We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.
San Francisco Ghirardelli Workers Strike at Iconic Flagship Store
These Peers Provided Alternative 911 Responders. San Francisco Is Removing Them
UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign
Staff at the San Francisco-Based Foundation Behind Wikipedia Demand Union Recognition
‘Unacceptable’: San Francisco Officials Question Kaiser’s Approach to AI in Mental Health
Arrests, Injuries at C&H Sugar Protest as Strike at Crockett Refinery Enters Sixth Week
An Oakland Judge Will Soon Rule on 1 of the Largest Media Mergers in Hollywood History
4,500 Google Employees Demand Job Security Amid Big Tech Layoffs
California Peach Growers Hope Next Farm Bill Will Do More for Specialty Crops
C&H Sugar, Striking Workers to Meet for First Time in Monthlong Strike
Caltrain Scrapped a $1.4M Consultant Contract. Then Came the Uproar
San José at a Stalemate With Its Largest City Employee Union
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"content": "\u003cp>Dozens of chocolatiers, cashiers and other employees at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company’s flagship store in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> entered the second day of a strike on Friday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The walkout, expected to end Saturday night, aims to pressure the company to agree to concessions after more than a year of contract negotiations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Picketers at Ghirardelli Square urged consumers to boycott the brand’s popular business at one of the city’s most iconic tourist destinations. The strike at the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is the first in more than 40 years, and comes as unionized employees oppose a company proposal they said would gut their health care benefits, making them more expensive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers picket outside Ghirardelli’s flagship store in San Francisco on July 30, 2026. (Courtesy of Unite Here)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fredrick Jones, a greeter at the shop for 17 years, told KQED he fears not being able to afford medication that keeps his body from rejecting a heart transplant he underwent last October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This benefit that we have right now is very important to us. It helped me out big time with my heart transplant,” Jones, a 47-year-old San Francisco resident, said. “That’s why we’re doing this strike, to let people know that the company is not respecting employees like they should.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Lindt & Sprüngli Group, which owns Ghirardelli, said in a statement that the company values and respects its employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ghirardelli, one of the nation’s oldest chocolate companies, was founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush by Italian chocolatier Domenico “Domingo” Ghirardelli.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are currently in active contract negotiations with the union and are committed to bargaining in good faith,” the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. “Our main focus right now is on reaching an agreement that supports our employees and ensures the long-term success of our business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lindt & Sprüngli, headquartered in Switzerland, posted nearly 6 billion Swiss francs in sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.lindt-spruengli.com/investors/financial-reporting/annual-report-2025\">last year\u003c/a>, or more than $7.3 billion. Its operating profits totaled 970 million francs, or about $1.2 billion, after expenses and the costs of goods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union representing the 45 strikers accused the company of bargaining in bad faith by refusing to share relevant information, such as how much it profits from a 6% “healthcare fee” charged to customers at Ghirardelli Plaza locations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Management aims to switch employees’ health plan to one that would impose unaffordable co-payments for emergency room visits or critical services, said Sonya Karabel, campaign researcher at Unite Here Local 2.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Sokolski (left) and Brenda Hinaga (right), both occupational therapists from Kaiser Walnut Creek, march while on strike at the picket line outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2026. Kaiser workers on the picket lines have gone without their paychecks for four weeks, and many are facing financial and other difficulties. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lindt & Sprüngli, headquartered in Switzerland, posted nearly 6 billion Swiss francs in sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.lindt-spruengli.com/investors/financial-reporting/annual-report-2025\">last year\u003c/a>, or more than $7.3 billion. Its operating profits totaled 970 million francs, or about $1.2 billion, after expenses and the costs of goods.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Striking workers say the Bay Area chocolate maker is proposing to raise employee healthcare costs.\n",
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"title": "San Francisco Ghirardelli Workers Strike at Iconic Flagship Store | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Dozens of chocolatiers, cashiers and other employees at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company’s flagship store in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> entered the second day of a strike on Friday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The walkout, expected to end Saturday night, aims to pressure the company to agree to concessions after more than a year of contract negotiations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Picketers at Ghirardelli Square urged consumers to boycott the brand’s popular business at one of the city’s most iconic tourist destinations. The strike at the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is the first in more than 40 years, and comes as unionized employees oppose a company proposal they said would gut their health care benefits, making them more expensive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12093346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260730-GHIRARDELLI-STRIKE-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers picket outside Ghirardelli’s flagship store in San Francisco on July 30, 2026. (Courtesy of Unite Here)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fredrick Jones, a greeter at the shop for 17 years, told KQED he fears not being able to afford medication that keeps his body from rejecting a heart transplant he underwent last October.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This benefit that we have right now is very important to us. It helped me out big time with my heart transplant,” Jones, a 47-year-old San Francisco resident, said. “That’s why we’re doing this strike, to let people know that the company is not respecting employees like they should.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Lindt & Sprüngli Group, which owns Ghirardelli, said in a statement that the company values and respects its employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ghirardelli, one of the nation’s oldest chocolate companies, was founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush by Italian chocolatier Domenico “Domingo” Ghirardelli.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are currently in active contract negotiations with the union and are committed to bargaining in good faith,” the spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. “Our main focus right now is on reaching an agreement that supports our employees and ensures the long-term success of our business.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lindt & Sprüngli, headquartered in Switzerland, posted nearly 6 billion Swiss francs in sales \u003ca href=\"https://www.lindt-spruengli.com/investors/financial-reporting/annual-report-2025\">last year\u003c/a>, or more than $7.3 billion. Its operating profits totaled 970 million francs, or about $1.2 billion, after expenses and the costs of goods.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union representing the 45 strikers accused the company of bargaining in bad faith by refusing to share relevant information, such as how much it profits from a 6% “healthcare fee” charged to customers at Ghirardelli Plaza locations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Management aims to switch employees’ health plan to one that would impose unaffordable co-payments for emergency room visits or critical services, said Sonya Karabel, campaign researcher at Unite Here Local 2.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260219-strikingkaiserworkers00781_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Josh Sokolski (left) and Brenda Hinaga (right), both occupational therapists from Kaiser Walnut Creek, march while on strike at the picket line outside Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center on Feb. 19, 2026. Kaiser workers on the picket lines have gone without their paychecks for four weeks, and many are facing financial and other difficulties. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Customers expect, ‘Oh, okay, this [fee] is gonna cover workers’ health insurance.’ And yet, Ghirardelli is trying to cut their health insurance,” Karabel said. “They need to be transparent about what kind of resources they’re getting from customers that are supposed to be dedicated to paying for health care coverage.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last year, disputes over health benefits became a flash point driving work stoppages nationwide, as medical coverage costs continued to rise, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/faculty-and-research/labor-action-tracker-2025\">a report\u003c/a> by researchers at Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent months, Bay Area \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12083589/uc-reaches-contract-deal-with-service-hospital-workers-averting-strike\">service workers\u003c/a> at the University of California, warehouse staff at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092155/arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week\">C&H Sugar refinery\u003c/a> in Crockett and patient care \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074265/widespread-kaiser-strike-to-end-after-4-weeks-with-no-deal-yet\">employees at Kaiser Permanente\u003c/a> have said that protecting or improving their health insurance was a main reason for striking.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "these-peers-provided-alternative-911-responders-san-francisco-is-removing-them",
"title": "These Peers Provided Alternative 911 Responders. San Francisco Is Removing Them",
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"content": "\u003cp>After losing her job because of substance abuse, Chantel Hernandez-Wood was living \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">on the streets of San Francisco\u003c/a> when she saw a red van parked nearby one day in 2022. It was the city’s former Street Overdose Response Team, and she flagged them down for help. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Harmon is desperate to keep the peer responders on 911 calls, saying she’s seen firsthand how their approach can be both life-saving and ease the burden for other first responders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why would you cut out the heart and soul of the program,” she said, “and risk burning out your own people?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Harmon is desperate to keep the peer responders on 911 calls, saying she’s seen firsthand how their approach can be both life-saving and ease the burden for other first responders. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Harmon is desperate to keep the peer responders on 911 calls, saying she’s seen firsthand how their approach can be both life-saving and ease the burden for other first responders. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why would you cut out the heart and soul of the program,” she said, “and risk burning out your own people?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After losing her job because of substance abuse, Chantel Hernandez-Wood was living \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">on the streets of San Francisco\u003c/a> when she saw a red van parked nearby one day in 2022. It was the city’s former Street Overdose Response Team, and she flagged them down for help. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equipped with a peer counselor trained to connect with people in crisis, the crew drove her to a recovery center, where she received medication to assist with alcohol withdrawal and entered a 90-day recovery program. While there, she decided she wanted to do the same kind of work as the people who came to her rescue. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It felt like I meant something to someone. They went above and beyond to help get me off the streets,” Hernandez-Wood told KQED. “I thought, ‘I’d love to do that, I want to give back.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After successfully finishing the recovery program, Hernandez-Wood completed training to become a certified peer support specialist, learning techniques to engage with vulnerable populations and navigate social services. She started working at the nonprofit Glide, helping people who struggle with drug use, went on to work on the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1994288/you-mean-something-to-someone-overcoming-homelessness-and-addiction-this-san-francisco-woman-now-helps-others-heal\">Street Overdose Response Team\u003c/a>, and later stepped into her current role as a peer responder on the Street Crisis Response Team. Peer responders currently pair with fire department paramedics to respond to some calls together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged woman stands in front of a red van labeled 'Street Overdose Response Team'\" class=\"wp-image-12014173\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240903-OverdoseResponse-48-BL_qed-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Counselor Chantel Hernandez-Wood, member of the Street Overdose Response Team, gets supplies from her van after speaking with two people sitting on the street in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so surreal, because I was working on the same type of team that helped me when I needed help the most,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, San Francisco is quietly shifting its emergency response networks and the roles that peers with lived experience have within them. The fire department is planning to remove peer specialists from its 911 response this summer, setting off alarms for peer advocates who say the decision is a regressive step in the city’s approach to mental and behavioral health emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s just an incredible disservice to the community,” Hernandez-Wood said. “I feel blindsided.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fire department officials said the move to pull peers off of the Street Crisis Response Team came after “careful consideration,” and cited challenges with scheduling that made picking up the peer responders before calls difficult. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This decision was not made lightly and reflects the evolving needs and direction of crisis response within the larger 911 system,” a spokesperson for the fire department said in an email. “We believe that by working together within the Street Response framework, SFFD can ensure those we serve continue to receive the appropriate response.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Widespread protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked national discussions around how first responders can better serve people experiencing a mental health crisis, overdose or other behavioral health issues. In the wake of those conversations, the city did not decrease its police budget, but instead created new teams to respond to people in crisis, including the Street Crisis Response Team.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The peer responders are not fire department employees, but are contracted through the nonprofit RAMS, which the Department of Public Health administers. Others are specialists with the San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team. The Department of Public Health declined to comment on the staffing changes, saying the Street Crisis Response Team is under the fire department’s purview. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Peer responders with the Street Crisis Response Team help address issues ranging from a street-level overdose to a domestic dispute in a penthouse, offering support for de-escalation, navigating social services and sometimes bringing lived experiences to a crew of medical and safety professionals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people will look to their peers for guidance or answers because we’re not in uniform,” Hernandez-Wood said. “A lot of unhoused folks that have substance use disorders, they don’t want to talk to anybody in uniform, they just feel more comfortable and less intimidated.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco has served as a model for other cities and jurisdictions looking to improve the way that they address complicated 911 emergency calls. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a33e881b631bc60d4f8b31/t/668d922525a2bc711295fe86/1720554079016/San+Francisco%27s+Public+Safety+System\">report\u003c/a> by the Policing Project at New York University found that the city’s programs “saved law enforcement resources, freeing up the police for other more pressing work.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/San-Francisco-Fire-Dept-Getty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A San Francisco fire engine on March 25, 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the novel approach presented challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the report, “911 dispatchers are stretched thin and struggle with the scripted protocols they must use to assess call eligibility, in particular because those protocols may not always resolve the calls they receive. There still is some confusion among frontline workers about responsibilities of each at the scene of an incident. And many community members and some call takers are disappointed that alternative responses are not solving complex social problems.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Fire Department has meanwhile been developing its Community Paramedicine team, whose members have training in trauma-informed care and resource navigation, to more appropriately respond to people struggling with substance use, mental health crises, homelessness and other behavioral health challenges. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The community paramedics have more training in emergency medicine, and they arrive in uniform and steel-toed boots, unlike the peer specialists, who work in regular street clothes, a small but important detail that can signal a more relatable helper for some 911 callers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The last day on the Street Crisis Response rigs for peer responders, who say their lived experience is central to their expertise, is Aug. 14.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amelia Harmon, who works with peer responders on the Street Crisis Response Team, has been advocating to keep the positions within the fire department at public health and law enforcement commission meetings, as well as urging city supervisors to step in to reverse the decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said it’s especially urgent after behavioral health clinicians were removed from the Street Crisis Response Team in 2023. Pulling peer responders off of 911 responses is further “chipping away” at the work that she and others have spent the last five years building, she said. \u003cbr>\u003cbr>“Removing peers doesn’t cut costs, it moves costs to the most expensive part of the system,” said Harmon, a peer supervisor with RAMS. “Why would we forfeit high-quality care that has mechanisms for federal and state reimbursement in this budget climate?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The decision to remove peer specialists from 911 responses is also drawing wider criticism from other workers in the city’s homelessness response system and public safety. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I have personal experience with crisis, and I would rather speak to a non-uniformed peer,” said Joshua Cantero, a case manager at a San Francisco homeless shelter, in a letter to the Board of Supervisors. A peer counselor, Cantero wrote, “makes the clients feel more comfortable and assists with getting them into shelters and making them feel safe.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s not yet clear what will happen next to the peer responders. They have not received layoff notices and could be reassigned to different street teams. Fire department officials said they will continue to refer people to experts with lived experience when it’s appropriate. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Harmon is desperate to keep the peer responders on 911 calls, saying she’s seen firsthand how their approach can be both life-saving and ease the burden for other first responders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why would you cut out the heart and soul of the program,” she said, “and risk burning out your own people?”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "uc-doctors-seek-to-unionize-10000-colleagues-in-massive-campaign",
"title": "UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign",
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"headTitle": "UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> is confronting a large unionization effort among employees who have historically stayed outside of unions: doctors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move points to a marked shift in the healthcare industry, where in the past, it has been somewhat rare for generally highly paid doctors to join unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But interest in collective bargaining within the medical profession has accelerated, particularly post-pandemic, as more physicians report deteriorating working conditions and a loss of clinical autonomy amidst an increasingly consolidated and profit-driven industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doctors attend a press conference held by UCSF attending doctors to announce the UC unionization effort with SEIU Doctors United at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in San Francisco, California. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for SEIU Doctors United)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attending physicians at UC, who make clinical decisions and often supervise residents and medical students, said they are stretched thin with unsustainable patient loads, understaffing and less decision-making power — concerns often echoed by nurses and other patient care workers with higher union participation rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, UC said it takes concerns about physicians’ workload, staffing and professional support seriously, adding that burnout is a nationwide challenge driven by workforce shortages and other factors. UC Health leaders regularly work with staff physicians to improve the job environment and evaluate hiring and retention needs, the university said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We remain committed to listening to physicians and clinical faculty, addressing concerns and continuously improving the experience of the people who make UC Health’s clinical, educational and research missions possible,” UC’s statement said. “UC Health locations continually assess staffing, recruitment, security practices and workplace needs, recognizing that conditions vary across specialties, departments and care settings.”\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer and the nation’s largest public healthcare system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include a comment from the University of California, which did not respond before original publication.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, UC said it takes concerns about physicians’ workload, staffing and professional support seriously, adding that burnout is a nationwide challenge driven by workforce shortages and other factors. UC Health leaders regularly work with staff physicians to improve the job environment and evaluate hiring and retention needs, the university said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We remain committed to listening to physicians and clinical faculty, addressing concerns and continuously improving the experience of the people who make UC Health’s clinical, educational and research missions possible,” UC’s statement said. “UC Health locations continually assess staffing, recruitment, security practices and workplace needs, recognizing that conditions vary across specialties, departments and care settings.”\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer and the nation’s largest public healthcare system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include a comment from the University of California, which did not respond before original publication.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The University of California is the state’s second largest employer and its health centers serve 2.5 million Californians across the state each year. ",
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"title": "UC Doctors Seek to Unionize 10,000 Colleagues in Massive Campaign | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> is confronting a large unionization effort among employees who have historically stayed outside of unions: doctors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move points to a marked shift in the healthcare industry, where in the past, it has been somewhat rare for generally highly paid doctors to join unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But interest in collective bargaining within the medical profession has accelerated, particularly post-pandemic, as more physicians report deteriorating working conditions and a loss of clinical autonomy amidst an increasingly consolidated and profit-driven industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doctors attend a press conference held by UCSF attending doctors to announce the UC unionization effort with SEIU Doctors United at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in San Francisco, California. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for SEIU Doctors United)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attending physicians at UC, who make clinical decisions and often supervise residents and medical students, said they are stretched thin with unsustainable patient loads, understaffing and less decision-making power — concerns often echoed by nurses and other patient care workers with higher union participation rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, UC said it takes concerns about physicians’ workload, staffing and professional support seriously, adding that burnout is a nationwide challenge driven by workforce shortages and other factors. UC Health leaders regularly work with staff physicians to improve the job environment and evaluate hiring and retention needs, the university said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We remain committed to listening to physicians and clinical faculty, addressing concerns and continuously improving the experience of the people who make UC Health’s clinical, educational and research missions possible,” UC’s statement said. “UC Health locations continually assess staffing, recruitment, security practices and workplace needs, recognizing that conditions vary across specialties, departments and care settings.”\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer and the nation’s largest public healthcare system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A second union, University Professional & Technical Employees, is also \u003ca href=\"https://uc-physicians.org/\">organizing\u003c/a> attending physicians at UC. According to Logan, over half of these doctors systemwide would have to show union support in order for the university to be required to recognize them as a unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was updated to include a comment from the University of California, which did not respond before original publication.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Staff at the San Francisco-Based Foundation Behind Wikipedia Demand Union Recognition",
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"content": "\u003cp>Workers at the Wikimedia Foundation — the San Francisco-based foundation that hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wikipedia\">Wikipedia\u003c/a> — demanded voluntary recognition of their union, Wiki Workers United U.S., on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The staff who run the platform say they want a stronger voice in their workplace, better job protections and an end to common practices that make life “precarious for everyday workers,” according to Jeremy Bernick, one of the union organizers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They gave the foundation until Friday to respond to their request for recognition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, hosts roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">65 million entries\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias\">364 languages\u003c/a>. It is considered a backbone of the internet — boasting an average of 508 million views per day for the past decade, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/wikipedia-at-25-what-the-data-tells-us/#how-many-people-visit-wikipedia\">Pew Research Center\u003c/a>. While Wikipedia is the nonprofit’s largest and most well-known project, the Wikimedia Foundation, which did not respond to requests for comment, supports over a dozen related “sister” projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092438\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Wikipedia homepage on March 11, 2011. (SD619/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bernick said that this campaign is the workers’ third attempt at unionizing and the farthest they’ve gotten in the process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there is a lot of fear right now,” Bernick said — highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on public media, the cost of living crisis and concerns about artificial intelligence as some of the factors driving more staff toward unionization. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As employers make decisions about how and when to integrate AI, Bernick wants to see “workers in the loop.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without our say, these systems are not really effective,” Bernick said. “A lot of the time they can make our work less impactful or more strenuous.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release from the Communications Workers of America — Wiki Workers United’s parent union — also said that “recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May, the foundation disbanded the Community Tech team, the bridge between the foundation and the volunteers who update the articles. The decision sparked major backlash, in part, because the team was largely composed of union members, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity\">petition\u003c/a> written by Wikipedia editors with 1,190 signatures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia editors are a group of nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">280,000 volunteers\u003c/a> who write and edit the articles. The petition states that the undersigned editors, who have cumulatively made over 17,582,148 edits, according to the page, will strike in support of the union if called. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This demand for recognition comes after the U.K. chapter of Wiki Workers United made a similar request of the foundation last month, according to the press release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union hopes to be a sign that it’s OK for tech workers to ask for protections, Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to accept the status quo,” Bernick said. “We see having a union as sort of a basic right.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, hosts roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">65 million entries\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias\">364 languages\u003c/a>. It is considered a backbone of the internet — boasting an average of 508 million views per day for the past decade, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/wikipedia-at-25-what-the-data-tells-us/#how-many-people-visit-wikipedia\">Pew Research Center\u003c/a>. While Wikipedia is the nonprofit’s largest and most well-known project, the Wikimedia Foundation, which did not respond to requests for comment, supports over a dozen related “sister” projects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think there is a lot of fear right now,” Bernick said — highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on public media, the cost of living crisis and concerns about artificial intelligence as some of the factors driving more staff toward unionization. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Without our say, these systems are not really effective,” Bernick said. “A lot of the time they can make our work less impactful or more strenuous.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A press release from the Communications Workers of America — Wiki Workers United’s parent union — also said that “recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May, the foundation disbanded the Community Tech team, the bridge between the foundation and the volunteers who update the articles. The decision sparked major backlash, in part, because the team was largely composed of union members, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity\">petition\u003c/a> written by Wikipedia editors with 1,190 signatures.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This demand for recognition comes after the U.K. chapter of Wiki Workers United made a similar request of the foundation last month, according to the press release. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union hopes to be a sign that it’s OK for tech workers to ask for protections, Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to accept the status quo,” Bernick said. “We see having a union as sort of a basic right.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Workers at the Wikimedia Foundation — the San Francisco-based foundation that hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/wikipedia\">Wikipedia\u003c/a> — demanded voluntary recognition of their union, Wiki Workers United U.S., on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The staff who run the platform say they want a stronger voice in their workplace, better job protections and an end to common practices that make life “precarious for everyday workers,” according to Jeremy Bernick, one of the union organizers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They gave the foundation until Friday to respond to their request for recognition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia, the world’s largest encyclopedia, hosts roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">65 million entries\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias\">364 languages\u003c/a>. It is considered a backbone of the internet — boasting an average of 508 million views per day for the past decade, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/13/wikipedia-at-25-what-the-data-tells-us/#how-many-people-visit-wikipedia\">Pew Research Center\u003c/a>. While Wikipedia is the nonprofit’s largest and most well-known project, the Wikimedia Foundation, which did not respond to requests for comment, supports over a dozen related “sister” projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092438\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/WikipediaGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Wikipedia homepage on March 11, 2011. (SD619/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bernick said that this campaign is the workers’ third attempt at unionizing and the farthest they’ve gotten in the process.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think there is a lot of fear right now,” Bernick said — highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on public media, the cost of living crisis and concerns about artificial intelligence as some of the factors driving more staff toward unionization. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As employers make decisions about how and when to integrate AI, Bernick wants to see “workers in the loop.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without our say, these systems are not really effective,” Bernick said. “A lot of the time they can make our work less impactful or more strenuous.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A press release from the Communications Workers of America — Wiki Workers United’s parent union — also said that “recent events at the Wikimedia Foundation have drastically escalated worker concerns regarding transparency, trust, the organization’s future, and leadership’s commitment to the free knowledge movement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May, the foundation disbanded the Community Tech team, the bridge between the foundation and the volunteers who update the articles. The decision sparked major backlash, in part, because the team was largely composed of union members, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wiki_Workers_United_solidarity\">petition\u003c/a> written by Wikipedia editors with 1,190 signatures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wikipedia editors are a group of nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00074-1\">280,000 volunteers\u003c/a> who write and edit the articles. The petition states that the undersigned editors, who have cumulatively made over 17,582,148 edits, according to the page, will strike in support of the union if called. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This demand for recognition comes after the U.K. chapter of Wiki Workers United made a similar request of the foundation last month, according to the press release. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union hopes to be a sign that it’s OK for tech workers to ask for protections, Bernick said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to accept the status quo,” Bernick said. “We see having a union as sort of a basic right.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "unacceptable-san-francisco-officials-question-kaisers-approach-to-ai-in-mental-health",
"title": "‘Unacceptable’: San Francisco Officials Question Kaiser’s Approach to AI in Mental Health",
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"content": "\u003cp>Unlicensed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073839/kaiser-therapists-take-key-step-toward-1-day-strike\">phone operators and algorithms\u003c/a> directing patients to inadequate telehealth services. Controversial \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999553/will-ai-replace-your-therapist-kaiser-wont-say-no\">artificial intelligence technologies\u003c/a> are increasingly deployed at clinics. Distraught patients who can’t get an appointment with a human for weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those were some of the alarms raised by Kaiser Permanente clinicians who told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors the healthcare giant has failed to significantly improve its mental-health services, even after recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073484/kaiser-workers-say-patients-deserve-better-mental-health-care-after-31m-settlement\">sanctions by state and federal regulators\u003c/a> for denying or delaying care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hearing Tuesday examined Kaiser’s \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/wp-content/uploads/Kaiser_IBHS_fact_sheet_SFBOS_hearing_20260701.pdf\">contract \u003c/a>proposals during labor negotiations, which the union said would allow the employer to expand its use of AI tools in mental-health care and lay off more therapists who currently provide it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Experts said these changes could degrade care by giving the company a free pass to outsource patients to companies that use chatbots and squeeze overworked professionals — claims Kaiser denies. The clinicians pleaded with supervisors to pressure their employer to strengthen patient care and support its staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The things that we discussed today are infuriating, concerning and unacceptable,” said Supervisor Chyanne Chen, who called the hearing after multiple constituents, including Kaiser employees, complained about the healthcare company’s approach.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser executives declined to attend the hearing, a move several supervisors decried as disappointing or even “disrespectful.” The city of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District and other public employers paid Kaiser $508 million in health premiums last year to cover more than 39,000 employees and retirees, according to the San Francisco Health Service System. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Kaiser Permanente building at 1800 Harrison (center-top) in Oakland on March 16, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Their nonpresence suggests to me that the picture that’s being painted by the workers is pretty accurate,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We do not want to be subjecting our employees and our retirees to a situation where they can’t actually get the care that they need.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 2023, Kaiser has agreed to pay more than $231 million in settlements after investigations into the company’s behavioral treatment access by the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Managed Health Care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit health organization said it has invested more than $2 billion since 2020 to expand its mental-health facilities and provider networks, and now consistently meets California law requiring health plans to provide timely access to care. Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, made a net income of $9.3 billion last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the yearlong contract talks, Kaiser has resisted language stating that the company won’t use AI to replace therapists and proposed making it easier to lay them off, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 2,400 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and other behavioral health professionals at Kaiser in Northern California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union, which staged a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076753/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-hold-1-day-strike-over-ai-patient-care-concerns\">one-day strike\u003c/a> earlier this year and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">10-week strike\u003c/a> in 2022, said the parties are set to start mediation next month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Monday, the union filed its latest complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care alleging that a Kaiser triage system that initially screens patients seeking mental-health care violates California law because it relies on automated algorithms and unlicensed clerical staff — instead of licensed clinicians — to recommend care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s violating patient care standards and putting patients at risk. Artificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,” Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Kaiser in Oakland, told supervisors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marcucci-Morris said she has seen AI making patient care errors at work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This isn’t about genuine innovation. It’s about saving a buck at the expense of patient care and public health. If we don’t stop them now, we won’t stand a chance down the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser argued that clerical staff who make appointments for patients are trained to escalate an emergency to clinical staff, and its behavioral health e-visit tool helps connect members to care more quickly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is an additional path to getting care — not the only path,” the company’s statement said. “On every screen throughout the e-visit process, the patient is provided a phone number that they can call at any time to talk to a live person.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kaiser executives declined to attend the hearing, a move several supervisors decried as disappointing or even “disrespectful.” The city of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District and other public employers paid Kaiser $508 million in health premiums last year to cover more than 39,000 employees and retirees, according to the San Francisco Health Service System. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Kaiser Permanente building at 1800 Harrison (center-top) in Oakland on March 16, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Their nonpresence suggests to me that the picture that’s being painted by the workers is pretty accurate,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We do not want to be subjecting our employees and our retirees to a situation where they can’t actually get the care that they need.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since 2023, Kaiser has agreed to pay more than $231 million in settlements after investigations into the company’s behavioral treatment access by the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Managed Health Care.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The nonprofit health organization said it has invested more than $2 billion since 2020 to expand its mental-health facilities and provider networks, and now consistently meets California law requiring health plans to provide timely access to care. Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, made a net income of $9.3 billion last year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the yearlong contract talks, Kaiser has resisted language stating that the company won’t use AI to replace therapists and proposed making it easier to lay them off, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 2,400 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and other behavioral health professionals at Kaiser in Northern California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The union, which staged a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076753/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-hold-1-day-strike-over-ai-patient-care-concerns\">one-day strike\u003c/a> earlier this year and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">10-week strike\u003c/a> in 2022, said the parties are set to start mediation next month.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Monday, the union filed its latest complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care alleging that a Kaiser triage system that initially screens patients seeking mental-health care violates California law because it relies on automated algorithms and unlicensed clerical staff — instead of licensed clinicians — to recommend care. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s violating patient care standards and putting patients at risk. Artificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,” Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Kaiser in Oakland, told supervisors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Marcucci-Morris said she has seen AI making patient care errors at work.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This isn’t about genuine innovation. It’s about saving a buck at the expense of patient care and public health. If we don’t stop them now, we won’t stand a chance down the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kaiser argued that clerical staff who make appointments for patients are trained to escalate an emergency to clinical staff, and its behavioral health e-visit tool helps connect members to care more quickly.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is an additional path to getting care — not the only path,” the company’s statement said. “On every screen throughout the e-visit process, the patient is provided a phone number that they can call at any time to talk to a live person.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "In a hearing, therapists decried Kaiser’s proposed contract terms during labor negotiations, which they argued would undermine mental health services. The largest health insurer for city employees said it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental health services.",
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"title": "‘Unacceptable’: San Francisco Officials Question Kaiser’s Approach to AI in Mental Health | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Unlicensed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073839/kaiser-therapists-take-key-step-toward-1-day-strike\">phone operators and algorithms\u003c/a> directing patients to inadequate telehealth services. Controversial \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999553/will-ai-replace-your-therapist-kaiser-wont-say-no\">artificial intelligence technologies\u003c/a> are increasingly deployed at clinics. Distraught patients who can’t get an appointment with a human for weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those were some of the alarms raised by Kaiser Permanente clinicians who told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors the healthcare giant has failed to significantly improve its mental-health services, even after recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073484/kaiser-workers-say-patients-deserve-better-mental-health-care-after-31m-settlement\">sanctions by state and federal regulators\u003c/a> for denying or delaying care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The hearing Tuesday examined Kaiser’s \u003ca href=\"https://nuhw.org/wp-content/uploads/Kaiser_IBHS_fact_sheet_SFBOS_hearing_20260701.pdf\">contract \u003c/a>proposals during labor negotiations, which the union said would allow the employer to expand its use of AI tools in mental-health care and lay off more therapists who currently provide it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Experts said these changes could degrade care by giving the company a free pass to outsource patients to companies that use chatbots and squeeze overworked professionals — claims Kaiser denies. The clinicians pleaded with supervisors to pressure their employer to strengthen patient care and support its staff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The things that we discussed today are infuriating, concerning and unacceptable,” said Supervisor Chyanne Chen, who called the hearing after multiple constituents, including Kaiser employees, complained about the healthcare company’s approach.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chen said she’ll introduce a resolution next week calling on the state’s largest health plan to agree to contract language stating it will use AI to help therapists — not replace them — and back off a proposal that would allow it to refer more patients to third-party contractors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser executives declined to attend the hearing, a move several supervisors decried as disappointing or even “disrespectful.” The city of San Francisco, San Francisco Unified School District and other public employers paid Kaiser $508 million in health premiums last year to cover more than 39,000 employees and retirees, according to the San Francisco Health Service System. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12076763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Kaiser Permanente building at 1800 Harrison (center-top) in Oakland on March 16, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Their nonpresence suggests to me that the picture that’s being painted by the workers is pretty accurate,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. “We do not want to be subjecting our employees and our retirees to a situation where they can’t actually get the care that they need.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a statement, Kaiser said it does not use AI to diagnose patients or make clinical decisions, and that it remains focused on providing timely, high-quality mental-health care while reaching a fair agreement with the therapists’ union. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Since 2023, Kaiser has agreed to pay more than $231 million in settlements after investigations into the company’s behavioral treatment access by the U.S. Department of Labor and the California Department of Managed Health Care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The nonprofit health organization said it has invested more than $2 billion since 2020 to expand its mental-health facilities and provider networks, and now consistently meets California law requiring health plans to provide timely access to care. Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, made a net income of $9.3 billion last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the yearlong contract talks, Kaiser has resisted language stating that the company won’t use AI to replace therapists and proposed making it easier to lay them off, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents 2,400 psychologists, licensed clinical social workers and other behavioral health professionals at Kaiser in Northern California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union, which staged a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076753/northern-california-kaiser-therapists-hold-1-day-strike-over-ai-patient-care-concerns\">one-day strike\u003c/a> earlier this year and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11929713/kaiser-mental-health-workers-appove-new-contract-ending-10-week-strike\">10-week strike\u003c/a> in 2022, said the parties are set to start mediation next month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Monday, the union filed its latest complaint with the California Department of Managed Health Care alleging that a Kaiser triage system that initially screens patients seeking mental-health care violates California law because it relies on automated algorithms and unlicensed clerical staff — instead of licensed clinicians — to recommend care. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s violating patient care standards and putting patients at risk. Artificial intelligence and algorithms don’t capture what trained humans can,” Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Kaiser in Oakland, told supervisors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marcucci-Morris said she has seen AI making patient care errors at work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This isn’t about genuine innovation. It’s about saving a buck at the expense of patient care and public health. If we don’t stop them now, we won’t stand a chance down the road,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kaiser argued that clerical staff who make appointments for patients are trained to escalate an emergency to clinical staff, and its behavioral health e-visit tool helps connect members to care more quickly.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is an additional path to getting care — not the only path,” the company’s statement said. “On every screen throughout the e-visit process, the patient is provided a phone number that they can call at any time to talk to a live person.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "arrests-injuries-at-ch-sugar-protest-as-strike-at-crockett-refinery-enters-sixth-week",
"title": "Arrests, Injuries at C&H Sugar Protest as Strike at Crockett Refinery Enters Sixth Week",
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"headTitle": "Arrests, Injuries at C&H Sugar Protest as Strike at Crockett Refinery Enters Sixth Week | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested nine people after a protest outside the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090638/ch-sugar-striking-workers-to-meet-for-first-time-in-month-long-strike\">C&H Sugar refinery in Crockett\u003c/a> on Tuesday, where warehouse and dockworkers have been striking for six weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s office spokesperson Jimmy Lee said the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly after “repeated efforts to gain compliance” and multiple attempts to disperse a crowd protesting outside the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 walked off the job last month amid stalled contract negotiations. C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, have refused to cross picket lines in solidarity throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s officials said they responded to the refinery on Loring Avenue on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple reports of rocks being thrown at trucks attempting to enter the facility, and protesters blocking the roadway, preventing workers’ movement in and out. ILWU Local 10 officials denied that members threw rocks at vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Crockett refinery usually processes six million pounds of raw cane sugar per day, but operations have been disrupted since the 90 warehouse employees went on strike June 15 amid bargaining over wages, sick time and retirement benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/803A0691-scaled-e1784753898575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092193\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kendra Sparks is a lifelong Crockett resident and 30-year employee of C&H Sugar. Her father, Greg Soria, retired from C&H after 40 years and would lose healthcare benefits he earned with the company under terms proposed by C&H, she said. (Courtesy of Roy San Fillipo, ILWU)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 negotiators previously told KQED that C&H has offered their members a 20% raise over five years, while halving sick days and getting rid of benefits for retired employees. Union members said at the time that the salary increase wasn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for C&H told KQED that while the company “has worked tirelessly to resolve the labor dispute and responsibly operate our business, the ILWU has opted instead to engage in unlawful and dangerous activity that has threatened the health and safety of our employees, independent drivers, contractors, Crockett residents and law enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have respected the union’s right to strike, but we do not accept this dangerous and illegal behavior,” the spokesperson said via email. “We are grateful to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol who responded yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because dockworkers have refused to cross the picket line, C&H began diverting some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, in recent weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But days ago, the company redirected a ship, known as the Tai Herald, from Richmond to Crockett, where it sat docked until Monday. Then, C&H hired nonunionized workers to unload it, Villeggiante said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, ILWU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports, including Oakland, Eureka, Sacramento and Benicia, to join the picket at Crockett at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Villeggiante said at least 400 people joined for a “peaceful rally” featuring music and entertainment as picketers marched back and forth across every entrance at the property.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s our jurisdiction,” he said. “Going all the way back to 1934, we were awarded to unload and load these ships. And we have a practice of doing those ships at C&H Sugar since 1938.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the county sheriff’s office, personnel arrived around 11 a.m., and stayed on scene for five hours trying to maintain order and facilitate traffic movement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said that the crowd dwindled to about 150 throughout the day as more police presence appeared. The tense confrontation occurred in the afternoon, after sheriff’s officials said they broadcast multiple announcements to the crowd to disperse and asked the picketers to clear a driveway to let workers out of the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said he instructed ILWU members to move, but some protesters remained in front of the driveway. The nine arrested were booked at the Martinez Detention Facility after Villeggiante said law enforcement “manhandled” multiple union members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Four ILWU Local 10 members were arrested, including the three who stayed in custody overnight and were bailed out this morning. He said the fourth member spent the night in the hospital after he was thrown into glass and cut his face during an altercation with officers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said the others arrested were “spectators or community people or students.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said that he believes ILWU Local 6 and C&H were back at the bargaining table, but that ILWU Local 10 would continue to strike alongside warehouse workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The last two mediations that they went back to, there wasn’t much given; it was all takeaways,” he said. “There’s no bargaining in good faith when you are concessionary bargaining.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 walked off the job last month amid stalled contract negotiations. C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, have refused to cross picket lines in solidarity throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s officials said they responded to the refinery on Loring Avenue on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple reports of rocks being thrown at trucks attempting to enter the facility, and protesters blocking the roadway, preventing workers’ movement in and out. ILWU Local 10 officials denied that members threw rocks at vehicles.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Crockett refinery usually processes six million pounds of raw cane sugar per day, but operations have been disrupted since the 90 warehouse employees went on strike June 15 amid bargaining over wages, sick time and retirement benefits. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 negotiators previously told KQED that C&H has offered their members a 20% raise over five years, while halving sick days and getting rid of benefits for retired employees. Union members said at the time that the salary increase wasn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But days ago, the company redirected a ship, known as the Tai Herald, from Richmond to Crockett, where it sat docked until Monday. Then, C&H hired nonunionized workers to unload it, Villeggiante said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In response, ILWU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports, including Oakland, Eureka, Sacramento and Benicia, to join the picket at Crockett at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Villeggiante said at least 400 people joined for a “peaceful rally” featuring music and entertainment as picketers marched back and forth across every entrance at the property.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That’s our jurisdiction,” he said. “Going all the way back to 1934, we were awarded to unload and load these ships. And we have a practice of doing those ships at C&H Sugar since 1938.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies declared an unlawful assembly and arrested nine protesters on Tuesday. Representatives from ILWU Local 6 and C&H have since returned to the bargaining table. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies arrested nine people after a protest outside the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090638/ch-sugar-striking-workers-to-meet-for-first-time-in-month-long-strike\">C&H Sugar refinery in Crockett\u003c/a> on Tuesday, where warehouse and dockworkers have been striking for six weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s office spokesperson Jimmy Lee said the gathering was declared an unlawful assembly after “repeated efforts to gain compliance” and multiple attempts to disperse a crowd protesting outside the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Warehouse workers represented by International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 walked off the job last month amid stalled contract negotiations. C&H dockworkers, represented by ILWU Local 10, have refused to cross picket lines in solidarity throughout the strike.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sheriff’s officials said they responded to the refinery on Loring Avenue on Tuesday morning after receiving multiple reports of rocks being thrown at trucks attempting to enter the facility, and protesters blocking the roadway, preventing workers’ movement in and out. ILWU Local 10 officials denied that members threw rocks at vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Crockett refinery usually processes six million pounds of raw cane sugar per day, but operations have been disrupted since the 90 warehouse employees went on strike June 15 amid bargaining over wages, sick time and retirement benefits. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/803A0691-scaled-e1784753898575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092193\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kendra Sparks is a lifelong Crockett resident and 30-year employee of C&H Sugar. Her father, Greg Soria, retired from C&H after 40 years and would lose healthcare benefits he earned with the company under terms proposed by C&H, she said. (Courtesy of Roy San Fillipo, ILWU)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>ILWU Local 6 negotiators previously told KQED that C&H has offered their members a 20% raise over five years, while halving sick days and getting rid of benefits for retired employees. Union members said at the time that the salary increase wasn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Retirees cannot afford not to have benefits at all; we cannot afford as a worker to pay another 30% for our health care; we can’t afford to take a cut in our sick leave,” said Michael Villeggiante, the president of ILWU Local 10, which is not in negotiations, but striking in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for C&H told KQED that while the company “has worked tirelessly to resolve the labor dispute and responsibly operate our business, the ILWU has opted instead to engage in unlawful and dangerous activity that has threatened the health and safety of our employees, independent drivers, contractors, Crockett residents and law enforcement.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have respected the union’s right to strike, but we do not accept this dangerous and illegal behavior,” the spokesperson said via email. “We are grateful to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol who responded yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because dockworkers have refused to cross the picket line, C&H began diverting some operations to the Levin Richmond Terminal, where goods like coal and oil are unloaded, in recent weeks. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But days ago, the company redirected a ship, known as the Tai Herald, from Richmond to Crockett, where it sat docked until Monday. Then, C&H hired nonunionized workers to unload it, Villeggiante said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In response, ILWU Local 10 workers left their jobs at other Northern California ports, including Oakland, Eureka, Sacramento and Benicia, to join the picket at Crockett at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Villeggiante said at least 400 people joined for a “peaceful rally” featuring music and entertainment as picketers marched back and forth across every entrance at the property.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s our jurisdiction,” he said. “Going all the way back to 1934, we were awarded to unload and load these ships. And we have a practice of doing those ships at C&H Sugar since 1938.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the county sheriff’s office, personnel arrived around 11 a.m., and stayed on scene for five hours trying to maintain order and facilitate traffic movement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said that the crowd dwindled to about 150 throughout the day as more police presence appeared. The tense confrontation occurred in the afternoon, after sheriff’s officials said they broadcast multiple announcements to the crowd to disperse and asked the picketers to clear a driveway to let workers out of the facility. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said he instructed ILWU members to move, but some protesters remained in front of the driveway. The nine arrested were booked at the Martinez Detention Facility after Villeggiante said law enforcement “manhandled” multiple union members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The majority were cited and released, while three remained in custody overnight. The individuals were arrested on various charges, including remaining present at an unlawful assembly after being lawfully ordered to disperse, battery, obstruction and resisting a police officer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Four ILWU Local 10 members were arrested, including the three who stayed in custody overnight and were bailed out this morning. He said the fourth member spent the night in the hospital after he was thrown into glass and cut his face during an altercation with officers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Villeggiante said the others arrested were “spectators or community people or students.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said that he believes ILWU Local 6 and C&H were back at the bargaining table, but that ILWU Local 10 would continue to strike alongside warehouse workers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The last two mediations that they went back to, there wasn’t much given; it was all takeaways,” he said. “There’s no bargaining in good faith when you are concessionary bargaining.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "an-oakland-judge-will-soon-rule-on-one-of-the-largest-media-mergers-in-hollywood-history",
"title": "An Oakland Judge Will Soon Rule on 1 of the Largest Media Mergers in Hollywood History",
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"headTitle": "An Oakland Judge Will Soon Rule on 1 of the Largest Media Mergers in Hollywood History | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Film industry workers and antitrust activists gathered outside of a federal court in Oakland on Friday to support a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914425/why-california-wants-to-block-the-paramount-warner-bros-merger\">merger between Paramount Skydance\u003c/a> and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Martínez-Olguín decided not to rule from the bench, but said she would provide a ruling by July 22.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091616\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger rally in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would “not let Warner Bros. and Paramount merge without a fight” in a \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">statement\u003c/a> on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Paramount’s lawyers \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474157/gov.uscourts.cand.474157.114.0.pdf\">called\u003c/a> the challenge weak, arguing that the merger would provide more high-quality content to consumers and create a “more formidable competitor to the largest streaming services,” including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>W. Kamau Bell, an Oakland resident, comedian and executive producer and host of the CNN docuseries \u003cem>United Shades of America, \u003c/em>highlighted this point during the event. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The more media consolidation we have, the less choice we have,” Bell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s formal \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Redacted%20Paramount%20Warner%20complaint%20%20-%20file%20stamped.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a> called this the largest media merger in history and noted that it would combine “two of the country’s five major film distributors” and “two of the five major owners of basic cable channels.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rachel Antell, a documentary film producer and co-founder of the Archival Producers Alliance, drew attention to the risks associated with allowing Paramount to control all of the archival footage for both CNN and CBS. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Television news is often the first draft of history, and documentary storytelling relies on these drafts to synthesize deeper narratives and bring new perspectives to old stories,” Antell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antell said she worried that the merger could limit access to these materials given that the corporate owner has “sole discretion” in the approval process. She called the merger an “unprecedented concentration of American broadcast history under one single ownership structure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Protesters also raised concerns about this merger’s impact on content and journalism. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without a free and independent and uncensored media, we are all at risk. Our democracy is at risk,” said Annie Leonard, longtime activist and co-founder of the Committee for the First Amendment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091617\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annie Leonard speaks at a rally calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is also horrific for all of us who have any stake in truth, any stake in understanding our past, any stake in being able to make sense of our present and any stake in being able to take the reins and reclaim our freedoms,” said Anat Shenker-Osorio, a communications consultant. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Writers Guild of America also filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/news_and_events/public_policy/wga-v-paramount-warner-bros-complaint.pdf\">lawsuit\u003c/a> focused on the harms that the merger would cause to film industry employees, and a group of Paramount subscribers filed a class action suit, which Martínez-Olguín denied on Thursday, according to \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-subscribers-fail-injunction-merger-1236813567/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This potential acquisition has also been scrutinized due to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, leading some critics to speculate whether the relationship influenced the DOJ’s clearance of the merger. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> journalist Daniel Miller told KQED that since Ellison took over Paramount, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076712/san-francisco-cbs-workers-hold-24-hour-walk-out-for-higher-pay-more-respect\">major changes at CBS News\u003c/a>, creating some concerns about what would happen if CNN and CBS were “under the same roof.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Film industry workers and antitrust activists gathered outside of a federal court in Oakland on Friday to support a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914425/why-california-wants-to-block-the-paramount-warner-bros-merger\">merger between Paramount Skydance\u003c/a> and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Martínez-Olguín decided not to rule from the bench, but said she would provide a ruling by July 22.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091616\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger rally in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would “not let Warner Bros. and Paramount merge without a fight” in a \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">statement\u003c/a> on Monday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Paramount’s lawyers \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474157/gov.uscourts.cand.474157.114.0.pdf\">called\u003c/a> the challenge weak, arguing that the merger would provide more high-quality content to consumers and create a “more formidable competitor to the largest streaming services,” including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>W. Kamau Bell, an Oakland resident, comedian and executive producer and host of the CNN docuseries \u003cem>United Shades of America, \u003c/em>highlighted this point during the event. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The more media consolidation we have, the less choice we have,” Bell said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rachel Antell, a documentary film producer and co-founder of the Archival Producers Alliance, drew attention to the risks associated with allowing Paramount to control all of the archival footage for both CNN and CBS. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Television news is often the first draft of history, and documentary storytelling relies on these drafts to synthesize deeper narratives and bring new perspectives to old stories,” Antell said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Antell said she worried that the merger could limit access to these materials given that the corporate owner has “sole discretion” in the approval process. She called the merger an “unprecedented concentration of American broadcast history under one single ownership structure.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Protesters also raised concerns about this merger’s impact on content and journalism. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Without a free and independent and uncensored media, we are all at risk. Our democracy is at risk,” said Annie Leonard, longtime activist and co-founder of the Committee for the First Amendment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This potential acquisition has also been scrutinized due to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, leading some critics to speculate whether the relationship influenced the DOJ’s clearance of the merger. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> journalist Daniel Miller told KQED that since Ellison took over Paramount, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076712/san-francisco-cbs-workers-hold-24-hour-walk-out-for-higher-pay-more-respect\">major changes at CBS News\u003c/a>, creating some concerns about what would happen if CNN and CBS were “under the same roof.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Film industry workers and antitrust activists gathered outside of a federal court in Oakland on Friday to support a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914425/why-california-wants-to-block-the-paramount-warner-bros-merger\">merger between Paramount Skydance\u003c/a> and Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The showdown, presided over by U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, came after California and 11 other states filed an \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">“emergency motion”\u003c/a> on Monday to temporarily block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., alleging the deal violated the Clayton Antitrust Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Martínez-Olguín decided not to rule from the bench, but said she would provide a ruling by July 22.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Justice \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-department-justice-antitrust-division-closing-its-investigation-merger-paramount\">approved\u003c/a> the merger in June, meaning the deal could have gone through as soon as it cleared overseas regulators, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/paramount-wbd-merger-lawsuit-tro-bonta\">\u003cem>CNN\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/biz/global/paramount-warner-bros-merger-overseas-will-eu-uk-approve-1236790282/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091616\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger rally in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would “not let Warner Bros. and Paramount merge without a fight” in a \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/%E2%80%99s-not-all-folks-attorney-general-bonta-files-emergency-motion-immediately-block\">statement\u003c/a> on Monday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount would harm movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Paramount’s lawyers \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474157/gov.uscourts.cand.474157.114.0.pdf\">called\u003c/a> the challenge weak, arguing that the merger would provide more high-quality content to consumers and create a “more formidable competitor to the largest streaming services,” including Netflix, Amazon and Disney. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speakers at the news conference outside the courthouse, organized by a group called #BlockTheMerger, cited concerns that the “transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” according to an \u003ca href=\"https://blockthemerger.com/openletter\">open letter\u003c/a> signed by over 5,000 people, including Glenn Close, Pedro Pascal and Tiffany Haddish and other well-known artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>W. Kamau Bell, an Oakland resident, comedian and executive producer and host of the CNN docuseries \u003cem>United Shades of America, \u003c/em>highlighted this point during the event. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The more media consolidation we have, the less choice we have,” Bell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s formal \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Redacted%20Paramount%20Warner%20complaint%20%20-%20file%20stamped.pdf\">complaint\u003c/a> called this the largest media merger in history and noted that it would combine “two of the country’s five major film distributors” and “two of the five major owners of basic cable channels.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rachel Antell, a documentary film producer and co-founder of the Archival Producers Alliance, drew attention to the risks associated with allowing Paramount to control all of the archival footage for both CNN and CBS. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Television news is often the first draft of history, and documentary storytelling relies on these drafts to synthesize deeper narratives and bring new perspectives to old stories,” Antell said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Antell said she worried that the merger could limit access to these materials given that the corporate owner has “sole discretion” in the approval process. She called the merger an “unprecedented concentration of American broadcast history under one single ownership structure.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Protesters also raised concerns about this merger’s impact on content and journalism. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Without a free and independent and uncensored media, we are all at risk. Our democracy is at risk,” said Annie Leonard, longtime activist and co-founder of the Committee for the First Amendment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091617\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-FILMMAKER-RALLY-MD-07-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Annie Leonard speaks at a rally calling for immediate action to stop the proposed $110 billion Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, in front of the federal courthouse in Oakland on July 17, 2026. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is also horrific for all of us who have any stake in truth, any stake in understanding our past, any stake in being able to make sense of our present and any stake in being able to take the reins and reclaim our freedoms,” said Anat Shenker-Osorio, a communications consultant. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Writers Guild of America also filed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/news_and_events/public_policy/wga-v-paramount-warner-bros-complaint.pdf\">lawsuit\u003c/a> focused on the harms that the merger would cause to film industry employees, and a group of Paramount subscribers filed a class action suit, which Martínez-Olguín denied on Thursday, according to \u003ca href=\"https://variety.com/2026/film/news/paramount-subscribers-fail-injunction-merger-1236813567/\">\u003cem>Variety\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This potential acquisition has also been scrutinized due to the relationship between President Donald Trump and Larry Ellison, father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, leading some critics to speculate whether the relationship influenced the DOJ’s clearance of the merger. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, \u003cem>Politico\u003c/em> journalist Daniel Miller told KQED that since Ellison took over Paramount, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076712/san-francisco-cbs-workers-hold-24-hour-walk-out-for-higher-pay-more-respect\">major changes at CBS News\u003c/a>, creating some concerns about what would happen if CNN and CBS were “under the same roof.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmonahan\">\u003cem>Katherine Monahan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/google\">Google\u003c/a> workers signed, sealed and delivered a petition to Google and Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday, asking for more protections against layoffs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members of the Alphabet Workers Union descended on the company’s Mountain View campus to deliver the petition, signed by 4,500 employees. While the union leaders said that Pichai did not meet with them, they described a productive conversation with one of his staff members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Google for comment but did not receive a response. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speakers at Thursday’s press conference shared their experiences with layoffs. One speaker told a story about their colleague arriving at “take your child to work day” with a four-year-old in tow only to learn that they no longer had a job. Another talked about how some employees’ layoffs cost them visa sponsorships and threatened their ability to stay in the U.S. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091456\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Google employees rally at the Mountain View Google campus on July 16, 2026, to demand job security protections. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The protest came at a time of mounting uncertainty for tech industry employees, many of whom are contending with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090173/too-old-for-silicon-valley-think-again-ai-is-changing-the-math\">a labor market that’s being radically reshaped\u003c/a> by artificial intelligence and a housing market that’s becoming rapidly less affordable as AI companies begin their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/technology/san-francisco-home-sales-openai-anthropic-ipo.html\">IPOs\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2022, companies like Oracle, Meta, LinkedIn and Amazon have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084655/after-meta-layoffs-newsom-signs-ai-order-to-protect-workers-and-jobs\">laid off thousands of employees\u003c/a>, citing the need to shift spending elsewhere to meet AI needs, such as data center construction. In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order focused on preparing workers and businesses for job disruptions driven by AI, including policy options such as severance standards and expanded unemployment insurance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Thursday’s press conference, union president and software engineer Parul Koul said that the campaign started in January 2023 when 12,000 Google employees were laid off “overnight.” The movement steadily gained momentum as the waves of mass layoffs continued, Koul said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every time Google management has said it was a difficult decision. It was a response to economic headwinds,” Koul said, referencing the rounds of layoffs. “The reality is, in that same time period, Google’s valuation has gone from over $1 trillion to over $4 trillion.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Recent reporting from \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em> suggests that Google has let go of somewhere between \u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/06/the-running-list-major-tech-layoffs-in-2026-where-employers-cited-ai/\">1,500 and 3,000\u003c/a> engineers just this year. Google’s March 2026 Securities and Exchange Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1652044/000165204426000043/googexhibit991q12026.htm\">filing\u003c/a> indicates that the company has over 190,000 employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These layoffs and cuts are not difficult decisions, but simply profit being put over the people that make this company run,” Koul said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another speaker pointed out that Google “never performed layoffs before 2023,” despite seeing “a decrease in profits during 2008.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Organizers framed the layoffs as a chapter of a longer history of exploitation and labor organizing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091455\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Parul Koul, a software engineer, speaks alongside fellow employees during a rally at the Google campus in Mountain View on July 16, 2026, to demand job security protections. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The same types of people decades ago told workers that we couldn’t have a 40-hour work week, that long hours and burnout were the cost of doing business. They told us that a weekend was impossible, that health and safety standards were impossible,” Koul said. “Workers before us have proved that all of those things are possible and more, and the only barrier to us achieving them is how organized we are.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Googlers’ petition calls for guaranteed severance, for voluntary exit packages to become an established policy and for the option to take severance as an extended paid leave instead of a lump sum to preserve their healthcare and immigration status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They also demanded an end to the Googler Reviews and Development performance review system — known as “GRAD” — a bell curve-style grading system for employees, according to Meghan Day, an employee speaking at the event.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shotchkiss\">\u003cem>Sarah Hotchkiss\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Members of the Alphabet Workers Union descended on the company’s Mountain View campus to deliver the petition, signed by 4,500 employees. While the union leaders said that Pichai did not meet with them, they described a productive conversation with one of his staff members. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Speakers at Thursday’s press conference shared their experiences with layoffs. One speaker told a story about their colleague arriving at “take your child to work day” with a four-year-old in tow only to learn that they no longer had a job. Another talked about how some employees’ layoffs cost them visa sponsorships and threatened their ability to stay in the U.S. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every time Google management has said it was a difficult decision. It was a response to economic headwinds,” Koul said, referencing the rounds of layoffs. “The reality is, in that same time period, Google’s valuation has gone from over $1 trillion to over $4 trillion.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These layoffs and cuts are not difficult decisions, but simply profit being put over the people that make this company run,” Koul said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/google\">Google\u003c/a> workers signed, sealed and delivered a petition to Google and Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday, asking for more protections against layoffs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Members of the Alphabet Workers Union descended on the company’s Mountain View campus to deliver the petition, signed by 4,500 employees. While the union leaders said that Pichai did not meet with them, they described a productive conversation with one of his staff members. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to Google for comment but did not receive a response. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speakers at Thursday’s press conference shared their experiences with layoffs. One speaker told a story about their colleague arriving at “take your child to work day” with a four-year-old in tow only to learn that they no longer had a job. Another talked about how some employees’ layoffs cost them visa sponsorships and threatened their ability to stay in the U.S. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091456\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Google employees rally at the Mountain View Google campus on July 16, 2026, to demand job security protections. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The protest came at a time of mounting uncertainty for tech industry employees, many of whom are contending with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090173/too-old-for-silicon-valley-think-again-ai-is-changing-the-math\">a labor market that’s being radically reshaped\u003c/a> by artificial intelligence and a housing market that’s becoming rapidly less affordable as AI companies begin their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/technology/san-francisco-home-sales-openai-anthropic-ipo.html\">IPOs\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since 2022, companies like Oracle, Meta, LinkedIn and Amazon have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084655/after-meta-layoffs-newsom-signs-ai-order-to-protect-workers-and-jobs\">laid off thousands of employees\u003c/a>, citing the need to shift spending elsewhere to meet AI needs, such as data center construction. In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order focused on preparing workers and businesses for job disruptions driven by AI, including policy options such as severance standards and expanded unemployment insurance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Thursday’s press conference, union president and software engineer Parul Koul said that the campaign started in January 2023 when 12,000 Google employees were laid off “overnight.” The movement steadily gained momentum as the waves of mass layoffs continued, Koul said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every time Google management has said it was a difficult decision. It was a response to economic headwinds,” Koul said, referencing the rounds of layoffs. “The reality is, in that same time period, Google’s valuation has gone from over $1 trillion to over $4 trillion.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Recent reporting from \u003cem>TechCrunch\u003c/em> suggests that Google has let go of somewhere between \u003ca href=\"https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/06/the-running-list-major-tech-layoffs-in-2026-where-employers-cited-ai/\">1,500 and 3,000\u003c/a> engineers just this year. Google’s March 2026 Securities and Exchange Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1652044/000165204426000043/googexhibit991q12026.htm\">filing\u003c/a> indicates that the company has over 190,000 employees. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These layoffs and cuts are not difficult decisions, but simply profit being put over the people that make this company run,” Koul said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another speaker pointed out that Google “never performed layoffs before 2023,” despite seeing “a decrease in profits during 2008.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Organizers framed the layoffs as a chapter of a longer history of exploitation and labor organizing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091455\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260716-GOOGLEUNION-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Parul Koul, a software engineer, speaks alongside fellow employees during a rally at the Google campus in Mountain View on July 16, 2026, to demand job security protections. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The same types of people decades ago told workers that we couldn’t have a 40-hour work week, that long hours and burnout were the cost of doing business. They told us that a weekend was impossible, that health and safety standards were impossible,” Koul said. “Workers before us have proved that all of those things are possible and more, and the only barrier to us achieving them is how organized we are.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Googlers’ petition calls for guaranteed severance, for voluntary exit packages to become an established policy and for the option to take severance as an extended paid leave instead of a lump sum to preserve their healthcare and immigration status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They also demanded an end to the Googler Reviews and Development performance review system — known as “GRAD” — a bell curve-style grading system for employees, according to Meghan Day, an employee speaking at the event.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shotchkiss\">\u003cem>Sarah Hotchkiss\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Peach Growers Hope Next Farm Bill Will Do More for Specialty Crops",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s a sweltering morning in June off State Route 70 in Marysville as Sarb Johl watches one of his employees use an excavator to push dead peach trees into ginormous, dry piles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He’s picking up the trees that have already been pushed out of the ground so they can be burned,” Johl said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like a lot of farmers in Yuba and Sutter counties, Johl grows peaches — and not the kind that you buy fresh at the store or farmers’ market. These peaches are grown specifically for canning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Johl was forced to rip out over half of his peach acres after one of the last canneries in the state, Del Monte Foods, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/del-monte-files-for-bankruptcy-as-its-canned-fruit-and-vegetable-sales-slide\">filed for bankruptcy\u003c/a> and then closed earlier this year. That left growers like Johl \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article314486736.html\">without a buyer\u003c/a> for their fruit — and facing a dire economic crisis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When the processor goes out, basically you got no place to go,” Johl said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, the United States Department of Agriculture threw farmers a lifeline by creating a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mynspr.org/news/2026-05-05/california-lawmakers-secure-federal-aid-for-yuba-sutter-peach-farmers-affected-by-major-cannery-closure\">$9 million program\u003c/a> to fund the removal of thousands of acres of trees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12090778\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090778\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pile of dead peach trees lie in a field next to an active peach orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026.\u003cbr> (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12090773\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1818-scaled-e1783982597496.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090773\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An excavator destroys a portion of Sarb Johl’s peach orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, farmers like Johl need to invest in growing another crop, likely a type of nut, and they’re hoping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088977/a-lifeline-for-californias-small-farms-just-expired-what-comes-next\">new farm bill\u003c/a> will provide some help to make the transition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it may not be that simple.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So historically, the farm bill has sort of left out specialty crop growers,” said \u003ca href=\"https://jsayre.ucdavis.edu/\">James Sayre\u003c/a>, an agricultural economist at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sayre said that specialty crops — like some fruits, vegetables and nuts — have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the massive piece of agriculture legislation. He said that’s partially because a lot of the bill is dedicated to what are called \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12047\">Title I crops\u003c/a> — think big commodities like corn, wheat and soybeans. Title I crops are federally subsidized with insurance programs and direct payments to farmers when prices fall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The upshot is that if you are a specialty crop grower, you basically didn’t have access to many of these programs,” Sayre said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1827-scaled-e1783983231785.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090774\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sarb Johl holds a pair of unripe peaches at his orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Title I crops are grown across many Midwestern states, while specialty crops are concentrated in California. Sayre said that means lawmakers from big commodity-growing regions have more votes in Congress and therefore more political power.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One silver lining is that California Sen. Adam Schiff has a seat on the Senate’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/\">Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee\u003c/a>. It’s the first time in 30 years that a lawmaker from the Golden State is at the table.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schiff said one of his main priorities is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-sen-schiff-pushes-to-level-playing-field-for-californias-farmers-in-senate-farm-bill-with-six-new-agriculture-bills/\">get more resources\u003c/a> for specialty crop farmers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s no reason to treat these farmers differently than we treat farmers in other parts of the country that grow different crops,” Schiff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The senator said that specialty crop farmers face the same natural disasters and market pressures as commodity farmers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sarb Johl reaches for an unripe peach at his orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. \u003cbr> (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But getting a new farm bill across the finish line has gotten more difficult since H.R. 1, the president’s federal budget package, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/millions-lose-snap-benefits-as-one-big-beautiful-bills-stricter-requirements-kick-in\">significantly cut\u003c/a> the food assistance program known as SNAP. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schiff said Democrats want to see those cuts reversed in the next farm bill.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think there’s some bipartisan interest in doing that,” Schiff said. “If Republicans are willing to meet us, then I think we have a farm bill.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But farmers like Johl can’t wait around for politicians to duke it out in the halls of the Capitol. Back at the farm, he said giving up peaches entirely would be like giving up a part of his family heritage. Johl’s dad immigrated from Punjab, India, in the 1960s, landing in Yuba City and working on a peach farm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, he bought his own ranch. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He had a love for peaches,” Johl said. “That got passed on to the next generation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Johl hopes the new farm bill will include more support for specialty crop farmers, so maybe his kids can grow peaches, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We live by, ‘Hey, tomorrow’s gonna be a better day,’” Johl said. “‘Next year is gonna be a better season.”’\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And Johl said that maybe, in another season, he’ll get the chance to plant some more peach trees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was edited with support from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, farmers like Johl need to invest in growing another crop, likely a type of nut, and they’re hoping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088977/a-lifeline-for-californias-small-farms-just-expired-what-comes-next\">new farm bill\u003c/a> will provide some help to make the transition. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But it may not be that simple.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So historically, the farm bill has sort of left out specialty crop growers,” said \u003ca href=\"https://jsayre.ucdavis.edu/\">James Sayre\u003c/a>, an agricultural economist at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sayre said that specialty crops — like some fruits, vegetables and nuts — have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the massive piece of agriculture legislation. He said that’s partially because a lot of the bill is dedicated to what are called \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12047\">Title I crops\u003c/a> — think big commodities like corn, wheat and soybeans. Title I crops are federally subsidized with insurance programs and direct payments to farmers when prices fall.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sayre said that specialty crops — like some fruits, vegetables and nuts — have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the massive piece of agriculture legislation. He said that’s partially because a lot of the bill is dedicated to what are called \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12047\">Title I crops\u003c/a> — think big commodities like corn, wheat and soybeans. Title I crops are federally subsidized with insurance programs and direct payments to farmers when prices fall.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The upshot is that if you are a specialty crop grower, you basically didn’t have access to many of these programs,” Sayre said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Title I crops are grown across many Midwestern states, while specialty crops are concentrated in California. Sayre said that means lawmakers from big commodity-growing regions have more votes in Congress and therefore more political power.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One silver lining is that California Sen. Adam Schiff has a seat on the Senate’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/\">Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee\u003c/a>. It’s the first time in 30 years that a lawmaker from the Golden State is at the table.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schiff said one of his main priorities is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-sen-schiff-pushes-to-level-playing-field-for-californias-farmers-in-senate-farm-bill-with-six-new-agriculture-bills/\">get more resources\u003c/a> for specialty crop farmers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s no reason to treat these farmers differently than we treat farmers in other parts of the country that grow different crops,” Schiff said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The senator said that specialty crop farmers face the same natural disasters and market pressures as commodity farmers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sarb Johl reaches for an unripe peach at his orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But getting a new farm bill across the finish line has gotten more difficult since H.R. 1, the president’s federal budget package, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/millions-lose-snap-benefits-as-one-big-beautiful-bills-stricter-requirements-kick-in\">significantly cut\u003c/a> the food assistance program known as SNAP. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schiff said Democrats want to see those cuts reversed in the next farm bill.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think there’s some bipartisan interest in doing that,” Schiff said. “If Republicans are willing to meet us, then I think we have a farm bill.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But farmers like Johl can’t wait around for politicians to duke it out in the halls of the Capitol. Back at the farm, he said giving up peaches entirely would be like giving up a part of his family heritage. Johl’s dad immigrated from Punjab, India, in the 1960s, landing in Yuba City and working on a peach farm.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But farmers like Johl can’t wait around for politicians to duke it out in the halls of the Capitol. Back at the farm, he said giving up peaches entirely would be like giving up a part of his family heritage. Johl’s dad immigrated from Punjab, India, in the 1960s, landing in Yuba City and working on a peach farm.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eventually, he bought his own ranch. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“He had a love for peaches,” Johl said. “That got passed on to the next generation.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Johl hopes the new farm bill will include more support for specialty crop farmers, so maybe his kids can grow peaches, too.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We live by, ‘Hey, tomorrow’s gonna be a better day,’” Johl said. “‘Next year is gonna be a better season.”’\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We live by, ‘Hey, tomorrow’s gonna be a better day,’” Johl said. “‘Next year is gonna be a better season.”’\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And Johl said that maybe, in another season, he’ll get the chance to plant some more peach trees.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was edited with support from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was edited with support from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Peach farmers in the Central Valley have pulled up their crops and are facing financial hardship. They hope a new farm bill will help keep them going after one of the last canneries in the state closed earlier this year. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a sweltering morning in June off State Route 70 in Marysville as Sarb Johl watches one of his employees use an excavator to push dead peach trees into ginormous, dry piles.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He’s picking up the trees that have already been pushed out of the ground so they can be burned,” Johl said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like a lot of farmers in Yuba and Sutter counties, Johl grows peaches — and not the kind that you buy fresh at the store or farmers’ market. These peaches are grown specifically for canning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Johl was forced to rip out over half of his peach acres after one of the last canneries in the state, Del Monte Foods, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/del-monte-files-for-bankruptcy-as-its-canned-fruit-and-vegetable-sales-slide\">filed for bankruptcy\u003c/a> and then closed earlier this year. That left growers like Johl \u003ca href=\"https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article314486736.html\">without a buyer\u003c/a> for their fruit — and facing a dire economic crisis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When the processor goes out, basically you got no place to go,” Johl said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In April, the United States Department of Agriculture threw farmers a lifeline by creating a \u003ca href=\"https://www.mynspr.org/news/2026-05-05/california-lawmakers-secure-federal-aid-for-yuba-sutter-peach-farmers-affected-by-major-cannery-closure\">$9 million program\u003c/a> to fund the removal of thousands of acres of trees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12090778\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090778\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1858-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A pile of dead peach trees lie in a field next to an active peach orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026.\u003cbr> (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12090773\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1818-scaled-e1783982597496.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090773\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An excavator destroys a portion of Sarb Johl’s peach orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, farmers like Johl need to invest in growing another crop, likely a type of nut, and they’re hoping the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088977/a-lifeline-for-californias-small-farms-just-expired-what-comes-next\">new farm bill\u003c/a> will provide some help to make the transition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it may not be that simple.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So historically, the farm bill has sort of left out specialty crop growers,” said \u003ca href=\"https://jsayre.ucdavis.edu/\">James Sayre\u003c/a>, an agricultural economist at UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sayre said that specialty crops — like some fruits, vegetables and nuts — have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to the massive piece of agriculture legislation. He said that’s partially because a lot of the bill is dedicated to what are called \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12047\">Title I crops\u003c/a> — think big commodities like corn, wheat and soybeans. Title I crops are federally subsidized with insurance programs and direct payments to farmers when prices fall.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The upshot is that if you are a specialty crop grower, you basically didn’t have access to many of these programs,” Sayre said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1827-scaled-e1783983231785.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090774\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sarb Johl holds a pair of unripe peaches at his orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Title I crops are grown across many Midwestern states, while specialty crops are concentrated in California. Sayre said that means lawmakers from big commodity-growing regions have more votes in Congress and therefore more political power.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One silver lining is that California Sen. Adam Schiff has a seat on the Senate’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/\">Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee\u003c/a>. It’s the first time in 30 years that a lawmaker from the Golden State is at the table.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schiff said one of his main priorities is to \u003ca href=\"https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-sen-schiff-pushes-to-level-playing-field-for-californias-farmers-in-senate-farm-bill-with-six-new-agriculture-bills/\">get more resources\u003c/a> for specialty crop farmers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s no reason to treat these farmers differently than we treat farmers in other parts of the country that grow different crops,” Schiff said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The senator said that specialty crop farmers face the same natural disasters and market pressures as commodity farmers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090781\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/IMG_1852-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sarb Johl reaches for an unripe peach at his orchard in Marysville, California, on June 12, 2026. \u003cbr> (Claudia Brancart/NSPR)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But getting a new farm bill across the finish line has gotten more difficult since H.R. 1, the president’s federal budget package, \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/millions-lose-snap-benefits-as-one-big-beautiful-bills-stricter-requirements-kick-in\">significantly cut\u003c/a> the food assistance program known as SNAP. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Schiff said Democrats want to see those cuts reversed in the next farm bill.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think there’s some bipartisan interest in doing that,” Schiff said. “If Republicans are willing to meet us, then I think we have a farm bill.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But farmers like Johl can’t wait around for politicians to duke it out in the halls of the Capitol. Back at the farm, he said giving up peaches entirely would be like giving up a part of his family heritage. Johl’s dad immigrated from Punjab, India, in the 1960s, landing in Yuba City and working on a peach farm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eventually, he bought his own ranch. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“He had a love for peaches,” Johl said. “That got passed on to the next generation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Johl hopes the new farm bill will include more support for specialty crop farmers, so maybe his kids can grow peaches, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We live by, ‘Hey, tomorrow’s gonna be a better day,’” Johl said. “‘Next year is gonna be a better season.”’\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And Johl said that maybe, in another season, he’ll get the chance to plant some more peach trees.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was edited with support from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/californianewsroom\">\u003cem>California Newsroom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Workers at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061054/bay-area-regulators-settle-with-wastewater-plant-for-734000-over-foul-odor\">C&H Sugar\u003c/a> hope to sit down at the negotiating table with the company this week, after dozens walked out last month over disputes about retirement benefits and overtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The talks will be the first since the strike began. They come only days after allied workers who typically unload the sugar at the Crockett refinery said some of the operations were outsourced to a terminal in Richmond because they joined the picket line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 90 International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6 warehouse workers at the refinery started an open-ended strike on June 15 following an impasse in negotiations. C&H dockworkers from ILWU Local 10 refused to cross the picket line and joined the strike in solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cesar Garibay, a business agent with ILWU Local 6, said he was hopeful that the company would come with better offers to the negotiating table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During negotiations, we offered them some compromise to some of the language they wanted,” Garibay said. “The frustrating part is that everybody on the company side of the table was clueless on how the warehouse operates, so we had to explain to them how it works and how they can accomplish what they want without tearing our contract apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers say that C&H wants to cut half of their sick days – five of the 10 days – and get rid of benefits for those who’ve retired. That’s as the company offers a 20% cumulative raise over the five-year term, which union members say isn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers say the company has engaged in bad faith bargaining in the process. Kendra Sparks, an ILWU Local 6 worker for almost 30 years, said the union met with the company on the day the strike started, but wasn’t able to come to a last-minute deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They just basically slapped down like, ‘This is what we’re proposing and take it or leave it,’ basically,” Sparks said.[aside postID=news_12061054 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/CHSugarCrockettGetty.jpg']Though the move toward more negotiation talks this week is a good sign, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know it’s not business as usual for them, so hopefully the pressure of increased attention on the situation will help,” Sparks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dockworkers are also claiming foul over the company taking some of its operations over to the Levin Richmond Terminal at the beginning of this month, unloading raw sugar in the same area that things like coal and oil are unloaded. C&H workers from ILWU Local 10 who usually unload the sugar are not crossing the picket line, so the company shifted operations to a different terminal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move raised health concerns among union members and, for Contra Costa County District 1 Supervisor John Gioia, it diminished “the power of the workers” during negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of focusing on alternate ways to deliver the sugar, [the company should] focus on reaching an agreement with the workers so that the sugar ships from the Philippines go to Crockett and not to a coal facility in Richmond,” Gioia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gioia said that the county health department reached out to state and federal officials about the company unloading at the Richmond terminal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-air-quality-management-district\">Bay Area Air District\u003c/a> inspected the location on Thursday, and said in a statement that it found no visible emissions from sugar or coal handling operations and documented no violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12087608\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12087608\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1306\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty-1536x1003.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A train loaded with coal approaches the Levin-Richmond Terminal in Richmond, California, on July 23, 2015. \u003ccite>(Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A C&H spokesperson said that it’s “common practice for raw sugar logistics globally to be handled via bulk ships and bulk terminals similar to how it is being handled at the Levin Terminal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once it has been processed in our refinery, we assure the quality of our finished sugar,” C&H said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though C&H says that raw sugar is not a food product, well, you could’ve fooled me because it is,” said Michael Villeggiante, president of Local 10. “It’s being mixed with a lot of toxic materials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Records show the ship carrying the sugar, known as the Tai Herald, was in Richmond for about eight and a half days. The ship moved on to Crockett late Friday night and has been docked ever since, according to vessel traffic records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During negotiations, we offered them some compromise to some of the language they wanted,” Garibay said. “The frustrating part is that everybody on the company side of the table was clueless on how the warehouse operates, so we had to explain to them how it works and how they can accomplish what they want without tearing our contract apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers say that C&H wants to cut half of their sick days – five of the 10 days – and get rid of benefits for those who’ve retired. That’s as the company offers a 20% cumulative raise over the five-year term, which union members say isn’t worth the trade-off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers say the company has engaged in bad faith bargaining in the process. Kendra Sparks, an ILWU Local 6 worker for almost 30 years, said the union met with the company on the day the strike started, but wasn’t able to come to a last-minute deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They just basically slapped down like, ‘This is what we’re proposing and take it or leave it,’ basically,” Sparks said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Though the move toward more negotiation talks this week is a good sign, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know it’s not business as usual for them, so hopefully the pressure of increased attention on the situation will help,” Sparks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dockworkers are also claiming foul over the company taking some of its operations over to the Levin Richmond Terminal at the beginning of this month, unloading raw sugar in the same area that things like coal and oil are unloaded. C&H workers from ILWU Local 10 who usually unload the sugar are not crossing the picket line, so the company shifted operations to a different terminal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move raised health concerns among union members and, for Contra Costa County District 1 Supervisor John Gioia, it diminished “the power of the workers” during negotiations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Instead of focusing on alternate ways to deliver the sugar, [the company should] focus on reaching an agreement with the workers so that the sugar ships from the Philippines go to Crockett and not to a coal facility in Richmond,” Gioia said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gioia said that the county health department reached out to state and federal officials about the company unloading at the Richmond terminal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area-air-quality-management-district\">Bay Area Air District\u003c/a> inspected the location on Thursday, and said in a statement that it found no visible emissions from sugar or coal handling operations and documented no violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12087608\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12087608\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1306\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/CoalOaklandGetty-1536x1003.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A train loaded with coal approaches the Levin-Richmond Terminal in Richmond, California, on July 23, 2015. \u003ccite>(Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A C&H spokesperson said that it’s “common practice for raw sugar logistics globally to be handled via bulk ships and bulk terminals similar to how it is being handled at the Levin Terminal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Once it has been processed in our refinery, we assure the quality of our finished sugar,” C&H said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though C&H says that raw sugar is not a food product, well, you could’ve fooled me because it is,” said Michael Villeggiante, president of Local 10. “It’s being mixed with a lot of toxic materials.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Records show the ship carrying the sugar, known as the Tai Herald, was in Richmond for about eight and a half days. The ship moved on to Crockett late Friday night and has been docked ever since, according to vessel traffic records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "caltrain-scrapped-a-1-4m-consultant-contract-then-came-the-uproar",
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"content": "\u003cp>Earlier this week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/caltrain\">Caltrain \u003c/a>came under fire for a one-year contract worth up to $1.4 million that drew scrutiny over how much it paid a single interim leader. But the agency said it had already canceled the contract before the controversy, opting instead to bring the longtime consultant on as a full-time employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the episode landed at a particularly sensitive moment for Caltrain, which has faced months of questions over its consultant spending while staring into \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">a budget gap of up to $75 million \u003c/a>and asking voters to approve a regional sales tax this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sherry Bullock, who has led several of Caltrain’s biggest capital projects, moved into a newly consolidated executive role on June 1 at a base salary of $377,000, spokesperson Dan Lieberman said. The agency is closing out the consulting arrangement, under which about $245,000 had been paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The job — Deputy Executive Director, Project Delivery and Caltrain Modernization — merges two former chief-level positions, chief of design and construction and chief of modernization, into one post overseeing Caltrain’s more than $10 billion capital program. Bullock’s responsibilities are “largely consistent” with what she was already doing as an interim consultant, but the difference is that the agency now holds that expertise in-house, Lieberman said. The consolidation will save more than $400,000 a year, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lieberman rejected any link between the move and the recent attention from \u003ca href=\"https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/caltrain-pays-1-4m-for-deputy-leader-over-three-times-top-paid-executive-director-s/article_081a36cc-9f50-445b-8e39-71a1c07aa013.html\">local news outlets\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any suggestion that this decision was made in response to recent scrutiny reflects an inaccurate timeline,” he said, adding that Caltrain decided nearly a year ago to combine the two roles and posted the deputy job in October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076190\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076190\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Caltrain’s electric trains, which may offer BART users a way to go around the Bay in the event of a Transbay Tube shutdown. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Caltrain)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He cast the shift as part of a broader effort to lean less on outside consultants and to “grow long-term in-house technical knowledge,” and said Caltrain’s professional-services budget will fall to $8 million in fiscal 2027 from $10.2 million in fiscal 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bullock’s pay first drew attention after public records showed she earned more than $800,000 in 2025 across a series of interim roles. In April, with the deputy job still open, Caltrain kept her on under a contract amendment worth up to $1.4 million. Less than two months later, she took the permanent job. In her first year, she is also eligible for, but not guaranteed, a $20,000 performance bonus at six, 12 and 18 months, Lieberman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consultants are common at transit agencies and can cost less than employees because the agency avoids pensions, healthcare benefits and other long-term costs.[aside postID=news_12084766 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00197_TV-KQED.jpg']Those savings tend to necessitate, for time-limited, competitive bids for project work. Critics say Bullock has effectively held senior leadership at the agency for close to two decades, largely as a consultant, and that several of her engagements were not competitively bid — a characterization that Caltrain disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Audrey Brook, Caltrain’s former director of capital program delivery, wrote in a November letter to the agency’s board that Caltrain had “paid consultant rates for nearly 18 years for the same leadership.” She wrote that the agency filled the role she reported to “through a closed, non-competitive process that bypassed HR policy,” and warned that such actions “waste public money and erode trust among both staff and taxpayers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brook has also sued Caltrain and its governing board, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Her petition, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court in January, asked a judge to order a hearing over what she said was her forced departure, and levels separate allegations against Bullock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lieberman said Caltrain “conducted an open and competitive recruitment” for the deputy job that drew more than 50 applicants and included interviewers from outside agencies. He said the agency has denied Brook’s claims and “will vigorously defend itself,” but declined to say more, citing the pending case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081648\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Transit riders walk through the Caltrain station on King Street and Fourth Street in San Francisco on April 27, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a written response to KQED, Bullock defended both her hiring and her consulting record. She said she agrees “wholeheartedly” that long-term leadership roles should be filled competitively — and that the deputy job, through what she called “a thorough and extensive public recruitment,” put her before three interview panels totaling 11 people, including senior leaders from partner agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Her earlier consulting work, she said, ran through Caltrain’s standard work-directive process, with annual renewals authorized only after review. “Delivering positive results and outcomes for Caltrain is a pre-requisite of any continuous consultant service,” Bullock wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrain, like other local public transit agencies, has struggled financially since the pandemic upended commuting, even as ridership rebounds — the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\"> agency reported a 33% jump in riders in March\u003c/a>, among its strongest months since 2020. In November, voters across five counties will decide on the sales tax Caltrain said it needs to avoid cutting weekend and evening service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Caltrain faced intense criticism this week over a contract that had already been canceled. Still, the story gained traction, as the agency faces a looming budget shortfall.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Earlier this week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/caltrain\">Caltrain \u003c/a>came under fire for a one-year contract worth up to $1.4 million that drew scrutiny over how much it paid a single interim leader. But the agency said it had already canceled the contract before the controversy, opting instead to bring the longtime consultant on as a full-time employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the episode landed at a particularly sensitive moment for Caltrain, which has faced months of questions over its consultant spending while staring into \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070685/campaign-to-avert-bay-area-public-transit-death-spiral-gets-underway\">a budget gap of up to $75 million \u003c/a>and asking voters to approve a regional sales tax this fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sherry Bullock, who has led several of Caltrain’s biggest capital projects, moved into a newly consolidated executive role on June 1 at a base salary of $377,000, spokesperson Dan Lieberman said. The agency is closing out the consulting arrangement, under which about $245,000 had been paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The job — Deputy Executive Director, Project Delivery and Caltrain Modernization — merges two former chief-level positions, chief of design and construction and chief of modernization, into one post overseeing Caltrain’s more than $10 billion capital program. Bullock’s responsibilities are “largely consistent” with what she was already doing as an interim consultant, but the difference is that the agency now holds that expertise in-house, Lieberman said. The consolidation will save more than $400,000 a year, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lieberman rejected any link between the move and the recent attention from \u003ca href=\"https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/caltrain-pays-1-4m-for-deputy-leader-over-three-times-top-paid-executive-director-s/article_081a36cc-9f50-445b-8e39-71a1c07aa013.html\">local news outlets\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any suggestion that this decision was made in response to recent scrutiny reflects an inaccurate timeline,” he said, adding that Caltrain decided nearly a year ago to combine the two roles and posted the deputy job in October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076190\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076190\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/3W0A6625-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Caltrain’s electric trains, which may offer BART users a way to go around the Bay in the event of a Transbay Tube shutdown. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Caltrain)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He cast the shift as part of a broader effort to lean less on outside consultants and to “grow long-term in-house technical knowledge,” and said Caltrain’s professional-services budget will fall to $8 million in fiscal 2027 from $10.2 million in fiscal 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bullock’s pay first drew attention after public records showed she earned more than $800,000 in 2025 across a series of interim roles. In April, with the deputy job still open, Caltrain kept her on under a contract amendment worth up to $1.4 million. Less than two months later, she took the permanent job. In her first year, she is also eligible for, but not guaranteed, a $20,000 performance bonus at six, 12 and 18 months, Lieberman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consultants are common at transit agencies and can cost less than employees because the agency avoids pensions, healthcare benefits and other long-term costs.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Those savings tend to necessitate, for time-limited, competitive bids for project work. Critics say Bullock has effectively held senior leadership at the agency for close to two decades, largely as a consultant, and that several of her engagements were not competitively bid — a characterization that Caltrain disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Audrey Brook, Caltrain’s former director of capital program delivery, wrote in a November letter to the agency’s board that Caltrain had “paid consultant rates for nearly 18 years for the same leadership.” She wrote that the agency filled the role she reported to “through a closed, non-competitive process that bypassed HR policy,” and warned that such actions “waste public money and erode trust among both staff and taxpayers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brook has also sued Caltrain and its governing board, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Her petition, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court in January, asked a judge to order a hearing over what she said was her forced departure, and levels separate allegations against Bullock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lieberman said Caltrain “conducted an open and competitive recruitment” for the deputy job that drew more than 50 applicants and included interviewers from outside agencies. He said the agency has denied Brook’s claims and “will vigorously defend itself,” but declined to say more, citing the pending case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12081648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12081648\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260428-TRANSITRIDERSHIPREBOUND00494_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Transit riders walk through the Caltrain station on King Street and Fourth Street in San Francisco on April 27, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a written response to KQED, Bullock defended both her hiring and her consulting record. She said she agrees “wholeheartedly” that long-term leadership roles should be filled competitively — and that the deputy job, through what she called “a thorough and extensive public recruitment,” put her before three interview panels totaling 11 people, including senior leaders from partner agencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"mceTemp\">\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>Her earlier consulting work, she said, ran through Caltrain’s standard work-directive process, with annual renewals authorized only after review. “Delivering positive results and outcomes for Caltrain is a pre-requisite of any continuous consultant service,” Bullock wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrain, like other local public transit agencies, has struggled financially since the pandemic upended commuting, even as ridership rebounds — the\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081663/the-ohtani-effect-and-more-whats-behind-bay-area-transits-comeback\"> agency reported a 33% jump in riders in March\u003c/a>, among its strongest months since 2020. In November, voters across five counties will decide on the sales tax Caltrain said it needs to avoid cutting weekend and evening service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-jose-at-a-stalemate-with-its-largest-city-employee-union",
"title": "San José at a Stalemate With Its Largest City Employee Union",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a>’s largest public employee union is heading into mediation with the city this week after a bargaining stalemate over pay raises that could push workers toward a strike vote if it’s not resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101 (MEF), whose members include librarians, code inspectors and city planners, is scheduled to meet with the city and a state mediator from the Public Employment Relations Board on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A separate union representing engineers, architects and other supervisors — the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE, Local 21 — will begin mediation with the city on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just three years after disagreements over pay \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">nearly led\u003c/a> to a historic work stoppage, contracts with the unions representing more than 3,000 city workers expired on June 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials contend that with ongoing budget deficits, they are unable to offer more than a 3% annual raise in each of the next three fiscal years — an increase union leaders argue would leave workers unable to keep pace with the rising cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We tried to put across proposals that were reasonable but also recognized that it’s an expensive place to live in the Bay Area,” said Charles Allen, union representative for MEF. “The costs that city employees incur — increased gas prices, increased food prices, just generally increases all around — were not really addressed by the city’s proposal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12070856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12070856\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The intersection of Julian Street and Notre Dame Avenue in downtown San José was still blocked off on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>MEF and IFPTE countered the city’s offer with a proposed wage hike of 4% in the current fiscal year, followed by 4.5% in 2027-28 and 5.5% in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen said his union’s members have not yet taken a vote to authorize a potential strike, but are discussing the possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We obviously remain optimistic that mediation might be able to get us to where we need to be, but at this point we’re out of contract,” he said. “Once we’ve gone through the process, then the membership does have the ability to take a strike vote and in fact go on strike.”[aside postID=news_12087836 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/061626CSU-Labor_GH_003-KQED.jpg']A work stoppage could limit library services, summer activities and permit processing in a city that is already one of the most thinly staffed in California. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/08/23/5-charts-that-show-how-california-cities-spent-37-billion-on-public-employees-last-year/\">\u003cem>Mercury News\u003c/em> analysis\u003c/a> in 2024 found San José has 112 residents per city employee; among California’s 10 largest cities, only Bakersfield has a lower staffing ratio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan said the city has little flexibility to offer higher wages after recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086842/san-jose-city-budget-new-immigrant-funding-cuts-reserve-spending\">approving a budget\u003c/a> that closed a $50.3 million shortfall by tapping reserves and cutting more than a dozen positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City budget analysts are projecting an ongoing shortfall of $26.8 million in 2027-28 and $11.8 million in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city is offering a fair deal,” Mahan said. “To go any higher than a 3% raise over the next three years, we would have to make significant service cuts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While negotiations are being led by the Office of Employee Relations, which reports to the city manager, any tentative agreement will need to be approved by the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, Mahan was the lone vote on the council against new contracts for MEF and IFPTE — arguing that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958290/san-jose-city-council-approves-agreements-with-unions-to-avoid-strike\">wage hikes\u003c/a> of 14.5% over three years \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960949/san-jose-city-council-approves-budget-trims-to-fund-worker-raises\">were beyond\u003c/a> what the city could afford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12049894\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12049894\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a July 25, 2025 press conference in North San José about a partnership with PG&E intended to attract more data center development to the city. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think the council has just been through a difficult budget cycle where some of the members of the council were expressing a little bit of regret in private over deals that I pointed out three years ago were likely to set us up for service cuts,” Mahan said. “To do that again in this moment would be a mistake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond wages, the unions and city remain apart on the use of artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under an MEF proposal submitted in March, the city would be barred from using technological systems “for the purpose of eliminating bargaining unit work” and from using AI “for new programs, positions or functions that could replace future new bargaining unit positions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s counterproposal offered the consideration of training and reassignment prior to layoffs, in cases “where artificial intelligence will result in workforce reductions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The city will enter mediation with unions representing librarians, code inspectors and architects after two labor contracts expired. Without a deal, the unions could take a strike vote.",
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"title": "San José at a Stalemate With Its Largest City Employee Union | KQED",
"description": "The city will enter mediation with unions representing librarians, code inspectors and architects after two labor contracts expired. Without a deal, the unions could take a strike vote.",
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"headline": "San José at a Stalemate With Its Largest City Employee Union",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a>’s largest public employee union is heading into mediation with the city this week after a bargaining stalemate over pay raises that could push workers toward a strike vote if it’s not resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Municipal Employees’ Federation, AFSCME Local 101 (MEF), whose members include librarians, code inspectors and city planners, is scheduled to meet with the city and a state mediator from the Public Employment Relations Board on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A separate union representing engineers, architects and other supervisors — the City Association of Management Personnel, IFPTE, Local 21 — will begin mediation with the city on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just three years after disagreements over pay \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958216/san-jose-city-worker-strike-on-hold-after-agreement\">nearly led\u003c/a> to a historic work stoppage, contracts with the unions representing more than 3,000 city workers expired on June 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials contend that with ongoing budget deficits, they are unable to offer more than a 3% annual raise in each of the next three fiscal years — an increase union leaders argue would leave workers unable to keep pace with the rising cost of living.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We tried to put across proposals that were reasonable but also recognized that it’s an expensive place to live in the Bay Area,” said Charles Allen, union representative for MEF. “The costs that city employees incur — increased gas prices, increased food prices, just generally increases all around — were not really addressed by the city’s proposal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12070856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12070856\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260122-SJPDSHOOT-JG-5_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The intersection of Julian Street and Notre Dame Avenue in downtown San José was still blocked off on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>MEF and IFPTE countered the city’s offer with a proposed wage hike of 4% in the current fiscal year, followed by 4.5% in 2027-28 and 5.5% in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allen said his union’s members have not yet taken a vote to authorize a potential strike, but are discussing the possibility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We obviously remain optimistic that mediation might be able to get us to where we need to be, but at this point we’re out of contract,” he said. “Once we’ve gone through the process, then the membership does have the ability to take a strike vote and in fact go on strike.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>A work stoppage could limit library services, summer activities and permit processing in a city that is already one of the most thinly staffed in California. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/08/23/5-charts-that-show-how-california-cities-spent-37-billion-on-public-employees-last-year/\">\u003cem>Mercury News\u003c/em> analysis\u003c/a> in 2024 found San José has 112 residents per city employee; among California’s 10 largest cities, only Bakersfield has a lower staffing ratio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan said the city has little flexibility to offer higher wages after recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12086842/san-jose-city-budget-new-immigrant-funding-cuts-reserve-spending\">approving a budget\u003c/a> that closed a $50.3 million shortfall by tapping reserves and cutting more than a dozen positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City budget analysts are projecting an ongoing shortfall of $26.8 million in 2027-28 and $11.8 million in 2028-29.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city is offering a fair deal,” Mahan said. “To go any higher than a 3% raise over the next three years, we would have to make significant service cuts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While negotiations are being led by the Office of Employee Relations, which reports to the city manager, any tentative agreement will need to be approved by the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2023, Mahan was the lone vote on the council against new contracts for MEF and IFPTE — arguing that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11958290/san-jose-city-council-approves-agreements-with-unions-to-avoid-strike\">wage hikes\u003c/a> of 14.5% over three years \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11960949/san-jose-city-council-approves-budget-trims-to-fund-worker-raises\">were beyond\u003c/a> what the city could afford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12049894\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12049894\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/250725-SJPOWER-JG-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan speaks during a July 25, 2025 press conference in North San José about a partnership with PG&E intended to attract more data center development to the city. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I think the council has just been through a difficult budget cycle where some of the members of the council were expressing a little bit of regret in private over deals that I pointed out three years ago were likely to set us up for service cuts,” Mahan said. “To do that again in this moment would be a mistake.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond wages, the unions and city remain apart on the use of artificial intelligence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under an MEF proposal submitted in March, the city would be barred from using technological systems “for the purpose of eliminating bargaining unit work” and from using AI “for new programs, positions or functions that could replace future new bargaining unit positions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s counterproposal offered the consideration of training and reassignment prior to layoffs, in cases “where artificial intelligence will result in workforce reductions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"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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"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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"perspectives": {
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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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},
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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",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
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"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
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"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
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