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"content": "\u003cp>Workers’ wages in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/contra-costa-county\">Contra Costa\u003c/a> counties rose during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, but the gains were not enough for many to afford the region’s high cost of living, according to a UC Berkeley Labor Center \u003ca href=\"https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/state-of-working-east-bay-2021-2023/\">report\u003c/a> published Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers estimated that the median hourly wage in the East Bay region reached more than $35.43 in 2023, nearly $3 higher than in 2019, adjusting for inflation. Despite the higher individual income, which added up thousands of dollars per year, the number of workers living at or near poverty increased to nearly 97,000, or one in 10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The wage gains are really important and that is a true bright spot in the story, but in the aggregate, it didn’t really move the needle,” said Savannah Hunter, a senior researcher at the UC Berkeley Labor Center who co-authored the report. “A lot of people still don’t make enough to make ends meet in the East Bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than half of East Bay workers weren’t paid enough to support a household of two full-time worker parents and two children. Among renters, about one-third of workers struggled to afford housing costs, according to the report’s findings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Latino and Black workers disproportionately experienced lower incomes than whites and Asians. Hispanic immigrants earned a median hourly wage that rose to just $22, the lowest when compared to other race and ethnicity groups, as well as other U.S.-born and foreign-born workers.[aside postID=news_12053655 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/GuaranteedIncomeGetty.jpg']The end of pandemic-era relief programs in 2022, such as stimulus payments and tax credits, likely dimmed the higher earnings employers paid to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market, Hunter said. The federal government’s choice to let those social support policies expire led to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/expiration-of-pandemic-relief-led-to-record-increases-in-poverty\">spike in poverty\u003c/a> nationwide, especially for children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stasia Hansen, research and policy director with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, said state and local governments must invest public dollars to make housing more affordable and ensure that employers in industries where wage theft is common pay workers what they are owed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Too many East Bay workers are trapped in poverty while working full-time. That’s honestly a policy failure; it’s not an accident. That is something that we have the power to change,” Hansen said. “We are seeing so much wealth in the East Bay and more broadly the Bay Area, and the concentration of that wealth is not going into our immigrant and Black communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hansen worried that the Trump administration’s steps to shrink healthcare access and the social safety net could exacerbate poverty. Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ spending bill, for instance, is expected to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911196/trump-cuts-to-snap-program-threaten-to-increase-hunger-locally-nationwide\">cut about $184 billion\u003c/a> from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through 2034.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s going the wrong direction for what we need for our workers and for our communities and families in the East Bay,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Workers’ wages in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda-county\">Alameda\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/contra-costa-county\">Contra Costa\u003c/a> counties rose during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, but the gains were not enough for many to afford the region’s high cost of living, according to a UC Berkeley Labor Center \u003ca href=\"https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/state-of-working-east-bay-2021-2023/\">report\u003c/a> published Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers estimated that the median hourly wage in the East Bay region reached more than $35.43 in 2023, nearly $3 higher than in 2019, adjusting for inflation. Despite the higher individual income, which added up thousands of dollars per year, the number of workers living at or near poverty increased to nearly 97,000, or one in 10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The wage gains are really important and that is a true bright spot in the story, but in the aggregate, it didn’t really move the needle,” said Savannah Hunter, a senior researcher at the UC Berkeley Labor Center who co-authored the report. “A lot of people still don’t make enough to make ends meet in the East Bay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The end of pandemic-era relief programs in 2022, such as stimulus payments and tax credits, likely dimmed the higher earnings employers paid to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market, Hunter said. The federal government’s choice to let those social support policies expire led to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/expiration-of-pandemic-relief-led-to-record-increases-in-poverty\">spike in poverty\u003c/a> nationwide, especially for children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stasia Hansen, research and policy director with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, said state and local governments must invest public dollars to make housing more affordable and ensure that employers in industries where wage theft is common pay workers what they are owed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Too many East Bay workers are trapped in poverty while working full-time. That’s honestly a policy failure; it’s not an accident. That is something that we have the power to change,” Hansen said. “We are seeing so much wealth in the East Bay and more broadly the Bay Area, and the concentration of that wealth is not going into our immigrant and Black communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hansen worried that the Trump administration’s steps to shrink healthcare access and the social safety net could exacerbate poverty. Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ spending bill, for instance, is expected to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911196/trump-cuts-to-snap-program-threaten-to-increase-hunger-locally-nationwide\">cut about $184 billion\u003c/a> from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through 2034.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s going the wrong direction for what we need for our workers and for our communities and families in the East Bay,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Hundreds of thousands of ride-hailing app drivers gained a path to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">negotiate a first union contract\u003c/a> with Uber and Lyft, even as they remain classified as independent contractors, under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law was hailed as a milestone for app-based drivers in their yearslong battle to expand workplace rights, though critics of the measure said drivers will face serious hurdles to convince the tech giants to raise their pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are now empowered to affect the conditions and the wages of the drivers,” said Joseph Augusto, who has driven for Uber and Lyft in the Bay Area for more than 10 years. “We are looking forward to building a union and trying to negotiate with Uber and Lyft. This is a step forward. It’s going to take a lot more work, but this is the beginning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ride-hail drivers in California have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11928844/rideshare-drivers-rally-for-rights-announce-new-statewide-union\">formed unions\u003c/a> in the past, but the app-based transportation giants weren’t required to bargain with them. AB 1340 by Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, will change that starting Jan. 1 for drivers’ unions certified by a state board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and other gig companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">successfully fought\u003c/a> to classify drivers as independent contractors in a 2020 California ballot measure. Under federal law, most private sector employees have the right to collectively bargain and receive benefits such as minimum wage and overtime; independent contractors typically do not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033653\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033653\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/IMG_1196-scaled-e1759530132238.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood on Oct. 12, 2022. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new legislation requires app-based transportation companies and certified unions to negotiate in good faith over issues such as driver deactivations, paid leave and earnings. It also protects gig drivers from retaliation and offers the opportunity to reach an industry-wide contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Public Employment Relations Board is set to enforce the provisions, including by overseeing union elections and bargaining, mediating disputes and determining whether any unfair labor practices occurred.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft initially opposed the measure, arguing that it would increase the price of rides and exclude most drivers who don’t work a significant number of hours per week. But the companies changed their stance in August, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/08/29/governor-newsom-pro-tem-mcguire-speaker-rivas-announce-support-for-legislation-empowering-gig-workers-improving-rideshare-affordability/\">in exchange\u003c/a> for significant reductions in insurance requirements through another bill, SB 371.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents to that bill argued that the concessions, which are expected to save the companies money by lowering the underinsured motorist coverage from $1 million to $60,000 per person, will shift the financial burden from serious accidents to vulnerable Californians and hospitals. The companies said the move will help them reduce the price of ride-hail services.[aside postID=news_12033648 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240625-UBERSANJOSE-JG-1-1-1020x680.jpg']“AB 1340 and SB 371 together represent a compromise that lowers costs for riders while creating stronger voices for drivers — demonstrating how industry, labor, and lawmakers can work together to deliver real solutions,” Ramona Prieto, Uber’s head of public policy for California, said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Uber and Lyft, drivers enjoy the flexibility to set their own schedules and an employee model threatens the companies’ survival. The 2020 ballot measure backed by the companies, Proposition 22, promised drivers would receive at least 120% of the local minimum wage, a health care stipend of up to $426 for those working a certain number of hours and accident insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many ride-hail drivers say they have seen their real wages slip since, while the companies became profitable. Researchers at the UC Berkeley Labor Center \u003ca href=\"https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/gig-passenger-and-delivery-driver-pay-in-five-metro-areas/\">found\u003c/a> last year that California passenger drivers made less than the state’s minimum wage, after car expenses and excluding tips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AB 1340 restricts the organizations that may be certified to represent drivers to those that have experience negotiating a labor contract or that are affiliated with such a union. Supporters of the measure said the requirements will ensure legitimate organizations have the resources to represent what could become a very large statewide bargaining bloc.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rideshare Drivers United, an organization with more than 20,000 California gig driver members, said the conditions could unduly benefit the Service Employees International Union, a major labor group that sponsored AB 1340 and backed a similar initiative in Massachusetts that voters approved last fall. Jason Munderloh, who began driving for Uber and Lyft in San Francisco 11 years ago, said he is also concerned that the new law \u003ca href=\"https://www.caaa.org/?pg=latestnews&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=130853#:~:text=AB%201340%20offers%20a%20state,the%20traditional%20workers'%20compensation%20system.\">does not guarantee\u003c/a> the right to strike, a key to union leverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A car with a Lyft sign drives with a black flag in the window.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rideshare drivers form a row to block the street in front of the DoorDash headquarters in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2021, during a protest for fair wages and employee protections. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s a missed opportunity,” said Munderloh, who volunteers with Rideshare Drivers United. “We’re going to be in what might be a very long fight. We need to start on the right foot. And we need a very strong [law]. And I just don’t see that that’s the way AB 1340 is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Munderloh pointed to the difficulties unionized employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act have had in securing a first contract with Starbucks, Amazon and other large corporations. Employer \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/news/research/bronfenbrenner-outlines-employer-anti-union-efforts-congress\">opposition\u003c/a> and the lack of financial penalties for unfair labor practices under that federal law make it difficult for some employees to ever win a first union contract, according to researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s new legislation allows ride-hail drivers to engage in protected union activities, such as a work stoppage. But the state can’t guarantee the right to strike because of federal antitrust laws, according to Scott Kronland, an attorney with Altshuler Berzon in San Francisco who advised the SEIU on AB 1340.[aside postID=news_12056553 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/LegalAide.jpg']It’s yet to be seen whether federal courts could see striking ride-hail drivers as businesses banding together to illegally reduce competition, since they are not employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a very complicated bill, but there are significant legal constraints,” said Kronland, who argued a challenge to Proposition 22 on behalf of several drivers and unions. “And basically, this is the best you are going to do with Prop 22 and federal antitrust laws until you can change them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AB 1340 became possible after the California Court of Appeals in that case struck down language that prevented state lawmakers from authorizing collective bargaining rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Weil, a professor of social policy and economics at Brandeis University, said he was skeptical that a deal embraced by the tech giants would significantly benefit drivers in the long run, even if workers can get to the bargaining table. Uber and Lyft control their drivers’ ever-changing rates, what rides they have access to and how much riders will pay by crunching data through an algorithm that works to maximize the companies’ profits, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber and Lyft, because of their vast control of information and algorithms, are always in a position where they have the advantage. … To borrow a gambling term, it’s always going to be the house that always wins relative to the drivers,” said Weil, who led the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division during the Obama administration. “They’re not going to surrender their ability to set prices and their ability to hold all the cards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as Uber and Lyft continue to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033648/uber-lyft-withheld-billions-in-pay-california-alleges-settlement-talks-are-underway\">negotiate a settlement\u003c/a> with California, as well as the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, which sued the companies over the alleged withholding of wages for thousands of drivers during a period of time before Proposition 22 passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers like Munderloh are demanding that the state and cities get an agreement that recoups billions of dollars in back wages and benefits, as well as raises driver pay going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The best way for drivers to improve what we’re being paid is actually the wage theft lawsuit that’s going on,” he said. “And the union struggle that we’re having here with AB 1340 is a longer-term issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Critics say the law signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t do enough to help level the power imbalance between tech giants and drivers.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Hundreds of thousands of ride-hailing app drivers gained a path to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">negotiate a first union contract\u003c/a> with Uber and Lyft, even as they remain classified as independent contractors, under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The law was hailed as a milestone for app-based drivers in their yearslong battle to expand workplace rights, though critics of the measure said drivers will face serious hurdles to convince the tech giants to raise their pay and benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are now empowered to affect the conditions and the wages of the drivers,” said Joseph Augusto, who has driven for Uber and Lyft in the Bay Area for more than 10 years. “We are looking forward to building a union and trying to negotiate with Uber and Lyft. This is a step forward. It’s going to take a lot more work, but this is the beginning.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ride-hail drivers in California have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11928844/rideshare-drivers-rally-for-rights-announce-new-statewide-union\">formed unions\u003c/a> in the past, but the app-based transportation giants weren’t required to bargain with them. AB 1340 by Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, will change that starting Jan. 1 for drivers’ unions certified by a state board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and other gig companies \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034860/california-bill-would-allow-uber-lyft-drivers-bargain-collectively\">successfully fought\u003c/a> to classify drivers as independent contractors in a 2020 California ballot measure. Under federal law, most private sector employees have the right to collectively bargain and receive benefits such as minimum wage and overtime; independent contractors typically do not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12033653\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12033653\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/IMG_1196-scaled-e1759530132238.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood on Oct. 12, 2022. \u003ccite>(Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new legislation requires app-based transportation companies and certified unions to negotiate in good faith over issues such as driver deactivations, paid leave and earnings. It also protects gig drivers from retaliation and offers the opportunity to reach an industry-wide contract.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Public Employment Relations Board is set to enforce the provisions, including by overseeing union elections and bargaining, mediating disputes and determining whether any unfair labor practices occurred.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft initially opposed the measure, arguing that it would increase the price of rides and exclude most drivers who don’t work a significant number of hours per week. But the companies changed their stance in August, \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/08/29/governor-newsom-pro-tem-mcguire-speaker-rivas-announce-support-for-legislation-empowering-gig-workers-improving-rideshare-affordability/\">in exchange\u003c/a> for significant reductions in insurance requirements through another bill, SB 371.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents to that bill argued that the concessions, which are expected to save the companies money by lowering the underinsured motorist coverage from $1 million to $60,000 per person, will shift the financial burden from serious accidents to vulnerable Californians and hospitals. The companies said the move will help them reduce the price of ride-hail services.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“AB 1340 and SB 371 together represent a compromise that lowers costs for riders while creating stronger voices for drivers — demonstrating how industry, labor, and lawmakers can work together to deliver real solutions,” Ramona Prieto, Uber’s head of public policy for California, said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Uber and Lyft, drivers enjoy the flexibility to set their own schedules and an employee model threatens the companies’ survival. The 2020 ballot measure backed by the companies, Proposition 22, promised drivers would receive at least 120% of the local minimum wage, a health care stipend of up to $426 for those working a certain number of hours and accident insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many ride-hail drivers say they have seen their real wages slip since, while the companies became profitable. Researchers at the UC Berkeley Labor Center \u003ca href=\"https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/gig-passenger-and-delivery-driver-pay-in-five-metro-areas/\">found\u003c/a> last year that California passenger drivers made less than the state’s minimum wage, after car expenses and excluding tips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AB 1340 restricts the organizations that may be certified to represent drivers to those that have experience negotiating a labor contract or that are affiliated with such a union. Supporters of the measure said the requirements will ensure legitimate organizations have the resources to represent what could become a very large statewide bargaining bloc.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rideshare Drivers United, an organization with more than 20,000 California gig driver members, said the conditions could unduly benefit the Service Employees International Union, a major labor group that sponsored AB 1340 and backed a similar initiative in Massachusetts that voters approved last fall. Jason Munderloh, who began driving for Uber and Lyft in San Francisco 11 years ago, said he is also concerned that the new law \u003ca href=\"https://www.caaa.org/?pg=latestnews&blAction=showEntry&blogEntry=130853#:~:text=AB%201340%20offers%20a%20state,the%20traditional%20workers'%20compensation%20system.\">does not guarantee\u003c/a> the right to strike, a key to union leverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut.jpg\" alt=\"A car with a Lyft sign drives with a black flag in the window.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/001_SanFrancisco_GigWorkersProtest_11032021_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rideshare drivers form a row to block the street in front of the DoorDash headquarters in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2021, during a protest for fair wages and employee protections. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It’s a missed opportunity,” said Munderloh, who volunteers with Rideshare Drivers United. “We’re going to be in what might be a very long fight. We need to start on the right foot. And we need a very strong [law]. And I just don’t see that that’s the way AB 1340 is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Munderloh pointed to the difficulties unionized employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act have had in securing a first contract with Starbucks, Amazon and other large corporations. Employer \u003ca href=\"https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/news/research/bronfenbrenner-outlines-employer-anti-union-efforts-congress\">opposition\u003c/a> and the lack of financial penalties for unfair labor practices under that federal law make it difficult for some employees to ever win a first union contract, according to researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s new legislation allows ride-hail drivers to engage in protected union activities, such as a work stoppage. But the state can’t guarantee the right to strike because of federal antitrust laws, according to Scott Kronland, an attorney with Altshuler Berzon in San Francisco who advised the SEIU on AB 1340.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>It’s yet to be seen whether federal courts could see striking ride-hail drivers as businesses banding together to illegally reduce competition, since they are not employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a very complicated bill, but there are significant legal constraints,” said Kronland, who argued a challenge to Proposition 22 on behalf of several drivers and unions. “And basically, this is the best you are going to do with Prop 22 and federal antitrust laws until you can change them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AB 1340 became possible after the California Court of Appeals in that case struck down language that prevented state lawmakers from authorizing collective bargaining rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Weil, a professor of social policy and economics at Brandeis University, said he was skeptical that a deal embraced by the tech giants would significantly benefit drivers in the long run, even if workers can get to the bargaining table. Uber and Lyft control their drivers’ ever-changing rates, what rides they have access to and how much riders will pay by crunching data through an algorithm that works to maximize the companies’ profits, he added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber and Lyft, because of their vast control of information and algorithms, are always in a position where they have the advantage. … To borrow a gambling term, it’s always going to be the house that always wins relative to the drivers,” said Weil, who led the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division during the Obama administration. “They’re not going to surrender their ability to set prices and their ability to hold all the cards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comes as Uber and Lyft continue to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033648/uber-lyft-withheld-billions-in-pay-california-alleges-settlement-talks-are-underway\">negotiate a settlement\u003c/a> with California, as well as the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, which sued the companies over the alleged withholding of wages for thousands of drivers during a period of time before Proposition 22 passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers like Munderloh are demanding that the state and cities get an agreement that recoups billions of dollars in back wages and benefits, as well as raises driver pay going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The best way for drivers to improve what we’re being paid is actually the wage theft lawsuit that’s going on,” he said. “And the union struggle that we’re having here with AB 1340 is a longer-term issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "sf-district-attorney-to-charge-man-suspected-of-killing-urban-alchemy-employee-with-shotgun-blast",
"title": "Man Charged With Murder in Shooting of Urban Alchemy Worker Near SF Civic Center",
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"headTitle": "Man Charged With Murder in Shooting of Urban Alchemy Worker Near SF Civic Center | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>The man accused of fatally shooting an Urban Alchemy street ambassador outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s main library last week has been charged with murder, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edmund Bowen, 42, is accused of shooting Joey Alexander, 60, with a shotgun at close range after Alexander asked him not to use drugs in public. Alexander, who had worked for more than two years as an ambassador for the nonprofit contracted by the city to help improve safety and cleanliness on downtown streets, died Tuesday of his injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Urban Alchemy ambassadors work every day to provide safe passage for [the Tenderloin’s students], to make sure that families feel that there is somebody looking out for them as they move about this community,” Jenkins \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/video/1718055?taid=68df37894406150001618cbb&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter\">told reporters on Thursday\u003c/a>. “To have one of those ambassadors who has come back into the community after once serving time in prison and now coming back to give back to the community, be hurt and be tragically killed in this way, of course, is very disheartening and alarming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander was manning his usual post outside San Francisco’s main library on Larkin Street just before 5 p.m. Friday when he approached Bowen, who was allegedly using drugs on the street, according to the nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Alexander asked him not to, Bowen pulled a shotgun out of his bag, said “F— Urban Alchemy” and shot Alexander, an Urban Alchemy spokesperson said. According to the district attorney’s office, Bowen was standing about 20 feet from Alexander when he fired.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bowen was arrested shortly after the shooting and has remained in custody since. He also faces an assault charge after another nearby worker said they were injured by shrapnel from his shotgun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058454\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1499px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058454\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1499\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED.jpg 1499w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED-1151x1536.jpg 1151w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1499px) 100vw, 1499px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colleagues said Joey Alexander, left, was a beloved coworker and friend. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Urban Alchemy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Alexander was rushed to the hospital, where doctors treated him for multiple days before he died Tuesday, according to Jess Montejano, a spokesperson for the nonprofit. He is at least the third Urban Alchemy employee to be shot on the job. Montejano said he believes Alexander is the first to die from related injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mr. Alexander was a beloved member of our team, and it’s a devastating loss,” Montejano said. “[He] was an exceptional employee, … loved his job, loved giving back and serving the community and doing his work. [He was] just beloved among everyone that worked with him and that knew him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many Urban Alchemy employees, Alexander had lived through some of the same challenging experiences — like homelessness, addiction and incarceration — as the people he aimed to serve, Montejano said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/prison-found-new-life-s-f-came-shotgun-blast-21078628.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Alexander had previously spent 23 years in prison. An Oakland resident, Alexander worked for Urban Alchemy as a “street practitioner” for more than two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our entire team really shares a higher purpose of giving back to the community and serving these vulnerable populations because many of them share that same experience that these people in crisis are going through themselves,” Montejano said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many street practitioners can connect with people and manage crises situations based on their own life experience, Montejano said the employees, who do not have law enforcement training, are sometimes put in dangerous situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our practitioners serve some of the most tough neighborhoods impacted by addiction, poverty, homelessness and crime in San Francisco,” he said. “They are trained with their lived experience … to bring more peace, safety and cleanliness on the streets. It’s an unfortunate reality that, yes, we do experience hate and sometimes violence in the line of work that we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenkins said Thursday that the shooting raises concerns about these workers’ safety, and she said the city should ensure police are in a position to “serve as a buffer” to protect them.[aside postID=news_12058145 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20231128-Muni-002-JY_qed.jpg']However, she said, the nonprofit’s model for patrolling the neighborhood is worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are people who make [Tenderloin residents] feel safer,” Jenkins said. “And what we do know is that we are over 500 [police] officers short, and so we have to do something as a city to supplement the shortage in police staffing who can also help us maintain our street conditions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shooting comes at an inflection point for Urban Alchemy, once heralded for its breakthrough community-centered approach to tackling homelessness and drug use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco first contracted with a predecessor of the nonprofit, Hunters Point Family, then \u003ca href=\"https://urban-alchemy.us/who-we-are/our-people/dr-lena-miller/\">led by Urban Alchemy’s Executive Director\u003c/a>, Dr. Lena Miller, in 2014. At the time, it was tasked with operating and cleaning public toilets throughout the city overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its founding in 2018, Urban Alchemy’s responsibilities have steadily mounted, from stationing practitioners during daytime hours downtown to dissuade public drug use and clean up streets to operating \u003ca href=\"https://hsh.archive.sf.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Consent-Item-11.1-UA-Safe-Parking-@-Candlestick.pdf\">safe RV parking sites\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5363341&GUID=0F3A493D-A9D0-4090-AED9-B465E2D61842\">homeless shelters\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The organization has expanded to nine cities in six states, and received \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odRmLmrPEz8\">praise from former Mayor London Breed\u003c/a> and community activists in the Tenderloin. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://urban-alchemy.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Stanford-Data-Press-Release.pdf\">Stanford University study\u003c/a> found that when its practitioners are present on street corners, crime dropped significantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s also struggled to live up to its lofty mission in recent years. Friday’s tragic incident comes as the nonprofit has faced backlash for overspending, management struggles and employee misconduct allegations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April, Urban Alchemy lost contracts with Bay Area Rapid Transit to provide bathroom and elevator attendants at San Francisco stations and in August, the city placed it on a nonprofit “watch list,” citing serious fiscal or programmatic concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036369\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The dormitory at the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center at the corner of Embarcadero and Beale Street in San Francisco on Jan. 30, 2020. San Francisco plans to expand a program pairing shelter beds at the Adante Hotel on Geary Street in Lower Nob Hill with access to addiction treatment, to intervene in the city’s drug crisis. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In September, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/urban-alchemy-gave-800k-in-bump-to-shelter-staff-21055295.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a> that the organization gave staff pay raises that overspent its contract to operate a shelter in Lower Nob Hill by about $800,000, despite warnings not to by city analysts. The nonprofit disputed the claim, saying it requested $800,000 in budget increases after being asked to run a larger operation but overspent by only $336,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of last month, Austin, Texas, opted not to renew contracts with the company to operate emergency centers after finding it misrepresented client exit data,\u003ca href=\"https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/city-end-contracts-urban-alchemy-three-years-21051321.php\"> according to the \u003cem>Austin American-Statesman.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the city controller in Los Angeles, another of Urban Alchemy’s outposts, launched an investigation into the organization after a video circulated of an employee spraying water toward an unhoused person as they scrambled to collect their things on a sidewalk in the Skid Row neighborhood, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-23/after-worker-sprays-water-near-unhoused-person-l-a-city-controller-launches-investigation?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">\u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported. Urban Alchemy denounced the incident at the time and said that it had fired the involved employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last February, a man who had lived at a homeless encampment in Sausalito managed by Urban Alchemy \u003ca href=\"https://wraphome.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Filed-Scan-Arthur-Bruce-v-Urban-Alchemy-et-al.pdf\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> alleging that an employee assaulted him after raising concerns that the nonprofit’s staff had engaged in dealing methamphetamine and sexually exploited unhoused residents. Urban Alchemy said it is seeking to have the suit dismissed and noted the court has already dismissed multiple of the initial complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montejano said the nonprofit’s “community-based” safety models are proven and data-driven. He said he doesn’t expect Alexander’s death to mean any change in the way it operates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re doubling down on the mission and the model, and we’re making sure that Mr. Alexander’s death isn’t in vain,” he told KQED. “We always train our employees to be safe; we are not the police. But we’re going to continue to work on our mission, our model that we know is effective, and providing safety, cleanliness and connections to care and support, and housing in some instances, for the communities that we serve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The man accused of fatally shooting an Urban Alchemy street ambassador outside \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>’s main library last week has been charged with murder, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Edmund Bowen, 42, is accused of shooting Joey Alexander, 60, with a shotgun at close range after Alexander asked him not to use drugs in public. Alexander, who had worked for more than two years as an ambassador for the nonprofit contracted by the city to help improve safety and cleanliness on downtown streets, died Tuesday of his injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Urban Alchemy ambassadors work every day to provide safe passage for [the Tenderloin’s students], to make sure that families feel that there is somebody looking out for them as they move about this community,” Jenkins \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/video/1718055?taid=68df37894406150001618cbb&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter\">told reporters on Thursday\u003c/a>. “To have one of those ambassadors who has come back into the community after once serving time in prison and now coming back to give back to the community, be hurt and be tragically killed in this way, of course, is very disheartening and alarming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander was manning his usual post outside San Francisco’s main library on Larkin Street just before 5 p.m. Friday when he approached Bowen, who was allegedly using drugs on the street, according to the nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After Alexander asked him not to, Bowen pulled a shotgun out of his bag, said “F— Urban Alchemy” and shot Alexander, an Urban Alchemy spokesperson said. According to the district attorney’s office, Bowen was standing about 20 feet from Alexander when he fired.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bowen was arrested shortly after the shooting and has remained in custody since. He also faces an assault charge after another nearby worker said they were injured by shrapnel from his shotgun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058454\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1499px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058454\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1499\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED.jpg 1499w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/URBAN-ALCHEMY-02-KQED-1151x1536.jpg 1151w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1499px) 100vw, 1499px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colleagues said Joey Alexander, left, was a beloved coworker and friend. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Urban Alchemy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Alexander was rushed to the hospital, where doctors treated him for multiple days before he died Tuesday, according to Jess Montejano, a spokesperson for the nonprofit. He is at least the third Urban Alchemy employee to be shot on the job. Montejano said he believes Alexander is the first to die from related injuries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mr. Alexander was a beloved member of our team, and it’s a devastating loss,” Montejano said. “[He] was an exceptional employee, … loved his job, loved giving back and serving the community and doing his work. [He was] just beloved among everyone that worked with him and that knew him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like many Urban Alchemy employees, Alexander had lived through some of the same challenging experiences — like homelessness, addiction and incarceration — as the people he aimed to serve, Montejano said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/prison-found-new-life-s-f-came-shotgun-blast-21078628.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Alexander had previously spent 23 years in prison. An Oakland resident, Alexander worked for Urban Alchemy as a “street practitioner” for more than two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our entire team really shares a higher purpose of giving back to the community and serving these vulnerable populations because many of them share that same experience that these people in crisis are going through themselves,” Montejano said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many street practitioners can connect with people and manage crises situations based on their own life experience, Montejano said the employees, who do not have law enforcement training, are sometimes put in dangerous situations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our practitioners serve some of the most tough neighborhoods impacted by addiction, poverty, homelessness and crime in San Francisco,” he said. “They are trained with their lived experience … to bring more peace, safety and cleanliness on the streets. It’s an unfortunate reality that, yes, we do experience hate and sometimes violence in the line of work that we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenkins said Thursday that the shooting raises concerns about these workers’ safety, and she said the city should ensure police are in a position to “serve as a buffer” to protect them.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>However, she said, the nonprofit’s model for patrolling the neighborhood is worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These are people who make [Tenderloin residents] feel safer,” Jenkins said. “And what we do know is that we are over 500 [police] officers short, and so we have to do something as a city to supplement the shortage in police staffing who can also help us maintain our street conditions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shooting comes at an inflection point for Urban Alchemy, once heralded for its breakthrough community-centered approach to tackling homelessness and drug use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco first contracted with a predecessor of the nonprofit, Hunters Point Family, then \u003ca href=\"https://urban-alchemy.us/who-we-are/our-people/dr-lena-miller/\">led by Urban Alchemy’s Executive Director\u003c/a>, Dr. Lena Miller, in 2014. At the time, it was tasked with operating and cleaning public toilets throughout the city overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its founding in 2018, Urban Alchemy’s responsibilities have steadily mounted, from stationing practitioners during daytime hours downtown to dissuade public drug use and clean up streets to operating \u003ca href=\"https://hsh.archive.sf.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Consent-Item-11.1-UA-Safe-Parking-@-Candlestick.pdf\">safe RV parking sites\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5363341&GUID=0F3A493D-A9D0-4090-AED9-B465E2D61842\">homeless shelters\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The organization has expanded to nine cities in six states, and received \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odRmLmrPEz8\">praise from former Mayor London Breed\u003c/a> and community activists in the Tenderloin. A 2024 \u003ca href=\"https://urban-alchemy.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Stanford-Data-Press-Release.pdf\">Stanford University study\u003c/a> found that when its practitioners are present on street corners, crime dropped significantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s also struggled to live up to its lofty mission in recent years. Friday’s tragic incident comes as the nonprofit has faced backlash for overspending, management struggles and employee misconduct allegations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April, Urban Alchemy lost contracts with Bay Area Rapid Transit to provide bathroom and elevator attendants at San Francisco stations and in August, the city placed it on a nonprofit “watch list,” citing serious fiscal or programmatic concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036369\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036369\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/019_KQED_EmbarcaderoNavigationCenter_01302020_7872_qed-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The dormitory at the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center at the corner of Embarcadero and Beale Street in San Francisco on Jan. 30, 2020. San Francisco plans to expand a program pairing shelter beds at the Adante Hotel on Geary Street in Lower Nob Hill with access to addiction treatment, to intervene in the city’s drug crisis. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In September, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/urban-alchemy-gave-800k-in-bump-to-shelter-staff-21055295.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle \u003c/em>reported\u003c/a> that the organization gave staff pay raises that overspent its contract to operate a shelter in Lower Nob Hill by about $800,000, despite warnings not to by city analysts. The nonprofit disputed the claim, saying it requested $800,000 in budget increases after being asked to run a larger operation but overspent by only $336,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of last month, Austin, Texas, opted not to renew contracts with the company to operate emergency centers after finding it misrepresented client exit data,\u003ca href=\"https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/city-end-contracts-urban-alchemy-three-years-21051321.php\"> according to the \u003cem>Austin American-Statesman.\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the city controller in Los Angeles, another of Urban Alchemy’s outposts, launched an investigation into the organization after a video circulated of an employee spraying water toward an unhoused person as they scrambled to collect their things on a sidewalk in the Skid Row neighborhood, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-23/after-worker-sprays-water-near-unhoused-person-l-a-city-controller-launches-investigation?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">\u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported. Urban Alchemy denounced the incident at the time and said that it had fired the involved employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last February, a man who had lived at a homeless encampment in Sausalito managed by Urban Alchemy \u003ca href=\"https://wraphome.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Filed-Scan-Arthur-Bruce-v-Urban-Alchemy-et-al.pdf\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> alleging that an employee assaulted him after raising concerns that the nonprofit’s staff had engaged in dealing methamphetamine and sexually exploited unhoused residents. Urban Alchemy said it is seeking to have the suit dismissed and noted the court has already dismissed multiple of the initial complaints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Montejano said the nonprofit’s “community-based” safety models are proven and data-driven. He said he doesn’t expect Alexander’s death to mean any change in the way it operates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re doubling down on the mission and the model, and we’re making sure that Mr. Alexander’s death isn’t in vain,” he told KQED. “We always train our employees to be safe; we are not the police. But we’re going to continue to work on our mission, our model that we know is effective, and providing safety, cleanliness and connections to care and support, and housing in some instances, for the communities that we serve.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As visitors arrived at the entrance to Muir Woods National Monument on Wednesday morning, they were greeted by a sign: “Closed due to a lapse in appropriations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777\">federal government had shut down\u003c/a> at 12:01 that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A National Park Service ranger greeted people by the closed gate, explaining the closure and recommending alternatives such as \u003ca href=\"https://parks.marincounty.gov/parkspreserves/preserves/roys-redwoods\">Roy’s Redwoods Preserve\u003c/a>, about 45 minutes north, and hikes around \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mt. Tamalpais\u003c/a> — a California state park that remains open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shutdown has left Bay Area parks in mixed states. Muir Woods is fully closed. Alcatraz Island is slated to stay open. Other sites like Point Reyes National Seashore and Fort Point have partial closures, with some parking lots blocked or bathrooms locked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even park staff said they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">didn’t learn the plan\u003c/a> until Tuesday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One NPS superintendent, who was on a call with parks leadership on Tuesday, spoke to KQED on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and losing their job, said this didn’t take place until 3 p.m. that afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058343\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058343\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A visitor takes a photos of a sign indicating that Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, CA is closed as a consequence of the government shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The NPS had submitted a closure plan last week, but staff didn’t get direction from the Department of the Interior until the last minute. KQED has reached out to NPS and DOI for comment, and has not yet received a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The superintendent told KQED they were told to report on Wednesday and submit their closure plan, which included making a formal request for any essential employees they believed needed to continue working — and to then instruct everyone else to set out-of-office notifications on their emails and phones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, “I’ll finalize any time sheets and lock the doors,” they said on Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Muir Woods, tourists like Amelia Lei Cabatit expressed confusion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought I was being clever when I Googled and it said yesterday night that parks would remain open,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cabatit came to California all the way from Hong Kong. Muir Woods was at the top of her list, she said, along with Yosemite, where she has reservations next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm\">Yosemite remains partially open\u003c/a> with \u003ca href=\"https://www.mariposagazette.com/articles/yosemite-remains-open-but-with-limited-visitor-services/\">reports of reduced staffing\u003c/a>, but Cabatit fears it’s unlikely the shutdown will be resolved in time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Honestly, I’m heartbroken,” she said. “I’ve been everywhere from Africa to the Galapagos to Costa Rica. I tell you, there’s nothing as beautiful as California parks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The impact on visitors — and the land\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Running national parks on a “skeleton crew” is going to be an issue for visitors, the superintendent warned, especially considering \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm#:~:text=The%20National%20Park%20Service%20reported,2%25\">visitor numbers\u003c/a> continue to rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 40 former superintendents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777/with-a-government-shutdown-looming-heres-how-the-bay-area-could-be-affected\">signed a letter\u003c/a> to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">raising the alarm about\u003c/a> what keeping some parks open with no staff could mean for visitors and the parks’ ecology itself.[aside postID=news_12058294 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238183191-scaled.jpg']They warned the safety of visitors is at stake, as there won’t be staff to direct them and emergency response times may be slower due to low staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If people go into Yosemite and they [don’t] know where to go or what to do, they’ll be on their own,” said Don Neubacher, former park superintendent for Yosemite and Point Reyes national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unsupervised visitors can also cause damage to parks, as happened at Joshua Tree National Park during the 2018–19 government shutdown, where bathrooms overflowed, pounds of trash accumulated, vehicles went off-road and iconic \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/us/joshua-tree-shutdown.html\">Joshua trees were cut down\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we saw last time required dozens of volunteers to step up and fill the gap left by lack of maintenance and lack of law enforcement,” said Kenji Haroutunian, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Joshua Tree. His group was one of those that helped maintain and clean up the park during and after the shutdown, and had urged NPS leaders to close Joshua Tree for the duration of any shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Haroutunian said, the park’s “partial opening” will once again “require some of the community to step up … to support the skeleton crew that’s likely to be in place for the foreseeable future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The longer-term picture for parks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Russell Galipeau, former superintendent of Channel Islands National Park, said focusing only on human impacts of the shutdown misses another major issue: the consequences for research across NPS land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While they’re not considered “essential” under a government shutdown, staff like wildlife biologists who help manage bear populations and monitor ecosystems are just as important — and their work, too, will get shut down, Galipeau warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10898045\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10898045\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles.jpg\" alt=\"A breeding pair of bald eagles atop their nest in Channel Islands National Park.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1121\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-400x234.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-800x467.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-1180x689.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-960x561.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A breeding pair of bald eagles atop their nest in Channel Islands National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy National Park Service)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We forget that these parks, these natural areas, they don’t manage themselves,” he said. “Sometimes, intervention is necessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Channel Islands, that means 40 years of data monitoring the health of the kelp forest or local populations of pinnipeds will now have a shutdown-sized hole — along with monitoring of fish populations to help inform fishing policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All those programs get shut down, and so we no longer have that canary in the coal mine that’s giving us an indicator of the health of not just the park, not just the ecosystem, but the place we live,” Galipeau said.[aside postID=news_12058137 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250912-TrumpsSignageOrder-36-BL_qed.jpg']Galipeau said he was especially worried about smaller or less-visited parks like Manzanar National Historic Site — concerns echoed by that park’s former superintendent, Bernadette Johnson. Manzanar’s remote location in the Eastern Sierra doesn’t have onsite worker housing, and the park was already only open four days a week due to lack of staffing and budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Small parks like Manzanar really can’t afford to lose any other bodies at all,” Johnson said. “It’s already been bare bones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She noted that it’s not just the parks that will lose income, including entrance fees, during the shutdown: Bookstores, coffee shops, and even nearby towns will all lose out on dollars while parks are closed. But Galipeau said that the current shutdown plan, which prioritizes keeping parks that \u003cem>can \u003c/em>collect entrance fees open, is a dangerous game, too. “Now all of a sudden, we’re letting money drive everything,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, Galipeau said, it’s been especially hard to find out what the plans for national parks are — and what the future might hold. “In the past, you could talk to people more openly,” he said. “You could understand what their shutdown plans were.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very hard to get anybody to talk to us,” he said. “Because they don’t know what’s going to happen to them if they’ll be perceived as non-loyalists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting by KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmizuguchi\">\u003cem>Keith Mizuguchi\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">\u003cem>Carly Severn\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As some national parks close their doors entirely during the shutdown, visitors and advocates are dismayed by what’s unfolding.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As visitors arrived at the entrance to Muir Woods National Monument on Wednesday morning, they were greeted by a sign: “Closed due to a lapse in appropriations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777\">federal government had shut down\u003c/a> at 12:01 that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A National Park Service ranger greeted people by the closed gate, explaining the closure and recommending alternatives such as \u003ca href=\"https://parks.marincounty.gov/parkspreserves/preserves/roys-redwoods\">Roy’s Redwoods Preserve\u003c/a>, about 45 minutes north, and hikes around \u003ca href=\"https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471\">Mt. Tamalpais\u003c/a> — a California state park that remains open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shutdown has left Bay Area parks in mixed states. Muir Woods is fully closed. Alcatraz Island is slated to stay open. Other sites like Point Reyes National Seashore and Fort Point have partial closures, with some parking lots blocked or bathrooms locked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even park staff said they \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">didn’t learn the plan\u003c/a> until Tuesday afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One NPS superintendent, who was on a call with parks leadership on Tuesday, spoke to KQED on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and losing their job, said this didn’t take place until 3 p.m. that afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058343\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058343\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251001-NATIONAL-PARKS-SHUTDOWN-MD-03-1-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A visitor takes a photos of a sign indicating that Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, CA is closed as a consequence of the government shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The NPS had submitted a closure plan last week, but staff didn’t get direction from the Department of the Interior until the last minute. KQED has reached out to NPS and DOI for comment, and has not yet received a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The superintendent told KQED they were told to report on Wednesday and submit their closure plan, which included making a formal request for any essential employees they believed needed to continue working — and to then instruct everyone else to set out-of-office notifications on their emails and phones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, “I’ll finalize any time sheets and lock the doors,” they said on Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Muir Woods, tourists like Amelia Lei Cabatit expressed confusion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought I was being clever when I Googled and it said yesterday night that parks would remain open,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cabatit came to California all the way from Hong Kong. Muir Woods was at the top of her list, she said, along with Yosemite, where she has reservations next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm\">Yosemite remains partially open\u003c/a> with \u003ca href=\"https://www.mariposagazette.com/articles/yosemite-remains-open-but-with-limited-visitor-services/\">reports of reduced staffing\u003c/a>, but Cabatit fears it’s unlikely the shutdown will be resolved in time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Honestly, I’m heartbroken,” she said. “I’ve been everywhere from Africa to the Galapagos to Costa Rica. I tell you, there’s nothing as beautiful as California parks.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The impact on visitors — and the land\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Running national parks on a “skeleton crew” is going to be an issue for visitors, the superintendent warned, especially considering \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm#:~:text=The%20National%20Park%20Service%20reported,2%25\">visitor numbers\u003c/a> continue to rise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 40 former superintendents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777/with-a-government-shutdown-looming-heres-how-the-bay-area-could-be-affected\">signed a letter\u003c/a> to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">raising the alarm about\u003c/a> what keeping some parks open with no staff could mean for visitors and the parks’ ecology itself.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>They warned the safety of visitors is at stake, as there won’t be staff to direct them and emergency response times may be slower due to low staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If people go into Yosemite and they [don’t] know where to go or what to do, they’ll be on their own,” said Don Neubacher, former park superintendent for Yosemite and Point Reyes national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unsupervised visitors can also cause damage to parks, as happened at Joshua Tree National Park during the 2018–19 government shutdown, where bathrooms overflowed, pounds of trash accumulated, vehicles went off-road and iconic \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/us/joshua-tree-shutdown.html\">Joshua trees were cut down\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we saw last time required dozens of volunteers to step up and fill the gap left by lack of maintenance and lack of law enforcement,” said Kenji Haroutunian, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Joshua Tree. His group was one of those that helped maintain and clean up the park during and after the shutdown, and had urged NPS leaders to close Joshua Tree for the duration of any shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, Haroutunian said, the park’s “partial opening” will once again “require some of the community to step up … to support the skeleton crew that’s likely to be in place for the foreseeable future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The longer-term picture for parks\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Russell Galipeau, former superintendent of Channel Islands National Park, said focusing only on human impacts of the shutdown misses another major issue: the consequences for research across NPS land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While they’re not considered “essential” under a government shutdown, staff like wildlife biologists who help manage bear populations and monitor ecosystems are just as important — and their work, too, will get shut down, Galipeau warned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10898045\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10898045\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles.jpg\" alt=\"A breeding pair of bald eagles atop their nest in Channel Islands National Park.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1121\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-400x234.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-800x467.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-1180x689.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/03/channeleagles-960x561.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A breeding pair of bald eagles atop their nest in Channel Islands National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy National Park Service)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We forget that these parks, these natural areas, they don’t manage themselves,” he said. “Sometimes, intervention is necessary.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Channel Islands, that means 40 years of data monitoring the health of the kelp forest or local populations of pinnipeds will now have a shutdown-sized hole — along with monitoring of fish populations to help inform fishing policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All those programs get shut down, and so we no longer have that canary in the coal mine that’s giving us an indicator of the health of not just the park, not just the ecosystem, but the place we live,” Galipeau said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Galipeau said he was especially worried about smaller or less-visited parks like Manzanar National Historic Site — concerns echoed by that park’s former superintendent, Bernadette Johnson. Manzanar’s remote location in the Eastern Sierra doesn’t have onsite worker housing, and the park was already only open four days a week due to lack of staffing and budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Small parks like Manzanar really can’t afford to lose any other bodies at all,” Johnson said. “It’s already been bare bones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She noted that it’s not just the parks that will lose income, including entrance fees, during the shutdown: Bookstores, coffee shops, and even nearby towns will all lose out on dollars while parks are closed. But Galipeau said that the current shutdown plan, which prioritizes keeping parks that \u003cem>can \u003c/em>collect entrance fees open, is a dangerous game, too. “Now all of a sudden, we’re letting money drive everything,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, Galipeau said, it’s been especially hard to find out what the plans for national parks are — and what the future might hold. “In the past, you could talk to people more openly,” he said. “You could understand what their shutdown plans were.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very hard to get anybody to talk to us,” he said. “Because they don’t know what’s going to happen to them if they’ll be perceived as non-loyalists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting by KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kmizuguchi\">\u003cem>Keith Mizuguchi\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">\u003cem>Carly Severn\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Many in the Bay Area woke up Wednesday bracing for what could be an extended \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777/\">government shutdown\u003c/a> that began overnight, spurred by a deadlock on spending bills in the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already, the effects are being felt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the shutdown started at 12:01 a.m., thousands of the region’s federal workers were furloughed and many government services ground to a halt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MT Snyder, a San Francisco-based federal worker and member of the city’s union chapter representing employees at the National Labor Relations Board, woke up suspended from her job, per the board’s shutdown contingency plan. After going into work to set an out-of-office email response and cancel all upcoming appointments on her calendar, she said, she was no longer permitted to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the NLRB, which ensures that private sector workers are able to unionize in line with the National Labor Relations Act, the shutdown means all pending votes and negotiations for workers going through the unionization process in San Francisco will be put on hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058315\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058315\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maintenance workers are seen just after midnight at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal. \u003ccite>(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All of the workers right now who have come to the National Labor Relations Board and said, ‘Hey, we want to have an election, we want to vote on whether or not to have the union’ — none of those elections can happen,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, any local workers who believe that their employer has violated the NLRA won’t be able to request an investigation and support from the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a worker says, ‘I was fired for unionizing,’ they come to us … they file a complaint and then the board investigates and can get a remedy for them, can ensure that their rights are upheld,” she said. “There is no other place for them to go if we’re shut down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many other agencies halted operations that weren’t deemed “essential,” in line with contingency plans they all have for lapses in federal appropriations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">national parks\u003c/a> that can be blocked from public access, such as Muir Woods, are closed, and 9,000 parks employees have been furloughed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alcatraz and Fort Point are open, while some bathrooms are locked. Ocean, Stinson and Muir beaches — all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area — are accessible and have open bathrooms, but their public parking lots are shuttered.[aside postID=news_12019327 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/Government-ShutdownAP-1020x679.jpg']NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View has also ceased most operations, according to Jonas Dino, president of the Ames Federal Employees Union, though certain employees are exempt and will continue working, including those in safety, cybersecurity and any mission-critical operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are trying to provide our members with as much [information] for resources like shutdown assistance loans with the SRI Federal Credit Union and union activities,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Air National Guard facility at Moffett Field remains open and “fully operational,” according to Jeffrey Nelan, deputy communications director for the California Military Department. He noted that personnel continue to carry out duties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the Moffett Field Museum is privately funded and also remains open, confusion over the government shutdown is likely to hurt business, executive director Jeff Wasel said. In previous shutdowns, people have assumed the museum was closed, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shutdowns [are] kind of double-edged swords in that sense,” he said. “We do, at the beginning, suffer a little bit of a downturn, but sometimes that downturn [has been] made up by government employees that have spare time to come in and visit the museum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He is expecting a 20% to 30% decline in revenues while the shutdown is in effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029189\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029189\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. \u003ccite>(Byunghwan Lim/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service will continue weather forecasting, emergency responses and some satellite operations, but tours, most research and other services deemed unessential, like fishery monitoring, survey work and stock assessment, will cease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NOAA said it also won’t regularly update its social media pages, which people often check during weather emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“NOAA is unable to respond to emails or voicemails that are not mission-critical,” the communications office said Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-09/epa-contingency-plan-9_29_25.pdf\">Environmental Protection Agency is operating similarly\u003c/a>, pausing most research and issuance of new grants, permits, guidance and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the effects of paused “non-essential” work might not be felt right away, they could become more obvious if the shutdown drags on, which Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said is likely.[aside postID=news_12058260 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-903911876-2000x1333.jpg']Speaking on KQED’s \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em> on Wednesday morning, the East Bay Democrat said he was\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911415/federal-government-shutdown-looms-large-ahead-of-midnight-deadline\"> prepared for a shutdown that rivaled\u003c/a> the record 35-day lapse in appropriations during President Trump’s first term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to be painful,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on just how long it lasts, more services that are still operating as of Oct. 1 could also face disruptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CalFresh, California’s iteration of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has enough funding to continue providing food stamps to residents who qualify for about a month, according to DeSaulnier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal courts have enough money to continue paying for operations for \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2025/10/01/judiciary-still-operating-shutdown-starts\">a little over two weeks\u003c/a>, according to the judiciary. After that, they will continue to operate under the Anti-Deficiency Act, but like all federal employees deemed “essential,” court workers won’t be paid until the shutdown ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the shutdown drags on, government agencies that remain open under the Anti-Deficiency Act — including the U.S. Postal Service, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration — could fall into chaos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/ten-air-traffic-controllers-shutdown\">was temporarily paused\u003c/a> and other major airports experienced significant delays after unpaid air traffic controllers called in sick to work on the 35th day of that federal shutdown. \u003cem>SFGate\u003c/em> reported at the time that Bay Area airports \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/California-airports-unaffected-by-government-13533315.php\">were largely unaffected\u003c/a>. TSA workers at SFO are not federal employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058317\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058317\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-2000x1379.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-1536x1059.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-2048x1412.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, (L) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY, deliver remarks following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Democratic leaders met with President Trump to negotiate funding legislation to avoid a government shutdown. \u003ccite>(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not long after the air traffic controllers’ sickout, Trump backed a stopgap spending bill to end that shutdown amid mounting pressure. It’s hard to know how long this one could last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite Republican control of Congress and the White House, federal agency websites are blaming Democrats for the disruption. On the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s homepage, a banner reads: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Democrats refused to sign a Republican-led spending plan for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 in order to try to force the restoration of health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, both Democrat and Republican-based stopgap funding plans \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/g-s1-91217/government-shutdown-midnight\">failed in the Senate\u003c/a>, and DeSaulnier said last-ditch negotiations in the House were unproductive after Republican members didn’t show up to negotiate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if and when that might change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re not talking to us. They’re being told by the president not to talk to us,” DeSaulnier said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of other Democrats broke with the party to pass a Republican spending bill and avoid a government shutdown — inviting\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/us/politics/absolutely-ridiculous-democrats-seethe-at-schumer-for-backing-gop-spending-bill.html\"> pushback from leaders\u003c/a> like Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D–N.Y.).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it appears that now, the party is more united behind the idea that a shutdown is a rare bargaining chip with the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the way [Trump] negotiates,” DeSaulnier said Wednesday. “And we’re not having it because every time we try, he wants more. The cost is to the American public and in this instance to the health of this country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/abandlamudi\">\u003cem>Adhiti Bandlamudi\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bwatt\">\u003cem>Brian Watt\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Many in the Bay Area woke up Wednesday bracing for what could be an extended \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777/\">government shutdown\u003c/a> that began overnight, spurred by a deadlock on spending bills in the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already, the effects are being felt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the shutdown started at 12:01 a.m., thousands of the region’s federal workers were furloughed and many government services ground to a halt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MT Snyder, a San Francisco-based federal worker and member of the city’s union chapter representing employees at the National Labor Relations Board, woke up suspended from her job, per the board’s shutdown contingency plan. After going into work to set an out-of-office email response and cancel all upcoming appointments on her calendar, she said, she was no longer permitted to work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the NLRB, which ensures that private sector workers are able to unionize in line with the National Labor Relations Act, the shutdown means all pending votes and negotiations for workers going through the unionization process in San Francisco will be put on hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058315\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058315\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238026667-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maintenance workers are seen just after midnight at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal. \u003ccite>(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“All of the workers right now who have come to the National Labor Relations Board and said, ‘Hey, we want to have an election, we want to vote on whether or not to have the union’ — none of those elections can happen,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, any local workers who believe that their employer has violated the NLRA won’t be able to request an investigation and support from the board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a worker says, ‘I was fired for unionizing,’ they come to us … they file a complaint and then the board investigates and can get a remedy for them, can ensure that their rights are upheld,” she said. “There is no other place for them to go if we’re shut down.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many other agencies halted operations that weren’t deemed “essential,” in line with contingency plans they all have for lapses in federal appropriations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the Bay Area, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">national parks\u003c/a> that can be blocked from public access, such as Muir Woods, are closed, and 9,000 parks employees have been furloughed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alcatraz and Fort Point are open, while some bathrooms are locked. Ocean, Stinson and Muir beaches — all part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area — are accessible and have open bathrooms, but their public parking lots are shuttered.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View has also ceased most operations, according to Jonas Dino, president of the Ames Federal Employees Union, though certain employees are exempt and will continue working, including those in safety, cybersecurity and any mission-critical operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are trying to provide our members with as much [information] for resources like shutdown assistance loans with the SRI Federal Credit Union and union activities,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Air National Guard facility at Moffett Field remains open and “fully operational,” according to Jeffrey Nelan, deputy communications director for the California Military Department. He noted that personnel continue to carry out duties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the Moffett Field Museum is privately funded and also remains open, confusion over the government shutdown is likely to hurt business, executive director Jeff Wasel said. In previous shutdowns, people have assumed the museum was closed, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shutdowns [are] kind of double-edged swords in that sense,” he said. “We do, at the beginning, suffer a little bit of a downturn, but sometimes that downturn [has been] made up by government employees that have spare time to come in and visit the museum.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He is expecting a 20% to 30% decline in revenues while the shutdown is in effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029189\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029189\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/NOAAGetty-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. \u003ccite>(Byunghwan Lim/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service will continue weather forecasting, emergency responses and some satellite operations, but tours, most research and other services deemed unessential, like fishery monitoring, survey work and stock assessment, will cease.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NOAA said it also won’t regularly update its social media pages, which people often check during weather emergencies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“NOAA is unable to respond to emails or voicemails that are not mission-critical,” the communications office said Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-09/epa-contingency-plan-9_29_25.pdf\">Environmental Protection Agency is operating similarly\u003c/a>, pausing most research and issuance of new grants, permits, guidance and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the effects of paused “non-essential” work might not be felt right away, they could become more obvious if the shutdown drags on, which Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said is likely.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Speaking on KQED’s \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em> on Wednesday morning, the East Bay Democrat said he was\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911415/federal-government-shutdown-looms-large-ahead-of-midnight-deadline\"> prepared for a shutdown that rivaled\u003c/a> the record 35-day lapse in appropriations during President Trump’s first term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to be painful,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on just how long it lasts, more services that are still operating as of Oct. 1 could also face disruptions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CalFresh, California’s iteration of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has enough funding to continue providing food stamps to residents who qualify for about a month, according to DeSaulnier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal courts have enough money to continue paying for operations for \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2025/10/01/judiciary-still-operating-shutdown-starts\">a little over two weeks\u003c/a>, according to the judiciary. After that, they will continue to operate under the Anti-Deficiency Act, but like all federal employees deemed “essential,” court workers won’t be paid until the shutdown ends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the shutdown drags on, government agencies that remain open under the Anti-Deficiency Act — including the U.S. Postal Service, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration — could fall into chaos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2019, travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/ten-air-traffic-controllers-shutdown\">was temporarily paused\u003c/a> and other major airports experienced significant delays after unpaid air traffic controllers called in sick to work on the 35th day of that federal shutdown. \u003cem>SFGate\u003c/em> reported at the time that Bay Area airports \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/California-airports-unaffected-by-government-13533315.php\">were largely unaffected\u003c/a>. TSA workers at SFO are not federal employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12058317\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12058317\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1765\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-2000x1379.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-1536x1059.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2238159587-2048x1412.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, (L) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY, deliver remarks following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The Democratic leaders met with President Trump to negotiate funding legislation to avoid a government shutdown. \u003ccite>(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Not long after the air traffic controllers’ sickout, Trump backed a stopgap spending bill to end that shutdown amid mounting pressure. It’s hard to know how long this one could last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite Republican control of Congress and the White House, federal agency websites are blaming Democrats for the disruption. On the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s homepage, a banner reads: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Democrats refused to sign a Republican-led spending plan for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 in order to try to force the restoration of health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, both Democrat and Republican-based stopgap funding plans \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/g-s1-91217/government-shutdown-midnight\">failed in the Senate\u003c/a>, and DeSaulnier said last-ditch negotiations in the House were unproductive after Republican members didn’t show up to negotiate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if and when that might change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re not talking to us. They’re being told by the president not to talk to us,” DeSaulnier said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of other Democrats broke with the party to pass a Republican spending bill and avoid a government shutdown — inviting\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/us/politics/absolutely-ridiculous-democrats-seethe-at-schumer-for-backing-gop-spending-bill.html\"> pushback from leaders\u003c/a> like Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D–N.Y.).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it appears that now, the party is more united behind the idea that a shutdown is a rare bargaining chip with the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the way [Trump] negotiates,” DeSaulnier said Wednesday. “And we’re not having it because every time we try, he wants more. The cost is to the American public and in this instance to the health of this country.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/abandlamudi\">\u003cem>Adhiti Bandlamudi\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/bwatt\">\u003cem>Brian Watt\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "government-shutdown-who-affected-bay-area-california-social-security-airports-national-parks-courts-fleet-week-sf",
"title": "A Government Shutdown is Here. How Will the Bay Area Be Affected?",
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"headTitle": "A Government Shutdown is Here. How Will the Bay Area Be Affected? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s official: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911415/federal-government-shutdown-looms-large-ahead-of-midnight-deadline\">The federal government shut down\u003c/a> at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/government-shutdown\">stopgap funding bill\u003c/a> by Tuesday’s deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for how we know local agencies were preparing for the shutdown — and how life in the Bay Area could be impacted this week. We’ll keep updating this guide with more information when we have it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to how a shutdown will affect:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Social\">Social services\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Air\">Air travel\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Parks\">National parks\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#government-shutdown-courts\">Court dates\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#government-shutdown-fleet-week-sf\">Fleet Week\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The impact on federal workers in California and the Bay Area\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A report based on 2024 estimates by the \u003ca href=\"https://democrats-budget.house.gov/legislation/MAGAshutdown\">House Budget Committee\u003c/a> found that the federal government employs more than 187,000 Californians, making up about 1% of the state’s total workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That ratio is roughly the same in the Bay Area, said Jeff Bellisario, executive director for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “The federal government’s reach into the state of California is one that’s already relatively limited,” he said. “I don’t necessarily see this [shutdown] as being a huge impact there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to other experts, the scale of a shutdown’s impact will rely heavily on how President Donald Trump’s administration handles the shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12019327 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/Government-ShutdownAP-1020x679.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The government decides which federal workers are designated essential — “which means they are expected to continue to work at their job despite the fact that they’re not going to get paid,” said Christopher Thornberg, the founding partner of economic research firm Beacon Economics. “Much of it depends on exactly what [jobs] Trump decides to call essential versus non-essential.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Usually, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget determines that distinction. Last week, OMB Director Russell Vought released a \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000199-7e8f-ddde-a199-fedf6c5d0000\">memo\u003c/a> threatening mass layoffs for federal employees working in programs that are “not consistent with the president’s priorities,” should a shutdown occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when it comes to federal workers who \u003cem>aren’t \u003c/em>laid off but who still have their paychecks stopped, many families around the state will be financially affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"Social\">\u003c/a>Social services during a shutdown\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://endhomelessness.org/blog/potential-government-shutdown-what-you-need-to-know/\">National Alliance to End Homelessness\u003c/a>, people receiving health care coverage through Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act can expect regular service, even during a shutdown. Social Security payments will likely still be issued. And those awarded homeless assistance grants through the Department of Housing and Urban Development can expect to continue receiving assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But other programs could be in jeopardy, depending on how long the shutdown lasts. Steve Berg, the nonprofit’s chief policy officer, said any other social service programs that require attention from federal officials might be impacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If nonprofits are trying to get grants or yearly contracts renewed while the government is shut down, those programs could also be halted, said Berg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the people who you go back and forth with about doing that aren’t in the office,” he said, an organization’s funding “could be delayed as a result of the shutdown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057897\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1998px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057897\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lester Johnson (left), a restaurant owner in Richmond, Virginia, stands next to a sign that reads “Affordable Care Act Premiums Will Rise More Than 75%” during a news conference to call on Republicans to pass Affordable Care Act tax breaks on Capitol Hill on Sept. 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. \u003ccite>(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the first Trump administration, the United States experienced the longest government shutdown in history, clocking in at 35 days. Officials working for Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D-10) told KQED that in the event of another shutdown of this length, 5 million Californians who are beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could eventually lose access to their funds. WIC, another nutrition program geared toward women, infants and children — which serves more than 972,400 Californians — could also be impacted in that scenario.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berg said that if you’re receiving assistance from federal programs, you should reach out to your local office for more clarity on what to expect.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"government-shutdown-courts\">\u003c/a>Court dates during a possible shutdown\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to a \u003ca href=\"https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/gkvlaeeydpb/09242025shutdown.pdf\">memo\u003c/a> released last week by Judge Robert Conrad, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Judiciary could sustain operations only through Friday, relying on fee balances and appropriations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720740\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720740\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS13793_Waiting-at-Court-e1548365526566.png\" alt=\"Young immigrants wait to enter a San Francisco courtroom for a hearing in 2014.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young immigrants wait to enter a San Francisco courtroom for a hearing in 2014. \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In previous shutdowns, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aila.org/library/government-shuts-down\">American Immigration Lawyers Association\u003c/a> has encouraged people to check with local lawyers and legal groups, particularly regarding ICE enforcement, hearings and removal operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED has previously reported that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11962810/government-shutdown-from-national-parks-and-air-travel-to-immigration-how-california-could-be-affected\">courts already have a backlog\u003c/a> of immigration cases nationally. When case hearings have to be rescheduled, it only furthers that backlog and could impact an immigrant’s ability to mount a successful defense against deportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"Air\">\u003c/a>Air travel during a possible shutdown\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A TSA spokesperson told KQED Wednesday that around around 61,000 of the agency’s 64,000 employees “are considered excepted or exempt and TSA will continue operations to keep the travelling public safe” — with the agency’s remaining employees temporarily furloughed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports,” warned the spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials at the Bay Area’s major airports said they are relying on distinctions made during previous shutdowns. Doug Yakel, a spokesperson for the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), told KQED last week that federal workers within the airport like air traffic controllers and customs agents — as well as health workers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation — would be considered “essential” and would have to continue working without pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As KQED has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11962810/government-shutdown-from-national-parks-and-air-travel-to-immigration-how-california-could-be-affected\">reported during previous shutdown threats\u003c/a>, this does raise the possibility that these staff may call in sick, potentially causing delays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057833\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057833\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers walk in to the Oakland International Airport in Oakland on April 12, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because SFO’s bagging and screening is done by \u003ca href=\"https://www.flysfo.com/about/airport-operations/safety-security#:~:text=Security%20Screening,website%20for%20helpful%20travel%20tips.\">a private company under contract with TSA, \u003c/a>those workers will continue to be paid during the shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) is following similar guidelines. “We don’t expect any screening or air traffic control services to be interrupted,” OAK spokesperson David DeWitt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) spokesperson Julie Jarrett told KQED that the airport currently had “no information indicating that SJC will be impacted by a potential government shutdown,” but that staff were “staying in close contact with our local partners and monitoring the situation closely as it unfolds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Federal Aviation Agency, field training of air traffic controllers, random drug testing, financial operations and other activities would halt during a government shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"Parks\">\u003c/a>Visiting national parks during a shutdown\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, hours ahead of a possible shutdown, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">the National Park Service informed staff of its contingency plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to an internal NPS memo by email obtained by KQED, national park sites that \u003cem>can\u003c/em> be made physically inaccessible to the public will be closed, while sites with roads and trails that are accessible to the public will remain open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf\">An expanded version of the NPS plan\u003c/a> posted online Tuesday estimated more than 9,000 of the agency’s 14,500 employees are expected to be furloughed in the event of a shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which manages many of the Bay Area’s national park sites, has released a list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/park-status-during-2025-lapse.htm\">which parks are closed as of Wednesday and which will remain open.\u003c/a> They include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods National Monument: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Alcatraz Island: Temporarily closed Wednesday but “reopening for its regular schedule on October 2 with all facilities OPEN”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Point: Interior, parking lot and Long Avenue and Marine Drive closed, with restrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>China Beach: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ocean Beach: Sloat Blvd parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stinson Beach: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Beach and Muir Beach Overlook: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Point Reyes National Seashore is open but with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/conditions.htm\">certain bathroom closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Presidio, which is financially independent from NPS, said that site would remain fully open to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates for America’s national parks have expressed alarm at the last-minute nature of this planning for park closures. Superintendents were only informed during a meeting late Tuesday afternoon about which sites would remain open — followed by the email memo shortly after — according to Jesse Chakrin, executive director of the Fund for People in Parks, an advocacy group that works with small or lesser-known parks in the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chakrin said this is the tightest turnaround for shutdown planning he’s seen by a large margin. “They’re asking for each park unit to make a plan, including staffing numbers and associated costs for a shutdown, which is happening in hours,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057891\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1998px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057891\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1329\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">US Park Rangers stand at the closed gate to Joshua Tree National Park, in Joshua Tree, California, on Oct. 2, 2013, the second day of a US government shutdown. \u003ccite>(Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emily Thompson, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/\">Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks\u003c/a>, said she and other advocates were concerned the Trump administration would try to keep all parks open through any 2025 shutdown. That prompted the group to \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2025/09/25/former-nps-superintendents-urge-secretary-burgum-to-close-national-parks-if-government-shuts-down/\">author a letter,\u003c/a> signed by 40 former National Park superintendents, calling for parks to be closed.[aside postID=news_12019327 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/Government-ShutdownAP-1020x679.jpg']“Leaving national parks open without National Park staff to help protect visitors and resources is not only irresponsible — it’s dangerous,” Thompson wrote in a statement to KQED. “We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers and we should not leave our National Parks open without NPS employees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without adequate staff, if somebody gets in trouble in the backcountry, for instance, it’s going to take a lot longer to get to them and deal with it,” said Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With NPS \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/us/politics/trump-cuts-national-parks.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hU8.ZRdY.Ld_Yk_s1WCA6&smid=url-share\">staffing already down by an estimated 24% at parks\u003c/a>, the likelihood of poaching and vandalism would rise even further in the event of an unstaffed shutdown, said Wade, pointing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/us/joshua-tree-shutdown.html\">destruction of trees at Joshua Tree National Park\u003c/a> during the 2019 shutdown. Wade said he’s also worried that parks staff won’t just get furloughed, but are also at risk of being fired outright, after Trump directed agencies to\u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/24/white-house-firings-shutdown-00579909\"> prepare for mass firings\u003c/a> should the shutdown occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"government-shutdown-fleet-week-sf\">\u003c/a>Attending Fleet Week during a shutdown\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058113/government-shutdown-could-stop-blue-angels-from-flying-in-sf-fleet-week\">San Francisco’s Fleet Week celebration — scheduled to start Sunday — will go on during the shutdown\u003c/a>. But it could lose some of its premier guests: the Blue Angels, as well as visiting Navy and Marine Corps officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the shutdown continues into the weekend, military participation in the annual event would be paused according to the U.S. Navy, which was supposed to celebrate its 250th anniversary at Fleet Week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said his office is “monitoring” the shutdown and remains in contact with federal leaders on any updates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the shutdown is quickly resolved, the Navy said its service members might still make the event. But otherwise, officers, aircraft and ships will not be allowed to participate in Fleet Week or make any other public appearances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our Sailors and Marines look forward to participating in the unparalleled training and outreach events Fleet Week provides,” the Navy said in a statement, adding that the branch of the armed forces would be disappointed if it has to sit out the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our hope is for a swift decision on a funding bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">Carly Severn\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/scottshafer\">Scott Shafer\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/mlagos\">Marisa Lagos\u003c/a> contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Now the federal government shutdown is here, what can the Bay Area expect? From social services and courts to national parks and Fleet Week, here's what we know.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s official: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911415/federal-government-shutdown-looms-large-ahead-of-midnight-deadline\">The federal government shut down\u003c/a> at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/government-shutdown\">stopgap funding bill\u003c/a> by Tuesday’s deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keep reading for how we know local agencies were preparing for the shutdown — and how life in the Bay Area could be impacted this week. We’ll keep updating this guide with more information when we have it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to how a shutdown will affect:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Social\">Social services\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Air\">Air travel\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#Parks\">National parks\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#government-shutdown-courts\">Court dates\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"#government-shutdown-fleet-week-sf\">Fleet Week\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>The impact on federal workers in California and the Bay Area\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A report based on 2024 estimates by the \u003ca href=\"https://democrats-budget.house.gov/legislation/MAGAshutdown\">House Budget Committee\u003c/a> found that the federal government employs more than 187,000 Californians, making up about 1% of the state’s total workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That ratio is roughly the same in the Bay Area, said Jeff Bellisario, executive director for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “The federal government’s reach into the state of California is one that’s already relatively limited,” he said. “I don’t necessarily see this [shutdown] as being a huge impact there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to other experts, the scale of a shutdown’s impact will rely heavily on how President Donald Trump’s administration handles the shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The government decides which federal workers are designated essential — “which means they are expected to continue to work at their job despite the fact that they’re not going to get paid,” said Christopher Thornberg, the founding partner of economic research firm Beacon Economics. “Much of it depends on exactly what [jobs] Trump decides to call essential versus non-essential.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Usually, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget determines that distinction. Last week, OMB Director Russell Vought released a \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000199-7e8f-ddde-a199-fedf6c5d0000\">memo\u003c/a> threatening mass layoffs for federal employees working in programs that are “not consistent with the president’s priorities,” should a shutdown occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And when it comes to federal workers who \u003cem>aren’t \u003c/em>laid off but who still have their paychecks stopped, many families around the state will be financially affected.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"Social\">\u003c/a>Social services during a shutdown\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://endhomelessness.org/blog/potential-government-shutdown-what-you-need-to-know/\">National Alliance to End Homelessness\u003c/a>, people receiving health care coverage through Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act can expect regular service, even during a shutdown. Social Security payments will likely still be issued. And those awarded homeless assistance grants through the Department of Housing and Urban Development can expect to continue receiving assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But other programs could be in jeopardy, depending on how long the shutdown lasts. Steve Berg, the nonprofit’s chief policy officer, said any other social service programs that require attention from federal officials might be impacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If nonprofits are trying to get grants or yearly contracts renewed while the government is shut down, those programs could also be halted, said Berg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If the people who you go back and forth with about doing that aren’t in the office,” he said, an organization’s funding “could be delayed as a result of the shutdown.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057897\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1998px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057897\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1332\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lester Johnson (left), a restaurant owner in Richmond, Virginia, stands next to a sign that reads “Affordable Care Act Premiums Will Rise More Than 75%” during a news conference to call on Republicans to pass Affordable Care Act tax breaks on Capitol Hill on Sept. 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. \u003ccite>(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>During the first Trump administration, the United States experienced the longest government shutdown in history, clocking in at 35 days. Officials working for Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (D-10) told KQED that in the event of another shutdown of this length, 5 million Californians who are beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could eventually lose access to their funds. WIC, another nutrition program geared toward women, infants and children — which serves more than 972,400 Californians — could also be impacted in that scenario.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berg said that if you’re receiving assistance from federal programs, you should reach out to your local office for more clarity on what to expect.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"government-shutdown-courts\">\u003c/a>Court dates during a possible shutdown\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>According to a \u003ca href=\"https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/gkvlaeeydpb/09242025shutdown.pdf\">memo\u003c/a> released last week by Judge Robert Conrad, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Judiciary could sustain operations only through Friday, relying on fee balances and appropriations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11720740\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11720740\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/01/RS13793_Waiting-at-Court-e1548365526566.png\" alt=\"Young immigrants wait to enter a San Francisco courtroom for a hearing in 2014.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young immigrants wait to enter a San Francisco courtroom for a hearing in 2014. \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In previous shutdowns, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.aila.org/library/government-shuts-down\">American Immigration Lawyers Association\u003c/a> has encouraged people to check with local lawyers and legal groups, particularly regarding ICE enforcement, hearings and removal operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED has previously reported that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11962810/government-shutdown-from-national-parks-and-air-travel-to-immigration-how-california-could-be-affected\">courts already have a backlog\u003c/a> of immigration cases nationally. When case hearings have to be rescheduled, it only furthers that backlog and could impact an immigrant’s ability to mount a successful defense against deportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"Air\">\u003c/a>Air travel during a possible shutdown\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>A TSA spokesperson told KQED Wednesday that around around 61,000 of the agency’s 64,000 employees “are considered excepted or exempt and TSA will continue operations to keep the travelling public safe” — with the agency’s remaining employees temporarily furloughed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports,” warned the spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials at the Bay Area’s major airports said they are relying on distinctions made during previous shutdowns. Doug Yakel, a spokesperson for the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), told KQED last week that federal workers within the airport like air traffic controllers and customs agents — as well as health workers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation — would be considered “essential” and would have to continue working without pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As KQED has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11962810/government-shutdown-from-national-parks-and-air-travel-to-immigration-how-california-could-be-affected\">reported during previous shutdown threats\u003c/a>, this does raise the possibility that these staff may call in sick, potentially causing delays.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057833\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057833\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240412-OAKAirport-027-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Passengers walk in to the Oakland International Airport in Oakland on April 12, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Because SFO’s bagging and screening is done by \u003ca href=\"https://www.flysfo.com/about/airport-operations/safety-security#:~:text=Security%20Screening,website%20for%20helpful%20travel%20tips.\">a private company under contract with TSA, \u003c/a>those workers will continue to be paid during the shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) is following similar guidelines. “We don’t expect any screening or air traffic control services to be interrupted,” OAK spokesperson David DeWitt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) spokesperson Julie Jarrett told KQED that the airport currently had “no information indicating that SJC will be impacted by a potential government shutdown,” but that staff were “staying in close contact with our local partners and monitoring the situation closely as it unfolds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the Federal Aviation Agency, field training of air traffic controllers, random drug testing, financial operations and other activities would halt during a government shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>\u003ca id=\"Parks\">\u003c/a>Visiting national parks during a shutdown\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, hours ahead of a possible shutdown, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058137/government-shutdown-2025-national-parks-planning-memo\">the National Park Service informed staff of its contingency plans\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to an internal NPS memo by email obtained by KQED, national park sites that \u003cem>can\u003c/em> be made physically inaccessible to the public will be closed, while sites with roads and trails that are accessible to the public will remain open.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf\">An expanded version of the NPS plan\u003c/a> posted online Tuesday estimated more than 9,000 of the agency’s 14,500 employees are expected to be furloughed in the event of a shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which manages many of the Bay Area’s national park sites, has released a list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/park-status-during-2025-lapse.htm\">which parks are closed as of Wednesday and which will remain open.\u003c/a> They include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods National Monument: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Alcatraz Island: Temporarily closed Wednesday but “reopening for its regular schedule on October 2 with all facilities OPEN”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Point: Interior, parking lot and Long Avenue and Marine Drive closed, with restrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>China Beach: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ocean Beach: Sloat Blvd parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stinson Beach: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Beach and Muir Beach Overlook: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Point Reyes National Seashore is open but with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/conditions.htm\">certain bathroom closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Presidio, which is financially independent from NPS, said that site would remain fully open to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates for America’s national parks have expressed alarm at the last-minute nature of this planning for park closures. Superintendents were only informed during a meeting late Tuesday afternoon about which sites would remain open — followed by the email memo shortly after — according to Jesse Chakrin, executive director of the Fund for People in Parks, an advocacy group that works with small or lesser-known parks in the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chakrin said this is the tightest turnaround for shutdown planning he’s seen by a large margin. “They’re asking for each park unit to make a plan, including staffing numbers and associated costs for a shutdown, which is happening in hours,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057891\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1998px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057891\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1998\" height=\"1329\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1.jpg 1998w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/image1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1998px) 100vw, 1998px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">US Park Rangers stand at the closed gate to Joshua Tree National Park, in Joshua Tree, California, on Oct. 2, 2013, the second day of a US government shutdown. \u003ccite>(Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emily Thompson, executive director of the \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/\">Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks\u003c/a>, said she and other advocates were concerned the Trump administration would try to keep all parks open through any 2025 shutdown. That prompted the group to \u003ca href=\"https://protectnps.org/2025/09/25/former-nps-superintendents-urge-secretary-burgum-to-close-national-parks-if-government-shuts-down/\">author a letter,\u003c/a> signed by 40 former National Park superintendents, calling for parks to be closed.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Leaving national parks open without National Park staff to help protect visitors and resources is not only irresponsible — it’s dangerous,” Thompson wrote in a statement to KQED. “We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers and we should not leave our National Parks open without NPS employees.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Without adequate staff, if somebody gets in trouble in the backcountry, for instance, it’s going to take a lot longer to get to them and deal with it,” said Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With NPS \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/us/politics/trump-cuts-national-parks.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hU8.ZRdY.Ld_Yk_s1WCA6&smid=url-share\">staffing already down by an estimated 24% at parks\u003c/a>, the likelihood of poaching and vandalism would rise even further in the event of an unstaffed shutdown, said Wade, pointing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/us/joshua-tree-shutdown.html\">destruction of trees at Joshua Tree National Park\u003c/a> during the 2019 shutdown. Wade said he’s also worried that parks staff won’t just get furloughed, but are also at risk of being fired outright, after Trump directed agencies to\u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/24/white-house-firings-shutdown-00579909\"> prepare for mass firings\u003c/a> should the shutdown occur.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"government-shutdown-fleet-week-sf\">\u003c/a>Attending Fleet Week during a shutdown\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058113/government-shutdown-could-stop-blue-angels-from-flying-in-sf-fleet-week\">San Francisco’s Fleet Week celebration — scheduled to start Sunday — will go on during the shutdown\u003c/a>. But it could lose some of its premier guests: the Blue Angels, as well as visiting Navy and Marine Corps officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the shutdown continues into the weekend, military participation in the annual event would be paused according to the U.S. Navy, which was supposed to celebrate its 250th anniversary at Fleet Week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said his office is “monitoring” the shutdown and remains in contact with federal leaders on any updates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the shutdown is quickly resolved, the Navy said its service members might still make the event. But otherwise, officers, aircraft and ships will not be allowed to participate in Fleet Week or make any other public appearances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our Sailors and Marines look forward to participating in the unparalleled training and outreach events Fleet Week provides,” the Navy said in a statement, adding that the branch of the armed forces would be disappointed if it has to sit out the event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our hope is for a swift decision on a funding bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/carlysevern\">Carly Severn\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/scottshafer\">Scott Shafer\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/mlagos\">Marisa Lagos\u003c/a> contributed reporting to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911415/federal-government-shutdown-looms-large-ahead-of-midnight-deadline\">The federal government shut down\u003c/a> at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, after Congress failed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/government-shutdown\">pass stop-gap government funding\u003c/a> by Tuesday’s deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with hours to go, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/national-parks-service\">National Park Service\u003c/a> shared a last-minute contingency plan that would keep many park sites open but without full staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to an internal NPS memo obtained by KQED, national park sites that \u003cem>can\u003c/em> be made physically inaccessible to the public will be closed off. But all other NPS sites, including those with roads and trails that are accessible to the public, will now remain open according to the memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#national-park-closures-bay-area\">What national parks will be closed in the Bay Area?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf\">An expanded version of the NPS plan\u003c/a> was posted online later Tuesday, with an estimate that over 9,000 staff nationwide — out of a total NPS workforce of 14,500 — are expected to be furloughed in the event of a shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shutdown will see federal workers around the country — including NPS staff — go without pay, with those employees deemed “essential” required to work through the period regardless. Under \u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf\">the NPS shutdown plan posted online\u003c/a>, just over 5,000 NPS staff would be categorized as essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates for America’s national parks have expressed alarm at the last-minute nature of this planning for park closures. Superintendents were only informed during a meeting late Tuesday afternoon about which sites would remain open — followed by the email memo shortly after — according to Jesse Chakrin, executive director of the Fund for People in Parks, an advocacy group that works with small or lesser-known parks in the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chakrin said this is the tightest turnaround for shutdown planning he’s seen by a large margin. “They’re asking for each park unit to make a plan, including staffing numbers and associated costs for a shutdown, which is happening in hours,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029489\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029489\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A volunteer for the National Park Service welcomes visitors at the Exploration Center in Yosemite Valley, at Yosemite National Park on March 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This would have been something that would have taken at least all hands, weeks to prepare for in any other administration,” Chakrin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"national-park-closures-bay-area\">\u003c/a>National park closures in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which manages many of the Bay Area’s national park sites, has released a list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/park-status-during-2025-lapse.htm\">which parks are closed as of Wednesday and which will remain open.\u003c/a> They include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods National Monument: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Alcatraz Island: Temporarily closed on Wednesday, but “reopening for its regular schedule on October 2 with all facilities OPEN”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Point: Interior, parking lot and Long Avenue and Marine Drive closed, with restrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>China Beach: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ocean Beach: Sloat Blvd parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stinson Beach: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Beach and Muir Beach Overlook: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Point Reyes National Seashore is open, but with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/conditions.htm\">certain bathroom closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Presidio, which is financially independent from NPS, said that site would remain fully open to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Morale is already rock bottom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The NPS’s email memo to staff “sounds to me like it will be a mixture of open and closed with as much open as possible,” Chakrin said. But he expressed concern about the “haphazard” nature of the planning and confusing language contained in the memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks like a lot of this was cut and pasted from different plans,” he said, calling the memo “not very well thought out.” KQED has contacted NPS to request comment on its shutdown planning.[aside postID=news_12057777 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GETTYIMAGES-2236770685-KQED_1.jpg']The memo states that parks that collect entrance fees will be staying open to do what they can to collect those fees and use them to run the park during the shutdown, Chakrin explained. Those that don’t collect fees may be able to pull from those same pots of cash to keep extremely limited services going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While peak summer tourism season is over, fall is still a busy time for parks in the Bay Area and across the country. NPS \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm#:~:text=The%20National%20Park%20Service%20reported,2%25\">data\u003c/a> shows nearly 30 million people visited parks in October of last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As federal staff, NPS employees will have to wait for backpay after a shutdown ends, while some will be required to work unpaid through the period as “essential” staff. Parks staff have grown increasingly worried, however, that they will be the \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/24/white-house-firings-shutdown-00579909\">target of firings Trump has proposed\u003c/a> — on top of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/9551-staffing-crisis-at-national-parks-reaches-breaking-point-new-data-shows-24\">reported 24% reduction in staff \u003c/a>that parks have already seen this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11691329\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11691329\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Point Reyes National Seashore. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Morale is already rock bottom with park staff,” said Don Neubacher, former park superintendent for Yosemite and Point Reyes national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parks advocates warn that keeping parks open with such skeletal resources is a bad idea for both the parks and the people who visit them. Late last week, a group of more than 40 former park superintendents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777/with-a-government-shutdown-looming-heres-how-the-bay-area-could-be-affected\">signed a letter\u003c/a> calling on the administration to close parks to avoid damage to fragile ecosystems and harm to visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last government shutdown over the winter of 2018–19 lasted 35 days, and resulted in vandalism, garbage and long-term damage by visitors to California’s Joshua Tree National Park while most of its park rangers were furloughed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This type of both open and closed type of situation is really confusing,” Chakrin said. “It’s confusing for the folks that are trying to manage parks responsibly and for the public trying to visit them responsibly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it is going to be chaos,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting from KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/abandlamudi\">Adhiti Bandlamudi\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911415/federal-government-shutdown-looms-large-ahead-of-midnight-deadline\">The federal government shut down\u003c/a> at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, after Congress failed to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/government-shutdown\">pass stop-gap government funding\u003c/a> by Tuesday’s deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And with hours to go, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/national-parks-service\">National Park Service\u003c/a> shared a last-minute contingency plan that would keep many park sites open but without full staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to an internal NPS memo obtained by KQED, national park sites that \u003cem>can\u003c/em> be made physically inaccessible to the public will be closed off. But all other NPS sites, including those with roads and trails that are accessible to the public, will now remain open according to the memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#national-park-closures-bay-area\">What national parks will be closed in the Bay Area?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf\">An expanded version of the NPS plan\u003c/a> was posted online later Tuesday, with an estimate that over 9,000 staff nationwide — out of a total NPS workforce of 14,500 — are expected to be furloughed in the event of a shutdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shutdown will see federal workers around the country — including NPS staff — go without pay, with those employees deemed “essential” required to work through the period regardless. Under \u003ca href=\"https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf\">the NPS shutdown plan posted online\u003c/a>, just over 5,000 NPS staff would be categorized as essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Advocates for America’s national parks have expressed alarm at the last-minute nature of this planning for park closures. Superintendents were only informed during a meeting late Tuesday afternoon about which sites would remain open — followed by the email memo shortly after — according to Jesse Chakrin, executive director of the Fund for People in Parks, an advocacy group that works with small or lesser-known parks in the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chakrin said this is the tightest turnaround for shutdown planning he’s seen by a large margin. “They’re asking for each park unit to make a plan, including staffing numbers and associated costs for a shutdown, which is happening in hours,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12029489\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12029489\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/CaliforniaPublicLandsGetty1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A volunteer for the National Park Service welcomes visitors at the Exploration Center in Yosemite Valley, at Yosemite National Park on March 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Laure Andrillon/AFP via Getty)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“This would have been something that would have taken at least all hands, weeks to prepare for in any other administration,” Chakrin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca id=\"national-park-closures-bay-area\">\u003c/a>National park closures in the Bay Area\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which manages many of the Bay Area’s national park sites, has released a list of \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/park-status-during-2025-lapse.htm\">which parks are closed as of Wednesday and which will remain open.\u003c/a> They include:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Muir Woods National Monument: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Alcatraz Island: Temporarily closed on Wednesday, but “reopening for its regular schedule on October 2 with all facilities OPEN”\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Fort Point: Interior, parking lot and Long Avenue and Marine Drive closed, with restrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>China Beach: Closed\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ocean Beach: Sloat Blvd parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Stinson Beach: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Muir Beach and Muir Beach Overlook: Parking lot closed, with bathrooms open.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Point Reyes National Seashore is open, but with \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/conditions.htm\">certain bathroom closures\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for the Presidio, which is financially independent from NPS, said that site would remain fully open to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Morale is already rock bottom’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The NPS’s email memo to staff “sounds to me like it will be a mixture of open and closed with as much open as possible,” Chakrin said. But he expressed concern about the “haphazard” nature of the planning and confusing language contained in the memo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It looks like a lot of this was cut and pasted from different plans,” he said, calling the memo “not very well thought out.” KQED has contacted NPS to request comment on its shutdown planning.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The memo states that parks that collect entrance fees will be staying open to do what they can to collect those fees and use them to run the park during the shutdown, Chakrin explained. Those that don’t collect fees may be able to pull from those same pots of cash to keep extremely limited services going.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While peak summer tourism season is over, fall is still a busy time for parks in the Bay Area and across the country. NPS \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/visitor-use-statistics-dashboard.htm#:~:text=The%20National%20Park%20Service%20reported,2%25\">data\u003c/a> shows nearly 30 million people visited parks in October of last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As federal staff, NPS employees will have to wait for backpay after a shutdown ends, while some will be required to work unpaid through the period as “essential” staff. Parks staff have grown increasingly worried, however, that they will be the \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/24/white-house-firings-shutdown-00579909\">target of firings Trump has proposed\u003c/a> — on top of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npca.org/articles/9551-staffing-crisis-at-national-parks-reaches-breaking-point-new-data-shows-24\">reported 24% reduction in staff \u003c/a>that parks have already seen this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11691329\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11691329\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-1180x787.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-960x640.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-240x160.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-375x250.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS30208_DSC_1071-qut-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Point Reyes National Seashore. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Morale is already rock bottom with park staff,” said Don Neubacher, former park superintendent for Yosemite and Point Reyes national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parks advocates warn that keeping parks open with such skeletal resources is a bad idea for both the parks and the people who visit them. Late last week, a group of more than 40 former park superintendents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12057777/with-a-government-shutdown-looming-heres-how-the-bay-area-could-be-affected\">signed a letter\u003c/a> calling on the administration to close parks to avoid damage to fragile ecosystems and harm to visitors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last government shutdown over the winter of 2018–19 lasted 35 days, and resulted in vandalism, garbage and long-term damage by visitors to California’s Joshua Tree National Park while most of its park rangers were furloughed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This type of both open and closed type of situation is really confusing,” Chakrin said. “It’s confusing for the folks that are trying to manage parks responsibly and for the public trying to visit them responsibly.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it is going to be chaos,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains reporting from KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/abandlamudi\">Adhiti Bandlamudi\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>At least two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> Starbucks locations are permanently closing, and more will be closed next week as the company undergoes nationwide restructuring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Jefferson Street store near Fisherman’s Wharf and an 18th Street store in the heart of the Castro both had identical posted signs Friday announcing their closures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close this Starbucks location by the end of the week. We know this may be hard to hear,” the signs read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starbucks CEO \u003ca href=\"https://about.starbucks.com/press/2025/message-from-brian-an-important-update/\">Brian Niccol said Thursday\u003c/a> the company expects to end the fiscal year, which closes Sunday, with roughly 400 fewer stores in North America than it had at the end of June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” Niccol wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057834\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1952px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057834\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1952\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed.jpg 1952w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed-1536x1049.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1952px) 100vw, 1952px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign is posted informing customers that this location will permanently close is posted at the Starbucks on 49 Jefferson St. in Fisherman’s Wharf on Sept. 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The company has not released a list of closures, but an \u003ca href=\"https://www.starbucks.com/store-locator?map=37.740845,-122.43827,13z&place=18th%20St,%20San%20Francisco,%20CA,%20USA\">online store locator\u003c/a> shows over a dozen locations in the Bay Area set to be closed all next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, those include the Fisherman’s Wharf and Castro locations — the latter notable as the first unionized store in the city — as well as:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>350 Rhode Island St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1501 Fillmore St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>462 Powell St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>689 Townsend St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>44 Montgomery St.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>San Mateo County locations listed as closed next week:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>321 Gellert Blvd., Daly City\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1391 Saratoga Dr., San Mateo\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>East Bay locations listed as closed next week:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>200 Broadway, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3013 Broadway, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>470 Lake Park Ave., Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3839 Emery St., Emeryville\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1799 Solano Ave., Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>41093 Fremont Blvd., Fremont\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>38012 Mission Blvd., Fremont\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>4251 Livermore Outlets Dr., Livermore\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>223 S. Vasco Rd., Livermore\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1900 Contra Costa Blvd., Pleasant Hill\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>398 Hartz Ave., Danville\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>11000 Crow Canyon Rd., Danville\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>799 A St., Hayward\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>6000 Bollinger Canyon Rd., San Ramon\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1601 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In the North Bay, \u003cem>The Press Democrat\u003c/em> reports \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/09/26/starbucks-closures-which-locations-are-shutting-down-in-sonoma-and-napa/\">at least six planned closures\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>801 Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>2755 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>125 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3350 California Blvd., Napa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1200 Lincoln Ave., Napa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1340 Trancas St., Napa\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“This announcement makes it clear things are only going Backwards at Starbucks under Brian Niccol’s leadership,” Starbucks Workers United said in a statement. “Yet again, we’re experiencing new policies and major decisions being made with zero barista input.”[aside postID=news_12019704 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/121924_Amazon_Strike_SF-02-CM-copy-1020x680.jpg']The push to unionize Starbucks has surged in recent years. Baristas formed Starbucks Workers United in New York in December of 2021, and by the following May, California employees had organized four locations in a single week. Earlier this month, the union announced its 650th successful vote nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Starbucks spokesperson said unionized status was not considered when deciding which stores to close. Niccol said the company plans to offer transfers to employees at shuttered stores and severance packages for those who can’t be reassigned. Starbucks will also cut about 900 non-retail jobs and eliminate some open positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>At least two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> Starbucks locations are permanently closing, and more will be closed next week as the company undergoes nationwide restructuring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Jefferson Street store near Fisherman’s Wharf and an 18th Street store in the heart of the Castro both had identical posted signs Friday announcing their closures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to close this Starbucks location by the end of the week. We know this may be hard to hear,” the signs read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starbucks CEO \u003ca href=\"https://about.starbucks.com/press/2025/message-from-brian-an-important-update/\">Brian Niccol said Thursday\u003c/a> the company expects to end the fiscal year, which closes Sunday, with roughly 400 fewer stores in North America than it had at the end of June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” Niccol wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12057834\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1952px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12057834\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1952\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed.jpg 1952w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/20250926_StarbucksClosures_GC-1_qed-1536x1049.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1952px) 100vw, 1952px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign is posted informing customers that this location will permanently close is posted at the Starbucks on 49 Jefferson St. in Fisherman’s Wharf on Sept. 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The company has not released a list of closures, but an \u003ca href=\"https://www.starbucks.com/store-locator?map=37.740845,-122.43827,13z&place=18th%20St,%20San%20Francisco,%20CA,%20USA\">online store locator\u003c/a> shows over a dozen locations in the Bay Area set to be closed all next week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, those include the Fisherman’s Wharf and Castro locations — the latter notable as the first unionized store in the city — as well as:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>350 Rhode Island St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1501 Fillmore St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>462 Powell St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>689 Townsend St.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>44 Montgomery St.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>San Mateo County locations listed as closed next week:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>321 Gellert Blvd., Daly City\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1391 Saratoga Dr., San Mateo\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>East Bay locations listed as closed next week:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>200 Broadway, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3013 Broadway, Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>470 Lake Park Ave., Oakland\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3839 Emery St., Emeryville\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1799 Solano Ave., Berkeley\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>41093 Fremont Blvd., Fremont\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>38012 Mission Blvd., Fremont\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>4251 Livermore Outlets Dr., Livermore\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>223 S. Vasco Rd., Livermore\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1900 Contra Costa Blvd., Pleasant Hill\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>398 Hartz Ave., Danville\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>11000 Crow Canyon Rd., Danville\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>799 A St., Hayward\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>6000 Bollinger Canyon Rd., San Ramon\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1601 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>In the North Bay, \u003cem>The Press Democrat\u003c/em> reports \u003ca href=\"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/09/26/starbucks-closures-which-locations-are-shutting-down-in-sonoma-and-napa/\">at least six planned closures\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>801 Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>2755 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>125 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>3350 California Blvd., Napa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1200 Lincoln Ave., Napa\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>1340 Trancas St., Napa\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“This announcement makes it clear things are only going Backwards at Starbucks under Brian Niccol’s leadership,” Starbucks Workers United said in a statement. “Yet again, we’re experiencing new policies and major decisions being made with zero barista input.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The push to unionize Starbucks has surged in recent years. Baristas formed Starbucks Workers United in New York in December of 2021, and by the following May, California employees had organized four locations in a single week. Earlier this month, the union announced its 650th successful vote nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A Starbucks spokesperson said unionized status was not considered when deciding which stores to close. Niccol said the company plans to offer transfers to employees at shuttered stores and severance packages for those who can’t be reassigned. Starbucks will also cut about 900 non-retail jobs and eliminate some open positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Police No Longer Need Supervisors’ Permission for High-Speed Chases",
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"content": "\u003cp>Oakland’s Police Commission is loosening restrictions on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043904/oakland-watchdogs-say-chp-should-follow-opd-pursuit-policy-following-deadly-crash\">vehicle pursuits\u003c/a>, granting officers more leeway to chase suspects at high speeds despite safety concerns from residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The citizen-led commission voted unanimously Thursday evening to remove a special order that required \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-police-department\">Oakland Police Department\u003c/a> officers to gain special permission to continue chases once speeds reach 50 mph.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the policy, officers must notify a supervising officer immediately after beginning a chase and seek permission to continue. All chases remain limited to situations in which officers have a “reasonable suspicion” that a violent crime has occurred or a suspect has a firearm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The change comes after strong pressure from Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, who has been advocating for months to lift the restrictions put in place in 2022 after a series of deaths related to high-speed chases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mitchell said the special order has hampered his department’s ability to prevent crime, citing a nearly 50% increase in 2023 in the number of suspects fleeing by car without being chased, and an even further increase in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12000600\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000600\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell (center) speaks at a news conference on Aug. 16, 2024. Mitchell has been advocating for months to lift the restrictions put in place in 2022 after a series of deaths related to high-speed chases. \u003ccite>(Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed Mitchell’s concerns, telling then-Mayor Sheng Thao, the City Council and the Police Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/07/26/governor-newsom-urges-oakland-to-reconsider-policy-that-limits-police-pursuits/\">in a letter\u003c/a> that Oakland’s pursuit restrictions allowed criminals to flee “with impunity.” He urged the city to remove its special order, which was more restrictive than most California jurisdictions’ chase policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Newsom, California Highway Patrol officers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11993611/newsom-to-quadruple-chp-deployment-in-oakland-ramping-up-states-policing-role\">he sent to Oakland\u003c/a> that spring to counter rising crime, sideshows and carjackings had reported that criminals were avoiding arrest by fleeing via specific routes where they knew OPD would discontinue pursuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom said that while he understood the policy aimed to protect bystanders during a pursuit, “there is also extreme danger to the public in allowing criminals to act with impunity, and the reckless driving associated with sideshows and other criminal acts is a significant threat to public safety.”[aside postID=news_12043904 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/CHP-Getty-1020x680.jpg']In May, Mitchell submitted a request to rescind the special order and change some language in the city’s pursuit policy. In August, he amended the request, tightening some of the changed language specifying when an officer must report that they have begun a high-speed pursuit based on feedback from the city attorney’s office, Police Commission and others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the revisions, many speakers at Thursday’s commission meeting urged the body not to loosen chase rules, saying it could increase the number of police chase-related deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The current policy is restrictive, as it should be,” one man said during public comment, pointing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2024/police-chases-database/\">research conducted by the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that found more than 25% of those killed in pursuits across the U.S. were bystanders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This doesn’t call in more justice; if anything it may lead to more grief,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The man said he had previously worked with Marvin Boomer, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042539/after-fatal-chp-pursuit-crash-oakland-police-watchdog-says-systemic-changes-are-needed\">veteran Oakland teacher who was struck and killed\u003c/a> by a driver fleeing a police chase just days after Mitchell’s request in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boomer and his girlfriend \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042178/oakland-chp-pursuit-crash-kills-a-beloved-teacher-renewing-debate-over-police-chases\">were hit\u003c/a> while walking along a sidewalk in the Clinton-San Antonio neighborhood on May 28, after CHP officers chased 18-year-old Eric Scott Hernandez-Garcia, who was driving a vehicle they said was associated with a “felony evading incident.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CHP officers, who aren’t bound by Oakland’s stricter regulations, first initiated and discontinued a short chase, then picked it back up at a second location after Hernandez-Garcia briefly exited the car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seconds into the second chase, Hernandez-Garcia hit a minivan, causing minor injuries to its passengers, and the CHP again called off their pursuit. He continued to drive east, where he smashed into a fire hydrant and hit the couple on East 21st Street and 12th Avenue. Boomer was pronounced dead at the scene, and his girlfriend was taken to a hospital for treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Cat Brooks, co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Police Terror Project, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043904/oakland-watchdogs-say-chp-should-follow-opd-pursuit-policy-following-deadly-crash'\">cautioned against loosening the OPD policy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Police high-speed chases kill more people every year than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined,” she said. “They do not prevent crime. They do not solve crime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Despite safety concerns from residents, the Oakland Police Commission voted unanimously to remove restrictions put in place after a series of deaths related to high-speed pursuits.\r\n",
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"title": "Oakland Police No Longer Need Supervisors’ Permission for High-Speed Chases | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland’s Police Commission is loosening restrictions on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043904/oakland-watchdogs-say-chp-should-follow-opd-pursuit-policy-following-deadly-crash\">vehicle pursuits\u003c/a>, granting officers more leeway to chase suspects at high speeds despite safety concerns from residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The citizen-led commission voted unanimously Thursday evening to remove a special order that required \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-police-department\">Oakland Police Department\u003c/a> officers to gain special permission to continue chases once speeds reach 50 mph.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the policy, officers must notify a supervising officer immediately after beginning a chase and seek permission to continue. All chases remain limited to situations in which officers have a “reasonable suspicion” that a violent crime has occurred or a suspect has a firearm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The change comes after strong pressure from Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, who has been advocating for months to lift the restrictions put in place in 2022 after a series of deaths related to high-speed chases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mitchell said the special order has hampered his department’s ability to prevent crime, citing a nearly 50% increase in 2023 in the number of suspects fleeing by car without being chased, and an even further increase in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12000600\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000600\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/IMG_0478-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell (center) speaks at a news conference on Aug. 16, 2024. Mitchell has been advocating for months to lift the restrictions put in place in 2022 after a series of deaths related to high-speed chases. \u003ccite>(Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed Mitchell’s concerns, telling then-Mayor Sheng Thao, the City Council and the Police Commission \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/07/26/governor-newsom-urges-oakland-to-reconsider-policy-that-limits-police-pursuits/\">in a letter\u003c/a> that Oakland’s pursuit restrictions allowed criminals to flee “with impunity.” He urged the city to remove its special order, which was more restrictive than most California jurisdictions’ chase policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Newsom, California Highway Patrol officers \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11993611/newsom-to-quadruple-chp-deployment-in-oakland-ramping-up-states-policing-role\">he sent to Oakland\u003c/a> that spring to counter rising crime, sideshows and carjackings had reported that criminals were avoiding arrest by fleeing via specific routes where they knew OPD would discontinue pursuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom said that while he understood the policy aimed to protect bystanders during a pursuit, “there is also extreme danger to the public in allowing criminals to act with impunity, and the reckless driving associated with sideshows and other criminal acts is a significant threat to public safety.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In May, Mitchell submitted a request to rescind the special order and change some language in the city’s pursuit policy. In August, he amended the request, tightening some of the changed language specifying when an officer must report that they have begun a high-speed pursuit based on feedback from the city attorney’s office, Police Commission and others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the revisions, many speakers at Thursday’s commission meeting urged the body not to loosen chase rules, saying it could increase the number of police chase-related deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The current policy is restrictive, as it should be,” one man said during public comment, pointing to \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2024/police-chases-database/\">research conducted by the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that found more than 25% of those killed in pursuits across the U.S. were bystanders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This doesn’t call in more justice; if anything it may lead to more grief,” he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The man said he had previously worked with Marvin Boomer, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042539/after-fatal-chp-pursuit-crash-oakland-police-watchdog-says-systemic-changes-are-needed\">veteran Oakland teacher who was struck and killed\u003c/a> by a driver fleeing a police chase just days after Mitchell’s request in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boomer and his girlfriend \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12042178/oakland-chp-pursuit-crash-kills-a-beloved-teacher-renewing-debate-over-police-chases\">were hit\u003c/a> while walking along a sidewalk in the Clinton-San Antonio neighborhood on May 28, after CHP officers chased 18-year-old Eric Scott Hernandez-Garcia, who was driving a vehicle they said was associated with a “felony evading incident.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CHP officers, who aren’t bound by Oakland’s stricter regulations, first initiated and discontinued a short chase, then picked it back up at a second location after Hernandez-Garcia briefly exited the car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seconds into the second chase, Hernandez-Garcia hit a minivan, causing minor injuries to its passengers, and the CHP again called off their pursuit. He continued to drive east, where he smashed into a fire hydrant and hit the couple on East 21st Street and 12th Avenue. Boomer was pronounced dead at the scene, and his girlfriend was taken to a hospital for treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, Cat Brooks, co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Police Terror Project, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043904/oakland-watchdogs-say-chp-should-follow-opd-pursuit-policy-following-deadly-crash'\">cautioned against loosening the OPD policy\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Police high-speed chases kill more people every year than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined,” she said. “They do not prevent crime. They do not solve crime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "h1b-visa-executive-order-trump-green-card-citizenship-september-19",
"title": "‘A Big Shock’: How Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Executive Order Unfolded — and What Might Be Next",
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"headTitle": "‘A Big Shock’: How Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Executive Order Unfolded — and What Might Be Next | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>On Sept. 19, panic struck an evening Emirates flight on the runway at SFO International Airport that was about to depart for India — as news spread in the cabin of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911349/trump-dropped-a-100000-fee-on-h-1b-visas-and-sent-silicon-valley-spinning\">President Donald Trump’s executive order concerning H-1B visas.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-h-1b-visa-fee-silicon-valley-tech-hiring-2025-9\">Business Insider\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/fl360aero/status/1969474540674720093?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\">passengers began to stand up\u003c/a> and leave the plane after receiving alerts and calls on their phones. Zarna Joshi, a U.S. citizen on the flight, said passengers had “already been onboard for two hours, and there were no updates — just more people leaving.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/\">Trump’s executive order \u003c/a>had demanded companies pay $100,000 to supplement a single H-1B visa — a type of temporary visa category that allows employers to hire foreign workers in \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/h1b-visa-program-fact-sheet/\">“specialty occupations”\u003c/a> that usually require at least a bachelor’s degree. Previously, companies usually paid around \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/trump-100000-fee-h1b-visa/\">$2,000 to $5,000\u003c/a> per H-1B visa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Companies like Microsoft began \u003ca href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/read-memos-sent-big-tech-trump-h-1b-changes-2025-9\">sending urgent memos to their employees\u003c/a>, recommending H-1B visa holders cancel any upcoming international travel and remain in the United States, or return immediately if they were currently abroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took a day for \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5548568/h1b-visa-fee-trump-tech\">the White House to clarify\u003c/a> that the $100,000 fee only applied to new visas, and would not actually affect current visa holders or renewals.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Confusion, concern and $100,000\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The White House claimed the measures would address what it called a “large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse” of the H-1B program, which “has undermined both our economic and national security.” Many economists have historically pushed back on this claim, emphasizing that visa restrictions actually encourage companies to \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/h1b-visa-program-fact-sheet/\">expand operations\u003c/a> in other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, Trump’s order is another part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/immigration\">anti-immigration policies\u003c/a> enacted since his inauguration in January.[aside postID=news_12057638 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/AP25069706250720-1020x680.jpg']The H-1B visa system is \u003ca href=\"https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/the-h-1b-visa-explained/\">notoriously difficult\u003c/a> for applicants to navigate. There is also a limit to the number of visas given out in a year, resulting in long waits and a major backlog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The executive order has already had a major impact in California, a state with the most visa approvals at nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub\">62,000 visa beneficiaries\u003c/a> in the current fiscal year. According to the \u003cem>Wall Street Journal, \u003c/em>nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/h1b-visas-workers-charts-cb81493c\">two-thirds of visa holders\u003c/a> work in tech companies like Amazon and Google — with Amazon alone approving over \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub\">10,000 visa beneficiaries\u003c/a> in the current fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A vast majority of visa holders also come from India. In 2024, \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/h1b-visas-workers-charts-cb81493c\">71% of approved H-1B visa petitions\u003c/a> were for people born in India. In comparison, people from China made up almost 12% of approved applicants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To understand how communities in the Bay are reacting, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911349/trump-dropped-a-100000-fee-on-h-1b-visas-and-sent-silicon-valley-spinning\">KQED \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em>\u003c/a> spoke with lawyer Emily Neumann and journalists Pranav Dixit and Tanay Gokhale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The scale and scope of the H-1B program\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Neumann:\u003c/strong> We’re talking about 85,000 visas per year. Every year, that’s the cap: We have 65,000 for regular or bachelor’s degree holders and an extra 20,000 for master’s degree holders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, we do have a larger population than that, because these visas are granted for three-year increments and can be extended for a total of six years. So we have six years’ worth of people in the country on this visa.[aside postID=news_12057368 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/08/RS24077_Courthouse-closeup-qut-1180x664.jpg']On top of that, because of green card problems [and] backlogs, because there’s a \u003cem>per-country\u003c/em> cap, we have certain countries where H-1B holders can extend beyond that six-year limit because they’re waiting for their green card. And that is a very large population. There are hundreds of thousands of people in that situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where it seems like there are so many H-1B holders out there, even though we only give out 85,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pranav Dixit:\u003c/strong> There are certain rules that even the H-1Bs are subject to. It’s not just “hire whoever you want on an H-1B.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>H-1B workers still have to be paid what is known as a prevailing wage. They can’t be paid way less than anybody else in that field makes. So there are already checks and balances in the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The central argument that tech companies have always made is: “This kind of visa gives us the freedom to hire for roles that we just cannot find American workers for.” Some of that has been challenged in the last couple of years with the thousands of layoffs across the tech industry. There are certainly lots of Americans who are out of jobs in the tech industry. But [there] has always been the central argument that these visas are used to fill roles that there’s just not enough STEM talent in this country for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tanay Gokhale\u003c/strong>: There \u003cem>are \u003c/em>legitimate problems with the H-1B visa system: the way the lottery is run, the way outsourcing has become a bigger problem over the past few years. In fact, before the current administration’s attack on H-1B started, Bernie Sanders wrote about it in \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/sensanders/status/1874918027982172626?s=46\">a Senate report\u003c/a> in February, speaking about the same issues that the current administration is speaking about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11848802\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11848802\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x.jpg\" alt=\"Biometric passport with visa stamp for United States\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An H-1B visa issued Nov. 30, 2010. KQED’s Forum spoke to experts about how H-1B visa holders in the Bay Area are reacting to the latest White House order. \u003ccite>(iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But on the flip side … if there really is a shortage of domestic workers — and I’ve been hearing that in some cases there is — [it’s] really a sort of supply issue. [If] tomorrow, you just cut off all foreign workers [from] being able to work in these tech companies, these companies will have a hard time. It is really a bigger issue for firms that do not have the resources of the really big tech companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I understand that there are legitimate concerns. But the sheer volume of workers that are staffing firms in the US, the volume of foreign workers … it just demands a little more thought and a little bit more concerted policy changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How the H-1B executive order unfolded\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> It definitely came as a big shock, right when everyone was trying to wrap up their week and get ready for the weekend. I think the initial chaos stemmed from the way the proclamation was written originally. Everyone felt that even current visa holders might be banned from reentry unless their employers paid $100,000. It was effectively a travel ban for anybody on an H-1B.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-clarifies-100k-h-1b-visa-fee-wont-apply-to-existing-holders-as-trump-stirs-anxiety\">Within a day\u003c/a>, the White House clarified that the fee doesn’t apply to anyone with an existing visa or anybody who’s renewing a visa, and then things calmed down a little.[aside postID=news_12055606 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/USImmigrationCustomsEnforcementHQGetty.jpg']\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> The first email I got was from an HR director saying, “Hey, our CEO is hearing something about a $100,000 fee. How is this going to impact us? Is this true?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so then we’re scrambling to find out what is going to be in this executive order. We’re listening live, as he’s signing this order, and we have someone saying that this is going to apply to everyone, every H-1B, every year. And \u003cem>then \u003c/em>a few minutes later, we get the actual text of it, which sounds quite different, but also sounds like it applies to everyone. And \u003cem>then \u003c/em>we start getting these clarifications, coming on Twitter of all places, rather than anything official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003cem>then \u003c/em>we have three different agencies posting fact sheets and FAQs, and still we have questions. But at least we know: People who are outside the U.S. could still travel back in. And those that were in the U.S., leaving, were still safe to go out and come back in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my mind, what [Trump’s] done just now is just the beginning. This is not the only restriction they have planned. We’ve got more coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Silicon Valley’s reaction\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> I thought that \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/reedhastings/status/1969828972688248953\">Reed Hastings’ comment\u003c/a> was really interesting, but I feel like he may also have been a bit of an outlier. [The Netflix chairman and co-founder called the $100,000 fee \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/reedhastings/status/1969828972688248953\">“a great solution”\u003c/a> and said that H-1B will be “used just for very high value jobs.”]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>H-1B visas are central to the way that most tech companies have hired international workers for more than three decades at this point, for roles that they say they just can’t fill with American workers alone.[aside postID=news_12056762 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250715-ImmigrationCourtProtests-16-BL_qed.jpg']Most H-1B visas are used by the big tech companies: the Microsofts, the Googles, the Apples, and the Amazons. But also a large chunk of them go to the IT consulting and outsourcing firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of sentiment in the Valley that, “Hey, there are genuine problems with this program right now.” But in the long term, if this fee sticks, it is going to impact the ability of almost everyone to hire for roles that they may not find American workers for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> The companies I work with constantly talk about how we have these positions that are going unfilled. Not necessarily the big tech companies, but small, mid-sized companies. They do hire engineers, not just in tech, and all the time we hear about, “We can’t find someone to do this work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process itself, the fact that we’re choosing people based on a lottery … because we have these caps that were set before the internet even existed. We also have this green card backlog that impacts the H-1B, because people are stuck on an H-1B for years and years and years based on their country of birth. There are a lot of problems with the program, but I think companies are not happy about this $100,000 fee for sure. I don’t know of any company I’ve come across that is willing to pay it. I think they will hopefully be looking for an exemption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Otherwise, they will look at only sponsoring individuals who are in the U.S., who we think would not be subject to this fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The H-1B impact on health care in the US — and who might be exempt\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trumps-h-1b-visa-fee-increase-raises-us-doctor-shortage-concerns-2025-09-24/\">Universities, hospitals, medical facilities tend to sponsor people\u003c/a> who are outside the U.S. Because most of these are cap-exempt institutions, they can file all year round. They don’t have to worry about this lottery in March and filing in April. And so they do bring a lot of people in [who] are outside the country.[aside postID=news_12055552 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/kvcr-mental-health-68c2d0da5f736.jpg']This $100,000 fee applies to \u003cem>any \u003c/em>petition being filed for someone who’s outside the county. The only filings happening right now are going to be these cap-exempt institutions. Which are for our doctors, for our nurses, for our researchers. So it’s really shooting us in the foot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> I did hear about an exemption for people like doctors. I think this stuff is changing so rapidly at this point that it’s really hard to tell. I think it’s a wait-and-watch at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> The Secretary of Homeland Security will get to decide whether an individual is going to be in the national interest, or a particular company, or a particular industry. We have zero information on what factors they will consider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a little bit of prior experience with these national interest exemptions from the previous travel ban, but we don’t know if they’re going to be the same. We don’t know if maybe the companies that are liking this provision have already been told behind the scenes that they’re going to get an exemption. We don’t know what the factors are going to be, and there’s no guidance yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The legalities — and possible long-term impacts — of the executive order\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> [Trump’s] authority comes from \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/understanding-ina-section-212f-president-authority-suspend-entry-migrants/\">the Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 212F\u003c/a>. That’s an entry ban. He can block anyone from entering if he feels it’s in the national interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He does \u003cem>not \u003c/em>have the ability to impose a $100,000 fee. Fees are set by Congress. And they can be adjusted based on inflation through the regulatory process, but it’s not something the president can unilaterally impose. There’s going to be litigation on that for sure.[aside postID=news_12057569 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/healthcare-68d54870be6a1.jpg']We’re also going to have to see how these exemptions work. If they allow for a lot of exemptions where this isn’t that big of an issue for most U.S. companies, it might be workable. But it definitely impacts the overall path for people who are currently in the U.S., as well as those who might be considering the U.S. as a destination. We saw, during the previous Trump administration, that people were looking to Canada, looking to other countries to make their home because of such uncertainty with the H-1B and the path to the green card. So I think we’re going to see that again, we’re going to start losing talent if we continue these types of restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> I think people who would have looked at immigrating as a complete no-brainer are increasingly rethinking that decision. They’re increasingly choosing to spend their lives in Canada or Mexico or India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tech companies are responding to that. We’ve seen lots of offshoring to these countries in the last few years. I remember it was 2023, when Canada opened a special visa for 10,000 U.S. H-1B workers, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx27lj39e99o\">it filled up in [24] hours\u003c/a>. People are increasingly getting tired of the constant instability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this sticks — and I think there is a big “if” [around] this $100,000 fee, with litigation and everything — I think companies are going to rethink hiring in the U.S. More than hiring locally, it’s going to lead to an offshoring of jobs to Canada, Mexico, India and maybe other places around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The effect on Bay Area communities\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gokhale: \u003c/strong>In the short term, there was obviously panic among visa holders who are outside the country or planning to travel outside the country. And even after the clarification — though there was some amount of relief that “we are not in immediate danger” — the big emotion that has emerged from this is uncertainty and confusion among international workers, [and also] international students, many of whom hope to apply next year for the H-1B.[aside postID=news_12057384 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-ADOPTACORNER_00805_TV-KQED.jpg']There is definitely concern about, “Even if they haven’t come for us right now, will they eventually come for us in the next few months, in the next year?” It’s thrown a lot of things into a tailspin for a lot of people who have planned to live their life here, to set up a family, to set up a career in this country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve had conversations in the past few days that signaled to me that there’s a sense of disillusionment with the “H-1B, green card, citizenship” pipeline of the American dream. There just seems to be a massive reevaluation of whether the United States is still a good option to invest your future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I definitely see a lot of anti-Indian hate in general on social media. Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, any social media channel of your choice. There’s a lot of new, sometimes really wild, disturbing stuff coming out about Indians, Indian stereotypes — which I thought were on the way out — are suddenly making a resurgence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve personally covered hate crimes where there’s some \u003ca href=\"https://indiacurrents.com/ca-v-hate-crime-racism-islamophobia-homphobia/\">pretty graphic anti-H-1B graffiti on a public park bathroom\u003c/a>, which is something that I think can only happen in Silicon Valley or in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t think the U.S. is the only place where this is happening. We’re seeing an anti-immigrant sort of sentiment in Australia, specifically targeted toward South Asians, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/northern-ireland/2025/06/irelands-anti-immigrant-rage-will-not-go-away\">Ireland\u003c/a>, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-12-12/housing-crisis-economic-woes-and-trump-how-canada-turned-against-immigrants\">Canada\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a global trend that we’re seeing: \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/27/anti-immigration-mood-sweeping-eu-capitals-puts-strain-on-blocs-unity\">anti-immigrant sentiment\u003c/a> in general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On Sept. 19, panic struck an evening Emirates flight on the runway at SFO International Airport that was about to depart for India — as news spread in the cabin of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911349/trump-dropped-a-100000-fee-on-h-1b-visas-and-sent-silicon-valley-spinning\">President Donald Trump’s executive order concerning H-1B visas.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-h-1b-visa-fee-silicon-valley-tech-hiring-2025-9\">Business Insider\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/fl360aero/status/1969474540674720093?s=46&t=7BBzFwo6eYLzJIVfAlumEQ\">passengers began to stand up\u003c/a> and leave the plane after receiving alerts and calls on their phones. Zarna Joshi, a U.S. citizen on the flight, said passengers had “already been onboard for two hours, and there were no updates — just more people leaving.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/\">Trump’s executive order \u003c/a>had demanded companies pay $100,000 to supplement a single H-1B visa — a type of temporary visa category that allows employers to hire foreign workers in \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/h1b-visa-program-fact-sheet/\">“specialty occupations”\u003c/a> that usually require at least a bachelor’s degree. Previously, companies usually paid around \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/trump-100000-fee-h1b-visa/\">$2,000 to $5,000\u003c/a> per H-1B visa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Companies like Microsoft began \u003ca href=\"https://www.businessinsider.com/read-memos-sent-big-tech-trump-h-1b-changes-2025-9\">sending urgent memos to their employees\u003c/a>, recommending H-1B visa holders cancel any upcoming international travel and remain in the United States, or return immediately if they were currently abroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It took a day for \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/09/20/nx-s1-5548568/h1b-visa-fee-trump-tech\">the White House to clarify\u003c/a> that the $100,000 fee only applied to new visas, and would not actually affect current visa holders or renewals.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Confusion, concern and $100,000\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The White House claimed the measures would address what it called a “large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse” of the H-1B program, which “has undermined both our economic and national security.” Many economists have historically pushed back on this claim, emphasizing that visa restrictions actually encourage companies to \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/h1b-visa-program-fact-sheet/\">expand operations\u003c/a> in other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, Trump’s order is another part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/immigration\">anti-immigration policies\u003c/a> enacted since his inauguration in January.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The H-1B visa system is \u003ca href=\"https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/the-h-1b-visa-explained/\">notoriously difficult\u003c/a> for applicants to navigate. There is also a limit to the number of visas given out in a year, resulting in long waits and a major backlog.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The executive order has already had a major impact in California, a state with the most visa approvals at nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub\">62,000 visa beneficiaries\u003c/a> in the current fiscal year. According to the \u003cem>Wall Street Journal, \u003c/em>nearly \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/h1b-visas-workers-charts-cb81493c\">two-thirds of visa holders\u003c/a> work in tech companies like Amazon and Google — with Amazon alone approving over \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub\">10,000 visa beneficiaries\u003c/a> in the current fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A vast majority of visa holders also come from India. In 2024, \u003ca href=\"https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/h1b-visas-workers-charts-cb81493c\">71% of approved H-1B visa petitions\u003c/a> were for people born in India. In comparison, people from China made up almost 12% of approved applicants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To understand how communities in the Bay are reacting, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101911349/trump-dropped-a-100000-fee-on-h-1b-visas-and-sent-silicon-valley-spinning\">KQED \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em>\u003c/a> spoke with lawyer Emily Neumann and journalists Pranav Dixit and Tanay Gokhale.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The scale and scope of the H-1B program\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Emily Neumann:\u003c/strong> We’re talking about 85,000 visas per year. Every year, that’s the cap: We have 65,000 for regular or bachelor’s degree holders and an extra 20,000 for master’s degree holders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, we do have a larger population than that, because these visas are granted for three-year increments and can be extended for a total of six years. So we have six years’ worth of people in the country on this visa.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On top of that, because of green card problems [and] backlogs, because there’s a \u003cem>per-country\u003c/em> cap, we have certain countries where H-1B holders can extend beyond that six-year limit because they’re waiting for their green card. And that is a very large population. There are hundreds of thousands of people in that situation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s where it seems like there are so many H-1B holders out there, even though we only give out 85,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pranav Dixit:\u003c/strong> There are certain rules that even the H-1Bs are subject to. It’s not just “hire whoever you want on an H-1B.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>H-1B workers still have to be paid what is known as a prevailing wage. They can’t be paid way less than anybody else in that field makes. So there are already checks and balances in the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The central argument that tech companies have always made is: “This kind of visa gives us the freedom to hire for roles that we just cannot find American workers for.” Some of that has been challenged in the last couple of years with the thousands of layoffs across the tech industry. There are certainly lots of Americans who are out of jobs in the tech industry. But [there] has always been the central argument that these visas are used to fill roles that there’s just not enough STEM talent in this country for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tanay Gokhale\u003c/strong>: There \u003cem>are \u003c/em>legitimate problems with the H-1B visa system: the way the lottery is run, the way outsourcing has become a bigger problem over the past few years. In fact, before the current administration’s attack on H-1B started, Bernie Sanders wrote about it in \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/sensanders/status/1874918027982172626?s=46\">a Senate report\u003c/a> in February, speaking about the same issues that the current administration is speaking about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11848802\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11848802\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x.jpg\" alt=\"Biometric passport with visa stamp for United States\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1130785257_1_1920x-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An H-1B visa issued Nov. 30, 2010. KQED’s Forum spoke to experts about how H-1B visa holders in the Bay Area are reacting to the latest White House order. \u003ccite>(iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But on the flip side … if there really is a shortage of domestic workers — and I’ve been hearing that in some cases there is — [it’s] really a sort of supply issue. [If] tomorrow, you just cut off all foreign workers [from] being able to work in these tech companies, these companies will have a hard time. It is really a bigger issue for firms that do not have the resources of the really big tech companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I understand that there are legitimate concerns. But the sheer volume of workers that are staffing firms in the US, the volume of foreign workers … it just demands a little more thought and a little bit more concerted policy changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How the H-1B executive order unfolded\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> It definitely came as a big shock, right when everyone was trying to wrap up their week and get ready for the weekend. I think the initial chaos stemmed from the way the proclamation was written originally. Everyone felt that even current visa holders might be banned from reentry unless their employers paid $100,000. It was effectively a travel ban for anybody on an H-1B.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-clarifies-100k-h-1b-visa-fee-wont-apply-to-existing-holders-as-trump-stirs-anxiety\">Within a day\u003c/a>, the White House clarified that the fee doesn’t apply to anyone with an existing visa or anybody who’s renewing a visa, and then things calmed down a little.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> The first email I got was from an HR director saying, “Hey, our CEO is hearing something about a $100,000 fee. How is this going to impact us? Is this true?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so then we’re scrambling to find out what is going to be in this executive order. We’re listening live, as he’s signing this order, and we have someone saying that this is going to apply to everyone, every H-1B, every year. And \u003cem>then \u003c/em>a few minutes later, we get the actual text of it, which sounds quite different, but also sounds like it applies to everyone. And \u003cem>then \u003c/em>we start getting these clarifications, coming on Twitter of all places, rather than anything official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003cem>then \u003c/em>we have three different agencies posting fact sheets and FAQs, and still we have questions. But at least we know: People who are outside the U.S. could still travel back in. And those that were in the U.S., leaving, were still safe to go out and come back in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In my mind, what [Trump’s] done just now is just the beginning. This is not the only restriction they have planned. We’ve got more coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Silicon Valley’s reaction\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> I thought that \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/reedhastings/status/1969828972688248953\">Reed Hastings’ comment\u003c/a> was really interesting, but I feel like he may also have been a bit of an outlier. [The Netflix chairman and co-founder called the $100,000 fee \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/reedhastings/status/1969828972688248953\">“a great solution”\u003c/a> and said that H-1B will be “used just for very high value jobs.”]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>H-1B visas are central to the way that most tech companies have hired international workers for more than three decades at this point, for roles that they say they just can’t fill with American workers alone.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Most H-1B visas are used by the big tech companies: the Microsofts, the Googles, the Apples, and the Amazons. But also a large chunk of them go to the IT consulting and outsourcing firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of sentiment in the Valley that, “Hey, there are genuine problems with this program right now.” But in the long term, if this fee sticks, it is going to impact the ability of almost everyone to hire for roles that they may not find American workers for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> The companies I work with constantly talk about how we have these positions that are going unfilled. Not necessarily the big tech companies, but small, mid-sized companies. They do hire engineers, not just in tech, and all the time we hear about, “We can’t find someone to do this work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process itself, the fact that we’re choosing people based on a lottery … because we have these caps that were set before the internet even existed. We also have this green card backlog that impacts the H-1B, because people are stuck on an H-1B for years and years and years based on their country of birth. There are a lot of problems with the program, but I think companies are not happy about this $100,000 fee for sure. I don’t know of any company I’ve come across that is willing to pay it. I think they will hopefully be looking for an exemption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Otherwise, they will look at only sponsoring individuals who are in the U.S., who we think would not be subject to this fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The H-1B impact on health care in the US — and who might be exempt\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trumps-h-1b-visa-fee-increase-raises-us-doctor-shortage-concerns-2025-09-24/\">Universities, hospitals, medical facilities tend to sponsor people\u003c/a> who are outside the U.S. Because most of these are cap-exempt institutions, they can file all year round. They don’t have to worry about this lottery in March and filing in April. And so they do bring a lot of people in [who] are outside the country.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This $100,000 fee applies to \u003cem>any \u003c/em>petition being filed for someone who’s outside the county. The only filings happening right now are going to be these cap-exempt institutions. Which are for our doctors, for our nurses, for our researchers. So it’s really shooting us in the foot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> I did hear about an exemption for people like doctors. I think this stuff is changing so rapidly at this point that it’s really hard to tell. I think it’s a wait-and-watch at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> The Secretary of Homeland Security will get to decide whether an individual is going to be in the national interest, or a particular company, or a particular industry. We have zero information on what factors they will consider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a little bit of prior experience with these national interest exemptions from the previous travel ban, but we don’t know if they’re going to be the same. We don’t know if maybe the companies that are liking this provision have already been told behind the scenes that they’re going to get an exemption. We don’t know what the factors are going to be, and there’s no guidance yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The legalities — and possible long-term impacts — of the executive order\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Neumann:\u003c/strong> [Trump’s] authority comes from \u003ca href=\"https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/understanding-ina-section-212f-president-authority-suspend-entry-migrants/\">the Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 212F\u003c/a>. That’s an entry ban. He can block anyone from entering if he feels it’s in the national interest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He does \u003cem>not \u003c/em>have the ability to impose a $100,000 fee. Fees are set by Congress. And they can be adjusted based on inflation through the regulatory process, but it’s not something the president can unilaterally impose. There’s going to be litigation on that for sure.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>We’re also going to have to see how these exemptions work. If they allow for a lot of exemptions where this isn’t that big of an issue for most U.S. companies, it might be workable. But it definitely impacts the overall path for people who are currently in the U.S., as well as those who might be considering the U.S. as a destination. We saw, during the previous Trump administration, that people were looking to Canada, looking to other countries to make their home because of such uncertainty with the H-1B and the path to the green card. So I think we’re going to see that again, we’re going to start losing talent if we continue these types of restrictions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dixit:\u003c/strong> I think people who would have looked at immigrating as a complete no-brainer are increasingly rethinking that decision. They’re increasingly choosing to spend their lives in Canada or Mexico or India.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tech companies are responding to that. We’ve seen lots of offshoring to these countries in the last few years. I remember it was 2023, when Canada opened a special visa for 10,000 U.S. H-1B workers, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx27lj39e99o\">it filled up in [24] hours\u003c/a>. People are increasingly getting tired of the constant instability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this sticks — and I think there is a big “if” [around] this $100,000 fee, with litigation and everything — I think companies are going to rethink hiring in the U.S. More than hiring locally, it’s going to lead to an offshoring of jobs to Canada, Mexico, India and maybe other places around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The effect on Bay Area communities\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gokhale: \u003c/strong>In the short term, there was obviously panic among visa holders who are outside the country or planning to travel outside the country. And even after the clarification — though there was some amount of relief that “we are not in immediate danger” — the big emotion that has emerged from this is uncertainty and confusion among international workers, [and also] international students, many of whom hope to apply next year for the H-1B.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>There is definitely concern about, “Even if they haven’t come for us right now, will they eventually come for us in the next few months, in the next year?” It’s thrown a lot of things into a tailspin for a lot of people who have planned to live their life here, to set up a family, to set up a career in this country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve had conversations in the past few days that signaled to me that there’s a sense of disillusionment with the “H-1B, green card, citizenship” pipeline of the American dream. There just seems to be a massive reevaluation of whether the United States is still a good option to invest your future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I definitely see a lot of anti-Indian hate in general on social media. Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, any social media channel of your choice. There’s a lot of new, sometimes really wild, disturbing stuff coming out about Indians, Indian stereotypes — which I thought were on the way out — are suddenly making a resurgence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve personally covered hate crimes where there’s some \u003ca href=\"https://indiacurrents.com/ca-v-hate-crime-racism-islamophobia-homphobia/\">pretty graphic anti-H-1B graffiti on a public park bathroom\u003c/a>, which is something that I think can only happen in Silicon Valley or in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t think the U.S. is the only place where this is happening. We’re seeing an anti-immigrant sort of sentiment in Australia, specifically targeted toward South Asians, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/northern-ireland/2025/06/irelands-anti-immigrant-rage-will-not-go-away\">Ireland\u003c/a>, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-12-12/housing-crisis-economic-woes-and-trump-how-canada-turned-against-immigrants\">Canada\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a global trend that we’re seeing: \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/27/anti-immigration-mood-sweeping-eu-capitals-puts-strain-on-blocs-unity\">anti-immigrant sentiment\u003c/a> in general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "BART Audit Flags Overtime Costs, Weak Controls as Agency Spends $96 Million",
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"content": "\u003cp>Rigid union rules. Persistent staffing gaps. Outdated timekeeping systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those are among the factors \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART’s\u003c/a> inspector general pointed to in explaining why the transit agency continues to spend a growing share of its budget on overtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the watchdog office’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bartoig.org/files/d8c036b58/BART+Overtime+Risks+Can+be+Reduced+by+Strategic+Improvements+in+Oversight+and+Management+June+13+-+2025.pdf\">recently published report\u003c/a>, overtime accounted for 14% of BART’s budget last year, with 57 employees doubling their base salaries through extra hours. While the trend dipped slightly last year, the report showed spending escalated from 2021 to 2023, when the agency paid about $96 million in overtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Overtime is gonna happen — you can’t run BART without overtime,” Inspector General Claudette Biemeret told the Board of Directors on Wednesday. “But at the end of the fiscal year, you wanna have your costs pretty close to what your budget was and not having these huge variances.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART staff said the pandemic played a large role in the staffing shortages. In 2021 alone, the agency lost 567 employees, 287 of whom retired after an incentive program was approved by the board. Others left after the agency implemented a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/Memo%20Vaccine%20Mandate%20for%20Consultants%20%20Contractors_10.29.2021.pdf\">COVID-19 vaccine mandate\u003c/a>. Since then, however, BART has steadily hired, growing its workforce by 11.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, overtime spending grew through 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054821\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054821\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tape blocks the entrance to the 24th Street BART Station in San Francisco during an outage on Sept. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Biemeret said her office tried to identify the root causes but struggled to access key information in BART’s timekeeping system. Employees are required to file timesheets with overtime codes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But there is one field that [is] just a basic comment field — it’s freeform — you can type whatever you want in it, where people might put in the reason why they worked overtime,” she said. “Someone called out sick, there was an emergency, there was some sort of unexpected problem, whatever that may be. We could not get that information out of the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later in Wednesday’s meeting, BART’s Chief Financial Officer Joseph Beach contradicted Biemeret.[aside postID=news_12052690 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/20241204-BART-JY-023_qed.jpg']“Actually, we do have that information available that can come out of the system,” he said. “It’s just data in the system; there should be no reason we shouldn’t get that for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biemeret said it was a surprise to hear that, since her staff had worked extensively to obtain the data, but were told it was inaccessible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report recommended several reforms, including stronger data collection, tighter overtime approval controls and better anti-fraud tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the audit did not uncover fraud, Biemeret said BART’s current data collection system was not robust enough to detect inconsistencies or red flags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During public comment, SEIU 1021 President John Arantes, who represents 1,700 BART employees, blasted the report as “totally slanderous” to workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>If you gave us enough [of a] raise to live in the Bay Area, we [would] not need to work overtime,” he said. “We are not slaves or indentured servants. We have rights. We work overtime, and you shall pay us for the work that we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biemeret and board members stressed the audit was not to determine whether overtime should be allowed or paid, but rather to help BART manage costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board instructed staff to begin implementing some recommendations while the inspector general’s office continues its review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Clarification:\u003c/strong> A photo in a Sept. 25 story about a BART audit was miscaptioned. The image showed SFMTA employees assisting passengers at the 24th Street BART station on Sept. 5, not BART employees as originally stated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Rigid union rules. Persistent staffing gaps. Outdated timekeeping systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those are among the factors \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART’s\u003c/a> inspector general pointed to in explaining why the transit agency continues to spend a growing share of its budget on overtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the watchdog office’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bartoig.org/files/d8c036b58/BART+Overtime+Risks+Can+be+Reduced+by+Strategic+Improvements+in+Oversight+and+Management+June+13+-+2025.pdf\">recently published report\u003c/a>, overtime accounted for 14% of BART’s budget last year, with 57 employees doubling their base salaries through extra hours. While the trend dipped slightly last year, the report showed spending escalated from 2021 to 2023, when the agency paid about $96 million in overtime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Overtime is gonna happen — you can’t run BART without overtime,” Inspector General Claudette Biemeret told the Board of Directors on Wednesday. “But at the end of the fiscal year, you wanna have your costs pretty close to what your budget was and not having these huge variances.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART staff said the pandemic played a large role in the staffing shortages. In 2021 alone, the agency lost 567 employees, 287 of whom retired after an incentive program was approved by the board. Others left after the agency implemented a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/Memo%20Vaccine%20Mandate%20for%20Consultants%20%20Contractors_10.29.2021.pdf\">COVID-19 vaccine mandate\u003c/a>. Since then, however, BART has steadily hired, growing its workforce by 11.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, overtime spending grew through 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12054821\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12054821\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250905-BARTOutage-03-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tape blocks the entrance to the 24th Street BART Station in San Francisco during an outage on Sept. 5, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Biemeret said her office tried to identify the root causes but struggled to access key information in BART’s timekeeping system. Employees are required to file timesheets with overtime codes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But there is one field that [is] just a basic comment field — it’s freeform — you can type whatever you want in it, where people might put in the reason why they worked overtime,” she said. “Someone called out sick, there was an emergency, there was some sort of unexpected problem, whatever that may be. We could not get that information out of the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later in Wednesday’s meeting, BART’s Chief Financial Officer Joseph Beach contradicted Biemeret.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Actually, we do have that information available that can come out of the system,” he said. “It’s just data in the system; there should be no reason we shouldn’t get that for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biemeret said it was a surprise to hear that, since her staff had worked extensively to obtain the data, but were told it was inaccessible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report recommended several reforms, including stronger data collection, tighter overtime approval controls and better anti-fraud tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although the audit did not uncover fraud, Biemeret said BART’s current data collection system was not robust enough to detect inconsistencies or red flags.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During public comment, SEIU 1021 President John Arantes, who represents 1,700 BART employees, blasted the report as “totally slanderous” to workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>If you gave us enough [of a] raise to live in the Bay Area, we [would] not need to work overtime,” he said. “We are not slaves or indentured servants. We have rights. We work overtime, and you shall pay us for the work that we do.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biemeret and board members stressed the audit was not to determine whether overtime should be allowed or paid, but rather to help BART manage costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board instructed staff to begin implementing some recommendations while the inspector general’s office continues its review.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Clarification:\u003c/strong> A photo in a Sept. 25 story about a BART audit was miscaptioned. The image showed SFMTA employees assisting passengers at the 24th Street BART station on Sept. 5, not BART employees as originally stated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998274/a-new-sonoma-facility-wants-to-recycle-plastics-residents-are-pushing-back\">A Sonoma County plastic recycling startup\u003c/a> announced Thursday that it plans to move operations out of California following public opposition to a facility in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/rohnert-park\">Rohnert Park\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Resynergi aims to recycle plastic waste that might otherwise end up in landfills. The startup was seeking permits to expand operations at a facility from SOMO Village, a new mixed-use development, until community members had loudly expressed their concern in recent months about the possible environmental and safety impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will be moving our operations out of state, and it means that we can accelerate our growth,” Resynergi CEO Brian Bauer said. “We have plans to be in over 200 locations throughout North America, and this is our next step in that growth acceleration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An online petition opposing the facility was launched in early August and gathered over five thousand signatures. Residents also showed up at public meetings to share their discontent, particularly due to the fact that the facility is a few hundred feet away from a high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Resynergi officials have described their work as an innovative process for breaking down and recycling plastics with minimal toxic byproducts, critics say the technology is not new and the facility is just an incinerator by another name.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just an incinerator; it actually has parts of the facility that are explosive. Placing a facility like this next to a school, literally within hundreds of feet of a school, is very alarming,” said Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11848957\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11848957 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1205247477_1920x.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1205247477_1920x.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1205247477_1920x-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1205247477_1920x-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1205247477_1920x-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/11/iStock-1205247477_1920x-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Sonoma County startup announced plans to leave California after public opposition halted its proposed expansion at Rohnert Park’s SOMO Village. \u003ccite>(iStock)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The group filed an intent to sue Resynergi over permit issues, claiming the company’s recycling operations violated the Clean Air Act.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bauer rejected assertions that the facility would pose a health or safety risk to community members, but acknowledged that the public pushback played a role in the company’s decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bauer did not share exactly where the new site will be, but the company’s announcement said the new site will be in an industrially zoned area, which will “provide the scale and infrastructure needed to keep pace with the urgent and ever-growing demand for plastics recycling.”[aside postID=science_1998274 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250702-JosephHuffakerTrial-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg']The company leader also didn’t definitively rule out operating in California in the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can definitely educate the communities better than we did in advance,” Bauer said. “We thought that they would study it and look at the [Bay Area Air Quality Management District] reports and that would be good enough for their education, but it clearly was not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams also said she’s not done campaigning against the facility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They haven’t left town yet, they haven’t withdrawn their application for the air permit, they haven’t applied for their solid waste facility permit, and they have been operating for years illegally at three different locations in Sonoma County,” Williams said, alluding to three notices of violation that air district officials issued to the company last month for unpermitted business at three sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bauer agreed that there is no reason for the company to continue pursuing an air permit and insisted that the company worked with air regulators to acquire necessary permits in the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said she plans to keep pushing regulators to hold the company accountable and didn’t rule out continuing to pursue a lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The regulatory agencies that regulate these types of facilities — these incinerators in California — need to follow through because if they don’t, then it sends a very clear message that you can construct and operate pieces of industrial equipment in California without any consequence,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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},
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"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
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},
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},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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},
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"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
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"order": 10
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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},
"closealltabs": {
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"order": 1
},
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"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. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"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. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 18
},
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"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",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"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>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"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.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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