post Jerusalem bureau chief who is now a lecturer at Stanford University’s Department of Communication. From the White House to members of Congress, “everybody watches public sentiment,” she told KQED in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you want to contact your elected officials to express your opinion on something, the process — who to contact, how to do that, what to say, and what kind of response you’ll receive — can seem confusing, especially if it’s your first time doing it. KQED spoke to Levin and Seth Morrison, a Bay Area resident and the Bay Area chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace Legislative Work Group’s coordinator, on what constituents should know about calling their representative’s office in support or criticism of any cause.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#whoismyrep\">Who do I contact, and how do I find their details?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#whathappens\">Who picks up my call or email, and what happens to it?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#howtocommunicate\">What can I say to make my call or email most effective?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#arangeinpersonmeetingrep\">How can I arrange an in-person meeting with an official?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#townhalls\">How do town halls work?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"whoismyrep\">\u003c/a>How do I find my elected officials’ contact details?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You can find your state senator, state assembly member, or congressional representative\u003ca href=\"https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/who-are-my-representatives\"> through this California state government website\u003c/a>. Advocacy groups may also have their lists — for example, \u003ca href=\"https://indivisiblesf.org/call-your-reps\">Indivisible’s ‘Contact Your Reps’ list for San Francisco residents\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your federal-level elected officials include Sens. Alex Padilla and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11963215/laphonza-butler-senate-appointment-draws-praise-speculation-over-2024-plans\">Laphonza Butler\u003c/a> and representatives in the House — as well as the President himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Your state-level elected officials are politicians like Gov. Gavin Newsom, assembly members, and state senators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their similar titles, \u003ca href=\"https://www.lesniakinstitute.org/state-senator-or-congressional-senator-what-is-the-difference-and-why-should-you-care/\">federal senators and state senators are two different positions\u003c/a> and scopes of power.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>When should I contact my representative versus my senator?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As a quick government refresher, a representative is in the House and leads a slice of the population within the state (although sometimes the same town has different representatives). Your senator, on the other hand, represents the entire state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said that, in most cases, when you want to express your concerns, you would call both your representative and your senator — although “there are special circumstances where you would probably want to focus on one or the other.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One example of this would be when we’re talking about the confirmation of federal judges,” Levin said. “The House does not have a role in that. It’s fully done by the Senate.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for the vast majority of legislative questions, it \u003ci>is \u003c/i>both the House and the Senate that get to vote. For those who want to dig a little deeper into special circumstances, you can look up where your House member or senator has power by which committee they sit on. (You can \u003ca href=\"https://www.house.gov/representatives#name-p\">find that information on Congress’s website\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it’s not the full House or the full Senate that is voting for a particular piece of legislation, but instead is being considered in one of these committees,” Levin said. “So, for instance, if you’ve got a representative who happens to be on the Budget Committee, and the Budget Committee is first going to be considering the budget before it goes to the full House, you could focus your attention on that member — because they’re going to exercise an additional amount of power at that first step before it goes to the to the Senate, or before it goes to the full House.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seth Morrison with Jewish Voice for Peace also advised people to try both approaches when contacting their reps about any issue. However, he said senators are harder to move since they represent the entire state and are up for election every six years. (Members of Congress are up for election every two years.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So if you have a higher-level issue,” Morrison said — like air pollution throughout the state, for example, and “if you have support from around the state, definitely go to the senator’s office.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you would like a politician to take up your personal case, whether it involves Medicare (MediCal in California), Social Security, or the Veterans Administration, “the senator’s office can sometimes have more weight than the representative’s office,” Morrison noted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967627\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967627\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a person wearing a pink shirt holding a black cellphone as if dialing a number. Their face is not visible.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1444405762-qut-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you haven’t contacted your elected officials before, it can be confusing knowing where to start. \u003ccite>(Tim Robberts/Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Should I also call representatives other than my own?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Probably not. Since representatives are focusing on their reelection, they will likely only heed calls from their constituents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said people from other states may read or watch the news and feel strongly about the policies and positions of another state, compelling them to call that district’s representative. However, he said he’s also familiar with how staffers directed these messages from his own time as a congressional staffer prior to starting Indivisible — and says, “We called it the recycling bin because it \u003ci>was \u003c/i>the recycling bin.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We just did not respond to folks from outside the district,” Levin said. “So focusing on your own representative or your own senator is a great first place to start.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And that’s not a knock against those other representatives or senators from the other states or districts,” he clarified. “It’s literally how our representative democracy is structured.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"whathappens\">\u003c/a>Who will answer my call or email, and what will they do with it?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Levin said if you are making a call, it will likely be picked up by an intern or a young staffer — and he knows that this makes some folks concerned they’re “not having influence,” or that they might worry “‘‘Oh, there is a 20-year-old who’s answering the phone — how much impact could this actually have?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But any competent congressional office is monitoring all of the incoming communication at their office,” stressed Levin. “Which means that intern or that junior staffer is taking down your information: Who you are, what your address is, what your concerns are.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said the staffers then enter that information into a database that the office maintains. Good congressional offices — “ones that hope to do a good job proving to their constituents that they’re actually listening” — keep track of that information, he said. And on a regular basis, those staffers tally up communication from constituents to tell senior staff how many calls they received and the breakdown of who was for an issue and who was against it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While calls and emails like this may not \u003ci>immediately \u003c/i>shift the opinion of the member of Congress, they will factor into their “political calculus,” Levin explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every House member, every Senate senator is waking up every morning thinking, ‘How am I going to get reelected?’” Levin said. “And that gives constituents, particularly organized groups of constituents, a fair amount of power.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"howtocommunicate\">\u003c/a>What do I actually say or write when I’m contacting my representatives?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>You can call, email or send a letter to your representative. (People on social media have also suggested using faxing to make their representative’s office deal with physical requests and concerns. \u003ca href=\"https://faxzero.com/\">Faxzero is one way to do this online\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said calling on the phone is worthwhile — and can be “relatively easy” to do. He said you can talk for a minute or so, and advises you to make sure to:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give the staffer your name and address — so they can verify you are a legitimate constituent.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Request a response in writing “so that they actually have to look at what you said and take time to write a response to that,” Levin explained.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they do not respond after a few days, follow up and say you still feel passionately about your issue: “‘Hey, I wrote two or three days ago, still haven’t heard — this issue is still really very much on my mind, in the minds of many of the people I’m talking to in our community. I would love to hear a response,’” Levin said as an example. Most congressional offices have “pretty sophisticated” constituent response systems, Levin added, so they should be writing back.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“You do not need to feel like you are the world’s preeminent expert on whatever issue it is that you’re calling on,” Levin said. “You want to be reasonably informed, and you want to know what you’re asking for, but it is okay for your legitimacy to come from the fact that you are a constituent, and they are in office to represent you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How can I make sure I get my point across?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Your passion for an issue might feel overwhelming once you get on the phone. But Morrison and Levin both advise callers to stay measured once they are talking to a staffer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you’re building a relationship, it’s sometimes hard, but be polite,” Morrison said. “These are staff people. They’re doing their job.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be aware that the staffer you’re speaking to “cannot commit the senator or the representative” to a particular position then and there, advised Morrison. “Recognize that they have their policies and procedures.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said even if one’s anger is reasonable, a caller may be written off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Usually offices will flag those folks [who curse or threaten staffers] and refuse to interact with them,” he said. “You want to come off as a reasonable, informed constituent that you are and try to make your opinion persuasively based on your own experience and your own consideration of the issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While you can“be firm in your opinion, and be firm in requesting a response,” Levin noted that “politeness actually does work well with these offices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morrison added it’s all a matter of frequency and volume — having many people call and email their elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"townhalls\">\u003c/a>What about town halls? How do they work?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Levin said one very common thing both House and Senate members have historically done is hold regular town hall meetings where the public could go and ask their politicians questions. In his experience, these town halls were generally not well attended before the election that made Donald Trump president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember that the volume of public response matters — so Morrison advises, “If the congressperson has a town hall meeting in your district, bring ten people to the town hall meeting and ask your question.” The “bottom line is: They want to get reelected,” he said. “And so if there are large groups of people in their district that disagree with them, they need to hear [that.]”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What if you look on your representatives’ website and see they haven’t held a town hall or public event to engage with constituents in a while? In this situation, Levin said it is a reasonable request to nudge them for one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your representatives and senators should be expected to show up and talk to you because they do, in quite a literal sense, work for you,” he said. “They are employed to represent you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For representatives who aren’t responsive, Levin said some groups have organized “empty chair town halls, ” where constituents organize the meeting and invite members of Congress to attend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And if they don’t show up, they’ve got a cardboard cutout and an empty chair representing them,” he said. “I remember \u003ca href=\"https://www.wxyz.com/news/angry-constituents-bring-chicken-to-town-hall\">one example in Michigan where they brought a live chicken on stage\u003c/a> to represent the member because he just refused to show up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That kind of name-and-shame tactic can be useful in encouraging your member of Congress to actually listen to constituents,” Levin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967703\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1440px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967703\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a white coat and red beret sits at an outdoor table on the phone, writing on a notepad.\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/iStock_000010140379_Large-qut-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you’re looking to contact your elected officials, who you should contact can depend on what you want to discuss with them. \u003ccite>(Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>Do I still need to do anything if I’m actually \u003ci>happy \u003c/i>with my representative’s position?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Let’s say that you do, in fact, appreciate your representative’s action or stance on an issue. Levin said that as a former staff member, any messages of support were much appreciated since they were so rare in an onslaught of emails and calls — sometimes even printed and directly handed to the chief of staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, you could appreciate your representative’s position but worry about the position of the neighboring district’s representative. If this is the case, Levin said you can ask your representative to apply pressure to \u003ci>that \u003c/i>district’s representative — although they will likely only do it in the case that the neighboring district belongs to the opposing party (that is, Democrats will not likely travel to another Democrat’s district.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some representatives may even travel into the neighboring district and hold their own public town hall — if the latter’s representative is unwilling to talk about the issue. That action has two benefits, Levin said: “One, it highlights the fact that that member in a neighboring district has an unpopular position. And two: It builds constituent support in that district to apply pressure to that member.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"arangeinpersonmeetingrep\">\u003c/a>What if I want to meet with my elected official in person — say, about a personal case?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Morrison said it was important to start your outreach with the member of Congress’ staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Congresspeople get hundreds, if not thousands, of inquiries every day — and their staff are a key part of the team,” Morrison said. “And the best way to get a meeting with the congressperson is to first meet with their staff.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two sets of staff for a member of Congress, Morrison explained. District staff works on areas like Social Security, Medicare (Medi-Cal in California) and Veteran’s Affairs. These district staff will usually be your first point of contact and are called ‘constituent services.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other set of staffers are those working on policy-level decisions — and they’ll often be based in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Remember, staffers won’t commit their boss to a position on anything in the moment. Rather, Morrison said, a staffer will tell you something like“‘Thank you so much for coming. The congressperson is very concerned about your views.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But you can rest assured that they will pass the information on to the D.C. office,” Morrison said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you ask the district office to look into your personal case, like Medi-Cal, you will likely need to fill out a form to give a member of Congress permission to investigate it. After a week or so, you can follow up with a call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For policy-related issues, you must also fill out the form to meet with the D.C. staff. This is normal government etiquette, Morrison said. He recommends filling out the form and explaining whether you are an individual or part of a group and why you want to meet. There is a good chance those staffers are overburdened, so be realistic that you may need to do it a few times, Morrison explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re new to this, they will come back to you and say, ‘Gee, the congressperson is really, really busy. We’re in session right now. Could you meet with the staff person? My advice is, agree to that,” Morrison said. “We can’t all meet with the congressperson on every issue … Be prepared for a very concise meeting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of their workload, a staffer will most likely offer you a short time slot with them — 15 or 20 minutes, says Morrison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this situation, “accept whatever they offer and be tight,” Morrison said. “If they offer you a 20-minute meeting, plan [for] 15.” Make sure you concisely present your issue, he advises, and be clear that there are a lot of constituents experiencing the same thing if that’s accurate. “Follow up with an email, but also make clear that your goal is to meet with the member. Because that’s really where decisions get made.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Morrison said it is appropriate to ask for a staff person’s title and email when you meet with them to send a follow-up email.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What if I feel like I’m getting nowhere with these private communications?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you feel like you’re hitting a brick wall with the office and not being listened to, Levin said it could be time to get public attention for your position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Make it difficult for them to just ignore you because it is extremely easy for a representative or a senator to ignore a single constituent,” Levin said. “A typical House member represents somewhere on the order of 750,000 people. A California senator represents nearly 40 million people. One constituent is easy to ignore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But groups of constituents are far more difficult to ignore, he said: “Particularly groups of constituents that are getting positive press for the position that they hold, and the senator representative does not hold.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Levin said showing up at rallies, gathering neighbors and writing op-eds for local press directed at a member of Congress are other ways of grabbing their attention in the public. On the latter tip, Levin noted that some staffers in congressional offices are charged with the task of combing through the local press in the district that mentions the member of Congress — all to be put in a binder and sent to higher-ups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seth Morrison from Jewish Voice for Peace said, “civil disobedience is always a possibility.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You should consider it carefully and think about the pros and cons,” Morrison said. “But if you and a good group of people are deeply committed to an issue — if you’ve done your research and if you have tried through normal channels and not gotten a response — civil disobedience is something you should think about.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Civil disobedience includes attending rallies — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11821950/how-to-safely-attend-a-protest-in-the-bay-area\">KQED has a guide from 2022 on your rights as a protester in the Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/protesters-occupy-oakland-federal-building-call-for-ceasefire-in-gaza.amp\">Morrison himself has been \u003c/a>involved in several actions to get members of the House and Senate to sign a resolution calling for a cease-fire, including an attempt to gather at Senator Alex Padilla’s offices — which was closed to them on Nov. 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said freedom of speech and protest are valuable American tenets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether it is a domestic or foreign issue, it is very important that you educate your members of the House and Senate,” Morrison said. And while he says he will “always suggest starting with the normal procedure” of reaching out to elected officials through the channels described above, Morrison said, “If the normal procedure is not working, and if you care enough about an issue, take to the streets.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated July 11, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#anchor1\">Ver los recursos en español.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a list of KQED’s resources, explainers and how-to posts related to wildfires in California. Bookmark this page, or send it to someone you think will benefit from this information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(We’ve deliberately kept this page free of images so that it loads faster for you, which may be helpful in a situation where you’re dealing with poor internet/cellphone coverage.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Related: See all of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/wildfires/\">KQED’s wildfire coverage\u003c/a>.\u003cbr />\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Live Maps\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834132/see-where-wildfires-are-burning-in-california\">See Where Wildfires Are Burning in California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1930023/map-heres-your-daily-air-quality-report-for-the-bay-area\">Your Current Air Quality Report for the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1950931/map-pge-power-outages\">Current PG&E Power Outages in Northern California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Evacuation and Emergency Communications\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag to Prepare for a Wildfire\u003cbr />\n\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan\">Fire Evacuation: What Actually Happens? And How Can You Plan?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840047/during-a-disaster-your-phone-might-stop-working-how-can-you-communicate\">During a Wildfire, Your Phone Might Stop Working. How Can You Communicate? \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840375/animal-evacuation-during-a-wildfire-how-to-plan-and-where-to-go\">Animal Evacuation During a Wildfire: How to Plan And Where To Go\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11624317/wildfires-youve-got-questions-weve-got-answers\">What Does It Mean to ‘Contain’ a Wildfire? And More Answers to Your Questions\u003cbr />\n\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Information About Power Shutoffs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11836990/pge-shutoffs-are-here-again-what-to-know-about-power-outages-today\">PG&E Shutoffs: What to Know About Power Outages in the Bay Area \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1950931/map-potential-pge-power-outage-wednesday\">Map: Current PG&E Power Outages in Northern California \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Protecting Yourself From Wildfire Smoke\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1930023/map-heres-your-daily-air-quality-report-for-the-bay-area\">Map: Here’s Your Current Air Quality Report for the Bay Area\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">When Air Quality Is Bad, How Can You Protect Yourself Against Wildfire Smoke?\u003cbr />\n\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">Which Mask Should I Wear for Wildfire Smoke?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Preparing Yourself, Family and Home For Wildfire\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1965575/and-now-fire-season-heres-how-to-prepare\">Wildfire Season Just Got Worse. Here’s How to Prepare Your Home\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag to Prepare For a Wildfire\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1917346/wildfires-can-attack-your-house-from-the-inside-heres-how-to-prevent-it\">Wildfires Can Attack Your House From the Inside — Here’s How to Prevent It\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968093/disaster-planning-in-nursing-homes-the-questions-to-ask-your-loved-ones-facility\">Disaster Planning in Nursing Homes: The Questions to Ask Your Loved One’s Facility \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>The Emotional Impacts of Wildfire on Survivors and Families\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11628364/how-to-help-a-friend-who-lost-their-home-in-a-wildfire\">How to Help a Friend Who Lost Their Home in a Fire\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11624597/parenting-through-disaster-advice-from-a-mom-who-did-it\">Parenting Through Disaster: Tips From a Mom Who Did It \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11766885/from-pain-to-purpose-5-ways-to-cope-in-the-wake-of-trauma\">From Pain to Purpose: 5 Ways to Cope in the Wake of Trauma\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11764070/how-to-talk-with-kids-after-a-traumatic-event\">How to Talk With Kids After a Traumatic Event \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003chr />\n\u003ch1>\u003ca id=\"anchor1\">\u003c/a>Recursos para incendios forestales de KQED\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>Esta es una lista de los recursos, explicaciones y publicaciones de KQED sobre los incendios forestales en California. Marque esta página o envíela a alguien que usted cree puede beneficiarse de esta información.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Hemos decidido no incluir imágenes en esta página para que la información se cargue más rápido. Esto puede ser útil si usted se encuentra en una situación con poca cobertura celular o señal de internet).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Relacionado: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/wildfires/\">Vea toda la cobertura de KQED sobre los incendios forestales\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> (sólo en inglés).\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mapas en vivo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834530/vea-donde-estan-sucediendo-los-incendios-en-california\">Vea dónde arden los incendios forestales en California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Informe actual sobre la calidad del aire en el Área de la Bahía\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002735/mapa-apagones-actuales-de-pge-en-el-norte-de-california\">Cortes de energía de PG&E en el norte de California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Evacuación y Comunicaciones de Emergencia\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834103/que-debo-traer-en-mi-mochila-de-emergencia-para-los-incendios-durante-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">¿Qué debo traer en mi mochila de emergencia para los incendios?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884668/que-ocurre-realmente-en-una-evacuacion-de-incendios-y-como-se-puede-preparar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">¿Qué ocurre realmente en una evacuación de incendios? ¿Y cómo se puede preparar?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884929/durante-un-incendio-forestal-su-telefono-podria-dejar-de-funcionar-como-puede-comunicarse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Durante un incendio forestal, su teléfono podría dejar de funcionar ¿Cómo puede comunicarse?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Información sobre cortes de energía\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11837014/regresan-los-apagones-de-pge-aqui-lo-que-tiene-que-saber-sobre-los-cortes-de-energia\">Cortes de energía de PG&E: Qué saber sobre los cortes de energía en el Área de la Bahía\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002735/mapa-apagones-actuales-de-pge-en-el-norte-de-california\">Mapa: Apagones actuales de PG&E en el norte de California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Cómo protegerse del humo de los incendios forestales\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968622/mapa-reporte-actual-de-la-calidad-del-aire-en-el-area-de-la-bahia\">Mapa: Reporte actual de la calidad del aire en el Área de la Bahía\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Cuando la calidad del aire es mala, ¿cómo puede protegerse contra el humo de los incendios forestales?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834866/cubrebocas-para-el-humo-y-covid-19-que-tipo-es-mejor\">¿Qué tipo de cubrebocas debo usar para el humo de incendios forestales?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Cómo preparar a la familia y al hogar para un incendio forestal\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>La temporada de incendios forestales acaba de empeorar. Aquí le mostramos como preparar su hogar\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834103/que-debo-traer-en-mi-mochila-de-emergencia-para-los-incendios-durante-covid-19\">Qué debe preparar en su bolsa de emergencia para un incendio forestal\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los incendios forestales pueden atacar su casa desde el interior: aquí le explicamos cómo prevenirlos\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Planificación de desastres en hogares de ancianos: las preguntas que debe hacerle al centro de su ser querido\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Los recursos en español fueron traducidos por los reporteros, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/soytapatia\">María Peña\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a> y \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/amorga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adriana Morga\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated July 11, 2024.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#anchor1\">Ver los recursos en español.\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a list of KQED’s resources, explainers and how-to posts related to wildfires in California. Bookmark this page, or send it to someone you think will benefit from this information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(We’ve deliberately kept this page free of images so that it loads faster for you, which may be helpful in a situation where you’re dealing with poor internet/cellphone coverage.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Related: See all of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/wildfires/\">KQED’s wildfire coverage\u003c/a>.\u003cbr />\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Live Maps\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834132/see-where-wildfires-are-burning-in-california\">See Where Wildfires Are Burning in California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1930023/map-heres-your-daily-air-quality-report-for-the-bay-area\">Your Current Air Quality Report for the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1950931/map-pge-power-outages\">Current PG&E Power Outages in Northern California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Evacuation and Emergency Communications\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag to Prepare for a Wildfire\u003cbr />\n\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834901/fire-evacuation-what-actually-happens-and-how-can-you-plan\">Fire Evacuation: What Actually Happens? And How Can You Plan?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840047/during-a-disaster-your-phone-might-stop-working-how-can-you-communicate\">During a Wildfire, Your Phone Might Stop Working. How Can You Communicate? \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11840375/animal-evacuation-during-a-wildfire-how-to-plan-and-where-to-go\">Animal Evacuation During a Wildfire: How to Plan And Where To Go\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11624317/wildfires-youve-got-questions-weve-got-answers\">What Does It Mean to ‘Contain’ a Wildfire? And More Answers to Your Questions\u003cbr />\n\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Information About Power Shutoffs\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11836990/pge-shutoffs-are-here-again-what-to-know-about-power-outages-today\">PG&E Shutoffs: What to Know About Power Outages in the Bay Area \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1950931/map-potential-pge-power-outage-wednesday\">Map: Current PG&E Power Outages in Northern California \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Protecting Yourself From Wildfire Smoke\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1930023/map-heres-your-daily-air-quality-report-for-the-bay-area\">Map: Here’s Your Current Air Quality Report for the Bay Area\u003c/a> \u003cstrong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1926793/protecting-your-health-from-toxic-wildfire-smoke\">When Air Quality Is Bad, How Can You Protect Yourself Against Wildfire Smoke?\u003cbr />\n\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834305/masks-for-smoke-and-covid-19-what-kind-is-best\">Which Mask Should I Wear for Wildfire Smoke?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Preparing Yourself, Family and Home For Wildfire\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1965575/and-now-fire-season-heres-how-to-prepare\">Wildfire Season Just Got Worse. Here’s How to Prepare Your Home\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11833686/what-to-pack-in-your-emergency-bag-with-covid-19-in-mind\">What to Pack in Your Emergency Bag to Prepare For a Wildfire\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1917346/wildfires-can-attack-your-house-from-the-inside-heres-how-to-prevent-it\">Wildfires Can Attack Your House From the Inside — Here’s How to Prevent It\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968093/disaster-planning-in-nursing-homes-the-questions-to-ask-your-loved-ones-facility\">Disaster Planning in Nursing Homes: The Questions to Ask Your Loved One’s Facility \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>The Emotional Impacts of Wildfire on Survivors and Families\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11628364/how-to-help-a-friend-who-lost-their-home-in-a-wildfire\">How to Help a Friend Who Lost Their Home in a Fire\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11624597/parenting-through-disaster-advice-from-a-mom-who-did-it\">Parenting Through Disaster: Tips From a Mom Who Did It \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11766885/from-pain-to-purpose-5-ways-to-cope-in-the-wake-of-trauma\">From Pain to Purpose: 5 Ways to Cope in the Wake of Trauma\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11764070/how-to-talk-with-kids-after-a-traumatic-event\">How to Talk With Kids After a Traumatic Event \u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003chr />\n\u003ch1>\u003ca id=\"anchor1\">\u003c/a>Recursos para incendios forestales de KQED\u003c/h1>\n\u003cp>Esta es una lista de los recursos, explicaciones y publicaciones de KQED sobre los incendios forestales en California. Marque esta página o envíela a alguien que usted cree puede beneficiarse de esta información.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Hemos decidido no incluir imágenes en esta página para que la información se cargue más rápido. Esto puede ser útil si usted se encuentra en una situación con poca cobertura celular o señal de internet).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Relacionado: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/wildfires/\">Vea toda la cobertura de KQED sobre los incendios forestales\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> (sólo en inglés).\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Mapas en vivo\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834530/vea-donde-estan-sucediendo-los-incendios-en-california\">Vea dónde arden los incendios forestales en California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Informe actual sobre la calidad del aire en el Área de la Bahía\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002735/mapa-apagones-actuales-de-pge-en-el-norte-de-california\">Cortes de energía de PG&E en el norte de California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Evacuación y Comunicaciones de Emergencia\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834103/que-debo-traer-en-mi-mochila-de-emergencia-para-los-incendios-durante-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">¿Qué debo traer en mi mochila de emergencia para los incendios?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884668/que-ocurre-realmente-en-una-evacuacion-de-incendios-y-como-se-puede-preparar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">¿Qué ocurre realmente en una evacuación de incendios? ¿Y cómo se puede preparar?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884929/durante-un-incendio-forestal-su-telefono-podria-dejar-de-funcionar-como-puede-comunicarse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Durante un incendio forestal, su teléfono podría dejar de funcionar ¿Cómo puede comunicarse?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Información sobre cortes de energía\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11837014/regresan-los-apagones-de-pge-aqui-lo-que-tiene-que-saber-sobre-los-cortes-de-energia\">Cortes de energía de PG&E: Qué saber sobre los cortes de energía en el Área de la Bahía\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12002735/mapa-apagones-actuales-de-pge-en-el-norte-de-california\">Mapa: Apagones actuales de PG&E en el norte de California\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Cómo protegerse del humo de los incendios forestales\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1968622/mapa-reporte-actual-de-la-calidad-del-aire-en-el-area-de-la-bahia\">Mapa: Reporte actual de la calidad del aire en el Área de la Bahía\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Cuando la calidad del aire es mala, ¿cómo puede protegerse contra el humo de los incendios forestales?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834866/cubrebocas-para-el-humo-y-covid-19-que-tipo-es-mejor\">¿Qué tipo de cubrebocas debo usar para el humo de incendios forestales?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003ch2>Cómo preparar a la familia y al hogar para un incendio forestal\u003c/h2>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>La temporada de incendios forestales acaba de empeorar. Aquí le mostramos como preparar su hogar\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11834103/que-debo-traer-en-mi-mochila-de-emergencia-para-los-incendios-durante-covid-19\">Qué debe preparar en su bolsa de emergencia para un incendio forestal\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Los incendios forestales pueden atacar su casa desde el interior: aquí le explicamos cómo prevenirlos\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Planificación de desastres en hogares de ancianos: las preguntas que debe hacerle al centro de su ser querido\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Los recursos en español fueron traducidos por los reporteros, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/soytapatia\">María Peña\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/ccabreralomeli\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí\u003c/a> y \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/amorga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adriana Morga\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
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"mindshift": {
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"order": 12
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
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"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
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"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
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