window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"news_12037908": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12037908",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12037908",
"found": true
},
"title": "UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco on April 24, 2025.",
"publishDate": 1745862910,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12062080,
"modified": 1761774538,
"caption": "UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay in San Francisco on April 24, 2025. Tens of thousands of the University of California’s employees are struggling to make ends meet as housing and health care costs rise, their union said.",
"credit": "Gina Castro/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-800x494.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 494,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-1020x630.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 630,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-160x99.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 99,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-1536x949.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 949,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED-1920x1187.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1187,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250424_UCSFFILE_GC-12-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1236
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12078376": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12078376",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078376",
"found": true
},
"title": "260331-PETITION TO BAN ENGINEERED STONE USE-MD-03-KQED-1",
"publishDate": 1775069964,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775069987,
"caption": "Javier Suares polishes a countertop while wearing a powered air purifying respirator at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026.",
"credit": "Martin do Nascimento/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1025,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-03-KQED-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12079739": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12079739",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079739",
"found": true
},
"title": "Trump Administration Seeks To Shrink Funding For The Presidio In San Francisco",
"publishDate": 1776116209,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12079734,
"modified": 1776122216,
"caption": "A Presidio Trust vehicle sits parked at Presidio of San Francisco on Feb. 20, 2025, in San Francisco, California. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to eliminate the Presidio Trust, the federal agency that runs and protects the Presidio of San Francisco, a national historic landmark since 1962.",
"credit": "Justin Sullivan/Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty-1536x1031.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1031,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/PresidioTrustGetty.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1342
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12079586": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12079586",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079586",
"found": true
},
"title": "041226Affordability series teacher housing_GH_002_qed",
"publishDate": 1776032850,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776101928,
"caption": "Shayla Putnam, a ceramics teacher at George Washington High School, in her apartment at Shirley Chisholm Village on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco.",
"credit": "Gustavo Hernandez/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_002_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12079133": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12079133",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079133",
"found": true
},
"title": "Vehicles pass by City Hall in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2023.",
"publishDate": 1775681337,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12079126,
"modified": 1775681351,
"caption": "Vehicles pass by City Hall in San Francisco on Aug. 8, 2023.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/230808-SanFranciscoCityHall-18-BL_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12078463": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12078463",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078463",
"found": true
},
"title": "260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED",
"publishDate": 1775151774,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775151813,
"caption": "Annie Malekzadeh, a mom who quit her teaching job to save on childcare and is now pursuing her master’s degree in mathematics, walks her kids through the rain at school pick up time at Valhalla Elementary School in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026.",
"credit": "Tâm Vũ/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12078546": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12078546",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078546",
"found": true
},
"title": "AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede",
"publishDate": 1775172354,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775260099,
"caption": "From top left to bottom right: Keith and Lisa Alvord embrace on their sailboat in Emeryville. Misha Kurita-Ditz and their mom, Barbara Ditz, sit together at the apartment they share in San Francisco. Brooke Dawson sits with her son outside the Airstream where she lives in her mother’s backyard. Christy Brown bartends in Walnut Creek. Chad Morrison works at a bakery in Santa Rosa.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12078612": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12078612",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078612",
"found": true
},
"title": "Trucking company in Bakersfield affected by license pause",
"publishDate": 1775233581,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12078260,
"modified": 1775237391,
"caption": "A truck leaves for a delivery at Roadies Inc. in Bakersfield, California, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Avie Nagra, the CEO, says the license pause will affect about 100 of his 300 drivers.",
"credit": "Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788-160x109.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 109,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788-1536x1046.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1046,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2248825788.jpg",
"width": 1980,
"height": 1348
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12077305": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12077305",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12077305",
"found": true
},
"title": "A truck leaves the the Cemex Lapis Plant which removes more than 200,000 acre feet of beach sand a year along the Monterey Bay coastline in Marina, Ca., as seen on Wednesday Feb. 8, 2017,",
"publishDate": 1774289357,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 12077298,
"modified": 1774383621,
"caption": "A truck leaves the Cemex Lapis Plant, which removes more than 200,000 acre feet of beach sand a year along the Monterey Bay coastline in Marina, California, on Feb. 8, 2017.",
"credit": "Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CemexGetty-160x91.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 91,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CemexGetty-1536x877.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 877,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CemexGetty-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CemexGetty-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CemexGetty-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CemexGetty.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1142
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12076910": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12076910",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12076910",
"found": true
},
"title": "049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed",
"publishDate": 1773859574,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773859614,
"caption": "United Farm Workers and their supporters march next to the Sacramento River as they pass through Walnut Grove on Day 22 of a 24-day \"March for the Governor’s Signature\" on Aug. 24, 2022, to convince Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign Assembly Bill 2183, the Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act. The march started in the Central Valley and will conclude with a rally in Sacramento on Aug. 26, 2022.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/049_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022_qed.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12076843": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12076843",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12076843",
"found": true
},
"title": "260317-KAISER RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1",
"publishDate": 1773801307,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1773801326,
"caption": "Roy Mejia looks out from the entrance to his bar, 19th Street Station, in Oakland on March 16, 2026.",
"credit": "Martin do Nascimento/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1025,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"news_12077726": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "news_12077726",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12077726",
"found": true
},
"title": "260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL",
"publishDate": 1774561253,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1774567489,
"caption": "A sign says, 'Do Not Close Our Schools' outside Hammer Montessori Elementary School in San José on March 26, 2026. The school is among those proposed for closure or relocation as part of the San José Unified School District’s “Schools of Tomorrow” plan.",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-08-BL.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_news_12075755": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_news_12075755",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_news_12075755",
"name": "Cate Peters, Brianna Sosa, Gabrielle Rayne Ignacio, Anna Hoch-Kenney and Tatiana Geroulanou, Big Local News",
"isLoading": false
},
"fjhabvala": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "8659",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "8659",
"found": true
},
"name": "Farida Jhabvala Romero",
"firstName": "Farida",
"lastName": "Jhabvala Romero",
"slug": "fjhabvala",
"email": "fjhabvala@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Farida Jhabvala Romero is a Labor Correspondent for KQED. She previously covered immigration. Farida was \u003ca href=\"https://www.ccnma.org/2022-most-influential-latina-journalists\">named\u003c/a> one of the 10 Most Influential Latina Journalists in California in 2022 by the California Chicano News Media Association. Her work has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists (Northern California), as well as a national and regional Edward M. Murrow Award for the collaborative reporting projects “Dangerous Air” and “Graying California.” Before joining KQED, Farida worked as a producer at Radio Bilingüe, a national public radio network. Farida earned her master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f9f022d4e2609741874222a1e9d41f48fea74011aa7c615eef91d9a50c944ebe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "FaridaJhabvala",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/faridajhabvala/",
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Farida Jhabvala Romero | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f9f022d4e2609741874222a1e9d41f48fea74011aa7c615eef91d9a50c944ebe?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f9f022d4e2609741874222a1e9d41f48fea74011aa7c615eef91d9a50c944ebe?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/fjhabvala"
},
"ebaldassari": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11652",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11652",
"found": true
},
"name": "Erin Baldassari",
"firstName": "Erin",
"lastName": "Baldassari",
"slug": "ebaldassari",
"email": "ebaldassari@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "Staff Writer",
"bio": "Erin Baldassari covers housing for KQED. She's a former print journalist and most recently worked as the transportation reporter for the \u003cem>Mercury News\u003c/em> and \u003cem>East Bay Times. \u003c/em>There, she focused on how the Bay Area’s housing shortage has changed the way people move around the region. She also served on the \u003cem>East Bay Times\u003c/em>’ 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning team for coverage of the Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland. Prior to that, Erin worked as a breaking news and general assignment reporter for a variety of outlets in the Bay Area and the greater Boston area. A Tufts University alumna, Erin grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and in Sonoma County. She is a life-long KQED listener.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5e95cad64a8ca08288082212e199d2b0cbeb4fd8e8ef5339395f361032bbe005?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "e_baldi",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"edit_others_posts",
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Erin Baldassari | KQED",
"description": "Staff Writer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5e95cad64a8ca08288082212e199d2b0cbeb4fd8e8ef5339395f361032bbe005?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5e95cad64a8ca08288082212e199d2b0cbeb4fd8e8ef5339395f361032bbe005?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ebaldassari"
},
"daisynguyen": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11829",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11829",
"found": true
},
"name": "Daisy Nguyen",
"firstName": "Daisy",
"lastName": "Nguyen",
"slug": "daisynguyen",
"email": "daisynguyen@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "I have covered early childhood education and child care for KQED since 2022. I focus on policies aimed at increasing access to early care and education and how they shape individual lives. I've been a journalist for more than two decades, with most of that time devoted to covering breaking news throughout California for The Associated Press. I grew up in San Francisco and studied at UC Davis and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. I live in Oakland with my husband and two kids.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2da2127c27f7143b53ebd419800fd55f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisynguyen/",
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Daisy Nguyen | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2da2127c27f7143b53ebd419800fd55f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2da2127c27f7143b53ebd419800fd55f?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/daisynguyen"
},
"sjohnson": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11840",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11840",
"found": true
},
"name": "Sydney Johnson",
"firstName": "Sydney",
"lastName": "Johnson",
"slug": "sjohnson",
"email": "sjohnson@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news"
],
"title": "KQED Reporter",
"bio": "Sydney Johnson is a general assignment reporter at KQED. She previously reported on public health and city government at the San Francisco Examiner, and before that, she covered statewide education policy for EdSource. Her reporting has won multiple local, state and national awards. Sydney is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and lives in San Francisco.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/97855f2719b72ad6190b7c535fe642c8?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "sydneyfjohnson",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Sydney Johnson | KQED",
"description": "KQED Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/97855f2719b72ad6190b7c535fe642c8?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/97855f2719b72ad6190b7c535fe642c8?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/sjohnson"
},
"kdebenedetti": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11913",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11913",
"found": true
},
"name": "Katie DeBenedetti",
"firstName": "Katie",
"lastName": "DeBenedetti",
"slug": "kdebenedetti",
"email": "kdebenedetti@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Katie DeBenedetti is a digital reporter covering daily news for the Express Desk. Prior to joining KQED as a culture reporting intern in January 2024, she covered education and city government for the Napa Valley Register.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6e31073cb8f7e4214ab03f42771d0f45?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Katie DeBenedetti | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6e31073cb8f7e4214ab03f42771d0f45?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6e31073cb8f7e4214ab03f42771d0f45?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/kdebenedetti"
},
"sarahwright": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11956",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11956",
"found": true
},
"name": "Sarah Wright",
"firstName": "Sarah",
"lastName": "Wright",
"slug": "sarahwright",
"email": "swright@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Outdoors Engagement Reporter",
"bio": "Sarah Wright is KQED's Outdoors Engagement Reporter. Originally from Lake Tahoe, she completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019 and was a U.S. Fulbright Program grantee to Argentina in 2023. Her journalism has appeared in The Guardian, The San Francisco Standard, The Palo Alto Weekly and the Half Moon Bay Review.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c161a3d6441865cba25e6db4fa561099ad665799e9432e34da2b84d7e371524c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"contributor",
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Sarah Wright | KQED",
"description": "Outdoors Engagement Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c161a3d6441865cba25e6db4fa561099ad665799e9432e34da2b84d7e371524c?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c161a3d6441865cba25e6db4fa561099ad665799e9432e34da2b84d7e371524c?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/sarahwright"
},
"aaliahmad": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11986",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11986",
"found": true
},
"name": "Ayah Ali-Ahmad",
"firstName": "Ayah",
"lastName": "Ali-Ahmad",
"slug": "aaliahmad",
"email": "aaliahmad@KQED.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": null,
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf54f187a5e1064b2cfef3f3d2f1e4f93e453395d56912aca6382a6071ec3ed?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "ayahaliahmad",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"subscriber"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Ayah Ali-Ahmad | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf54f187a5e1064b2cfef3f3d2f1e4f93e453395d56912aca6382a6071ec3ed?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cf54f187a5e1064b2cfef3f3d2f1e4f93e453395d56912aca6382a6071ec3ed?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/aaliahmad"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"news_category_labor": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34551",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34551",
"score": 12.5629425
},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.",
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34568,
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Labor",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "news",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 7
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/company-paragraph",
"content": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing."
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/news?category=labor",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 7
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"news_12080047": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12080047",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12080047",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1776297214000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "uc-patient-care-and-service-workers-plan-open-ended-strike-starting-next-month",
"title": "UC Patient Care and Service Workers Plan Open-Ended Strike Starting Next Month",
"publishDate": 1776297214,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "UC Patient Care and Service Workers Plan Open-Ended Strike Starting Next Month | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Tens of thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> patient care and service workers plan to walk off the job May 14 with no return date in sight, union officials announced Wednesday, after long contract negotiations have failed to yield an agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike would disrupt operations at UC campuses and medical facilities statewide in a historic move, according to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents some of the university’s lowest-paid employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will be incredibly hard on our families, but we know UC is proposing a future where workers’ rights are ignored and we fall further and further behind,” union president Michael Avant said at a press conference outside UCSF’s Mission Bay Medical Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We aren’t demanding millions of dollars in salaries like they give to the executives,” said Avant, who works transporting patients at UC San Diego’s health system. “We are asking for our employer, California’s third-largest employer, to bargain with us in good faith.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union representing about 42,000 cafeteria and custodial workers, X-ray technicians, respiratory therapists and other employees has held five \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028446/tens-of-thousands-uc-workers-strike-disrupting-campuses-hospitals-labs\">short walkouts\u003c/a> at UC during more than two years of bargaining. Avant said those previous work stoppages failed to move the university on workers’ top issues: housing affordability and health care costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064418\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064418\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Patient care and service workers represented by AFSCME Local 3299 picket at the UCSF Medical Center Mission Bay campus on Nov. 17, 2025, striking for living wages, affordable health care, housing benefits and safe staffing. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>AFSCME patient care employees have been working without a contract since August 2024, and service workers since November of that year. As housing and health care costs rise, many of the employees are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064357/uc-service-workers-strike-saying-wages-arent-enough-to-afford-cost-of-living\">struggling to make ends meet\u003c/a>, union officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, university representatives rejected the union’s accusations of unfair labor practices and said the UC system remained committed to giving employees wage increases and other benefits as quickly as possible, recognizing the cost-of-living challenges that many of its workers face.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The University of California remains focused on reaching an agreement that delivers real, immediate benefits for employees and is sustainable over the long term,” the \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-highlights-323-pay-proposal-urges-continued-bargaining-following-afscme-strike-notice\">statement\u003c/a> said. “We are disappointed that AFSCME is moving toward an open-ended strike despite the significant progress made at the bargaining table.”[aside postID=news_12064357 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-08-BL.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since bargaining began in January 2024, the university said it has proposed to increase total pay by 32.3% through 2029, adding that the hourly wage for its lowest-paid employees was raised to $25 last year. UC has also offered workers a bonus of up to $1,000, extra payments for long-serving employees, and monthly stipends and other measures to help manage rising health care costs. More than 16,000 AFSCME members pay less than $100 a month in health care premiums, the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This represents substantial movement and a good-faith effort to respond directly to employee priorities,” the university said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union representatives said UC’s total pay raise offer was in reality lower, slamming the 32.3% figure as based on “fuzzy math.” They argued that the university proposals have made an affordability crisis worse, including for workers living in homeless shelters and out of their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liz Perlman, executive director of AFSCME Local 3299, said UC has unilaterally increased health care premiums for employees, sometimes doubling their costs. The university has also refused to discuss a union proposal to provide emergency financial assistance to workers at risk of eviction or foreclosure, based on a program already in place at UC Davis, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our members don’t eat percentages; they pay gas with dollars. Right now they are choosing between buying inhalers and buying a tank of gas,” said Perlman, adding that members earn $62,000 a year on average. “Your take-home pay is going to be so small … We live on so few dollars that any increase is putting people at a breaking point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Tens of thousands of the University of California’s employees are threatening to strike as many struggle to make ends meet, with housing and health care costs on the rise, their union said.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776301306,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 717
},
"headData": {
"title": "UC Patient Care and Service Workers Plan Open-Ended Strike Starting Next Month | KQED",
"description": "Tens of thousands of the University of California’s employees are threatening to strike as many struggle to make ends meet, with housing and health care costs on the rise, their union said.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "UC Patient Care and Service Workers Plan Open-Ended Strike Starting Next Month",
"datePublished": "2026-04-15T16:53:34-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-15T18:01:46-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12080047",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12080047/uc-patient-care-and-service-workers-plan-open-ended-strike-starting-next-month",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Tens of thousands of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> patient care and service workers plan to walk off the job May 14 with no return date in sight, union officials announced Wednesday, after long contract negotiations have failed to yield an agreement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The strike would disrupt operations at UC campuses and medical facilities statewide in a historic move, according to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents some of the university’s lowest-paid employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will be incredibly hard on our families, but we know UC is proposing a future where workers’ rights are ignored and we fall further and further behind,” union president Michael Avant said at a press conference outside UCSF’s Mission Bay Medical Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We aren’t demanding millions of dollars in salaries like they give to the executives,” said Avant, who works transporting patients at UC San Diego’s health system. “We are asking for our employer, California’s third-largest employer, to bargain with us in good faith.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union representing about 42,000 cafeteria and custodial workers, X-ray technicians, respiratory therapists and other employees has held five \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12028446/tens-of-thousands-uc-workers-strike-disrupting-campuses-hospitals-labs\">short walkouts\u003c/a> at UC during more than two years of bargaining. Avant said those previous work stoppages failed to move the university on workers’ top issues: housing affordability and health care costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064418\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064418\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-14-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Patient care and service workers represented by AFSCME Local 3299 picket at the UCSF Medical Center Mission Bay campus on Nov. 17, 2025, striking for living wages, affordable health care, housing benefits and safe staffing. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>AFSCME patient care employees have been working without a contract since August 2024, and service workers since November of that year. As housing and health care costs rise, many of the employees are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064357/uc-service-workers-strike-saying-wages-arent-enough-to-afford-cost-of-living\">struggling to make ends meet\u003c/a>, union officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a statement, university representatives rejected the union’s accusations of unfair labor practices and said the UC system remained committed to giving employees wage increases and other benefits as quickly as possible, recognizing the cost-of-living challenges that many of its workers face.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The University of California remains focused on reaching an agreement that delivers real, immediate benefits for employees and is sustainable over the long term,” the \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-highlights-323-pay-proposal-urges-continued-bargaining-following-afscme-strike-notice\">statement\u003c/a> said. “We are disappointed that AFSCME is moving toward an open-ended strike despite the significant progress made at the bargaining table.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12064357",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-UCStrike-08-BL.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since bargaining began in January 2024, the university said it has proposed to increase total pay by 32.3% through 2029, adding that the hourly wage for its lowest-paid employees was raised to $25 last year. UC has also offered workers a bonus of up to $1,000, extra payments for long-serving employees, and monthly stipends and other measures to help manage rising health care costs. More than 16,000 AFSCME members pay less than $100 a month in health care premiums, the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This represents substantial movement and a good-faith effort to respond directly to employee priorities,” the university said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Union representatives said UC’s total pay raise offer was in reality lower, slamming the 32.3% figure as based on “fuzzy math.” They argued that the university proposals have made an affordability crisis worse, including for workers living in homeless shelters and out of their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liz Perlman, executive director of AFSCME Local 3299, said UC has unilaterally increased health care premiums for employees, sometimes doubling their costs. The university has also refused to discuss a union proposal to provide emergency financial assistance to workers at risk of eviction or foreclosure, based on a program already in place at UC Davis, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our members don’t eat percentages; they pay gas with dollars. Right now they are choosing between buying inhalers and buying a tank of gas,” said Perlman, adding that members earn $62,000 a year on average. “Your take-home pay is going to be so small … We live on so few dollars that any increase is putting people at a breaking point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12080047/uc-patient-care-and-service-workers-plan-open-ended-strike-starting-next-month",
"authors": [
"8659"
],
"categories": [
"news_457",
"news_34551",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_1386",
"news_18543",
"news_35118",
"news_24939",
"news_19904",
"news_20482",
"news_35909",
"news_38",
"news_922"
],
"featImg": "news_12037908",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12079653": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12079653",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079653",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1776185659000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount",
"title": "California Fabricators Face Possible Artificial Stone Ban as Silicosis Cases Mount",
"publishDate": 1776185659,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "California Fabricators Face Possible Artificial Stone Ban as Silicosis Cases Mount | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>As artificial stone became the top countertop material in the U.S. over the last decade, fabricator Gino Scolari told KQED he’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect his employees from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064693/california-doctors-urge-ban-on-engineered-stone-as-silicosis-cases-surge\">an incurable lung disease\u003c/a> linked to the factory-made product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Artificial stone, also known as quartz or engineered stone, now makes up most of the business at Scolari Marble and Granite, after overtaking natural stones in popularity. To keep workers from inhaling toxic silica dust generated when cutting quartz, Scolari invested in automated machines that slice stone slabs under a layer of water, sophisticated personal protective equipment, strict clean-up practices, silica air monitoring and other measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think you can get any more stringent on our protocols right now,” said Scolari, 64, observing workers at his Vallejo facility polish quartz countertop edges while wearing powered-air purifying respirators. “We’re on the guys constantly. That is probably 80% of the fight is making sure the guys follow through with all their protection and standards and just following the protocols.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as companies invest heavily to comply with California’s strict silica rules, a looming regulatory decision could upend the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California regulators are weighing whether to effectively ban the fabrication of artificial stone amid mounting evidence that even rigorous safety measures may not protect workers from silicosis, an aggressive and often fatal lung disease. The decision could reshape a multibillion-dollar industry while determining whether thousands of workers remain at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As silicosis disables hundreds of stonecutters statewide, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is considering a medical association’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/petition-609.html\">petition\u003c/a> to prohibit the fabrication of artificial stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica at its meeting on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078364\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078364\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carlos Orellana polishes a countertop at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A final decision on whether to advance the proposal is expected next month \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">amid fierce industry opposition\u003c/a>. A yes vote would kickstart a rulemaking process, meaning it could be months or years before any ban is fully approved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents argue that the problem lies with unlicensed fabricators violating safety requirements, not the material itself. A major U.S. manufacturer and industry representatives are pushing instead to restrict quartz’s supply to only certified fabrication businesses. But worker advocates say research now shows that crystalline silica particles released by artificial stone are more dangerous than previously known, and that even people at compliant shops risk contracting silicosis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fabricators are in a very difficult position because they’re dealing with what I would characterize as an inherently hazardous product. And yet this is what has evolved into the majority of their business,” said David Harrington, a retired Cal/OSHA officer who worked with Scolari and other motivated fabrication business owners to help them comply with the silica regulations.[aside postID=news_12064693 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251115-DEADLY-LUNG-DISEASE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg']Artificial stone can contain more than 90% silica, which researchers deem uniquely toxic. Keeping exposures low enough at all times is extremely difficult, according to Harrington. Wet routers and saws may temporarily allow dust to become airborne, workers may not always wear the right respirators, and forklift drivers can carry silica residue in their tracks to unsuspecting workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Implementing the current Cal/OSHA rules, which require the wet cutting of artificial stone to limit dust exposure and other steps, significantly reduces airborne silica particles, according to Harrington. But even if all operations complied, it wouldn’t be enough to prevent some stoneworkers from being overexposed to the hazard, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Maybe you slow down the rate of disease, but you’re still going to have people working in this industry who are going to develop silicosis,” said Harrington, who spoke before regulators in support of a ban in February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California, the only state \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">actively tracking\u003c/a> silicosis cases in the industry, confirmed more than 540 stoneworkers have contracted the incurable disease since 2019, most of them Latino immigrants. Dozens have undergone lung transplants, and 29 died. Some of the sick workers, who now need oxygen machines to breathe, are only \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956246/california-fast-tracks-rules-to-protect-stonecutters-from-horrible-deaths\">in their 20s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cases have also been reported in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Utah \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067166/health-emergency-california-doctors-urge-ban-of-countertop-material-linked-to-deadly-disease\">and other states\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078365\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078365\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carlos Orellana wears a monitor that measures his silica exposure while working polishing countertops at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Occupational doctors proposing that California prohibit the fabrication of artificial stone believe it would encourage consumers and builders to use safer substitutes. Some quartz manufacturers have started selling products with low or no crystalline silica in the U.S. and Australia, the first country to ban high-silica artificial stone in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Scolari, phasing out the dominant material in the countertop industry would be a “huge shock,” but fabricators like himself would simply adapt, he said. He agrees that reducing the level of toxic silica in all quartz countertop products would help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If one company can do it, make a zero silica content quartz or whatever they’re gonna call it, then yeah, I think they should all go to that. Why not? It just makes sense,” said Scolari, who has worked in the slab fabrication business for about 40 years, when customers preferred granite and marble, which are generally considered safer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12078375 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gino Scolari at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As things stand now, Cal/OSHA inspectors say they don’t have the capacity to visit roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/fabops.aspx\">1,300 fabrication operations\u003c/a> statewide, but evidence suggests many shops are not following the rules. Out of the more than 130 shops the division has inspected, 94% had violations, according to Eric Berg, a top Cal/OSHA official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlicensed fabricators have a financial incentive to work on artificial stone without purchasing tools to implement the required protections, Scolari said. People can earn $2,000 or more per day while cutting slabs dry, in front of someone’s house or backyard, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s a lot of money. It’s very tempting. So I think the only thing that I think we could do industry-wide … controlling access to it. Or just banning it outright. Just get rid of it,” said Scolari, adding that workers’ compensation insurance costs have increased due to the silicosis crisis. “Personally, I think regulating it is the correct way. But if you’re gonna ban it, then let’s ban it and move on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078371\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078371\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Signs warn of the risk of silica dust exposure at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Silicosis, an ancient occupational disease among miners and stonemasons, resurfaced in an accelerated form in the U.S., coinciding with the explosion in popularity of artificial stone. Quartz, which is stain-resistant and cheaper than natural stones, can be produced in attractive designs and colors. Once installed, it’s safe for consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the combination of crystalline silica powder with resins, dyes and other quartz ingredients is powerfully toxic, said Dr. Robert Blink, a former president of the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association, which petitioned for the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The silica particles generated during fabrication and installation processes are so tiny that they lodge deep into the lungs and cause progressive scarring. To handle artificial stone safely, workers would need to wear a Level A hazmat suit, or “spacesuit,” which is generally unworkable, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078367\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078367\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers at Scolari Marble & Granite select a slab for cutting in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Humans really can’t work this material safely. You need a robot,” Blink told regulators at a recent meeting. “There may be problems with other materials, there always have been, but it’s nothing as dangerous as this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A vocal opponent of the petition is Cambria, the largest U.S. manufacturer of artificial stone. Other large quartz manufacturers facing hundreds of lawsuits by sick workers, like Israel-based Caesarstone or Cosentino, which is headquartered in Spain, have developed alternative products with lower or no crystalline silica. But Cambria has not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Minnesota-based company, which also runs its own fabrication shops, supports establishing an industry-led \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070138/stone-industry-proposes-self-policing-as-california-weighs-artificial-stone-ban\">certification program\u003c/a>. State Assemblymember Phillip Chen, who represents parts of Orange and San Bernardino counties, introduced \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2137\">a bill\u003c/a> that would require Cal/OSHA to develop a certification process by Jan. 2028.[aside postID=news_12070138 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/StoneWorkerGetty2.jpg']“We know compliant stone fabrication is happening in good shops. It’s possible. It’s feasible. Because we do it,” Rebecca Schult, chief legal counsel at Cambria, told regulators at a meeting last month. “There are no spacesuits, I assure you. There are real human workers, hundreds of them, working with us for over 20 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, Schult testified at a congressional hearing in support of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">federal bill\u003c/a> that would immunize artificial stone manufacturers and suppliers from liability, by prohibiting civil lawsuits against stone slab manufacturers or sellers for harm resulting from the alteration of their products. The bill, by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., would also dismiss pending lawsuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent event attended by a law firm representing about 400 stonecutters claiming silica-related injuries in California and 15 other states, a former large-scale fabricator doubted a certification program would stop the rise of silicosis in the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aki Vourakis, who ran one of the largest stone fabrication companies in the U.S., said Aegean Stoneworks was repeatedly recognized by major quartz manufacturers and suppliers, yet at least eight of his workers developed silicosis. One died in 2025, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I tell you that even one of the best-run, best-capitalized, award-winning shop in the country cannot keep its workers safe, you should understand what that means for the thousands of smaller, less sophisticated operations across the country,” said Vourakis, now a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thealphaconsultinggroup.com/about\">consultant to attorneys \u003c/a>specializing in silica exposure and engineered stone fabrication and installation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "California artificial stone fabricators face a potential ban as regulators weigh action amid rising silicosis cases, even as shops spend heavily on compliance that doctors say may not prevent the deadly lung disease.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776193218,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 31,
"wordCount": 1731
},
"headData": {
"title": "California Fabricators Face Possible Artificial Stone Ban as Silicosis Cases Mount | KQED",
"description": "California artificial stone fabricators face a potential ban as regulators weigh action amid rising silicosis cases, even as shops spend heavily on compliance that doctors say may not prevent the deadly lung disease.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "California Fabricators Face Possible Artificial Stone Ban as Silicosis Cases Mount",
"datePublished": "2026-04-14T09:54:19-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-14T12:00:18-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/860ee14c-e6cf-4503-85ac-b425010da613/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12079653",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As artificial stone became the top countertop material in the U.S. over the last decade, fabricator Gino Scolari told KQED he’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect his employees from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12064693/california-doctors-urge-ban-on-engineered-stone-as-silicosis-cases-surge\">an incurable lung disease\u003c/a> linked to the factory-made product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Artificial stone, also known as quartz or engineered stone, now makes up most of the business at Scolari Marble and Granite, after overtaking natural stones in popularity. To keep workers from inhaling toxic silica dust generated when cutting quartz, Scolari invested in automated machines that slice stone slabs under a layer of water, sophisticated personal protective equipment, strict clean-up practices, silica air monitoring and other measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t think you can get any more stringent on our protocols right now,” said Scolari, 64, observing workers at his Vallejo facility polish quartz countertop edges while wearing powered-air purifying respirators. “We’re on the guys constantly. That is probably 80% of the fight is making sure the guys follow through with all their protection and standards and just following the protocols.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as companies invest heavily to comply with California’s strict silica rules, a looming regulatory decision could upend the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California regulators are weighing whether to effectively ban the fabrication of artificial stone amid mounting evidence that even rigorous safety measures may not protect workers from silicosis, an aggressive and often fatal lung disease. The decision could reshape a multibillion-dollar industry while determining whether thousands of workers remain at risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As silicosis disables hundreds of stonecutters statewide, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board is considering a medical association’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/petition-609.html\">petition\u003c/a> to prohibit the fabrication of artificial stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica at its meeting on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078364\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078364\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carlos Orellana polishes a countertop at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A final decision on whether to advance the proposal is expected next month \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">amid fierce industry opposition\u003c/a>. A yes vote would kickstart a rulemaking process, meaning it could be months or years before any ban is fully approved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opponents argue that the problem lies with unlicensed fabricators violating safety requirements, not the material itself. A major U.S. manufacturer and industry representatives are pushing instead to restrict quartz’s supply to only certified fabrication businesses. But worker advocates say research now shows that crystalline silica particles released by artificial stone are more dangerous than previously known, and that even people at compliant shops risk contracting silicosis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fabricators are in a very difficult position because they’re dealing with what I would characterize as an inherently hazardous product. And yet this is what has evolved into the majority of their business,” said David Harrington, a retired Cal/OSHA officer who worked with Scolari and other motivated fabrication business owners to help them comply with the silica regulations.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12064693",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251115-DEADLY-LUNG-DISEASE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Artificial stone can contain more than 90% silica, which researchers deem uniquely toxic. Keeping exposures low enough at all times is extremely difficult, according to Harrington. Wet routers and saws may temporarily allow dust to become airborne, workers may not always wear the right respirators, and forklift drivers can carry silica residue in their tracks to unsuspecting workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Implementing the current Cal/OSHA rules, which require the wet cutting of artificial stone to limit dust exposure and other steps, significantly reduces airborne silica particles, according to Harrington. But even if all operations complied, it wouldn’t be enough to prevent some stoneworkers from being overexposed to the hazard, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Maybe you slow down the rate of disease, but you’re still going to have people working in this industry who are going to develop silicosis,” said Harrington, who spoke before regulators in support of a ban in February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California, the only state \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/essdashboard.aspx\">actively tracking\u003c/a> silicosis cases in the industry, confirmed more than 540 stoneworkers have contracted the incurable disease since 2019, most of them Latino immigrants. Dozens have undergone lung transplants, and 29 died. Some of the sick workers, who now need oxygen machines to breathe, are only \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11956246/california-fast-tracks-rules-to-protect-stonecutters-from-horrible-deaths\">in their 20s\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cases have also been reported in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Utah \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12067166/health-emergency-california-doctors-urge-ban-of-countertop-material-linked-to-deadly-disease\">and other states\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078365\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078365\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carlos Orellana wears a monitor that measures his silica exposure while working polishing countertops at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Occupational doctors proposing that California prohibit the fabrication of artificial stone believe it would encourage consumers and builders to use safer substitutes. Some quartz manufacturers have started selling products with low or no crystalline silica in the U.S. and Australia, the first country to ban high-silica artificial stone in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Scolari, phasing out the dominant material in the countertop industry would be a “huge shock,” but fabricators like himself would simply adapt, he said. He agrees that reducing the level of toxic silica in all quartz countertop products would help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If one company can do it, make a zero silica content quartz or whatever they’re gonna call it, then yeah, I think they should all go to that. Why not? It just makes sense,” said Scolari, who has worked in the slab fabrication business for about 40 years, when customers preferred granite and marble, which are generally considered safer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078375\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12078375 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-27-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gino Scolari at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As things stand now, Cal/OSHA inspectors say they don’t have the capacity to visit roughly \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/Pages/fabops.aspx\">1,300 fabrication operations\u003c/a> statewide, but evidence suggests many shops are not following the rules. Out of the more than 130 shops the division has inspected, 94% had violations, according to Eric Berg, a top Cal/OSHA official.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlicensed fabricators have a financial incentive to work on artificial stone without purchasing tools to implement the required protections, Scolari said. People can earn $2,000 or more per day while cutting slabs dry, in front of someone’s house or backyard, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s a lot of money. It’s very tempting. So I think the only thing that I think we could do industry-wide … controlling access to it. Or just banning it outright. Just get rid of it,” said Scolari, adding that workers’ compensation insurance costs have increased due to the silicosis crisis. “Personally, I think regulating it is the correct way. But if you’re gonna ban it, then let’s ban it and move on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078371\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078371\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-19-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Signs warn of the risk of silica dust exposure at Scolari Marble & Granite in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Silicosis, an ancient occupational disease among miners and stonemasons, resurfaced in an accelerated form in the U.S., coinciding with the explosion in popularity of artificial stone. Quartz, which is stain-resistant and cheaper than natural stones, can be produced in attractive designs and colors. Once installed, it’s safe for consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the combination of crystalline silica powder with resins, dyes and other quartz ingredients is powerfully toxic, said Dr. Robert Blink, a former president of the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association, which petitioned for the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The silica particles generated during fabrication and installation processes are so tiny that they lodge deep into the lungs and cause progressive scarring. To handle artificial stone safely, workers would need to wear a Level A hazmat suit, or “spacesuit,” which is generally unworkable, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078367\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078367\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260331-PETITION-TO-BAN-ENGINEERED-STONE-USE-MD-09-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers at Scolari Marble & Granite select a slab for cutting in Vallejo on March 31, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Humans really can’t work this material safely. You need a robot,” Blink told regulators at a recent meeting. “There may be problems with other materials, there always have been, but it’s nothing as dangerous as this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A vocal opponent of the petition is Cambria, the largest U.S. manufacturer of artificial stone. Other large quartz manufacturers facing hundreds of lawsuits by sick workers, like Israel-based Caesarstone or Cosentino, which is headquartered in Spain, have developed alternative products with lower or no crystalline silica. But Cambria has not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Minnesota-based company, which also runs its own fabrication shops, supports establishing an industry-led \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070138/stone-industry-proposes-self-policing-as-california-weighs-artificial-stone-ban\">certification program\u003c/a>. State Assemblymember Phillip Chen, who represents parts of Orange and San Bernardino counties, introduced \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2137\">a bill\u003c/a> that would require Cal/OSHA to develop a certification process by Jan. 2028.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12070138",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/StoneWorkerGetty2.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We know compliant stone fabrication is happening in good shops. It’s possible. It’s feasible. Because we do it,” Rebecca Schult, chief legal counsel at Cambria, told regulators at a meeting last month. “There are no spacesuits, I assure you. There are real human workers, hundreds of them, working with us for over 20 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, Schult testified at a congressional hearing in support of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069714/as-california-silicosis-cases-rise-engineered-stone-industry-seeks-immunity-in-dc\">federal bill\u003c/a> that would immunize artificial stone manufacturers and suppliers from liability, by prohibiting civil lawsuits against stone slab manufacturers or sellers for harm resulting from the alteration of their products. The bill, by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., would also dismiss pending lawsuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a recent event attended by a law firm representing about 400 stonecutters claiming silica-related injuries in California and 15 other states, a former large-scale fabricator doubted a certification program would stop the rise of silicosis in the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aki Vourakis, who ran one of the largest stone fabrication companies in the U.S., said Aegean Stoneworks was repeatedly recognized by major quartz manufacturers and suppliers, yet at least eight of his workers developed silicosis. One died in 2025, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I tell you that even one of the best-run, best-capitalized, award-winning shop in the country cannot keep its workers safe, you should understand what that means for the thousands of smaller, less sophisticated operations across the country,” said Vourakis, now a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thealphaconsultinggroup.com/about\">consultant to attorneys \u003c/a>specializing in silica exposure and engineered stone fabrication and installation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12079653/california-fabricators-face-artificial-stone-ban-as-silicosis-cases-mount",
"authors": [
"8659"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_457",
"news_34551",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_18543",
"news_20202",
"news_19904",
"news_36127",
"news_32943",
"news_36128"
],
"featImg": "news_12078376",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12079734": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12079734",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079734",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1776121764000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "sfs-presidio-will-continue-to-run-normally-after-trump-fires-board-officials-say",
"title": "SF’s Presidio ‘Will Continue to Run Normally’ After Trump Fires Board, Officials Say",
"publishDate": 1776121764,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "SF’s Presidio ‘Will Continue to Run Normally’ After Trump Fires Board, Officials Say | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco officials and representatives of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/presidio\">Presidio\u003c/a> Trust are hopeful that little will change for the famous national park site after President Donald Trump fired the entire board that oversees it last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>President Joe Biden appointed all six members of the Presidio Trust board. A seventh seat, which is supposed to be filled by a Department of the Interior appointee, was already vacant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board members’ firing was “expected,” said Lisa Petrie, a spokesperson for the trust — as is their coming replacement by Trump appointees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve expected a board transition for a year, as the board is appointed by the President,” Petrie wrote in a statement. “The terms of three of our board members had expired nearly a year ago, and we fully anticipated a change in the board around this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following their firing, several former board members expressed appreciation for their time with the Presidio Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has been a passion and a pleasure to serve on the board of the Presidio Trust,” former Chair Mark Buell wrote. “The Presidio is the most successful example of a Post to Park conversion in the country and should serve as a model for others.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12028302\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12028302 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-1536x1044.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-1920x1305.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A jogger runs on Crissy Field at Presidio of San Francisco on Feb. 20, 2025, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Presidio Trust, which Congress formed in 1996 to manage and protect the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11972756/the-hidden-history-of-fort-scott-in-san-franciscos-presidio\">historic 1,500-acre park\u003c/a> on the site of a former Army base that looks out on the Golden Gate Bridge, has been a target of Trump’s since he took office last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was one of four agencies named in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027864/trump-moves-slash-presidio-trust-agency-runs-historic-sf-park\">Trump’s February 2025 “Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” executive order\u003c/a>, which calls for shrinking agencies that the administration deems unnecessary to “minimize government waste and abuse.” They were ordered to eliminate their non-statutory operations “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” and reduce their statutory function to the minimum required by law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the Presidio doesn’t rely on federal funding for its operations. It was created by the Presidio Trust Act, which gives it power to manage properties — and, therefore, the ability to sustain itself using the revenue from its rents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, the Presidio hasn’t received regular appropriations from Congress since 2013. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029839/san-franciscos-presidio-trust-defends-existence-response-trump-order\">A report filed last year in response\u003c/a> to Trump’s executive order defended the trust’s work and explained its financial independence.[aside postID=news_12027864 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/DSC_1576_qed-1-1020x676.jpg']“So I think that understanding will make all the difference,” said Christine Lehnertz, CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, which works closely with the Presidio Trust. “There’s not a budget to cut.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, San Francisco Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, whose district includes the Presidio, said he is surprised the president didn’t fire the board sooner, as half of their terms were set to expire nearly a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said it’s thanks to work by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who helped create the Presidio Trust, that the organization can survive Trump’s budget attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pelosi wrote in a statement to KQED that she is disappointed by the firings but said “previous Republican appointees to the Board have respected the Presidio,” and she hopes Trump’s will do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Regardless of any new Board’s composition, I have every confidence that the Presidio Trust will continue to be protected by the strength of the legislation which created it,” Pelosi wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new members of the board have yet to be appointed, but according to Petrie, the park’s operations will not be affected by being without a board temporarily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The park and the agency will continue to run normally,” Petrie wrote. “The board provides overall governance and major policy decisions, but staff manage daily park operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sherrill said he plans to hold the new board members accountable, whoever they may be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to see people who love the Presidio, who believe in conservation, who have strong fiscal management, and who really love San Francisco and understand the importance of the Presidio to not only San Franciscans, but to the 7 million visitors nationwide who come through the gates,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The White House did not commit to a timeline for the appointment of new board members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kdebenedetti\">\u003cem>Katie DeBenedetti \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The firings of all six Presidio Trust board members should change little for the famous national park site, officials said, though the White House has not yet announced new appointees.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776122719,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 22,
"wordCount": 784
},
"headData": {
"title": "SF’s Presidio ‘Will Continue to Run Normally’ After Trump Fires Board, Officials Say | KQED",
"description": "The firings of all six Presidio Trust board members should change little for the famous national park site, officials said, though the White House has not yet announced new appointees.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "SF’s Presidio ‘Will Continue to Run Normally’ After Trump Fires Board, Officials Say",
"datePublished": "2026-04-13T16:09:24-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-13T16:25:19-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 13,
"slug": "politics",
"name": "Politics"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12079734",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12079734/sfs-presidio-will-continue-to-run-normally-after-trump-fires-board-officials-say",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco officials and representatives of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/presidio\">Presidio\u003c/a> Trust are hopeful that little will change for the famous national park site after President Donald Trump fired the entire board that oversees it last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>President Joe Biden appointed all six members of the Presidio Trust board. A seventh seat, which is supposed to be filled by a Department of the Interior appointee, was already vacant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The board members’ firing was “expected,” said Lisa Petrie, a spokesperson for the trust — as is their coming replacement by Trump appointees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve expected a board transition for a year, as the board is appointed by the President,” Petrie wrote in a statement. “The terms of three of our board members had expired nearly a year ago, and we fully anticipated a change in the board around this time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following their firing, several former board members expressed appreciation for their time with the Presidio Trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It has been a passion and a pleasure to serve on the board of the Presidio Trust,” former Chair Mark Buell wrote. “The Presidio is the most successful example of a Post to Park conversion in the country and should serve as a model for others.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12028302\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12028302 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1359\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-1536x1044.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/PresidioSFGetty-1920x1305.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A jogger runs on Crissy Field at Presidio of San Francisco on Feb. 20, 2025, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Presidio Trust, which Congress formed in 1996 to manage and protect the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11972756/the-hidden-history-of-fort-scott-in-san-franciscos-presidio\">historic 1,500-acre park\u003c/a> on the site of a former Army base that looks out on the Golden Gate Bridge, has been a target of Trump’s since he took office last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was one of four agencies named in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027864/trump-moves-slash-presidio-trust-agency-runs-historic-sf-park\">Trump’s February 2025 “Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” executive order\u003c/a>, which calls for shrinking agencies that the administration deems unnecessary to “minimize government waste and abuse.” They were ordered to eliminate their non-statutory operations “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” and reduce their statutory function to the minimum required by law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the Presidio doesn’t rely on federal funding for its operations. It was created by the Presidio Trust Act, which gives it power to manage properties — and, therefore, the ability to sustain itself using the revenue from its rents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, the Presidio hasn’t received regular appropriations from Congress since 2013. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029839/san-franciscos-presidio-trust-defends-existence-response-trump-order\">A report filed last year in response\u003c/a> to Trump’s executive order defended the trust’s work and explained its financial independence.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12027864",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/DSC_1576_qed-1-1020x676.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“So I think that understanding will make all the difference,” said Christine Lehnertz, CEO of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, which works closely with the Presidio Trust. “There’s not a budget to cut.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, San Francisco Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, whose district includes the Presidio, said he is surprised the president didn’t fire the board sooner, as half of their terms were set to expire nearly a year ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said it’s thanks to work by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who helped create the Presidio Trust, that the organization can survive Trump’s budget attacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pelosi wrote in a statement to KQED that she is disappointed by the firings but said “previous Republican appointees to the Board have respected the Presidio,” and she hopes Trump’s will do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Regardless of any new Board’s composition, I have every confidence that the Presidio Trust will continue to be protected by the strength of the legislation which created it,” Pelosi wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new members of the board have yet to be appointed, but according to Petrie, the park’s operations will not be affected by being without a board temporarily.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The park and the agency will continue to run normally,” Petrie wrote. “The board provides overall governance and major policy decisions, but staff manage daily park operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sherrill said he plans to hold the new board members accountable, whoever they may be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to see people who love the Presidio, who believe in conservation, who have strong fiscal management, and who really love San Francisco and understand the importance of the Presidio to not only San Franciscans, but to the 7 million visitors nationwide who come through the gates,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The White House did not commit to a timeline for the appointment of new board members.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/kdebenedetti\">\u003cem>Katie DeBenedetti \u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12079734/sfs-presidio-will-continue-to-run-normally-after-trump-fires-board-officials-say",
"authors": [
"11956"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_34551",
"news_28250",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_1323",
"news_19904",
"news_17968",
"news_5663",
"news_38",
"news_4170"
],
"featImg": "news_12079739",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12079098": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12079098",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079098",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1776088840000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "when-teachers-cant-afford-to-live-in-the-bay-area-districts-get-into-the-housing-game",
"title": "When Teachers Can’t Afford to Live in the Bay Area, Districts Get Into the Housing Game",
"publishDate": 1776088840,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "When Teachers Can’t Afford to Live in the Bay Area, Districts Get Into the Housing Game | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Ms. Hernandez’s son began to ask her where he would attend high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His curiosity brought forward a bigger question looming in her mind: Was their family going to be able to stay in San Francisco at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m sorry, baby, but I don’t know,” she told her middle-schooler. “I don’t know if we’re going to continue to be living in the city; things are going to be too expensive here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> paraeducator and her husband had lived in the Bay Area for two decades, mostly in the city. For the last 10 years, they’d shared a two-bedroom apartment in the Outer Mission, paying about $3,000 a month in rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The building was aging, the family was growing tired of struggles with their landlord, and they wanted to be in a neighborhood that felt safer. For years, though, finding another apartment in their price range seemed impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At one point we even wondered if we wanted to stay here or move even across the country,” Hernandez, who asked to be identified by only her last name because of ongoing litigation with a previous landlord, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple affordable housing applications had gotten her no further than long waiting lists and only a few calls back to apply. Then, in May, MidPen Housing called to say her family had been selected for a unit in a new affordable housing development that gives priority to school district staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079592\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12079592 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley Chisholm Village, an affordable housing development that gives priority to San Francisco Unified School District educators, on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I felt like I was dreaming,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hernandez remembers picking her son up from school after they got the keys, ordering pizza and bringing him to the building near Ocean Beach as a surprise. “This is going to be your new house,” she told him, hopeful that he’d attend high school in their new neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, five-story apartment building, nestled between the Sunset District’s signature two-story single-family homes and a burgeoning number of neighborhood restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops, is now home to more than 100 SFUSD employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.midpen-housing.org/shirley-chisholm-village/\">Shirley Chisholm Village development\u003c/a> sprang from a partnership between the school district and the city’s affordable housing program that was announced in 2015. It’s part of a growing number of teacher housing projects cropping up throughout the Bay Area as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">cost of living in the region continues to climb\u003c/a>, often outpacing the salaries of essential education workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Sarah Karlinsky, the director of research and policy at UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation, the trend follows many universities and public sector employers, who have provided housing options for decades — both because of sky-high costs and a shortage of units in urban areas.[aside postID=news_12075761 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED.jpg']“Many of us are familiar with this idea of the ‘company town,’” she said. “When there’s a large-scale employer and they want to make sure they can attract talent and workers … they need to ensure their workers have housing. Even if you think about building the railroads, large infrastructure projects involve thinking about where workers might live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, even companies in higher-paying sectors like tech have sought to help house their employees because of the lack of housing stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts are among the latest to pursue the model as they find themselves with vacant properties and employees who say they can’t afford to live near work or, in some cases, stay in the profession.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarita Lavin, an ethnic studies teacher at George Washington High School, has worked in SFUSD for five years and lived in San Francisco for more than 10, but she said that before she moved into Shirley Chisholm Village, she was considering leaving both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’d lived with roommates for a decade, navigating the usual cohabitating strifes like dirty dishes in the sink and uninvited guests, as well as some less common circumstances — like a pet reptile on the loose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing like opening a cabinet and having a six-foot African king snake looking at you,” Lavin said. “That was the big moment where I was like, ‘Maybe it’s time for me to really start thinking about independent living.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lavin said the Sunset District apartment, which is considered affordable, still costs more than half of her monthly take-home income at about $2,500 a month. But it’s a far cry from the rates she saw on Craigslist and Zillow when she started looking at studios and one-bedrooms. Those, which she said could top $3,000, are “totally out of the price range for teachers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079591\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12079591 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley Chisholm Village has units designated for various income levels between 40% to 120% of the area median income, with priority to San Francisco Unified School District educators. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She makes the cost work in part because it was important to her to stay in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just felt like a place where my family had roots in the U.S.,” said Lavin, whose mother immigrated from Guatemala to Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lavin grew up in Oakland but moved to the Inland Empire at 11, after her family was priced out. She said they spent a lot of their time in San Francisco, though, so she felt drawn to move here more than a decade ago to attend college.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her last apartment, Lavin paid $1,100 a month, plus about $200 to $300 in utilities, for a room with two roommates — a low outlier among city rents, because the three tenants split the cost of their space equitably based on their salaries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as she got older, it became increasingly important to have her own space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was really thinking, if I can’t get this place, then I might want to start looking outside of San Francisco, move maybe out to the East Bay and leave SFUSD, because it’s just too unaffordable to live here,” Lavin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now I kind of feel like maybe I don’t need an exit strategy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Seeing results, but challenges remain\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Throughout the 2010s, Jefferson Union High School District was losing and replacing about 25% of its employees every year across its five campuses in Daly City and Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we surveyed our staff, we found that the number one reason that they were leaving our district was long commutes and housing affordability,” said Denise Shreve, the district’s director of housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jefferson Union, the lowest-funded high school district in San Mateo County, “had to be creative” to retain teachers and recruit new ones, Shreve said. That led to a plan to build affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, the district was one of the first in the nation to pass a bond measure to fund affordable teacher housing, generating about $33 million. Shreve said it borrowed an additional $40 million or so through certificates of participation, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/certificateofparticipation.asp\">form of municipal financing\u003c/a> often used as an alternative to traditional voter-approved bonds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district broke ground in 2020 on a 122-unit development at its Serramonte Del Rey campus in Daly City, which opened in 2022 with all of its one- to three-bedroom units filled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just two years later, the district began the school year without any job openings. “We were completely, fully staffed. Before we had staff housing, that was unheard of,” Shreve said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other districts across the Bay Area have also pursued similar projects in recent years. Neighboring Jefferson Elementary School District opened 56 apartments for staff in 2024. Santa Clara Unified School District was one of the first in the state to provide housing for teachers, constructing 40 units in 2001 and 30 more in 2008.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, an Oakland nonprofit announced it had purchased an apartment complex that it would turn into housing for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078453/one-way-to-help-oakland-teachers-salaries-go-further-affordable-housing\">Oakland Unified School District employees\u003c/a>, pricing units at 30% of their household income. The 33-unit building in the Temescal District is the first that the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation’s Rooted program has acquired as part of its effort to purchase 150 residential units in the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When SFUSD began work on the Shirley Chisholm development, it cited many of the same challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, more than 64% of district teachers surveyed said they spent more than 30% of their income on rent, and about 15% spent 50% or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079588\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079588\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Shayla Putnam walks through a courtyard at Shirley Chisholm Village on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a resolution committing to pursue workforce housing that was passed the previous year, the San Francisco school board said, “High housing costs are a significant contributing factor to SFUSD educators’ ability to remain in San Francisco and remain employed with SFUSD, risking dire and unpredictable negative effects on the quality of SFUSD education when educators can no longer afford to live here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, workforce housing has not completely solved the problem for teachers in areas with a high cost of living. For those like Lavin, even an affordable housing unit can take up a large chunk of their take-home salary. And in San Francisco, many teachers, especially those with more experience, make too much to qualify for some of the units in Shirley Chisholm Village.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The building has units designated for various income levels between 40% to 120% of the area median income. For a single person, that equates to an annual salary between $41,130 and $130,900.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, fully credentialed \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/information-employees/labor-relations/labor-partners/uesf-certificated#78271\">teacher salaries\u003c/a> ranged from $81,350 to $134,762, meaning that even entry-level teachers are ineligible for 34 of the affordable apartments. And as educators — especially those with more post-college credits — gain seniority, they surpass the income threshold for more units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While SFUSD educators have priority for the building, about 10% of its units are occupied by non-SFUSD renters, most of whom have priority for specially designed ADA units. Of the 115 units that house SFUSD employees, many are occupied by support staffers who make lower salaries, such as paraeducators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because the district’s housing is operated in partnership with the city, residents have to go through San Francisco’s affordable housing lottery to apply for a unit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lavin and Hernandez said that the process took months, and they had to provide a lot of information that the district already knows, like income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of these issues are less pervasive in districts like Jefferson Union, which operates its housing independently, with the help of a property manager. It designates about two-thirds of its units for certificated teachers, while the rest are available to paraeducators and other staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a smaller district, it’s also able to have a bigger impact. While about a quarter of the staff lives in Jefferson Union’s workforce housing, only about 115 of more than 6,000 SFUSD employees live in its apartment complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, SFUSD set a goal of developing more than 500 housing units by 2030, and the district said it is exploring additional sites and partnerships to expand. It’s already broken ground on a second subsidized housing development in the Western Addition, which will add 75 more apartment units. And it’s identified \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2024-04-04-sfusd-identifies-additional-sites-educator-housing#:~:text=In%20October%202023%2C%20SFUSD%20formed,enable%20the%20development%20of%20housing.\">multiple other district-owned properties\u003c/a> throughout the city for future projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before pursuing future projects, the district said it will conduct a “thorough analysis — including surveying staff — to understand the needs and preferences” of educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the demand is clear. Nearly 15% of SFUSD’s workforce applied for the Shirley Chisholm Village complex, and about 395 district employees are on the waitlist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079589\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079589\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Shayla Putnam stands outside Shirley Chisholm Village on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Shayla Putnam, who teaches ceramics at George Washington High School, said securing a spot there felt like “hard work paid off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Putnam is the main earner for her and her partner, who have bounced around to one-bedroom apartments in the city for five years. Even at the below-market rates at Shirley Chisholm Village, they could only afford a one-bedroom unit, but she said amenities like a dishwasher and in-building laundry, as well as a measurably larger living space, have made a huge difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Having the extra space does bring a quality of life that I haven’t necessarily experienced in the city,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her partner, who is an artist, has a dedicated workspace, and they were able to get a kitchen table for the first time. The bathroom is also big enough to move around comfortably — “you could spin in here with your arms out,” Putnam said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, they save about $300 a month compared to their last apartment, which was also in the Sunset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a little more leeway,” Putnam said. “It’s the difference [between] literally cooking food every night versus being like, ‘We can eat out at this locally-owned business, we can have this coffee shop’ — those little things that make life worth living rather than scraping by.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A growing number of affordable housing developments meant for school staffers are cropping up around the Bay Area as the region’s cost of living continues to soar.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776126315,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 56,
"wordCount": 2341
},
"headData": {
"title": "When Teachers Can’t Afford to Live in the Bay Area, Districts Get Into the Housing Game | KQED",
"description": "A growing number of affordable housing developments meant for school staffers are cropping up around the Bay Area as the region’s cost of living continues to soar.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "When Teachers Can’t Afford to Live in the Bay Area, Districts Get Into the Housing Game",
"datePublished": "2026-04-13T07:00:40-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-13T17:25:15-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 6266,
"slug": "housing",
"name": "Housing"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/c8c2a58f-3692-457f-b6ef-b42c0004966f/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12079098",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12079098/when-teachers-cant-afford-to-live-in-the-bay-area-districts-get-into-the-housing-game",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Ms. Hernandez’s son began to ask her where he would attend high school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His curiosity brought forward a bigger question looming in her mind: Was their family going to be able to stay in San Francisco at all?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m sorry, baby, but I don’t know,” she told her middle-schooler. “I don’t know if we’re going to continue to be living in the city; things are going to be too expensive here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district\">San Francisco Unified School District\u003c/a> paraeducator and her husband had lived in the Bay Area for two decades, mostly in the city. For the last 10 years, they’d shared a two-bedroom apartment in the Outer Mission, paying about $3,000 a month in rent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The building was aging, the family was growing tired of struggles with their landlord, and they wanted to be in a neighborhood that felt safer. For years, though, finding another apartment in their price range seemed impossible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At one point we even wondered if we wanted to stay here or move even across the country,” Hernandez, who asked to be identified by only her last name because of ongoing litigation with a previous landlord, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Multiple affordable housing applications had gotten her no further than long waiting lists and only a few calls back to apply. Then, in May, MidPen Housing called to say her family had been selected for a unit in a new affordable housing development that gives priority to school district staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079592\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12079592 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_016_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley Chisholm Village, an affordable housing development that gives priority to San Francisco Unified School District educators, on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I felt like I was dreaming,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hernandez remembers picking her son up from school after they got the keys, ordering pizza and bringing him to the building near Ocean Beach as a surprise. “This is going to be your new house,” she told him, hopeful that he’d attend high school in their new neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, five-story apartment building, nestled between the Sunset District’s signature two-story single-family homes and a burgeoning number of neighborhood restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops, is now home to more than 100 SFUSD employees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.midpen-housing.org/shirley-chisholm-village/\">Shirley Chisholm Village development\u003c/a> sprang from a partnership between the school district and the city’s affordable housing program that was announced in 2015. It’s part of a growing number of teacher housing projects cropping up throughout the Bay Area as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">cost of living in the region continues to climb\u003c/a>, often outpacing the salaries of essential education workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Sarah Karlinsky, the director of research and policy at UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation, the trend follows many universities and public sector employers, who have provided housing options for decades — both because of sky-high costs and a shortage of units in urban areas.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12075761",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00263_TV-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Many of us are familiar with this idea of the ‘company town,’” she said. “When there’s a large-scale employer and they want to make sure they can attract talent and workers … they need to ensure their workers have housing. Even if you think about building the railroads, large infrastructure projects involve thinking about where workers might live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In recent years, even companies in higher-paying sectors like tech have sought to help house their employees because of the lack of housing stock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School districts are among the latest to pursue the model as they find themselves with vacant properties and employees who say they can’t afford to live near work or, in some cases, stay in the profession.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarita Lavin, an ethnic studies teacher at George Washington High School, has worked in SFUSD for five years and lived in San Francisco for more than 10, but she said that before she moved into Shirley Chisholm Village, she was considering leaving both.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’d lived with roommates for a decade, navigating the usual cohabitating strifes like dirty dishes in the sink and uninvited guests, as well as some less common circumstances — like a pet reptile on the loose.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s nothing like opening a cabinet and having a six-foot African king snake looking at you,” Lavin said. “That was the big moment where I was like, ‘Maybe it’s time for me to really start thinking about independent living.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lavin said the Sunset District apartment, which is considered affordable, still costs more than half of her monthly take-home income at about $2,500 a month. But it’s a far cry from the rates she saw on Craigslist and Zillow when she started looking at studios and one-bedrooms. Those, which she said could top $3,000, are “totally out of the price range for teachers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079591\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12079591 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_015_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shirley Chisholm Village has units designated for various income levels between 40% to 120% of the area median income, with priority to San Francisco Unified School District educators. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She makes the cost work in part because it was important to her to stay in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just felt like a place where my family had roots in the U.S.,” said Lavin, whose mother immigrated from Guatemala to Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lavin grew up in Oakland but moved to the Inland Empire at 11, after her family was priced out. She said they spent a lot of their time in San Francisco, though, so she felt drawn to move here more than a decade ago to attend college.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her last apartment, Lavin paid $1,100 a month, plus about $200 to $300 in utilities, for a room with two roommates — a low outlier among city rents, because the three tenants split the cost of their space equitably based on their salaries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But as she got older, it became increasingly important to have her own space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was really thinking, if I can’t get this place, then I might want to start looking outside of San Francisco, move maybe out to the East Bay and leave SFUSD, because it’s just too unaffordable to live here,” Lavin said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now I kind of feel like maybe I don’t need an exit strategy,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Seeing results, but challenges remain\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Throughout the 2010s, Jefferson Union High School District was losing and replacing about 25% of its employees every year across its five campuses in Daly City and Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we surveyed our staff, we found that the number one reason that they were leaving our district was long commutes and housing affordability,” said Denise Shreve, the district’s director of housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jefferson Union, the lowest-funded high school district in San Mateo County, “had to be creative” to retain teachers and recruit new ones, Shreve said. That led to a plan to build affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, the district was one of the first in the nation to pass a bond measure to fund affordable teacher housing, generating about $33 million. Shreve said it borrowed an additional $40 million or so through certificates of participation, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/certificateofparticipation.asp\">form of municipal financing\u003c/a> often used as an alternative to traditional voter-approved bonds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district broke ground in 2020 on a 122-unit development at its Serramonte Del Rey campus in Daly City, which opened in 2022 with all of its one- to three-bedroom units filled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just two years later, the district began the school year without any job openings. “We were completely, fully staffed. Before we had staff housing, that was unheard of,” Shreve said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other districts across the Bay Area have also pursued similar projects in recent years. Neighboring Jefferson Elementary School District opened 56 apartments for staff in 2024. Santa Clara Unified School District was one of the first in the state to provide housing for teachers, constructing 40 units in 2001 and 30 more in 2008.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, an Oakland nonprofit announced it had purchased an apartment complex that it would turn into housing for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078453/one-way-to-help-oakland-teachers-salaries-go-further-affordable-housing\">Oakland Unified School District employees\u003c/a>, pricing units at 30% of their household income. The 33-unit building in the Temescal District is the first that the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation’s Rooted program has acquired as part of its effort to purchase 150 residential units in the next three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When SFUSD began work on the Shirley Chisholm development, it cited many of the same challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the time, more than 64% of district teachers surveyed said they spent more than 30% of their income on rent, and about 15% spent 50% or more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079588\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079588\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_009_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Shayla Putnam walks through a courtyard at Shirley Chisholm Village on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a resolution committing to pursue workforce housing that was passed the previous year, the San Francisco school board said, “High housing costs are a significant contributing factor to SFUSD educators’ ability to remain in San Francisco and remain employed with SFUSD, risking dire and unpredictable negative effects on the quality of SFUSD education when educators can no longer afford to live here.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, workforce housing has not completely solved the problem for teachers in areas with a high cost of living. For those like Lavin, even an affordable housing unit can take up a large chunk of their take-home salary. And in San Francisco, many teachers, especially those with more experience, make too much to qualify for some of the units in Shirley Chisholm Village.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The building has units designated for various income levels between 40% to 120% of the area median income. For a single person, that equates to an annual salary between $41,130 and $130,900.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, fully credentialed \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/information-employees/labor-relations/labor-partners/uesf-certificated#78271\">teacher salaries\u003c/a> ranged from $81,350 to $134,762, meaning that even entry-level teachers are ineligible for 34 of the affordable apartments. And as educators — especially those with more post-college credits — gain seniority, they surpass the income threshold for more units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While SFUSD educators have priority for the building, about 10% of its units are occupied by non-SFUSD renters, most of whom have priority for specially designed ADA units. Of the 115 units that house SFUSD employees, many are occupied by support staffers who make lower salaries, such as paraeducators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because the district’s housing is operated in partnership with the city, residents have to go through San Francisco’s affordable housing lottery to apply for a unit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lavin and Hernandez said that the process took months, and they had to provide a lot of information that the district already knows, like income.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of these issues are less pervasive in districts like Jefferson Union, which operates its housing independently, with the help of a property manager. It designates about two-thirds of its units for certificated teachers, while the rest are available to paraeducators and other staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a smaller district, it’s also able to have a bigger impact. While about a quarter of the staff lives in Jefferson Union’s workforce housing, only about 115 of more than 6,000 SFUSD employees live in its apartment complex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2018, SFUSD set a goal of developing more than 500 housing units by 2030, and the district said it is exploring additional sites and partnerships to expand. It’s already broken ground on a second subsidized housing development in the Western Addition, which will add 75 more apartment units. And it’s identified \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/sfusd-news/press-releases/2024-04-04-sfusd-identifies-additional-sites-educator-housing#:~:text=In%20October%202023%2C%20SFUSD%20formed,enable%20the%20development%20of%20housing.\">multiple other district-owned properties\u003c/a> throughout the city for future projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before pursuing future projects, the district said it will conduct a “thorough analysis — including surveying staff — to understand the needs and preferences” of educators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the demand is clear. Nearly 15% of SFUSD’s workforce applied for the Shirley Chisholm Village complex, and about 395 district employees are on the waitlist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079589\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079589\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/041226Affordability-series-teacher-housing_GH_010_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teacher Shayla Putnam stands outside Shirley Chisholm Village on April 12, 2026, in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Shayla Putnam, who teaches ceramics at George Washington High School, said securing a spot there felt like “hard work paid off.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Putnam is the main earner for her and her partner, who have bounced around to one-bedroom apartments in the city for five years. Even at the below-market rates at Shirley Chisholm Village, they could only afford a one-bedroom unit, but she said amenities like a dishwasher and in-building laundry, as well as a measurably larger living space, have made a huge difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Having the extra space does bring a quality of life that I haven’t necessarily experienced in the city,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her partner, who is an artist, has a dedicated workspace, and they were able to get a kitchen table for the first time. The bathroom is also big enough to move around comfortably — “you could spin in here with your arms out,” Putnam said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, they save about $300 a month compared to their last apartment, which was also in the Sunset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a little more leeway,” Putnam said. “It’s the difference [between] literally cooking food every night versus being like, ‘We can eat out at this locally-owned business, we can have this coffee shop’ — those little things that make life worth living rather than scraping by.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12079098/when-teachers-cant-afford-to-live-in-the-bay-area-districts-get-into-the-housing-game",
"authors": [
"11913"
],
"categories": [
"news_6266",
"news_34551",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_3921",
"news_1386",
"news_18538",
"news_20013",
"news_36350",
"news_27626",
"news_1775",
"news_19904",
"news_3946",
"news_1290",
"news_2044",
"news_3733"
],
"featImg": "news_12079586",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12079126": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12079126",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12079126",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1775684436000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "more-layoffs-ahead-as-san-franciscos-budget-woes-persist",
"title": "More Layoffs Ahead as San Francisco’s Budget Woes Persist",
"publishDate": 1775684436,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "More Layoffs Ahead as San Francisco’s Budget Woes Persist | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Maria-Elena Healy knew layoffs could be coming, but the vague warnings and whispers she had heard leading up to Monday didn’t prepare her for the shock that morning when she and three other nurses at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/laguna-honda-hospital\">Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center\u003c/a> found out they were losing their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was hard to hear. It just felt like we had leadership who were not transparent and didn’t value the expertise of clinicians that actually work at the bedside,” said Healy, a registered nurse who grew up in San Francisco and has worked at Laguna Honda for 10 years. “Staff members are reaching out to us across all disciplines, saying, ‘What’s going to happen to your work?’ It just doesn’t make sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ax is expected to fall on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075213/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-looks-to-eliminate-500-city-jobs\">hundreds of city workers\u003c/a> like Healy as San Francisco looks to narrow its $643 million budget deficit over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070484/tune-in-tonight-san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-live-on-kqed\">Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration\u003c/a> sent 127 layoff notices to city employees across 18 different departments, part of a total of around 500 positions that the mayor intends to cut. Additional layoffs are expected to be announced later this spring, and the mayor has said he also intends to freeze about 2,000 open positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a choice: take action now or be forced to do twice as much in the coming years,” Lurie said in a statement. “The steps we’re taking today are a painful but necessary continuation of the work we’ve been doing since last year to manage taxpayer dollars responsibly and deliver the best possible services for San Franciscans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Departments impacted by the 127 layoffs so far include the Department of Public Health, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the City Administrator’s Office, the Human Services Agency and the Police Department. A spokesperson for Lurie’s office did not specify which departments have seen the most layoffs so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958378\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11958378\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Signage reading Laguna Honda Hospital over the entryway to a large tile-roofed building.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Laguna Honda Hospital administration building in San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The layoffs were expected even as the city’s projected budget deficit improved from $936 million to $643 million in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/March_Update_FY_26-27_through_FY_29-30_FINAL.pdf\">City Controller’s report\u003c/a>. President Donald Trump’s federal spending cuts have drastically deepened the city’s budget shortfall, and in December, Lurie directed departments to find ways to cut a total of $400 million ahead of his budget proposal coming next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But city workers and advocates for the services they provide say the city is ignoring alternatives that could save jobs and minimize impacts to residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city has funds. They just need to dip into their reserves,” Healy said. “There’s no reason to diminish the care that we provide to the residents of San Francisco. This is a safety net hospital.”[aside postID=news_12078490 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP.jpg']She and others are also calling for the passage of Proposition D, the Overpaid CEO Act, which would levy taxes on large corporations where the chief executive earns more than 100 times their median employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In one of the richest cities in the world, cuts like this are a choice, not a necessity,” Mark Leach, Teamsters 856 representative and San Francisco resident, said in a statement. “Large corporations are cashing in on Trump’s tax breaks, but we can make them pay their fair share in San Francisco by passing Prop D in June.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supporters of the proposition say it could generate up to $300 million in funding to backfill money the city has lost in economic fallout surrounding the pandemic and since cuts by the Trump Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie’s goal to shave off $400 million in annual spending includes about $100 million from personnel savings, which his administration has estimated will translate to about 500 positions eliminated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some workers who received pink slips this week got a 30-day notice, and others may have 60 days, depending on their position and tenure. Some civil service employees whose jobs are being eliminated will be able to request a different position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079148\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079148\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Maria-Elena-Healy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"995\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Maria-Elena-Healy-2.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Maria-Elena-Healy-2-160x212.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria-Elena Healy, a registered nurse at Laguna Honda Hospital, was among the 127 San Francisco city workers to receive layoff notices this week. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Maria-Elena Healy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Healy said she received a 60-day notice for her termination, but any details on her employment options with the city have been opaque.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They actually could not answer some of the questions that we had,” Healy said. “It’s very difficult to make decisions about our lives and our livelihoods when the city failed to even give us the information that we needed to make those decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Healy said she and her three colleagues, who were also laid off, are clinical nurse specialists with expertise in certain areas, like cardiovascular health and diabetes care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s seen Laguna Honda, one of the country’s oldest and largest public skilled nursing homes, weather a storm of regulatory challenges in recent years, including when state and federal regulators pulled its Medicaid and Medicare certification and nearly shut the hospital down several years ago amid a series of safety violations. The facility has since made safety improvements and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991292/laguna-honda-recertified-by-medicare-in-major-milestone-for-san-francisco-hospital\">regained certification\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Part of our role as clinical nurse specialists has actually been to help support the facility through being recertified. We are trained to look at system issues and develop programs to support the needs of patients,” Healy said. “It just felt like the organization doesn’t understand how we helped use our skills to bring us back to certification.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has about 30,000 employees overall and a nearly $16 billion budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cuts this year come after the city managed to stave off many of the layoffs proposed during last year’s budget cycle. Last cycle, Lurie sought to eliminate 100 filled positions, but after negotiations with city leaders, unions and stakeholders, 40 jobs were cut. The final plan cut about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12041773/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-plans-to-cut-1400-jobs-in-city-budget-proposal\">1,400 mostly vacant positions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My job as mayor is to set up our city for success, not just today but for years to come,” Lurie said in response to the recent controller’s report, which projected a lower budget deficit overall. “We will deliver a fiscally sound budget that prioritizes core services, delivers results for San Franciscans and ensures a broad and durable economic recovery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie must present his upcoming budget proposal by June 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration issued layoff notices to more than 100 city workers this week, and more pink slips are expected to help close the $640 million budget deficit. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776802190,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 24,
"wordCount": 1125
},
"headData": {
"title": "More Layoffs Ahead as San Francisco’s Budget Woes Persist | KQED",
"description": "Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration issued layoff notices to more than 100 city workers this week, and more pink slips are expected to help close the $640 million budget deficit. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "More Layoffs Ahead as San Francisco’s Budget Woes Persist",
"datePublished": "2026-04-08T14:40:36-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-21T13:09:50-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/37443cbc-cd62-471c-991a-b43301162581/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12079126",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12079126/more-layoffs-ahead-as-san-franciscos-budget-woes-persist",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Maria-Elena Healy knew layoffs could be coming, but the vague warnings and whispers she had heard leading up to Monday didn’t prepare her for the shock that morning when she and three other nurses at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/laguna-honda-hospital\">Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center\u003c/a> found out they were losing their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was hard to hear. It just felt like we had leadership who were not transparent and didn’t value the expertise of clinicians that actually work at the bedside,” said Healy, a registered nurse who grew up in San Francisco and has worked at Laguna Honda for 10 years. “Staff members are reaching out to us across all disciplines, saying, ‘What’s going to happen to your work?’ It just doesn’t make sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ax is expected to fall on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075213/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-looks-to-eliminate-500-city-jobs\">hundreds of city workers\u003c/a> like Healy as San Francisco looks to narrow its $643 million budget deficit over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12070484/tune-in-tonight-san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-live-on-kqed\">Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration\u003c/a> sent 127 layoff notices to city employees across 18 different departments, part of a total of around 500 positions that the mayor intends to cut. Additional layoffs are expected to be announced later this spring, and the mayor has said he also intends to freeze about 2,000 open positions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a choice: take action now or be forced to do twice as much in the coming years,” Lurie said in a statement. “The steps we’re taking today are a painful but necessary continuation of the work we’ve been doing since last year to manage taxpayer dollars responsibly and deliver the best possible services for San Franciscans.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Departments impacted by the 127 layoffs so far include the Department of Public Health, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the City Administrator’s Office, the Human Services Agency and the Police Department. A spokesperson for Lurie’s office did not specify which departments have seen the most layoffs so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11958378\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11958378\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Signage reading Laguna Honda Hospital over the entryway to a large tile-roofed building.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/RS62463_010_KQED_LagunaHondaHospital_01312023-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Laguna Honda Hospital administration building in San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2023. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The layoffs were expected even as the city’s projected budget deficit improved from $936 million to $643 million in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/March_Update_FY_26-27_through_FY_29-30_FINAL.pdf\">City Controller’s report\u003c/a>. President Donald Trump’s federal spending cuts have drastically deepened the city’s budget shortfall, and in December, Lurie directed departments to find ways to cut a total of $400 million ahead of his budget proposal coming next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But city workers and advocates for the services they provide say the city is ignoring alternatives that could save jobs and minimize impacts to residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city has funds. They just need to dip into their reserves,” Healy said. “There’s no reason to diminish the care that we provide to the residents of San Francisco. This is a safety net hospital.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12078490",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GroceriesAP.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>She and others are also calling for the passage of Proposition D, the Overpaid CEO Act, which would levy taxes on large corporations where the chief executive earns more than 100 times their median employee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In one of the richest cities in the world, cuts like this are a choice, not a necessity,” Mark Leach, Teamsters 856 representative and San Francisco resident, said in a statement. “Large corporations are cashing in on Trump’s tax breaks, but we can make them pay their fair share in San Francisco by passing Prop D in June.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supporters of the proposition say it could generate up to $300 million in funding to backfill money the city has lost in economic fallout surrounding the pandemic and since cuts by the Trump Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie’s goal to shave off $400 million in annual spending includes about $100 million from personnel savings, which his administration has estimated will translate to about 500 positions eliminated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some workers who received pink slips this week got a 30-day notice, and others may have 60 days, depending on their position and tenure. Some civil service employees whose jobs are being eliminated will be able to request a different position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12079148\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12079148\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Maria-Elena-Healy-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"995\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Maria-Elena-Healy-2.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/Maria-Elena-Healy-2-160x212.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria-Elena Healy, a registered nurse at Laguna Honda Hospital, was among the 127 San Francisco city workers to receive layoff notices this week. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Maria-Elena Healy)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Healy said she received a 60-day notice for her termination, but any details on her employment options with the city have been opaque.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They actually could not answer some of the questions that we had,” Healy said. “It’s very difficult to make decisions about our lives and our livelihoods when the city failed to even give us the information that we needed to make those decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Healy said she and her three colleagues, who were also laid off, are clinical nurse specialists with expertise in certain areas, like cardiovascular health and diabetes care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s seen Laguna Honda, one of the country’s oldest and largest public skilled nursing homes, weather a storm of regulatory challenges in recent years, including when state and federal regulators pulled its Medicaid and Medicare certification and nearly shut the hospital down several years ago amid a series of safety violations. The facility has since made safety improvements and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11991292/laguna-honda-recertified-by-medicare-in-major-milestone-for-san-francisco-hospital\">regained certification\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Part of our role as clinical nurse specialists has actually been to help support the facility through being recertified. We are trained to look at system issues and develop programs to support the needs of patients,” Healy said. “It just felt like the organization doesn’t understand how we helped use our skills to bring us back to certification.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco has about 30,000 employees overall and a nearly $16 billion budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cuts this year come after the city managed to stave off many of the layoffs proposed during last year’s budget cycle. Last cycle, Lurie sought to eliminate 100 filled positions, but after negotiations with city leaders, unions and stakeholders, 40 jobs were cut. The final plan cut about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12041773/san-francisco-mayor-daniel-lurie-plans-to-cut-1400-jobs-in-city-budget-proposal\">1,400 mostly vacant positions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My job as mayor is to set up our city for success, not just today but for years to come,” Lurie said in response to the recent controller’s report, which projected a lower budget deficit overall. “We will deliver a fiscally sound budget that prioritizes core services, delivers results for San Franciscans and ensures a broad and durable economic recovery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lurie must present his upcoming budget proposal by June 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12079126/more-layoffs-ahead-as-san-franciscos-budget-woes-persist",
"authors": [
"11840"
],
"categories": [
"news_34551",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_3854",
"news_34186",
"news_32983",
"news_34055",
"news_18543",
"news_35118",
"news_24939",
"news_19904",
"news_26092",
"news_352",
"news_38"
],
"featImg": "news_12079133",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12075761": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12075761",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12075761",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1775656815000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career",
"title": "When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career",
"publishDate": 1775656815,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">How We Get By\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">full series here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Annie Malekzadeh was shopping at a Joanne Fabrics store in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/concord\">Concord\u003c/a> a couple of years ago when she had an encounter that stung her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An older woman who saw her pregnant while pushing her toddler son in a shopping cart, told her: “I don’t know why you would want more than two [children]. It’s basically impossible in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the time I was like, how dare she?” she said. “But now I’m like, oh, [she] was right. It’s really hard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh wound up having another baby, and the decision to have three kids pushed her child care expenses to roughly $56,000 a year and ultimately changed the course of her career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061802/how-are-child-care-costs-affecting-the-lives-of-bay-area-families-you-told-us\">Rising child care costs in the Bay Area\u003c/a> are forcing parents to make painful tradeoffs, either by passing up career opportunities, cutting back work hours, or quitting altogether. For families with multiple young children, these expenses can surpass a parent’s entire salary, disproportionately affecting mothers and shaping their long-term economic security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh’s story is just one example of how the gap between what families can afford and the actual cost of care is pushing parents to find creative solutions — and prompting calls for systemic change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Child care has long been expensive for parents, but recently it’s been even more so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Malekzadeh, a mom who quit her teaching job to save on child care and is now pursuing her master’s degree in mathematics, studies at Pleasant Hill Library in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Prices shot up almost 30% between 2020 and 2024, outpacing inflation by 7 percentage points, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/\">a survey of child care resource and referral organizations \u003c/a>around the country. In just the last year, 40% of child care programs in California \u003ca href=\"https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/user-174467/2026_survey_brief.pdf\">reported raising tuition \u003c/a>to offset rising operating costs like insurance and food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four years ago, Malekzadeh was a math teacher at a private middle school, earning roughly $32,000 annually and working 25 hours per week. At the time, her son was in kindergarten and her daughter in preschool. Her husband is a psychiatrist, she said, and because he earned more money and worked more hours, most of the parenting responsibilities went to her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With their joint income, the cost of preschool and before- and afterschool care was manageable for the Pleasant Hill couple. But when their baby boy came along in July 2022, and needed full-time infant care, the amount for all three kids’ care — about $4,700 per month — was almost double her teacher’s salary.[aside postID=news_12070762 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/240911-CHILDCARE-REAX-MD-01_qed.jpg']“It didn’t make sense,” she said. “My job wasn’t really making enough of a contribution to justify that kind of expense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the school year ended, Malekzadeh decided to quit, even though she didn’t want to leave a profession she loved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My grandparents were both educators,” she said. “They were beloved by their community, and they were really excited when I chose to become a teacher. So that was my plan, and I didn’t ever expect to deviate from that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move is saving about $600 a week in child care. The older two are in public school, and the youngest is still in preschool. While he’s in care, Malekzadeh takes classes at Diablo Valley College as she pursues a master’s degree in math, which she hopes will ultimately lead to a higher-paying job to make up for time away from the labor market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you quit to stay home with your kids, it creates gaps in your resume that a lot of places don’t necessarily look nicely at,” Melakzadeh said. “You have to have some kind of explanation for that, which might translate into less pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Child care prices vary by region and depend on a child’s age and the type of provider. In California, full-time infant care in 2024 cost an average of $22,628, which is 16% of the average married couple’s income and 50% of a single parent’s. Bay Area families pay the highest child care prices \u003ca href=\"https://tootris.com/edu/blog/parents/cost-of-child-care-in-california-by-city-age-and-type-of-care-provider/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">compared to other parts of California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078462\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12078462 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Malekzadeh plays a card game with her daughter as they wait for her older son to finish school at Valhalla Elementary School in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The spike in prices came as companies began mandating employees return to work and \u003ca href=\"https://rapidsurveyproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/arpa-funding-factsheet-aug2023.pdf\">child care providers lost federal funds\u003c/a> meant to help them recover from the pandemic. Less flexibility and high costs led to a decline in labor force participation for moms of children under the age of 5, and college-educated moms in particular, according to\u003ca href=\"https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2025/october-2025-the-great-exit.html\"> an analysis by the financial firm KPMG.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their labor force participation declined by 2.3 percentage points, while the number of college-educated dads of young children who were working or seeking a job continued to increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families are facing child care prices that are higher than the price of rent or mortgage. So this is a huge problem. It’s one of the biggest expenses in a family’s budgets,” said Julie Kashen, a researcher at The Century Foundation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078476\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078476\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nolan Cruz eats oatmeal for breakfast in the morning on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The progressive think tank conducted an October survey of 1,400 voters about their affordability concerns. Kashen said that while all families are facing rising costs, it’s women who experience a greater threat to their economic security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Women are faring worse in terms of taking on debt to cover their basics, borrowing from friends and families to pay the bills,” she said. “So when you add child care on top of that, I think it’s incredibly challenging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those challenges led Amy Cruz to walk away from a six-figure nursing job to freelance as a dance teacher and care for her 3-year-old son, Nolan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078474\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078474\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brandon and Nolan Cruz cook oatmeal for breakfast on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until he was about two years old, Cruz paid $3,000 per month to share a nanny with another family for just four days a week of child care (on the fifth day, she leaned on family members to look after him). While child care wasn’t the only reason she left her job, it was a significant factor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially, half of my monthly income was going to child care,” Cruz said. “Watching that much money leave our account every month was tough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once Nolan was old enough to start preschool, she enrolled him in a three-day program near her Berkeley home, which cut her child care costs in half. When he’s there, she teaches dance — something she did professionally before going to nursing school — to afford his tuition. With a second baby on the way, she also figured that it was “worth it to make a little less money but be able to be with my kids more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078475\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078475\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amy Cruz picks raspberries for her son Nolan’s breakfast in the morning on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Economists call child care a broken market because the actual cost of providing care is a lot more than what families can afford to pay. In California, \u003ca href=\"https://rrnetwork.org/assets/general-files/California.pdf\">the demand for licensed infant care exceeds supply\u003c/a> because it’s the most expensive and labor-intensive. Babies need constant care, and California has strict rules limiting the number of children each adult can care for in a licensed child care home or center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, low pay and benefits have made it tough for child care providers to attract or retain early educators. In January, nearly half of providers said they didn’t have enough staff to enroll children at capacity, according to a survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For providers, energy costs, food, insurance have all gone up,” said Matthew Nestler, senior economist at KPMG. “They can’t necessarily raise their workers’ wages to the degree that they would like to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078473\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(From left) Brandon, Amy and Nolan Cruz prepare breakfast and pack a lunch for Nolan in the morning on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The shortage can cause parents to weave in and out of the workforce. Malezadeh first left her job when her eldest child was born eight years ago, and she couldn’t find an open infant care slot when her maternity leave ended. She didn’t know she had to reserve months in advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t actually find any kind of daycare spot for him until he was two, and by then, I was already expecting my second child,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh stayed out of teaching for four years and went back to work when her first two kids were a little older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after a year, the costs of infant care for her youngest, combined with her older children’s care, were too great, and she left her job again.[aside postID=news_12078480 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede.jpg']Kashen, from The Century Foundation, said public investment can help close the gap between what parents like Malekzadeh and Cruz can afford and what it actually costs to provide child care. As an example, she pointed to New Mexico’s recent move to offer free child care for all residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When governments invest in child care, that is the biggest thing that we can do because right now what we have is essentially a DIY, do-it-yourself, system for families where everyone’s on their own,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Cruz gave birth to a daughter. During her pregnancy, she considered becoming a nanny so she could take care of her baby alongside someone else’s, allowing her to make some money. She also thought about continuing to teach dance part-time, and while she’s at work, trading child care responsibilities with other parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been thinking about it more and more, because I can make more money teaching dance than doing my own nanny share,” Cruz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Building a community with other parents has helped Malekzadeh get by when she’s in a child care pinch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re gonna be five minutes late to pick up, you have to have someone else that you can text, and be like, ‘Can you grab my kid for me real quick?’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078901\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078901\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Malekzadeh walks her kids home after school in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh tutors on the side to make some money and said she’s constantly revising the family budget as grocery and health insurance prices go up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at where can we cut costs and what bundle can I use or coupon can I use to save money? I do most of our shopping at Costco now because buying in bulk is usually cheaper,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her family is also taking fewer trips, but Malezadeh said, despite these compromises, she’s grateful she has been able to afford raising three kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel very fortunate that I got through having our second kid and didn’t feel done,” she said. “Instead of living with the potential of regretting it for the rest of my life, I was able to say, ‘Hey, can we have another one? Can we work that into the budget?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "Rising child care prices leave many Bay Area parents with little choice, but to turn down career opportunities, cut back hours, quit or come up with creative solutions.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775686479,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 43,
"wordCount": 2073
},
"headData": {
"title": "When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career | KQED",
"description": "Rising child care prices leave many Bay Area parents with little choice, but to turn down career opportunities, cut back hours, quit or come up with creative solutions.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "When Child Care Costs Half a Paycheck, Bay Area Parents Must Choose: Kids or Career",
"datePublished": "2026-04-08T07:00:15-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-08T15:14:39-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/eef960ee-ebb7-46c9-8baf-b425015525f5/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12075761",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12075761/when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">How We Get By\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">full series here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Annie Malekzadeh was shopping at a Joanne Fabrics store in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/concord\">Concord\u003c/a> a couple of years ago when she had an encounter that stung her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An older woman who saw her pregnant while pushing her toddler son in a shopping cart, told her: “I don’t know why you would want more than two [children]. It’s basically impossible in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At the time I was like, how dare she?” she said. “But now I’m like, oh, [she] was right. It’s really hard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh wound up having another baby, and the decision to have three kids pushed her child care expenses to roughly $56,000 a year and ultimately changed the course of her career.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12061802/how-are-child-care-costs-affecting-the-lives-of-bay-area-families-you-told-us\">Rising child care costs in the Bay Area\u003c/a> are forcing parents to make painful tradeoffs, either by passing up career opportunities, cutting back work hours, or quitting altogether. For families with multiple young children, these expenses can surpass a parent’s entire salary, disproportionately affecting mothers and shaping their long-term economic security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh’s story is just one example of how the gap between what families can afford and the actual cost of care is pushing parents to find creative solutions — and prompting calls for systemic change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Child care has long been expensive for parents, but recently it’s been even more so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078461\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00035_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Malekzadeh, a mom who quit her teaching job to save on child care and is now pursuing her master’s degree in mathematics, studies at Pleasant Hill Library in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Prices shot up almost 30% between 2020 and 2024, outpacing inflation by 7 percentage points, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/\">a survey of child care resource and referral organizations \u003c/a>around the country. In just the last year, 40% of child care programs in California \u003ca href=\"https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/user-174467/2026_survey_brief.pdf\">reported raising tuition \u003c/a>to offset rising operating costs like insurance and food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four years ago, Malekzadeh was a math teacher at a private middle school, earning roughly $32,000 annually and working 25 hours per week. At the time, her son was in kindergarten and her daughter in preschool. Her husband is a psychiatrist, she said, and because he earned more money and worked more hours, most of the parenting responsibilities went to her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With their joint income, the cost of preschool and before- and afterschool care was manageable for the Pleasant Hill couple. But when their baby boy came along in July 2022, and needed full-time infant care, the amount for all three kids’ care — about $4,700 per month — was almost double her teacher’s salary.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12070762",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/240911-CHILDCARE-REAX-MD-01_qed.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It didn’t make sense,” she said. “My job wasn’t really making enough of a contribution to justify that kind of expense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the school year ended, Malekzadeh decided to quit, even though she didn’t want to leave a profession she loved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My grandparents were both educators,” she said. “They were beloved by their community, and they were really excited when I chose to become a teacher. So that was my plan, and I didn’t ever expect to deviate from that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The move is saving about $600 a week in child care. The older two are in public school, and the youngest is still in preschool. While he’s in care, Malekzadeh takes classes at Diablo Valley College as she pursues a master’s degree in math, which she hopes will ultimately lead to a higher-paying job to make up for time away from the labor market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you quit to stay home with your kids, it creates gaps in your resume that a lot of places don’t necessarily look nicely at,” Melakzadeh said. “You have to have some kind of explanation for that, which might translate into less pay.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Child care prices vary by region and depend on a child’s age and the type of provider. In California, full-time infant care in 2024 cost an average of $22,628, which is 16% of the average married couple’s income and 50% of a single parent’s. Bay Area families pay the highest child care prices \u003ca href=\"https://tootris.com/edu/blog/parents/cost-of-child-care-in-california-by-city-age-and-type-of-care-provider/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">compared to other parts of California\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078462\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12078462 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AFFORDABILITYCHILDCARE00228_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Malekzadeh plays a card game with her daughter as they wait for her older son to finish school at Valhalla Elementary School in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The spike in prices came as companies began mandating employees return to work and \u003ca href=\"https://rapidsurveyproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/arpa-funding-factsheet-aug2023.pdf\">child care providers lost federal funds\u003c/a> meant to help them recover from the pandemic. Less flexibility and high costs led to a decline in labor force participation for moms of children under the age of 5, and college-educated moms in particular, according to\u003ca href=\"https://kpmg.com/us/en/articles/2025/october-2025-the-great-exit.html\"> an analysis by the financial firm KPMG.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their labor force participation declined by 2.3 percentage points, while the number of college-educated dads of young children who were working or seeking a job continued to increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Families are facing child care prices that are higher than the price of rent or mortgage. So this is a huge problem. It’s one of the biggest expenses in a family’s budgets,” said Julie Kashen, a researcher at The Century Foundation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078476\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078476\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nolan Cruz eats oatmeal for breakfast in the morning on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The progressive think tank conducted an October survey of 1,400 voters about their affordability concerns. Kashen said that while all families are facing rising costs, it’s women who experience a greater threat to their economic security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Women are faring worse in terms of taking on debt to cover their basics, borrowing from friends and families to pay the bills,” she said. “So when you add child care on top of that, I think it’s incredibly challenging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those challenges led Amy Cruz to walk away from a six-figure nursing job to freelance as a dance teacher and care for her 3-year-old son, Nolan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078474\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078474\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1346\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-02-KQED-1536x1034.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brandon and Nolan Cruz cook oatmeal for breakfast on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until he was about two years old, Cruz paid $3,000 per month to share a nanny with another family for just four days a week of child care (on the fifth day, she leaned on family members to look after him). While child care wasn’t the only reason she left her job, it was a significant factor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially, half of my monthly income was going to child care,” Cruz said. “Watching that much money leave our account every month was tough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once Nolan was old enough to start preschool, she enrolled him in a three-day program near her Berkeley home, which cut her child care costs in half. When he’s there, she teaches dance — something she did professionally before going to nursing school — to afford his tuition. With a second baby on the way, she also figured that it was “worth it to make a little less money but be able to be with my kids more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078475\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078475\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amy Cruz picks raspberries for her son Nolan’s breakfast in the morning on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Economists call child care a broken market because the actual cost of providing care is a lot more than what families can afford to pay. In California, \u003ca href=\"https://rrnetwork.org/assets/general-files/California.pdf\">the demand for licensed infant care exceeds supply\u003c/a> because it’s the most expensive and labor-intensive. Babies need constant care, and California has strict rules limiting the number of children each adult can care for in a licensed child care home or center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, low pay and benefits have made it tough for child care providers to attract or retain early educators. In January, nearly half of providers said they didn’t have enough staff to enroll children at capacity, according to a survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For providers, energy costs, food, insurance have all gone up,” said Matthew Nestler, senior economist at KPMG. “They can’t necessarily raise their workers’ wages to the degree that they would like to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078473\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078473\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251027-CHILD-CARE-PRICES-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(From left) Brandon, Amy and Nolan Cruz prepare breakfast and pack a lunch for Nolan in the morning on Oct. 27, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The shortage can cause parents to weave in and out of the workforce. Malezadeh first left her job when her eldest child was born eight years ago, and she couldn’t find an open infant care slot when her maternity leave ended. She didn’t know she had to reserve months in advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t actually find any kind of daycare spot for him until he was two, and by then, I was already expecting my second child,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh stayed out of teaching for four years and went back to work when her first two kids were a little older.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after a year, the costs of infant care for her youngest, combined with her older children’s care, were too great, and she left her job again.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12078480",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Kashen, from The Century Foundation, said public investment can help close the gap between what parents like Malekzadeh and Cruz can afford and what it actually costs to provide child care. As an example, she pointed to New Mexico’s recent move to offer free child care for all residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When governments invest in child care, that is the biggest thing that we can do because right now what we have is essentially a DIY, do-it-yourself, system for families where everyone’s on their own,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, Cruz gave birth to a daughter. During her pregnancy, she considered becoming a nanny so she could take care of her baby alongside someone else’s, allowing her to make some money. She also thought about continuing to teach dance part-time, and while she’s at work, trading child care responsibilities with other parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve been thinking about it more and more, because I can make more money teaching dance than doing my own nanny share,” Cruz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Building a community with other parents has helped Malekzadeh get by when she’s in a child care pinch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re gonna be five minutes late to pick up, you have to have someone else that you can text, and be like, ‘Can you grab my kid for me real quick?’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078901\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078901\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-affordabilitychildcare00326_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Annie Malekzadeh walks her kids home after school in Pleasant Hill on April 1, 2026. \u003ccite>(Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Malekzadeh tutors on the side to make some money and said she’s constantly revising the family budget as grocery and health insurance prices go up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at where can we cut costs and what bundle can I use or coupon can I use to save money? I do most of our shopping at Costco now because buying in bulk is usually cheaper,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her family is also taking fewer trips, but Malezadeh said, despite these compromises, she’s grateful she has been able to afford raising three kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel very fortunate that I got through having our second kid and didn’t feel done,” she said. “Instead of living with the potential of regretting it for the rest of my life, I was able to say, ‘Hey, can we have another one? Can we work that into the budget?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12075761/when-child-care-costs-half-a-paycheck-bay-area-parents-must-choose-kids-or-career",
"authors": [
"11829"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_1758",
"news_6266",
"news_34551",
"news_28250"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_25647",
"news_1386",
"news_20754",
"news_18053",
"news_32102",
"news_32928",
"news_18352",
"news_23333",
"news_36350",
"news_19904",
"news_21789",
"news_689",
"news_28373"
],
"featImg": "news_12078463",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12078480": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12078480",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078480",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1775484054000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "the-great-squeeze-bay-area-residents-downsize-and-adapt-to-rising-costs",
"title": "The Great Squeeze: Bay Area Residents Downsize and Adapt to Rising Costs",
"publishDate": 1775484054,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "The Great Squeeze: Bay Area Residents Downsize and Adapt to Rising Costs | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brooke Dawson wanted the house. She wanted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/marriage\">marriage\u003c/a>, the kids — one boy, one girl — and the financial freedom to make and sell ceramics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, at 42, one kid and one divorce later, that dream has been squeezed into an Airstream trailer parked in the side yard of her mother’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/north-bay\">North Bay\u003c/a> suburban home, her kiln and throwing wheel relegated to storage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the surface, she realizes it may appear as though she’s far from achieving what she had wanted. But the act of whittling down her dream to fit her economic reality has changed her, she said, and made her reevaluate how her life should look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just looks different,” the hospice nurse said. “I was struggling so hard up through January, and I’m at the point just now where I’m starting to see some daylight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Living in a smaller space has forced her to own and spend less. But now she has access to a yard and is putting the energy she spent on ceramics into gardening. Being close to her mother and brother, who also live in the house, has provided flexible childcare for her 5-year-old son that wasn’t possible when she lived almost an hour’s drive away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trade-off has been worth it, Dawson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m OK. I’ve found a way,” she said. “And I thank God for every little thing. I’ve never had this degree of gratitude in my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078565\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078565\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke Dawson makes a sandwich in the Airstream where she lives in her mother’s backyard on March 27, 2026. She shares the property with her mother and brother, a living arrangement that makes staying in the area more affordable. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078566\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078566\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-2000x660.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-2048x676.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Brooke Dawson and her son Everest walk out of their Airstream. Right: Brooke Dawson blows bubbles with her son, Everest, and brother, Cameron. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dawson’s choice to downsize isn’t unusual. When \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069608/californias-cost-of-living-keeps-climbing-how-are-you-coping\">KQED asked Bay Area residents\u003c/a> how they’re managing the region’s high cost of living, many described similar compromises: moving into smaller homes, doubling up with family, taking on extra work, or cutting back on everyday expenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their experiences reveal how rising housing costs and inflation are reshaping middle-class life in the Bay Area — forcing people to rethink what “enough” looks like and how to make ends meet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also mirror two national polls from the Washington Post and New York Times that found Americans see \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/politics/affordability-poll.html\">upward mobility\u003c/a> as less attainable and consider maintaining the trappings of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/27/affordability-homeownership-poll/\">middle-class lifestyle\u003c/a> increasingly unaffordable — feelings that are expected to influence November’s midterm elections, with likely voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-early-look-2026-midterms\">repeatedly citing\u003c/a> the \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/golden-age-americans-doubt-trumps-claim-booming-economy-midterms-near-2026-02-27/\">cost of living\u003c/a> as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/poll-trump-struggles-immigration-prices-iran-democrats-midterm-edge-rcna261861\">top concern\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both nationally and in California, the pandemic-era inflation spike is a big part of that story, with prices rising for everything from new cars to groceries. In turn, that’s putting into sharp relief cracks in the foundations of major industries, such as healthcare and child care, said Neale Mahoney, director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy and Research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078640\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078640\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke Dawson holds her son, Everest, in her mother’s backyard. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Inflation, he said, has “really revealed and emphasized the underlying structural issues we have with the cost of healthcare that have been around for a long time, issues with the costs of child care that have been around for a long time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their core, he said, is the cost of housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Housing,” Mahoney said, “is at the root of many of the affordability issues we see in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the typical home value was nearly $1.2 million last year — lower than the 2022 peak of about $1.3 million — but still 77% higher than it was in 2012, even when accounting for inflation, according to researchers at the \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/home-values\">Metropolitan Transportation Commission\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Bay Area was $3,300 as of early April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/bay-area-ca/?bedrooms=2\">according to Zillow\u003c/a>, about 83% higher than the national average.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The big squeeze\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Those escalating rent prices aren’t new: Many respondents could trace their decisions about how and where to live to major changes in the housing market over the past two decades, including the 2008 financial crisis that left \u003ca href=\"https://www.har.com/blog_56675_the-foreclosure-crisis-10-years-later\">nearly 8 million homeowners\u003c/a> in foreclosure or the \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/rent-payments\">rapid rise in Bay Area rents\u003c/a> during the post-dot-com tech boom of the 2010s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith Alvord, 65, and his wife, Lisa Alvord, were one of the families that found themselves underwater on their mortgage in 2010, eventually foreclosing on their home in the Trinity County town of Weaverville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That house had been part of their retirement plan, a home base they could return to while they spent the majority of their golden years sailing. Instead, they went with Plan B: living full-time on their 35-foot sailboat. For the past three years, the Alvords have been docked at Bay Area marinas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078590\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078590\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keith Alvord prepares the sailboat he shares with his wife, Lisa, for a sail in the Bay in Emeryville on March 20, 2026. The couple had been living aboard while fixing it up for a planned trip down the California coast, but have since shifted course to support their family while still planning to make the journey in the future. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078589\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078589\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-2000x667.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-2048x682.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Lisa Alvord holds a photo of an ADU they are building on their son’s property on the sailboat she shares with her husband, Keith. Right: Keith and Lisa Alvord prepare their sailboat for a sail in the Bay on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Winters are the hardest, Keith Alvord said. But, “We kind of felt like we didn’t really have many other options.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, though, they’re trading the sailboat for a garage at their 43-year-old son’s home back in Weaverville, after their son suffered a financial crisis of his own. They hope to convert the space into an ADU, a move Alvord said will help both them and their son. Still, Alvord is worried.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really didn’t want to be in this situation, where I was basing mine and my wife’s stability off of my son’s stability,” he said. “If he gets to a point where he wants to sell the house, then we are kind of back in that situation where we’re like, ‘Well, where are we going to live?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078660\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keith Alvord prepares the sailboat he shares with his wife, Lisa, for a sail in the Bay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But with home insurance prices rising, Alvord sees little other option than to stick close because, he said, “I don’t know how a single family is supposed to make that work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/economists-outlook/one-big-happy-household-how-families-and-the-data-are-shaping-multigenerational-living\">survey last year\u003c/a> from the National Association of Realtors found more families are making this choice, with multigenerational homebuying at an all-time high, representing 17% of homes purchased in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey also found that 36% of homebuyers cited “cost savings” as the primary reason for the joint purchase, up from 15% in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Misha Kurita-Ditz, 24, found themselves doubling up with a parent last year, when they moved back to their mother’s San Francisco condo after going to college and working in Oregon for several years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The situation isn’t always ideal: “I’m a little bit cleaner than my mom,” they said. But it has its benefits, too. “It’s been really lovely to be able to have an adult relationship between me and my mother.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078641\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078641\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Misha Kurita-Ditz works on a sewing project at the apartment they share with their mom in San Francisco on March 24, 2026. After Misha returned to the city and moved in, they are navigating the high cost of living and the shift to sharing space as adults. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078648\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-2000x662.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-1536x509.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-2048x678.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Barbara Ditz grades students’ work in her bedroom. Right: Misha Kurita-Ditz and their mom, Barbara Ditz, update each other about recent events in their lives at their apartment. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The artist and retail worker grew up in a rent-controlled Edwardian walk-up in the city’s Western Addition/Lower Haight neighborhood with their parents and keenly felt the impacts of rising rents as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/publications/urbanist-article/2013-12-17/tech-boom\">tech industry boomed\u003c/a> in the 2010s, pushing up prices across the city. New landlords began pressuring them to leave, Kurita-Ditz said, and they were ultimately evicted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of these things definitely contributed to feeling a lot of resentment and anger,” Kurita-Ditz said. That perspective has only further hardened after watching the latest AI boom \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/02/san-francisc-rents-ai-boom-tenants/\">drive rents even higher\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do we carve out a future for the culture of San Francisco, for the culture of the Bay Area in the face of impossible housing prices?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On the margins\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When housing eats so much of one household’s budget, it’s harder to feed other needs. KQED’s survey respondents said that it’s forced them to make choices about items they once considered essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citlali Iriarte, 39, buys less meat when her monthly budget grows tight. Between 2019 and 2025, grocery prices rose \u003ca href=\"https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUSA422SAF11\">roughly 34%\u003c/a> for the average Bay Area resident, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Iriarte found herself telling her two kids: “OK, this week we’re gonna eat different. We’re going to see more vegetables.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078659\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078659\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers sort fresh produce into boxes at the San Francisco‑Marin Food Bank warehouse in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She works two jobs, one taking care of her special-needs daughter through In-Home Supportive Services and the other as an early childhood educator at the YMCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Life in the Bay Area has never been particularly affordable for Iriarte, who immigrated from Mexico 13 years ago. But after years spent working nights, earning a high school diploma, securing her work authorization and eventually moving herself and her children into their own place, she said it would be difficult to move anywhere else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It took me years to be able to find a community that I can belong to,” Iriarte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even some two-income households bringing in far more than Iriarte are finding themselves forced to cut back. Marion Gloege, 54, who immigrated from Germany 23 years ago and bought a Los Gatos home in 2021, said she’s always felt comfortably middle class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, unexpected budget items she might have previously dismissed weigh on her: new tires for their car or paying for urgent care and an ER visit when her 17-year-old son suffered a concussion playing soccer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Five years ago we would have said, ‘Oh well, too bad,’” Gloege said. “Now we gulp, and my husband squeezes my hand in the car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078594\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078594\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christy Brown works at Rotator Taproom in Walnut Creek on March 21, 2026. A school counselor in Danville, she supplements her income by bartending and teaching yoga. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078651\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078651\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-2000x662.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-1536x509.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-2048x678.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Chad Morrison prepares bread to bake at Red Bird Bakery in Santa Rosa on April 1, 2026. They share an apartment with their boyfriend to keep rent manageable, but rising costs have cut into savings and limited everyday spending. Right: Chad Morrison sits in their car during a break at the bakery. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To make ends meet, Christy Brown, 48, a counselor at a public high school in Danville, said she’s taken on several part-time jobs — teaching yoga, bartending and extra work at her school district — to get by. Together, she estimates she works up to 65 hours a week. But that, too, takes its toll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just more tired, I guess. And I kind of feel a little bit like — I don’t know how to say this — frustrated and angry sometimes,” Brown said. “I feel like I’m constantly working so much, and it’s barely enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Working more and carefully watching budgets means less time and money for recreation and travel. But Chad Morrison, 37, is now reconsidering something they once thought essential: owning a car. They had planned to buy a new electric vehicle when their 2013 Honda Fit, with 240,000 miles on it, finally gave up the ghost. But they no longer think they can afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationally, the average total cost per 15,000 miles of car ownership rose 45% between 2017 and 2024, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bts.gov/content/average-cost-owning-and-operating-automobilea-assuming-15000-vehicle-miles-year\">Bureau of Transportation Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know that I’d be able to save money while making car payments,” Morrison said. “I’d have to make other choices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A small start\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the North Bay, Brooke Dawson is feeling more committed than ever to the choices she’s made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The past year has been one of her hardest — watching her marriage dissolve, moving in with her mother, taking out a loan to buy the Airstream, installing it in her mother’s yard and hoping she didn’t make a mistake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078639\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078639\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke Dawson feeds her two chickens in the backyard she shares with her family. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Living in a small space has its drawbacks, she said, including a finicky electrical system, limited water and having to pump out her septic tanks by hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, it’s forced her to spend most of her time in the backyard, where she’s planted an array of edible flowers and herbs — calendula, oregano, sage, lemon verbena — along with fruits and vegetables — sweet peas, figs, grapes, spinach, passion fruit, strawberries.[aside postID=news_12069608 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/019_KQED_RichmondHousing_08162022_qed.jpg']She’s more self-reliant than she’s ever been, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more I learn about what I’m capable of doing, the more I get to know what kind of human I am,” Dawson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she’s no longer dreaming of owning a home for only herself and her family. Now, she dreams of buying a vacant plot of land and installing a collection of tiny homes where several families could live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She imagines an intergenerational community, with other mothers and grandparents, who could support each other with child care and aging in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’d be a different way of living — more cooperative, less isolated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And this is a small start,” Dawson said of this seed of an idea, rooted in necessity. “It’s been the biggest gift that I’ve ever given myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "KQED asked readers and listeners how rising costs are reshaping their lives. You’re moving into smaller homes, cutting expenses and taking on extra work — all just to get by in the Bay Area.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1776338413,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 54,
"wordCount": 2568
},
"headData": {
"title": "The Great Squeeze: Bay Area Residents Downsize and Adapt to Rising Costs | KQED",
"description": "KQED asked readers and listeners how rising costs are reshaping their lives. You’re moving into smaller homes, cutting expenses and taking on extra work — all just to get by in the Bay Area.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "The Great Squeeze: Bay Area Residents Downsize and Adapt to Rising Costs",
"datePublished": "2026-04-06T07:00:54-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-16T04:20:13-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 6266,
"slug": "housing",
"name": "Housing"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/5c877bac-2067-4d01-8a60-b421014cc665/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12078480",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12078480/the-great-squeeze-bay-area-residents-downsize-and-adapt-to-rising-costs",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>How We Get By\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brooke Dawson wanted the house. She wanted the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/marriage\">marriage\u003c/a>, the kids — one boy, one girl — and the financial freedom to make and sell ceramics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, at 42, one kid and one divorce later, that dream has been squeezed into an Airstream trailer parked in the side yard of her mother’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/north-bay\">North Bay\u003c/a> suburban home, her kiln and throwing wheel relegated to storage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the surface, she realizes it may appear as though she’s far from achieving what she had wanted. But the act of whittling down her dream to fit her economic reality has changed her, she said, and made her reevaluate how her life should look.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just looks different,” the hospice nurse said. “I was struggling so hard up through January, and I’m at the point just now where I’m starting to see some daylight.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Living in a smaller space has forced her to own and spend less. But now she has access to a yard and is putting the energy she spent on ceramics into gardening. Being close to her mother and brother, who also live in the house, has provided flexible childcare for her 5-year-old son that wasn’t possible when she lived almost an hour’s drive away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trade-off has been worth it, Dawson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m OK. I’ve found a way,” she said. “And I thank God for every little thing. I’ve never had this degree of gratitude in my life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078565\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078565\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260327-AffordabilityIntroBrooke-08-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke Dawson makes a sandwich in the Airstream where she lives in her mother’s backyard on March 27, 2026. She shares the property with her mother and brother, a living arrangement that makes staying in the area more affordable. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078566\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078566\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-2000x660.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-1536x507.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Brooke-2048x676.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Brooke Dawson and her son Everest walk out of their Airstream. Right: Brooke Dawson blows bubbles with her son, Everest, and brother, Cameron. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dawson’s choice to downsize isn’t unusual. When \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069608/californias-cost-of-living-keeps-climbing-how-are-you-coping\">KQED asked Bay Area residents\u003c/a> how they’re managing the region’s high cost of living, many described similar compromises: moving into smaller homes, doubling up with family, taking on extra work, or cutting back on everyday expenses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their experiences reveal how rising housing costs and inflation are reshaping middle-class life in the Bay Area — forcing people to rethink what “enough” looks like and how to make ends meet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also mirror two national polls from the Washington Post and New York Times that found Americans see \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/politics/affordability-poll.html\">upward mobility\u003c/a> as less attainable and consider maintaining the trappings of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/27/affordability-homeownership-poll/\">middle-class lifestyle\u003c/a> increasingly unaffordable — feelings that are expected to influence November’s midterm elections, with likely voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-early-look-2026-midterms\">repeatedly citing\u003c/a> the \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/world/us/golden-age-americans-doubt-trumps-claim-booming-economy-midterms-near-2026-02-27/\">cost of living\u003c/a> as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/poll-trump-struggles-immigration-prices-iran-democrats-midterm-edge-rcna261861\">top concern\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both nationally and in California, the pandemic-era inflation spike is a big part of that story, with prices rising for everything from new cars to groceries. In turn, that’s putting into sharp relief cracks in the foundations of major industries, such as healthcare and child care, said Neale Mahoney, director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy and Research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078640\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078640\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-23-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke Dawson holds her son, Everest, in her mother’s backyard. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Inflation, he said, has “really revealed and emphasized the underlying structural issues we have with the cost of healthcare that have been around for a long time, issues with the costs of child care that have been around for a long time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At their core, he said, is the cost of housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Housing,” Mahoney said, “is at the root of many of the affordability issues we see in the Bay Area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Bay Area, the typical home value was nearly $1.2 million last year — lower than the 2022 peak of about $1.3 million — but still 77% higher than it was in 2012, even when accounting for inflation, according to researchers at the \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/home-values\">Metropolitan Transportation Commission\u003c/a>. Meanwhile, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Bay Area was $3,300 as of early April, \u003ca href=\"https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/bay-area-ca/?bedrooms=2\">according to Zillow\u003c/a>, about 83% higher than the national average.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The big squeeze\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Those escalating rent prices aren’t new: Many respondents could trace their decisions about how and where to live to major changes in the housing market over the past two decades, including the 2008 financial crisis that left \u003ca href=\"https://www.har.com/blog_56675_the-foreclosure-crisis-10-years-later\">nearly 8 million homeowners\u003c/a> in foreclosure or the \u003ca href=\"https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/rent-payments\">rapid rise in Bay Area rents\u003c/a> during the post-dot-com tech boom of the 2010s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Keith Alvord, 65, and his wife, Lisa Alvord, were one of the families that found themselves underwater on their mortgage in 2010, eventually foreclosing on their home in the Trinity County town of Weaverville.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That house had been part of their retirement plan, a home base they could return to while they spent the majority of their golden years sailing. Instead, they went with Plan B: living full-time on their 35-foot sailboat. For the past three years, the Alvords have been docked at Bay Area marinas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078590\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078590\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-14-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keith Alvord prepares the sailboat he shares with his wife, Lisa, for a sail in the Bay in Emeryville on March 20, 2026. The couple had been living aboard while fixing it up for a planned trip down the California coast, but have since shifted course to support their family while still planning to make the journey in the future. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078589\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078589\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-2000x667.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Keith-2048x682.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Lisa Alvord holds a photo of an ADU they are building on their son’s property on the sailboat she shares with her husband, Keith. Right: Keith and Lisa Alvord prepare their sailboat for a sail in the Bay on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Winters are the hardest, Keith Alvord said. But, “We kind of felt like we didn’t really have many other options.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, though, they’re trading the sailboat for a garage at their 43-year-old son’s home back in Weaverville, after their son suffered a financial crisis of his own. They hope to convert the space into an ADU, a move Alvord said will help both them and their son. Still, Alvord is worried.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really didn’t want to be in this situation, where I was basing mine and my wife’s stability off of my son’s stability,” he said. “If he gets to a point where he wants to sell the house, then we are kind of back in that situation where we’re like, ‘Well, where are we going to live?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078660\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilityIntroKeith-21-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keith Alvord prepares the sailboat he shares with his wife, Lisa, for a sail in the Bay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But with home insurance prices rising, Alvord sees little other option than to stick close because, he said, “I don’t know how a single family is supposed to make that work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.nar.realtor/blogs/economists-outlook/one-big-happy-household-how-families-and-the-data-are-shaping-multigenerational-living\">survey last year\u003c/a> from the National Association of Realtors found more families are making this choice, with multigenerational homebuying at an all-time high, representing 17% of homes purchased in 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey also found that 36% of homebuyers cited “cost savings” as the primary reason for the joint purchase, up from 15% in 2015.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Misha Kurita-Ditz, 24, found themselves doubling up with a parent last year, when they moved back to their mother’s San Francisco condo after going to college and working in Oregon for several years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The situation isn’t always ideal: “I’m a little bit cleaner than my mom,” they said. But it has its benefits, too. “It’s been really lovely to be able to have an adult relationship between me and my mother.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078641\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078641\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-03-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Misha Kurita-Ditz works on a sewing project at the apartment they share with their mom in San Francisco on March 24, 2026. After Misha returned to the city and moved in, they are navigating the high cost of living and the shift to sharing space as adults. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078648\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-2000x662.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-1536x509.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260324-AffordabilitySeriesIntroMishaBarbara-BL-DIP-1-2048x678.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Barbara Ditz grades students’ work in her bedroom. Right: Misha Kurita-Ditz and their mom, Barbara Ditz, update each other about recent events in their lives at their apartment. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The artist and retail worker grew up in a rent-controlled Edwardian walk-up in the city’s Western Addition/Lower Haight neighborhood with their parents and keenly felt the impacts of rising rents as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/publications/urbanist-article/2013-12-17/tech-boom\">tech industry boomed\u003c/a> in the 2010s, pushing up prices across the city. New landlords began pressuring them to leave, Kurita-Ditz said, and they were ultimately evicted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All of these things definitely contributed to feeling a lot of resentment and anger,” Kurita-Ditz said. That perspective has only further hardened after watching the latest AI boom \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/02/san-francisc-rents-ai-boom-tenants/\">drive rents even higher\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How do we carve out a future for the culture of San Francisco, for the culture of the Bay Area in the face of impossible housing prices?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>On the margins\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When housing eats so much of one household’s budget, it’s harder to feed other needs. KQED’s survey respondents said that it’s forced them to make choices about items they once considered essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citlali Iriarte, 39, buys less meat when her monthly budget grows tight. Between 2019 and 2025, grocery prices rose \u003ca href=\"https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUSA422SAF11\">roughly 34%\u003c/a> for the average Bay Area resident, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Iriarte found herself telling her two kids: “OK, this week we’re gonna eat different. We’re going to see more vegetables.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078659\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078659\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/251031-SFMarinFoodBank-21-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Volunteers sort fresh produce into boxes at the San Francisco‑Marin Food Bank warehouse in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She works two jobs, one taking care of her special-needs daughter through In-Home Supportive Services and the other as an early childhood educator at the YMCA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Life in the Bay Area has never been particularly affordable for Iriarte, who immigrated from Mexico 13 years ago. But after years spent working nights, earning a high school diploma, securing her work authorization and eventually moving herself and her children into their own place, she said it would be difficult to move anywhere else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It took me years to be able to find a community that I can belong to,” Iriarte said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even some two-income households bringing in far more than Iriarte are finding themselves forced to cut back. Marion Gloege, 54, who immigrated from Germany 23 years ago and bought a Los Gatos home in 2021, said she’s always felt comfortably middle class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But now, unexpected budget items she might have previously dismissed weigh on her: new tires for their car or paying for urgent care and an ER visit when her 17-year-old son suffered a concussion playing soccer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Five years ago we would have said, ‘Oh well, too bad,’” Gloege said. “Now we gulp, and my husband squeezes my hand in the car.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078594\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078594\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260325-AffordabilityIntroChristy-06-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christy Brown works at Rotator Taproom in Walnut Creek on March 21, 2026. A school counselor in Danville, she supplements her income by bartending and teaching yoga. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078651\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078651\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-2000x662.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-1536x509.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260401-AffordabilitySeriesIntroChad-09-BL-DIP-1-2048x678.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Chad Morrison prepares bread to bake at Red Bird Bakery in Santa Rosa on April 1, 2026. They share an apartment with their boyfriend to keep rent manageable, but rising costs have cut into savings and limited everyday spending. Right: Chad Morrison sits in their car during a break at the bakery. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To make ends meet, Christy Brown, 48, a counselor at a public high school in Danville, said she’s taken on several part-time jobs — teaching yoga, bartending and extra work at her school district — to get by. Together, she estimates she works up to 65 hours a week. But that, too, takes its toll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m just more tired, I guess. And I kind of feel a little bit like — I don’t know how to say this — frustrated and angry sometimes,” Brown said. “I feel like I’m constantly working so much, and it’s barely enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Working more and carefully watching budgets means less time and money for recreation and travel. But Chad Morrison, 37, is now reconsidering something they once thought essential: owning a car. They had planned to buy a new electric vehicle when their 2013 Honda Fit, with 240,000 miles on it, finally gave up the ghost. But they no longer think they can afford it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationally, the average total cost per 15,000 miles of car ownership rose 45% between 2017 and 2024, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bts.gov/content/average-cost-owning-and-operating-automobilea-assuming-15000-vehicle-miles-year\">Bureau of Transportation Statistics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know that I’d be able to save money while making car payments,” Morrison said. “I’d have to make other choices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A small start\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In the North Bay, Brooke Dawson is feeling more committed than ever to the choices she’s made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The past year has been one of her hardest — watching her marriage dissolve, moving in with her mother, taking out a loan to buy the Airstream, installing it in her mother’s yard and hoping she didn’t make a mistake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12078639\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12078639\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260320-AffordabilitySeriesIntroBrooke-10-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke Dawson feeds her two chickens in the backyard she shares with her family. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Living in a small space has its drawbacks, she said, including a finicky electrical system, limited water and having to pump out her septic tanks by hand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, it’s forced her to spend most of her time in the backyard, where she’s planted an array of edible flowers and herbs — calendula, oregano, sage, lemon verbena — along with fruits and vegetables — sweet peas, figs, grapes, spinach, passion fruit, strawberries.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12069608",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/019_KQED_RichmondHousing_08162022_qed.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>She’s more self-reliant than she’s ever been, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The more I learn about what I’m capable of doing, the more I get to know what kind of human I am,” Dawson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she’s no longer dreaming of owning a home for only herself and her family. Now, she dreams of buying a vacant plot of land and installing a collection of tiny homes where several families could live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She imagines an intergenerational community, with other mothers and grandparents, who could support each other with child care and aging in place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’d be a different way of living — more cooperative, less isolated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And this is a small start,” Dawson said of this seed of an idea, rooted in necessity. “It’s been the biggest gift that I’ve ever given myself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12078480/the-great-squeeze-bay-area-residents-downsize-and-adapt-to-rising-costs",
"authors": [
"11652"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_6266",
"news_34551",
"news_28250"
],
"tags": [
"news_26598",
"news_3921",
"news_1386",
"news_18538",
"news_24531",
"news_36350",
"news_1775",
"news_2672",
"news_27734",
"news_3733"
],
"featImg": "news_12078546",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12078260": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12078260",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12078260",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1775233735000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "thousands-of-california-immigrant-drivers-face-delays-after-dmv-license-revocations",
"title": "Thousands of California Immigrant Drivers Face Delays After DMV License Revocations",
"publishDate": 1775233735,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Thousands of California Immigrant Drivers Face Delays After DMV License Revocations | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Thousands of immigrant truckers and bus drivers could wait months to find out whether they’ll recover commercial driver’s licenses that the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked on March 6 under federal pressure because they contained a clerical error.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A California state judge said Thursday she will oversee the DMV until it complies with her earlier order to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075169/advocates-worry-california-immigrant-truckers-still-face-uncertainty-after-license-debacle\">reissue corrected licenses\u003c/a> to about 13,000 impacted drivers, which the agency maintains it cannot do yet due to a directive from the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Defying that federal mandate could cost California significant highway funding and its authority to license all commercial drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County Superior Judge Karin Schwartz recognized those limitations but considered them a “temporary obstacle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Transportation already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069236/retribution-bay-area-lawmakers-slam-160-million-loss-in-federal-highway-funds\">withheld about $158 million\u003c/a> in highway funds from California, arguing that the DMV should have canceled the contested licenses earlier, which expired on a different date than the holder’s work authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11699281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11699281\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance.jpg\" alt=\"The entrance to a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Corte Madera.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-800x565.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-1020x720.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-1200x848.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-1180x833.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-960x678.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-240x170.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-375x265.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-520x367.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Corte Madera. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California challenged the funding cut and the hold on its processing of non-domiciled licenses in a case pending in federal court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schwartz told the DMV to report back to her on any progress in that federal case, and scheduled the next hearing for Oct. 20.[aside postID=news_12075169 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/IMG_6476-2_qed-1020x680.jpg']“Let’s hope that things move forward and that this temporary pause concludes so that DMV may get in compliance,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of those impacted by the mass license revocation in California are Sikh asylum seekers originally from Punjab, India, who can’t afford the delays, said Munmeeth Kaur Soni, legal director with the Sikh Coalition, a co-counsel for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There has been a huge economic devastation that they’re experiencing right now,” Soni said. “They are trying to not be defeated by this, but it is hard. It’s hard right now in our economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some drivers are trying to pivot to rideshare or other jobs, she said, but others who have lost their livelihoods are struggling to pay for mortgages and loans they took out to purchase trucks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cancellations are also causing some employers, including local governments, school districts and transportation and logistics companies, to lose part of their workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Freight trucks travel northbound on Interstate 5 Highway on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Tracy, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until recently, states issued non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to asylum seekers, refugees and other noncitizens with valid federal work authorization but who lacked a green card.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"background-color: transparent\">The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered dozens of states to pause their processing of these licenses, including Colorado, New York and Texas, according to the Asian Law Caucus, one of the organizations representing drivers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adding to the uncertainty is a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that went into effect last month, which aims to gradually exclude about 200,000 immigrants from jobs behind the wheel as their non-domiciled licenses expire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration argues the policy closes a public safety gap because it is difficult to verify their foreign driving records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10845986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10845986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine.jpg\" alt=\"People wait in line outside a DMV branch in Los Angeles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-400x259.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-1440x931.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-1180x763.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-960x621.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait in line outside a DMV branch in Los Angeles. License suspensions disproportionately impact low-income black and Latino drivers, say civil rights legal organizations. \u003ccite>(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In California, most of the estimated 62,000 non-domiciled license holders face losing jobs, even though the FMCSA itself acknowledged \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-trump-administration%E2%80%99s-plan-threatens-upend-trucking\">insufficient evidence\u003c/a> linking a driver’s immigration status to safety on the road. Drivers and unions sued, seeking to block that rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The DMV initially planned to cancel nearly 21,000 non-domiciled licenses it found with expiration dates that differed from the holder’s work permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the agency found 1,100 drivers had been erroneously targeted for revocations, while more than 6,000 others voluntarily relinquished the document or changed their immigration status to green card holders or U.S. citizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A California judge said she will oversee the DMV until it reissues corrected licenses to about 13,000 drivers, as federal actions threaten to push thousands of immigrant truck and bus drivers out of jobs.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775238697,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 20,
"wordCount": 697
},
"headData": {
"title": "Thousands of California Immigrant Drivers Face Delays After DMV License Revocations | KQED",
"description": "A California judge said she will oversee the DMV until it reissues corrected licenses to about 13,000 drivers, as federal actions threaten to push thousands of immigrant truck and bus drivers out of jobs.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Thousands of California Immigrant Drivers Face Delays After DMV License Revocations",
"datePublished": "2026-04-03T09:28:55-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-03T10:51:37-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12078260",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12078260/thousands-of-california-immigrant-drivers-face-delays-after-dmv-license-revocations",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Thousands of immigrant truckers and bus drivers could wait months to find out whether they’ll recover commercial driver’s licenses that the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked on March 6 under federal pressure because they contained a clerical error.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A California state judge said Thursday she will oversee the DMV until it complies with her earlier order to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12075169/advocates-worry-california-immigrant-truckers-still-face-uncertainty-after-license-debacle\">reissue corrected licenses\u003c/a> to about 13,000 impacted drivers, which the agency maintains it cannot do yet due to a directive from the Trump administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Defying that federal mandate could cost California significant highway funding and its authority to license all commercial drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County Superior Judge Karin Schwartz recognized those limitations but considered them a “temporary obstacle.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Transportation already \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069236/retribution-bay-area-lawmakers-slam-160-million-loss-in-federal-highway-funds\">withheld about $158 million\u003c/a> in highway funds from California, arguing that the DMV should have canceled the contested licenses earlier, which expired on a different date than the holder’s work authorization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11699281\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11699281\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance.jpg\" alt=\"The entrance to a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Corte Madera.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-800x565.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-1020x720.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-1200x848.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-1180x833.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-960x678.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-240x170.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-375x265.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/10/DMVEntrance-520x367.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The entrance to a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Corte Madera. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>California challenged the funding cut and the hold on its processing of non-domiciled licenses in a case pending in federal court.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schwartz told the DMV to report back to her on any progress in that federal case, and scheduled the next hearing for Oct. 20.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12075169",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/IMG_6476-2_qed-1020x680.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Let’s hope that things move forward and that this temporary pause concludes so that DMV may get in compliance,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of those impacted by the mass license revocation in California are Sikh asylum seekers originally from Punjab, India, who can’t afford the delays, said Munmeeth Kaur Soni, legal director with the Sikh Coalition, a co-counsel for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There has been a huge economic devastation that they’re experiencing right now,” Soni said. “They are trying to not be defeated by this, but it is hard. It’s hard right now in our economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some drivers are trying to pivot to rideshare or other jobs, she said, but others who have lost their livelihoods are struggling to pay for mortgages and loans they took out to purchase trucks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cancellations are also causing some employers, including local governments, school districts and transportation and logistics companies, to lose part of their workforce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12074813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12074813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Freight trucks travel northbound on Interstate 5 Highway on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Tracy, California. \u003ccite>(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Until recently, states issued non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses to asylum seekers, refugees and other noncitizens with valid federal work authorization but who lacked a green card.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"background-color: transparent\">The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered dozens of states to pause their processing of these licenses, including Colorado, New York and Texas, according to the Asian Law Caucus, one of the organizations representing drivers.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adding to the uncertainty is a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that went into effect last month, which aims to gradually exclude about 200,000 immigrants from jobs behind the wheel as their non-domiciled licenses expire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration argues the policy closes a public safety gap because it is difficult to verify their foreign driving records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10845986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10845986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine.jpg\" alt=\"People wait in line outside a DMV branch in Los Angeles.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1241\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-400x259.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-768x496.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-1440x931.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-1180x763.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/DMVLine-960x621.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People wait in line outside a DMV branch in Los Angeles. License suspensions disproportionately impact low-income black and Latino drivers, say civil rights legal organizations. \u003ccite>(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In California, most of the estimated 62,000 non-domiciled license holders face losing jobs, even though the FMCSA itself acknowledged \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-trump-administration%E2%80%99s-plan-threatens-upend-trucking\">insufficient evidence\u003c/a> linking a driver’s immigration status to safety on the road. Drivers and unions sued, seeking to block that rule.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The DMV initially planned to cancel nearly 21,000 non-domiciled licenses it found with expiration dates that differed from the holder’s work permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the agency found 1,100 drivers had been erroneously targeted for revocations, while more than 6,000 others voluntarily relinquished the document or changed their immigration status to green card holders or U.S. citizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12078260/thousands-of-california-immigrant-drivers-face-delays-after-dmv-license-revocations",
"authors": [
"8659"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_1169",
"news_34551",
"news_8",
"news_13"
],
"tags": [
"news_18538",
"news_1323",
"news_35346",
"news_17940",
"news_36248",
"news_36267",
"news_20202",
"news_19904",
"news_17968"
],
"featImg": "news_12078612",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12077298": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12077298",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12077298",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1775073330000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "a-black-disabled-truck-driver-says-he-faced-years-of-harassment-now-its-going-to-trial",
"title": "A Black, Disabled Truck Driver Is Awarded $5 Million for Harassment at East Bay Job",
"publishDate": 1775073330,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "A Black, Disabled Truck Driver Is Awarded $5 Million for Harassment at East Bay Job | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wednesday, April 1:\u003c/strong> After the trial, a federal jury on Tuesday unanimously returned a $5 million verdict for Joseph Sample Jr. over his allegations of years of harassment at Cemex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom, who has passed away, told me to stand up for myself against these people and I could help change the culture of the company,” Sample said in a statement. “Despite the constant abuse, I always tried to be the best employee I could be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Original story below:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A disabled Black truck driver who said he was subjected to years of racial slurs, mockery and a hostile work environment at the cement company Cemex’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/east-bay\">East Bay\u003c/a> plants — and then fired after he repeatedly raised his concerns — is having his complaint heard in federal court in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opening statements began on Monday before Judge William H. Orrick in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Joseph Sample Jr., who worked as a ready-mix truck driver at company plants in Antioch and Concord, is \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.407806/gov.uscourts.cand.407806.105.0.pdf\">seeking $15 million in damages\u003c/a> from Cemex, one of the largest cement and building materials companies in the world, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cemexusa.com/find-your-location\">nine ready-mix concrete plants\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sample’s attorney, Adante Pointer, told jurors the evidence would show a pattern of unchecked harassment that lasted more than five years and a company that failed to act on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The evidence will show Cemex Corporation permitted its workers to harass my client because of his disability and race … and did nothing to protect him,” Pointer said in his opening statement. “You are going to hear evidence right here on this witness stand that Mr. Sample’s coworkers called him the N-word, monkey, retarded and other despicable names.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pointer told jurors that Sample was born with a disability affecting one ear, leaving him hard to understand at times, and that he walked with a limp. Despite that, Pointer said, Sample took tremendous pride in his work — a pride that was eroded as harassment intensified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His mother asked what was going on,” Pointer said. “You will learn that he told his mom that what was once his dream job had turned into a nightmare.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999875\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999875\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Phillip Burton Federal Building and United States Courthouse in San Francisco, on March 6, 2018. \u003ccite>(Lauren Hanussak/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pointer also told jurors that Sample filed his first lawsuit in January 2023 without an attorney — and that even after he did, Cemex’s human resources department never interviewed him or opened an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cemex’s attorney, Dorothy Liu, disputed the allegations in her own opening statement, arguing that the company’s full record tells a different story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At no time did Mr. Sample or anyone on his behalf report racial slurs … being used in the workplace,” Liu said, adding that there are three ways employees can formally report such conduct at Cemex and that Sample used none to raise complaints of slurs or derogatory language. “We had no idea before he filed this lawsuit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liu walked jurors through a timeline she said shows the conflict at the center of the case stemmed from workplace safety disputes and personality clashes — not racial or disability-based discrimination. She said Cemex granted Sample multiple leaves of absence that were not required to provide, and added that when coworkers raised concerns, it was over safety issues, not harassment.[aside postID=news_12074694 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP.jpg']Liu pointed to a March 2022 workplace accident in which she said Sample ran a red light with a mixer truck, and she said coworkers reported feeling unsafe around him over on-the-job safety disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first witness to take the stand was Thomas Milano, a former Cemex driver and trainer of 23 years, who said he trained Sample around 2017 and 2018, and later became a close friend. Milano testified that he began hearing coworkers refer to Sample as “the retard” in break rooms at both the Antioch and Concord plants, on multiple occasions, from multiple drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Much of the conversation about Joseph was: ‘Where’s the retard?’” Milano said. “He seemed to be the entertainment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Milano said he personally reported what he observed to an HR representative and plant supervisor named in the lawsuit, telling them explicitly that Sample was experiencing a hostile work environment and should be transferred to the Concord yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told her this was a hostile work environment for the guy. I said, this is a hostile work environment, he is being harassed,” Milano said, adding that he used those words exactly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Pointer asked whether anyone from Cemex’s HR department ever followed up or interviewed Milano after his reports, Milano said no.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I did it because I was his friend. I did it because I was his coworker. I did it because I was a shop steward. I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Milano said. “You see harassment, you report it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trial is expected to continue in the coming days with additional witness testimony. Cemex disputes that Sample was subjected to unlawful harassment or discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "A federal jury in San Francisco heard allegations that Cemex allowed one of its truck drivers to face years of racial slurs, mockery and a hostile work environment.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1775158474,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 22,
"wordCount": 918
},
"headData": {
"title": "A Black, Disabled Truck Driver Is Awarded $5 Million for Harassment at East Bay Job | KQED",
"description": "A federal jury in San Francisco heard allegations that Cemex allowed one of its truck drivers to face years of racial slurs, mockery and a hostile work environment.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "A Black, Disabled Truck Driver Is Awarded $5 Million for Harassment at East Bay Job",
"datePublished": "2026-04-01T12:55:30-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-02T12:34:34-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12077298",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12077298/a-black-disabled-truck-driver-says-he-faced-years-of-harassment-now-its-going-to-trial",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wednesday, April 1:\u003c/strong> After the trial, a federal jury on Tuesday unanimously returned a $5 million verdict for Joseph Sample Jr. over his allegations of years of harassment at Cemex.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My mom, who has passed away, told me to stand up for myself against these people and I could help change the culture of the company,” Sample said in a statement. “Despite the constant abuse, I always tried to be the best employee I could be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Original story below:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A disabled Black truck driver who said he was subjected to years of racial slurs, mockery and a hostile work environment at the cement company Cemex’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/east-bay\">East Bay\u003c/a> plants — and then fired after he repeatedly raised his concerns — is having his complaint heard in federal court in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Opening statements began on Monday before Judge William H. Orrick in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Joseph Sample Jr., who worked as a ready-mix truck driver at company plants in Antioch and Concord, is \u003ca href=\"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.407806/gov.uscourts.cand.407806.105.0.pdf\">seeking $15 million in damages\u003c/a> from Cemex, one of the largest cement and building materials companies in the world, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cemexusa.com/find-your-location\">nine ready-mix concrete plants\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sample’s attorney, Adante Pointer, told jurors the evidence would show a pattern of unchecked harassment that lasted more than five years and a company that failed to act on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The evidence will show Cemex Corporation permitted its workers to harass my client because of his disability and race … and did nothing to protect him,” Pointer said in his opening statement. “You are going to hear evidence right here on this witness stand that Mr. Sample’s coworkers called him the N-word, monkey, retarded and other despicable names.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pointer told jurors that Sample was born with a disability affecting one ear, leaving him hard to understand at times, and that he walked with a limp. Despite that, Pointer said, Sample took tremendous pride in his work — a pride that was eroded as harassment intensified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His mother asked what was going on,” Pointer said. “You will learn that he told his mom that what was once his dream job had turned into a nightmare.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11999875\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999875\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1335\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/Courthouse1-1920x1282.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Phillip Burton Federal Building and United States Courthouse in San Francisco, on March 6, 2018. \u003ccite>(Lauren Hanussak/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Pointer also told jurors that Sample filed his first lawsuit in January 2023 without an attorney — and that even after he did, Cemex’s human resources department never interviewed him or opened an investigation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cemex’s attorney, Dorothy Liu, disputed the allegations in her own opening statement, arguing that the company’s full record tells a different story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“At no time did Mr. Sample or anyone on his behalf report racial slurs … being used in the workplace,” Liu said, adding that there are three ways employees can formally report such conduct at Cemex and that Sample used none to raise complaints of slurs or derogatory language. “We had no idea before he filed this lawsuit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Liu walked jurors through a timeline she said shows the conflict at the center of the case stemmed from workplace safety disputes and personality clashes — not racial or disability-based discrimination. She said Cemex granted Sample multiple leaves of absence that were not required to provide, and added that when coworkers raised concerns, it was over safety issues, not harassment.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12074694",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/ImmigrantTruckLicensesAP.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Liu pointed to a March 2022 workplace accident in which she said Sample ran a red light with a mixer truck, and she said coworkers reported feeling unsafe around him over on-the-job safety disputes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first witness to take the stand was Thomas Milano, a former Cemex driver and trainer of 23 years, who said he trained Sample around 2017 and 2018, and later became a close friend. Milano testified that he began hearing coworkers refer to Sample as “the retard” in break rooms at both the Antioch and Concord plants, on multiple occasions, from multiple drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Much of the conversation about Joseph was: ‘Where’s the retard?’” Milano said. “He seemed to be the entertainment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Milano said he personally reported what he observed to an HR representative and plant supervisor named in the lawsuit, telling them explicitly that Sample was experiencing a hostile work environment and should be transferred to the Concord yard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I told her this was a hostile work environment for the guy. I said, this is a hostile work environment, he is being harassed,” Milano said, adding that he used those words exactly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Pointer asked whether anyone from Cemex’s HR department ever followed up or interviewed Milano after his reports, Milano said no.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I did it because I was his friend. I did it because I was his coworker. I did it because I was a shop steward. I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Milano said. “You see harassment, you report it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The trial is expected to continue in the coming days with additional witness testimony. Cemex disputes that Sample was subjected to unlawful harassment or discrimination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12077298/a-black-disabled-truck-driver-says-he-faced-years-of-harassment-now-its-going-to-trial",
"authors": [
"11986"
],
"categories": [
"news_34551",
"news_6188",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_35134",
"news_29228",
"news_25262",
"news_20228",
"news_18352",
"news_19904",
"news_19954",
"news_28180",
"news_19216"
],
"featImg": "news_12077305",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12077789": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12077789",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12077789",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1774897258000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "farmworker-advocates-grapple-with-legacy-changes-as-california-replaces-chavez-holiday",
"title": "Farmworker Advocates Grapple With Legacy Changes as California Replaces Chávez Holiday",
"publishDate": 1774897258,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Farmworker Advocates Grapple With Legacy Changes as California Replaces Chávez Holiday | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>Reading about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/cesar-chavez\">Cesar Chavez\u003c/a> inspired Rosalinda Guillen to organize strawberry pickers in Salinas with the union he co-founded, the United Farm Workers, in the 1990s, after the late labor leader had died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, as California has renamed Cesar Chavez Day — observed annually on March 31 — as Farmworkers Day — and begins \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077059/san-francisco-fought-to-name-a-major-street-after-cesar-chavez-will-it-be-renamed-again\">reconsidering how it honors\u003c/a> the civil rights icon, advocates like Guillen are confronting a deeper question: What happens to the farmworker movement when its most recognizable figure becomes a source of pain and controversy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guillen, 74, is worried the shattering of Chavez’s image by rape allegations \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077073/cesar-chavez-was-a-hero-to-farmworkers-now-they-confront-the-pain-of-alleged-abuse\">could demoralize organizers\u003c/a> and provide ammunition to agricultural corporations opposing raising wages for some of the nation’s lowest-paid laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Organizing for the rights of farmworkers anywhere in this country is one of the heaviest lifts that there is,” said Guillen, a former berry picker herself who \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/guillen.htm\">helped reach\u003c/a> Washington state’s first union contract covering agricultural workers at a large winery in 1995.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any type of benefit that we fight for or organize for, the pushback from the industry is just huge,” she said. “There’s such a huge power imbalance that everything matters for us as we continue to move forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newly surfaced sexual abuse allegations against Chavez are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076859/california-reacts-to-shocking-cesar-chavez-sexual-misconduct-revelations\">reverberating across California\u003c/a> and beyond, fueling a reckoning within farmworker communities while raising concerns among organizers that fallout could weaken already fragile efforts to build worker power, influence policy and protect some of the country’s most vulnerable laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12077027\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12077027\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/GettyImages-515109272-scaled-e1773940356467.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1443\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farm labor leader Cesar Chavez pickets outside the San Diego-area headquarters of Safeway markets. It was in protest over the arrest of 29 persons at a Delano, California, Safeway. \u003ccite>(Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The allegations that Chavez sexually abused UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta and underage girls decades ago unleashed grief and soul-searching among advocates. Across California, labor leaders and elected officials have emphasized that the movement must extend beyond any one individual, even as they grapple with the emotional toll of the revelations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One week after the allegations were made public by the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, California lawmakers voted unanimously to rename a March 31 holiday on Chavez’s birthday as Farmworker Day, a move intended to shift recognition to the broader workforce rather than a single leader. Community leaders planned to remove Chavez’s likeness from school murals, statues and other public spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For many farmworkers, the emotional impact has been disorienting. Some described learning about the allegations through word of mouth, social media or conversations at work, struggling to reconcile admiration for Chavez as an organizer with anger and sadness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to harm us,” UFW member Maria Garcia Hernández said in Spanish, a Tulare County resident.[aside postID=news_12077073 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty2.jpg']The 52-year-old weighed whether the union would lose any influence in Sacramento or the rural communities where it operates, an open question. She worried about encountering antagonism or even aggression when volunteering as a union canvasser in Republican areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It could undermine the politicians we support — for whom we go door-to-door for, so they can hold office and represent us,” said Garcia Hernández, a farmworker for more than 30 years. “Now, people won’t want to accept us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reckoning comes as the U.S. Department of Labor issued a rule to make it cheaper for employers to hire seasonal foreign agricultural workers through H-2A visas — a policy the Economic Policy Institute \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/blog/trumps-new-h-2a-wage-rule-will-radically-cut-the-wages-of-all-farmworkers-new-estimates-show-farmworkers-stand-to-lose-4-4-to-5-4-billion-annually-under-dols-updated-adverse-effec/\">estimates\u003c/a> could drive down wages for farmworkers nationwide by more than $4.4 billion annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has also signaled plans to ramp up deportations in a workforce where about half are undocumented, leaving many vulnerable to exploitation and reluctant to challenge employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a legitimate concern for a lot of folks to wonder what happens now,” said Eladio Bobadilla, a historian at the University of Pittsburgh who studies U.S. social movements. “How these particular revelations will impact people on the ground, the ordinary farm workers who are trying to find themselves in a better economic and social position.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historian, who grew up with farmworker parents in Delano, the former UFW headquarters in the 1960s, said there were problems in how Chavez’s leadership was widely remembered and celebrated, even before the new accusations came to light. Chavez ran the union autocratically, purging critics and surrounding himself with loyalists, which weakened a movement that gave him too much power, Bobadilla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076930\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076930\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pedestrians walk past César Chávez Elementary School on March 18, 2026, in San Francisco, California. Labor activist César Chávez has been accused in an investigation of sexual abuse of women and minors. \u003ccite>(Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One crack in the movement was Chavez’s hostility toward undocumented immigrants, whom he considered strikebreakers. Under his reign, the UFW harassed, beat and reported undocumented people to immigration authorities in the 1970s, Bobadilla said. His forthcoming book explores nativism debates through the eyes of Latinos. Later, the UFW and Huerta emerged as strong advocates for immigrant rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will be essential to decouple the farm workers’ struggle from this one man,” he said. “How the union and how activists choose to do that, I don’t know, but I think it will be essential to really untangle themselves from this one person, something that should have been done decades ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the 1930s, federal law has excluded agricultural workers from many protections afforded to other workers, including overtime pay and collective bargaining rights. Even in California, which expanded farmworkers’ rights, field crop laborers still often face deep poverty, wage theft by employers and dangerous working conditions, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11897789/california-largely-failed-to-enforce-worker-smoke-protections-under-bidens-new-osha-pick\">wildfire smoke\u003c/a> and extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agricultural workers are \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4657558/#:~:text=Table%20II,13%20times%20the%20risk\">far more likely to die\u003c/a> from heat-related illness than workers in other industries, and the U.S. still lacks federal regulations requiring employers to protect workers from heat hazards.[aside postID=news_12077059 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260319-CESAR-CHAVEZ-STREET-MD-01-KQED.jpg']Today, most of the nation’s 2.2 million farmworkers are not unionized. The UFW counts about 10,000 members in California, Oregon, Washington and New York, a fraction of the roughly 60,000 in its heyday during the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond organizing, the UFW helped build a broader civil rights movement that trained generations of community activists, said Oliver Rosales, a historian at Bakersfield College in Delano. At its peak in the 1960s, the Delano grape boycott drew participation from an estimated 14 to 17 million Americans, reflecting the nationwide impact of the farmworker movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was like the heart and soul of the Mexican-American civil rights movement,” Rosales said. “The farm worker movement ultimately, despite its long-run failures to organize farm workers within the union, inspired activism all across and well beyond the fields. That, to me, is its ultimate legacy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The UFW continues to fight well-resourced grower associations, sometimes successfully, said Daniel Costa, who directs immigration policy at the Economic Policy Institute and co-authored the H-2A wage rule analysis. The UFW helped beat a similar pay-cut policy during the first Trump administration, he added, which helped hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are punching above their weight for sure,” Costa said. “They’ve been able to leverage the attention that they’ve gotten over the years to really make a big impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teresa Romero, the first female UFW President, said she’s still grappling with the ramifications of the exposé about Chavez by \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em> reporters, who signaled more women may come forward with additional accusations. The union is reviewing training and policies for its 55 staffers, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11941675\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11941675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teresa Romero, President of the United Farm Workers union, speaks to marchers in Walnut Grove, Calif., before setting out on Day 22 of a 24-day “March for the Governor’s Signature” on Aug. 24, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But controversy or not, politicians who support farmworkers understand their plight remains dire, she said, and just as important as it was three decades ago, when Chavez died. Strong opposition to the union is part of its history, she noted, just like the allegations against Chavez now are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We never depended on growers appreciating their workforce and treating them with respect and dignity and paying them fairly. That’s why we exist,” Romero said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union continues to organize workers and push for labor protections, including collective bargaining rights and safeguards against extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With California replacing a holiday bearing Chavez’s name with one honoring farmworkers, Romero said the focus must stay on those still laboring in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It saddens me to know what happened with our founder, but it hasn’t changed my commitment or my understanding of who I serve, and that is farmworkers,” Romero said. “I don’t serve our history or Cesar Chavez.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "California lawmakers renamed César Chávez Day to Farmworker Day as sexual abuse allegations spark debate over the legacy of the UFW founder and the future of farmworker organizing.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1774897479,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 31,
"wordCount": 1563
},
"headData": {
"title": "Farmworker Advocates Grapple With Legacy Changes as California Replaces Chávez Holiday | KQED",
"description": "California lawmakers renamed César Chávez Day to Farmworker Day as sexual abuse allegations spark debate over the legacy of the UFW founder and the future of farmworker organizing.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Farmworker Advocates Grapple With Legacy Changes as California Replaces Chávez Holiday",
"datePublished": "2026-03-30T12:00:58-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-30T12:04:39-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 34551,
"slug": "labor",
"name": "Labor"
},
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/30a0763a-ac07-47eb-9ccf-b4190117e78a/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12077789",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12077789/farmworker-advocates-grapple-with-legacy-changes-as-california-replaces-chavez-holiday",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Reading about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/cesar-chavez\">Cesar Chavez\u003c/a> inspired Rosalinda Guillen to organize strawberry pickers in Salinas with the union he co-founded, the United Farm Workers, in the 1990s, after the late labor leader had died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, as California has renamed Cesar Chavez Day — observed annually on March 31 — as Farmworkers Day — and begins \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077059/san-francisco-fought-to-name-a-major-street-after-cesar-chavez-will-it-be-renamed-again\">reconsidering how it honors\u003c/a> the civil rights icon, advocates like Guillen are confronting a deeper question: What happens to the farmworker movement when its most recognizable figure becomes a source of pain and controversy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Guillen, 74, is worried the shattering of Chavez’s image by rape allegations \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077073/cesar-chavez-was-a-hero-to-farmworkers-now-they-confront-the-pain-of-alleged-abuse\">could demoralize organizers\u003c/a> and provide ammunition to agricultural corporations opposing raising wages for some of the nation’s lowest-paid laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Organizing for the rights of farmworkers anywhere in this country is one of the heaviest lifts that there is,” said Guillen, a former berry picker herself who \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/guillen.htm\">helped reach\u003c/a> Washington state’s first union contract covering agricultural workers at a large winery in 1995.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Any type of benefit that we fight for or organize for, the pushback from the industry is just huge,” she said. “There’s such a huge power imbalance that everything matters for us as we continue to move forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newly surfaced sexual abuse allegations against Chavez are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12076859/california-reacts-to-shocking-cesar-chavez-sexual-misconduct-revelations\">reverberating across California\u003c/a> and beyond, fueling a reckoning within farmworker communities while raising concerns among organizers that fallout could weaken already fragile efforts to build worker power, influence policy and protect some of the country’s most vulnerable laborers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12077027\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12077027\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/GettyImages-515109272-scaled-e1773940356467.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1443\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farm labor leader Cesar Chavez pickets outside the San Diego-area headquarters of Safeway markets. It was in protest over the arrest of 29 persons at a Delano, California, Safeway. \u003ccite>(Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The allegations that Chavez sexually abused UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta and underage girls decades ago unleashed grief and soul-searching among advocates. Across California, labor leaders and elected officials have emphasized that the movement must extend beyond any one individual, even as they grapple with the emotional toll of the revelations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One week after the allegations were made public by the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em>, California lawmakers voted unanimously to rename a March 31 holiday on Chavez’s birthday as Farmworker Day, a move intended to shift recognition to the broader workforce rather than a single leader. Community leaders planned to remove Chavez’s likeness from school murals, statues and other public spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For many farmworkers, the emotional impact has been disorienting. Some described learning about the allegations through word of mouth, social media or conversations at work, struggling to reconcile admiration for Chavez as an organizer with anger and sadness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to harm us,” UFW member Maria Garcia Hernández said in Spanish, a Tulare County resident.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12077073",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty2.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The 52-year-old weighed whether the union would lose any influence in Sacramento or the rural communities where it operates, an open question. She worried about encountering antagonism or even aggression when volunteering as a union canvasser in Republican areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It could undermine the politicians we support — for whom we go door-to-door for, so they can hold office and represent us,” said Garcia Hernández, a farmworker for more than 30 years. “Now, people won’t want to accept us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The reckoning comes as the U.S. Department of Labor issued a rule to make it cheaper for employers to hire seasonal foreign agricultural workers through H-2A visas — a policy the Economic Policy Institute \u003ca href=\"https://www.epi.org/blog/trumps-new-h-2a-wage-rule-will-radically-cut-the-wages-of-all-farmworkers-new-estimates-show-farmworkers-stand-to-lose-4-4-to-5-4-billion-annually-under-dols-updated-adverse-effec/\">estimates\u003c/a> could drive down wages for farmworkers nationwide by more than $4.4 billion annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has also signaled plans to ramp up deportations in a workforce where about half are undocumented, leaving many vulnerable to exploitation and reluctant to challenge employers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a legitimate concern for a lot of folks to wonder what happens now,” said Eladio Bobadilla, a historian at the University of Pittsburgh who studies U.S. social movements. “How these particular revelations will impact people on the ground, the ordinary farm workers who are trying to find themselves in a better economic and social position.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The historian, who grew up with farmworker parents in Delano, the former UFW headquarters in the 1960s, said there were problems in how Chavez’s leadership was widely remembered and celebrated, even before the new accusations came to light. Chavez ran the union autocratically, purging critics and surrounding himself with loyalists, which weakened a movement that gave him too much power, Bobadilla said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076930\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076930\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/CesarChavezGetty1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pedestrians walk past César Chávez Elementary School on March 18, 2026, in San Francisco, California. Labor activist César Chávez has been accused in an investigation of sexual abuse of women and minors. \u003ccite>(Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One crack in the movement was Chavez’s hostility toward undocumented immigrants, whom he considered strikebreakers. Under his reign, the UFW harassed, beat and reported undocumented people to immigration authorities in the 1970s, Bobadilla said. His forthcoming book explores nativism debates through the eyes of Latinos. Later, the UFW and Huerta emerged as strong advocates for immigrant rights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will be essential to decouple the farm workers’ struggle from this one man,” he said. “How the union and how activists choose to do that, I don’t know, but I think it will be essential to really untangle themselves from this one person, something that should have been done decades ago.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the 1930s, federal law has excluded agricultural workers from many protections afforded to other workers, including overtime pay and collective bargaining rights. Even in California, which expanded farmworkers’ rights, field crop laborers still often face deep poverty, wage theft by employers and dangerous working conditions, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11897789/california-largely-failed-to-enforce-worker-smoke-protections-under-bidens-new-osha-pick\">wildfire smoke\u003c/a> and extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Agricultural workers are \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4657558/#:~:text=Table%20II,13%20times%20the%20risk\">far more likely to die\u003c/a> from heat-related illness than workers in other industries, and the U.S. still lacks federal regulations requiring employers to protect workers from heat hazards.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12077059",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260319-CESAR-CHAVEZ-STREET-MD-01-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Today, most of the nation’s 2.2 million farmworkers are not unionized. The UFW counts about 10,000 members in California, Oregon, Washington and New York, a fraction of the roughly 60,000 in its heyday during the 1970s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond organizing, the UFW helped build a broader civil rights movement that trained generations of community activists, said Oliver Rosales, a historian at Bakersfield College in Delano. At its peak in the 1960s, the Delano grape boycott drew participation from an estimated 14 to 17 million Americans, reflecting the nationwide impact of the farmworker movement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was like the heart and soul of the Mexican-American civil rights movement,” Rosales said. “The farm worker movement ultimately, despite its long-run failures to organize farm workers within the union, inspired activism all across and well beyond the fields. That, to me, is its ultimate legacy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The UFW continues to fight well-resourced grower associations, sometimes successfully, said Daniel Costa, who directs immigration policy at the Economic Policy Institute and co-authored the H-2A wage rule analysis. The UFW helped beat a similar pay-cut policy during the first Trump administration, he added, which helped hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They are punching above their weight for sure,” Costa said. “They’ve been able to leverage the attention that they’ve gotten over the years to really make a big impact.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Teresa Romero, the first female UFW President, said she’s still grappling with the ramifications of the exposé about Chavez by \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em> reporters, who signaled more women may come forward with additional accusations. The union is reviewing training and policies for its 55 staffers, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11941675\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11941675\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/02/RS58208_075_KQED_UnitedFarmWorkersMarch_08242022-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teresa Romero, President of the United Farm Workers union, speaks to marchers in Walnut Grove, Calif., before setting out on Day 22 of a 24-day “March for the Governor’s Signature” on Aug. 24, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But controversy or not, politicians who support farmworkers understand their plight remains dire, she said, and just as important as it was three decades ago, when Chavez died. Strong opposition to the union is part of its history, she noted, just like the allegations against Chavez now are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We never depended on growers appreciating their workforce and treating them with respect and dignity and paying them fairly. That’s why we exist,” Romero said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The union continues to organize workers and push for labor protections, including collective bargaining rights and safeguards against extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With California replacing a holiday bearing Chavez’s name with one honoring farmworkers, Romero said the focus must stay on those still laboring in the fields.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It saddens me to know what happened with our founder, but it hasn’t changed my commitment or my understanding of who I serve, and that is farmworkers,” Romero said. “I don’t serve our history or Cesar Chavez.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12077789/farmworker-advocates-grapple-with-legacy-changes-as-california-replaces-chavez-holiday",
"authors": [
"8659"
],
"categories": [
"news_31795",
"news_34551",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_4092",
"news_18538",
"news_885",
"news_18269",
"news_27626",
"news_20579",
"news_20202",
"news_19904",
"news_29865",
"news_18208"
],
"featImg": "news_12076910",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12075755": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12075755",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12075755",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1774879251000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic",
"title": "As Kaiser’s Presence in Downtown Oakland Dwindles, So Does Foot Traffic",
"publishDate": 1774879251,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "As Kaiser’s Presence in Downtown Oakland Dwindles, So Does Foot Traffic | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>For decades, lunchtime at Roy Mejia’s downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> bar meant a steady stream of Kaiser Permanente workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doctors, nurses and office staff from nearby buildings would stop in for a soda or a sandwich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’d come in, have a soda, bring a sandwich,” recalled Mejia, adding that he was “surrounded by Kaiser.” “We all got along. It was beautiful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Mejia looks out at blocks of empty storefronts — and far fewer customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And every day there’s one more,” he said. “One more, one more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mejia arrived in Oakland from Sacramento in 1970. By January 1992, he opened his 19th Street Station, a bar in the heart of downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I fell in love with Oakland,” Mejia said. “It was a beautiful city back then.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, his bar had thrived on a stream of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kaiser\">Kaiser Permanente employees\u003c/a> who worked nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076762\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076762\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roy Mejia tends bar at 19th Street Station in Oakland on March 16, 2026. Mejia says he’s able to keep costs down by not employing others to work at the bar. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente — long one of downtown Oakland’s largest employers — has been steadily shrinking its local office presence in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The health care giant has relocated workers to suburban offices, reduced its real estate footprint and laid off hundreds of employees across California, changes that economists say are contributing to quieter streets and struggling small businesses in the city’s core.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente, once an anchor of downtown Oakland’s office workforce, has in recent years pulled workers out of the city’s core.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kaiser Layoffs by County in California\" aria-label=\"Column Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-bE2I4\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/bE2I4/3/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"553\" data-external=\"1\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2024, Kaiser relocated over 1,000 members of its Oakland workforce to a suburban hub, citing “changes in how and where employees have been working since the COVID-19 pandemic.” Not too long after, they issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/kaiser-to-oakland-workers-stay-inside-for-work-and-lunch\">a memo\u003c/a> directing downtown Oakland employees to stay inside for lunch due to safety concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in 2025, Kaiser laid off over 400 employees across 16 California counties. Alameda County — home to Oakland, the company’s national headquarters, and the Kaiser Pleasanton campus — accounts for nearly half of these layoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in a written statement, a spokesperson from Kaiser said that it “remains committed to the City of Oakland, which is an integral part of Kaiser Permanente’s history and future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The layoffs coincided with Kaiser’s decreasing real estate footprint in Oakland, a trend that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Kaiser Center at 300 Lakeside Drive was \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmgpartners.com/news/tmg-partners-acquires-future-oakland-pge-headquarters\">sold to TMG Partners\u003c/a>, and Kaiser terminated their occupancy in the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076765\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076765\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An empty storefront at 19th Street and Harrison Street in Oakland on March 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Similar acquisitions happened in 2024: Kaiser’s 2000 Broadway building was sold to BART, the office tower and garage on Franklin Street went to Behring Companies, and 10% of Kaiser’s Oakland-based employees were moved to Pleasanton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/908311/000090831125000007/cmct-20250108.htm\">SEC filing\u003c/a> shows that in January 2025, Kaiser extended its lease for 236,692 square feet of the Ordway building through 2027. The space, listed as Kaiser’s corporate office on Google Maps, is down from the 366,000 square feet that Kaiser occupied in 2024, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/kaiser-oakland-19932710.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The broader health care sector remains one of Oakland’s few stable pillars supported by the presence of hospitals, clinics and social service providers,” said Christopher Skerritt, an economist at\u003ca href=\"https://kweconomics.com/services/health-economics/california/oakland\"> Kincaid Wolstein\u003c/a>. “But office consolidation and telehealth adoption have limited in-city job growth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, big cities like Oakland and San Francisco are losing commercial real estate to suburban hubs like Pleasanton and Walnut Creek, which have seen comparatively faster rates of economic recovery since the pandemic, according to Skerritt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076764\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076764\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Empty storefronts along 19th Street in Oakland on March 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many of the health care workers who remain in the city are remote or hybrid employees, Skerritt said, a change that, combined with Kaiser’s downsized office footprint, has contributed to downtown Oakland’s quieter streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The shift has cut daytime population density, reducing spending at restaurants, coffee shops, small retailers that depend on office workers for business,” Skerritt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small businesses in downtown Oakland have felt these effects. Tierra Mia Coffee, a six-minute walk from 1 Kaiser Plaza, has “most definitely” seen a drop in business since early 2024, according to its supervisor, Odiseo Castrejon.[aside postID=news_12076753 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260318-KAISER-MENTAL-HEALTH-STRIKE-MD-07-KQED-1.jpg']Since Kaiser’s early 2024 decision to move part of its Oakland workforce to Pleasanton, its sales have shrunk by more than a quarter, according to Castrejon. Before, customers wearing scrubs or hospital badges were noticeable, Castrejon said. Now, not so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This obvious decrease in foot traffic can be felt all throughout the downtown area. Nearly 38% of office space in Oakland’s central business district is vacant, according to \u003ca href=\"https://assets.cushmanwakefield.com/-/media/cw/marketbeat-pdfs/2025/q3/us-reports/office/eastbayoakland_americas_marketbeat_office_q3_2025.pdf?rev=f9920db83ed249778a3790b110e88270&_gl=1*1pz1tnl*_gcl_au*ODM3MjQxMTU5LjE3NjE1Mjg5Mjc\">a report\u003c/a> by commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“COVID has really changed the way that people work, and companies’ need for space,” said Cushman & Wakefield’s East Bay research manager, Wescott Owen, who authored the report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small business owners like Mejia are hit hard by these changes. On a recent afternoon, he stood behind the bar he opened more than three decades ago, watching pedestrians pass by outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the nearby offices are quieter than they once were.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve got 32 years here,” he said. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to hang in there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cjlab.stanford.edu/projects/big-local-news/\">\u003cem>Big Local News\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> is a data-sharing platform and collaborative at Stanford University that supports local journalism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "After Kaiser’s decision to relocate part of its workforce away from Downtown Oakland, everyone from small business owners to economists is feeling the impacts, bracing themselves for an uncertain economic future.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1774658565,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/bE2I4/3/"
],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 31,
"wordCount": 1010
},
"headData": {
"title": "As Kaiser’s Presence in Downtown Oakland Dwindles, So Does Foot Traffic | KQED",
"description": "After Kaiser’s decision to relocate part of its workforce away from Downtown Oakland, everyone from small business owners to economists is feeling the impacts, bracing themselves for an uncertain economic future.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "As Kaiser’s Presence in Downtown Oakland Dwindles, So Does Foot Traffic",
"datePublished": "2026-03-30T07:00:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-27T17:42:45-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1758,
"slug": "economy",
"name": "Economy"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprByline": "Cate Peters, Brianna Sosa, Gabrielle Rayne Ignacio, Anna Hoch-Kenney and Tatiana Geroulanou, Big Local News",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"showOnAuthorArchivePages": "No",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12075755/as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For decades, lunchtime at Roy Mejia’s downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> bar meant a steady stream of Kaiser Permanente workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doctors, nurses and office staff from nearby buildings would stop in for a soda or a sandwich.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’d come in, have a soda, bring a sandwich,” recalled Mejia, adding that he was “surrounded by Kaiser.” “We all got along. It was beautiful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Mejia looks out at blocks of empty storefronts — and far fewer customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And every day there’s one more,” he said. “One more, one more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mejia arrived in Oakland from Sacramento in 1970. By January 1992, he opened his 19th Street Station, a bar in the heart of downtown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I fell in love with Oakland,” Mejia said. “It was a beautiful city back then.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades, his bar had thrived on a stream of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/kaiser\">Kaiser Permanente employees\u003c/a> who worked nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076762\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076762\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roy Mejia tends bar at 19th Street Station in Oakland on March 16, 2026. Mejia says he’s able to keep costs down by not employing others to work at the bar. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente — long one of downtown Oakland’s largest employers — has been steadily shrinking its local office presence in recent years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The health care giant has relocated workers to suburban offices, reduced its real estate footprint and laid off hundreds of employees across California, changes that economists say are contributing to quieter streets and struggling small businesses in the city’s core.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kaiser Permanente, once an anchor of downtown Oakland’s office workforce, has in recent years pulled workers out of the city’s core.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kaiser Layoffs by County in California\" aria-label=\"Column Chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-bE2I4\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/bE2I4/3/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"553\" data-external=\"1\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2024, Kaiser relocated over 1,000 members of its Oakland workforce to a suburban hub, citing “changes in how and where employees have been working since the COVID-19 pandemic.” Not too long after, they issued \u003ca href=\"https://www.ktvu.com/news/kaiser-to-oakland-workers-stay-inside-for-work-and-lunch\">a memo\u003c/a> directing downtown Oakland employees to stay inside for lunch due to safety concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in 2025, Kaiser laid off over 400 employees across 16 California counties. Alameda County — home to Oakland, the company’s national headquarters, and the Kaiser Pleasanton campus — accounts for nearly half of these layoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in a written statement, a spokesperson from Kaiser said that it “remains committed to the City of Oakland, which is an integral part of Kaiser Permanente’s history and future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The layoffs coincided with Kaiser’s decreasing real estate footprint in Oakland, a trend that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the Kaiser Center at 300 Lakeside Drive was \u003ca href=\"https://www.tmgpartners.com/news/tmg-partners-acquires-future-oakland-pge-headquarters\">sold to TMG Partners\u003c/a>, and Kaiser terminated their occupancy in the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076765\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076765\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-12-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An empty storefront at 19th Street and Harrison Street in Oakland on March 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Similar acquisitions happened in 2024: Kaiser’s 2000 Broadway building was sold to BART, the office tower and garage on Franklin Street went to Behring Companies, and 10% of Kaiser’s Oakland-based employees were moved to Pleasanton.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/908311/000090831125000007/cmct-20250108.htm\">SEC filing\u003c/a> shows that in January 2025, Kaiser extended its lease for 236,692 square feet of the Ordway building through 2027. The space, listed as Kaiser’s corporate office on Google Maps, is down from the 366,000 square feet that Kaiser occupied in 2024, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/kaiser-oakland-19932710.php\">\u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The broader health care sector remains one of Oakland’s few stable pillars supported by the presence of hospitals, clinics and social service providers,” said Christopher Skerritt, an economist at\u003ca href=\"https://kweconomics.com/services/health-economics/california/oakland\"> Kincaid Wolstein\u003c/a>. “But office consolidation and telehealth adoption have limited in-city job growth.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a result, big cities like Oakland and San Francisco are losing commercial real estate to suburban hubs like Pleasanton and Walnut Creek, which have seen comparatively faster rates of economic recovery since the pandemic, according to Skerritt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12076764\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12076764\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260317-KAISER-RETREATS-MD-11-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Empty storefronts along 19th Street in Oakland on March 16, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Many of the health care workers who remain in the city are remote or hybrid employees, Skerritt said, a change that, combined with Kaiser’s downsized office footprint, has contributed to downtown Oakland’s quieter streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The shift has cut daytime population density, reducing spending at restaurants, coffee shops, small retailers that depend on office workers for business,” Skerritt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small businesses in downtown Oakland have felt these effects. Tierra Mia Coffee, a six-minute walk from 1 Kaiser Plaza, has “most definitely” seen a drop in business since early 2024, according to its supervisor, Odiseo Castrejon.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12076753",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260318-KAISER-MENTAL-HEALTH-STRIKE-MD-07-KQED-1.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Since Kaiser’s early 2024 decision to move part of its Oakland workforce to Pleasanton, its sales have shrunk by more than a quarter, according to Castrejon. Before, customers wearing scrubs or hospital badges were noticeable, Castrejon said. Now, not so much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This obvious decrease in foot traffic can be felt all throughout the downtown area. Nearly 38% of office space in Oakland’s central business district is vacant, according to \u003ca href=\"https://assets.cushmanwakefield.com/-/media/cw/marketbeat-pdfs/2025/q3/us-reports/office/eastbayoakland_americas_marketbeat_office_q3_2025.pdf?rev=f9920db83ed249778a3790b110e88270&_gl=1*1pz1tnl*_gcl_au*ODM3MjQxMTU5LjE3NjE1Mjg5Mjc\">a report\u003c/a> by commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“COVID has really changed the way that people work, and companies’ need for space,” said Cushman & Wakefield’s East Bay research manager, Wescott Owen, who authored the report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Small business owners like Mejia are hit hard by these changes. On a recent afternoon, he stood behind the bar he opened more than three decades ago, watching pedestrians pass by outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of the nearby offices are quieter than they once were.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve got 32 years here,” he said. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to hang in there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cjlab.stanford.edu/projects/big-local-news/\">\u003cem>Big Local News\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> is a data-sharing platform and collaborative at Stanford University that supports local journalism. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12075755/as-kaisers-presence-in-downtown-oakland-dwindles-so-does-foot-traffic",
"authors": [
"byline_news_12075755"
],
"categories": [
"news_1758",
"news_457",
"news_34551",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_18545",
"news_27626",
"news_21790",
"news_421",
"news_34054"
],
"featImg": "news_12076843",
"label": "news"
},
"news_12077640": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "news_12077640",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "12077640",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1774562402000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "alleging-discrimination-san-jose-parents-try-to-fight-school-closures",
"title": "Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures",
"publishDate": 1774562402,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "news"
},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> parents are attempting to stop the city’s public school district from shuttering five campuses, alleging in a legal complaint that the plan would disproportionately impact low-income students and students of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Families filed the complaint with the San José Unified School District’s school board ahead of a vote on the closure plan on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This process has been discriminatory in its impact, misleading in how it has been presented to families, and procedurally deficient,” parent David Friedlander, who is leading the effort, said at a press conference on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, a committee of about 20 teachers, principals, parents and other community members recommended the board shutter Empire Gardens, Lowell, Gardner, Canoas and Terrell elementary schools and relocate Hammer Montessori to the Gardner campus at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It said the reorganization plan, dubbed “Schools of Tomorrow,” aims to address a 20% decline in enrollment — a loss of 6,000 students — since 2017. In that time, the number of elementary schools with fewer than 350 students has doubled from six to 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee’s recommendation said that shrinking enrollment could lead to reduced staffing, hurting programs like art and music at small schools, and increasing the need for combined grade classes at district schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12077731\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12077731\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lowell Elementary School in San José on March 26, 2026. The school is among those proposed for closure as part of the San José Unified School District’s “Schools of Tomorrow” plan. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The Schools of Tomorrow process is a response to these challenges that will enable us to address declining enrollment in a positive, student-centered way,” SJUSD said on its website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But parents say the plan to close schools has been rushed, and should be a “last resort.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want our community to have input. We want to improve the programs that are in the schools. We want to do this in a thoughtful way,” Friedlander, a Hammer Montessori parent, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also said the final list of campuses that will close discriminates against students of color and low-income families.[aside postID=news_12055955 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250909-BERRYESSAUNIONCLOSURES_03248_TV-KQED.jpg']According to Maeve Naughton, a parent at Terrell Elementary, all five of the campuses that could shutter are Title I schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Title I schools exist for one reason — to serve children living in poverty. Children who already carry burdens that most of us will never fully understand,” she said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friedlander said that up to nine school closures were initially considered, but “when they moved to fewer schools, it really shifted to targeting entirely Title I schools.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These schools are heavily Latino. They are also primarily socioeconomically disadvantaged students, foster youth, kids with special needs,” he told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 72% and 91% of the students at four of the schools recommended for closure identify as Hispanic or Latino, compared to about 55.2% of all SJUSD students, according to California Department of Education data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are way higher on that metric than the district average, and those are the schools targeted,” Friedlander continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint alleges that this discrimination violates state and federal protections and that the closure process hasn’t included enough community input or an analysis examining the equity for affected students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SJUSD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12077729\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12077729\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Empire Gardens Elementary School in San José on March 26, 2026. The school is among those proposed for closure as part of the San José Unified School District’s “Schools of Tomorrow” plan. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The district said it identified the schools to close based on enrollment, targeting schools with fewer than 300 students, and took into account whether they had special education and bilingual programs. On its website, SJUSD said its “ideal” elementary school would have three classes per grade level, or four classes at schools with English immersion and bilingual programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district will be required to conduct an investigation into the claims and report its findings within 60 days. Depending on its conclusion, the parents could appeal to the state department of education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friedlander said, in part, parents filed the complaint to get ahead of any decision the school board makes Thursday night. He said, depending on the outcome of the meeting, further legal challenges could follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not going away. We are organized, we are filing through proper legal channels, and we expect answers,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "The legal challenge comes ahead of a vote on the closure plan at a Thursday evening school board meeting. The South Bay district said enrollment has declined by 6,000 students since 2017. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1774567616,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 23,
"wordCount": 791
},
"headData": {
"title": "Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures | KQED",
"description": "The legal challenge comes ahead of a vote on the closure plan at a Thursday evening school board meeting. The South Bay district said enrollment has declined by 6,000 students since 2017. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"headline": "Alleging Discrimination, San José Parents Try to Fight School Closures",
"datePublished": "2026-03-26T15:00:02-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-03-26T16:26:56-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"isAccessibleForFree": "True",
"publisher": {
"@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.kqed.org/#organization",
"name": "KQED",
"logo": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"url": "https://www.kqed.org",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.facebook.com/KQED",
"https://twitter.com/KQED",
"https://www.instagram.com/kqed/",
"https://www.tiktok.com/@kqedofficial",
"https://www.linkedin.com/company/kqed",
"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeC0IOo7i1P_61zVUWbJ4nw"
]
}
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 18540,
"slug": "education",
"name": "Education"
},
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-12077640",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/news/12077640/alleging-discrimination-san-jose-parents-try-to-fight-school-closures",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> parents are attempting to stop the city’s public school district from shuttering five campuses, alleging in a legal complaint that the plan would disproportionately impact low-income students and students of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Families filed the complaint with the San José Unified School District’s school board ahead of a vote on the closure plan on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This process has been discriminatory in its impact, misleading in how it has been presented to families, and procedurally deficient,” parent David Friedlander, who is leading the effort, said at a press conference on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, a committee of about 20 teachers, principals, parents and other community members recommended the board shutter Empire Gardens, Lowell, Gardner, Canoas and Terrell elementary schools and relocate Hammer Montessori to the Gardner campus at the end of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It said the reorganization plan, dubbed “Schools of Tomorrow,” aims to address a 20% decline in enrollment — a loss of 6,000 students — since 2017. In that time, the number of elementary schools with fewer than 350 students has doubled from six to 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The committee’s recommendation said that shrinking enrollment could lead to reduced staffing, hurting programs like art and music at small schools, and increasing the need for combined grade classes at district schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12077731\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12077731\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-15-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lowell Elementary School in San José on March 26, 2026. The school is among those proposed for closure as part of the San José Unified School District’s “Schools of Tomorrow” plan. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The Schools of Tomorrow process is a response to these challenges that will enable us to address declining enrollment in a positive, student-centered way,” SJUSD said on its website.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But parents say the plan to close schools has been rushed, and should be a “last resort.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want our community to have input. We want to improve the programs that are in the schools. We want to do this in a thoughtful way,” Friedlander, a Hammer Montessori parent, told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also said the final list of campuses that will close discriminates against students of color and low-income families.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "news_12055955",
"hero": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250909-BERRYESSAUNIONCLOSURES_03248_TV-KQED.jpg",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>According to Maeve Naughton, a parent at Terrell Elementary, all five of the campuses that could shutter are Title I schools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Title I schools exist for one reason — to serve children living in poverty. Children who already carry burdens that most of us will never fully understand,” she said in a statement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friedlander said that up to nine school closures were initially considered, but “when they moved to fewer schools, it really shifted to targeting entirely Title I schools.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These schools are heavily Latino. They are also primarily socioeconomically disadvantaged students, foster youth, kids with special needs,” he told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 72% and 91% of the students at four of the schools recommended for closure identify as Hispanic or Latino, compared to about 55.2% of all SJUSD students, according to California Department of Education data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are way higher on that metric than the district average, and those are the schools targeted,” Friedlander continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The complaint alleges that this discrimination violates state and federal protections and that the closure process hasn’t included enough community input or an analysis examining the equity for affected students.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SJUSD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12077729\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12077729\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/03/260326-SJSchoolClosures-23-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Empire Gardens Elementary School in San José on March 26, 2026. The school is among those proposed for closure as part of the San José Unified School District’s “Schools of Tomorrow” plan. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The district said it identified the schools to close based on enrollment, targeting schools with fewer than 300 students, and took into account whether they had special education and bilingual programs. On its website, SJUSD said its “ideal” elementary school would have three classes per grade level, or four classes at schools with English immersion and bilingual programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district will be required to conduct an investigation into the claims and report its findings within 60 days. Depending on its conclusion, the parents could appeal to the state department of education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friedlander said, in part, parents filed the complaint to get ahead of any decision the school board makes Thursday night. He said, depending on the outcome of the meeting, further legal challenges could follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not going away. We are organized, we are filing through proper legal channels, and we expect answers,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/news/12077640/alleging-discrimination-san-jose-parents-try-to-fight-school-closures",
"authors": [
"11913"
],
"categories": [
"news_18540",
"news_34551",
"news_28250",
"news_8"
],
"tags": [
"news_3854",
"news_20013",
"news_27626",
"news_18541",
"news_24524",
"news_21285"
],
"featImg": "news_12077726",
"label": "news"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"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",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"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.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"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",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"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 />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"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.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"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.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"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.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"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.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"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",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"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",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"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/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"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": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"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)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"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": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"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/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"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": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/news?category=labor": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 72,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 447,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"news_12080047",
"news_12079653",
"news_12079734",
"news_12079098",
"news_12079126",
"news_12075761",
"news_12078480",
"news_12078260",
"news_12077298",
"news_12077789",
"news_12075755",
"news_12077640"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news_category_labor": {
"isLoading": true
},
"news_34551": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34551",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34551",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.",
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": "We examine worker safety, workplace regulation, employment trends and union organizing.",
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34568,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/labor"
},
"news_457": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_457",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "457",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 16998,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/health"
},
"news_28250": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_28250",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "28250",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Local",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Local Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 28267,
"slug": "local",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/local"
},
"news_8": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_8",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "8",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 8,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/news"
},
"news_1386": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1386",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1386",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Bay Area",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Bay Area Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1398,
"slug": "bay-area",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/bay-area"
},
"news_18543": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18543",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18543",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 466,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health"
},
"news_35118": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35118",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35118",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "health care",
"slug": "health-care",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "health care | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35135,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health-care"
},
"news_24939": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24939",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24939",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "health care workers",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "health care workers Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24956,
"slug": "health-care-workers",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/health-care-workers"
},
"news_19904": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19904",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19904",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Labor",
"slug": "labor",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Labor | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 19921,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/labor"
},
"news_20482": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20482",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20482",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "labor unions",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "labor unions Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20499,
"slug": "labor-unions",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/labor-unions"
},
"news_35909": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35909",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35909",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "medical workers",
"slug": "medical-workers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "medical workers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35926,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/medical-workers"
},
"news_38": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_38",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "38",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 58,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-francisco"
},
"news_922": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_922",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "922",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "ucsf",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "ucsf Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 932,
"slug": "ucsf",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/ucsf"
},
"news_33747": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33747",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33747",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Health",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Health Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33764,
"slug": "health",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/health"
},
"news_33733": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33733",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33733",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33750,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/news"
},
"news_33729": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33729",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33729",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33746,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/san-francisco"
},
"news_31795": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_31795",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "31795",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31812,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/california"
},
"news_18538": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18538",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18538",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 31,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/california"
},
"news_20202": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20202",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20202",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "immigration",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "immigration Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20219,
"slug": "immigration",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/immigration"
},
"news_36127": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36127",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36127",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "lung disease",
"slug": "lung-disease",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "lung disease | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36144,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/lung-disease"
},
"news_32943": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32943",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32943",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "silicosis",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "silicosis Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32960,
"slug": "silicosis",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/silicosis"
},
"news_36128": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36128",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36128",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "stoneworkers",
"slug": "stoneworkers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "stoneworkers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36145,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/stoneworkers"
},
"news_33738": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33738",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33738",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33755,
"slug": "california",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/california"
},
"news_13": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_13",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "13",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 13,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/politics"
},
"news_1323": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1323",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1323",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Donald Trump",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Donald Trump Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1335,
"slug": "donald-trump",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/donald-trump"
},
"news_17968": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17968",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17968",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Politics",
"slug": "politics",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Politics | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 18002,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/politics"
},
"news_5663": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_5663",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "5663",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Presidio",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Presidio Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5687,
"slug": "presidio",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/presidio"
},
"news_4170": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4170",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4170",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "the Presidio",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "the Presidio Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4189,
"slug": "the-presidio",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/the-presidio"
},
"news_6266": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6266",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6266",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6290,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/housing"
},
"news_26598": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_26598",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "26598",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "affordability",
"slug": "affordability",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "affordability | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 26615,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordability"
},
"news_3921": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3921",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3921",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "affordable housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "affordable housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3940,
"slug": "affordable-housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-housing"
},
"news_20013": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20013",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20013",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20030,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/education"
},
"news_36350": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36350",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36350",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "featured-affordability",
"slug": "featured-affordability",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "featured-affordability | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36367,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-affordability"
},
"news_27626": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27626",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27626",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27643,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/featured-news"
},
"news_1775": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1775",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1775",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1790,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/housing"
},
"news_3946": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3946",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3946",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco Unified School District",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Unified School District Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3965,
"slug": "san-francisco-unified-school-district",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-francisco-unified-school-district"
},
"news_1290": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1290",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1290",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "SFUSD",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "SFUSD Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1302,
"slug": "sfusd",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/sfusd"
},
"news_2044": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2044",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2044",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "teachers",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "teachers Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2059,
"slug": "teachers",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/teachers"
},
"news_3733": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3733",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3733",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wages",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wages Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3751,
"slug": "wages",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/wages"
},
"news_33739": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33739",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33739",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Housing",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Housing Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33756,
"slug": "housing",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/housing"
},
"news_3854": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_3854",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "3854",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "budget cuts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "budget cuts Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3873,
"slug": "budget-cuts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/budget-cuts"
},
"news_34186": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34186",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34186",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "budget deficit",
"slug": "budget-deficit",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "budget deficit Archives | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34203,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/budget-deficit"
},
"news_32983": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32983",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32983",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "city budgets",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "city budgets Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33000,
"slug": "city-budgets",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/city-budgets"
},
"news_34055": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34055",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34055",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Daniel Lurie",
"slug": "daniel-lurie",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Daniel Lurie | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 34072,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/daniel-lurie"
},
"news_26092": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_26092",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "26092",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "laguna honda hospital",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "laguna honda hospital Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 26109,
"slug": "laguna-honda-hospital",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/laguna-honda-hospital"
},
"news_352": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "352",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "layoffs",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "layoffs Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 360,
"slug": "layoffs",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/layoffs"
},
"news_1758": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1758",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1758",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Full coverage of the economy",
"title": "Economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2648,
"slug": "economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/economy"
},
"news_25647": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_25647",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "25647",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "affordable child care",
"slug": "affordable-child-care",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "affordable child care | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null,
"metaRobotsNoIndex": "noindex"
},
"ttid": 25664,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/affordable-child-care"
},
"news_20754": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20754",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20754",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "child care",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "child care Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20771,
"slug": "child-care",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/child-care"
},
"news_18053": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18053",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18053",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Concord",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Concord Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18087,
"slug": "concord",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/concord"
},
"news_32102": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32102",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32102",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "early childhood education and care",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "early childhood education and care Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32119,
"slug": "early-childhood-education-and-care",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/early-childhood-education-and-care"
},
"news_32928": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_32928",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "32928",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "early childhood services",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "early childhood services Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 32945,
"slug": "early-childhood-services",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/early-childhood-services"
},
"news_18352": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18352",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18352",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18386,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/east-bay"
},
"news_23333": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_23333",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "23333",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "families",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "families Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 23350,
"slug": "families",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/families"
},
"news_21789": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21789",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21789",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "nurses",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "nurses Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21806,
"slug": "nurses",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/nurses"
},
"news_689": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_689",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "689",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Parenting",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Parenting Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 698,
"slug": "parenting",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/parenting"
},
"news_28373": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_28373",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "28373",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "parents",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "parents Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 28390,
"slug": "parents",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/parents"
},
"news_24531": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24531",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24531",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Danville",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Danville Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24548,
"slug": "danville",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/danville"
},
"news_2672": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_2672",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "2672",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Photography",
"description": "Witness the Bay Area through captivating images and compelling narratives. Explore the latest visually-driven storytelling by KQED and immerse yourself in the heart of our community.",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Witness the Bay Area through captivating images and compelling narratives. Explore the latest visually-driven storytelling by KQED and immerse yourself in the heart of our community.",
"title": "Photography Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2689,
"slug": "photography",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/photography"
},
"news_27734": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_27734",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "27734",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "small businesses",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "small businesses Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 27751,
"slug": "small-businesses",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/small-businesses"
},
"news_1169": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_1169",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "1169",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Immigration",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Immigration Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1180,
"slug": "immigration",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/immigration"
},
"news_35346": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35346",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35346",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Drivers License",
"slug": "drivers-license",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Drivers License | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35363,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/drivers-license"
},
"news_17940": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_17940",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "17940",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Drivers' Licenses",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Drivers' Licenses Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 17974,
"slug": "drivers-licenses",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/drivers-licenses"
},
"news_36248": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36248",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36248",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "immigrant drivers",
"slug": "immigrant-drivers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "immigrant drivers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36265,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/immigrant-drivers"
},
"news_36267": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_36267",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "36267",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "immigrant truck drivers",
"slug": "immigrant-truck-drivers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "immigrant truck drivers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 36284,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/immigrant-truck-drivers"
},
"news_33748": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33748",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33748",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Immigration",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Immigration Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33765,
"slug": "immigration",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/immigration"
},
"news_6188": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_6188",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "6188",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Law and Justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Law and Justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6212,
"slug": "law-and-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/law-and-justice"
},
"news_35134": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_35134",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "35134",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "day laborers",
"slug": "day-laborers",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "day laborers | KQED News",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 35151,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/day-laborers"
},
"news_29228": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29228",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29228",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "disability community",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "disability community Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 29245,
"slug": "disability-community",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/disability-community"
},
"news_25262": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_25262",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "25262",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "disability rights",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "disability rights Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 25279,
"slug": "disability-rights",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/disability-rights"
},
"news_20228": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20228",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20228",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "discrimination",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "discrimination Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20245,
"slug": "discrimination",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/discrimination"
},
"news_19954": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19954",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19954",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Law and Justice",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Law and Justice Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19971,
"slug": "law-and-justice",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/law-and-justice"
},
"news_28180": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_28180",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "28180",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "racial discrimination",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "racial discrimination Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 28197,
"slug": "racial-discrimination",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/racial-discrimination"
},
"news_19216": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_19216",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "19216",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "racism",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "racism Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 19233,
"slug": "racism",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/racism"
},
"news_33741": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33741",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33741",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33758,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/east-bay"
},
"news_4092": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_4092",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "4092",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "agriculture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "agriculture Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4111,
"slug": "agriculture-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/agriculture-2"
},
"news_885": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_885",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "885",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Cesar Chavez",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Cesar Chavez Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 895,
"slug": "cesar-chavez",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/cesar-chavez"
},
"news_18269": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18269",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18269",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "farmworkers",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "farmworkers Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18303,
"slug": "farmworkers",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/farmworkers"
},
"news_20579": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_20579",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "20579",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "immigrant rights",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "immigrant rights Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 20596,
"slug": "immigrant-rights",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/immigrant-rights"
},
"news_29865": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_29865",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "29865",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "labor rights",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "labor rights Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 29882,
"slug": "labor-rights",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/labor-rights"
},
"news_18208": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18208",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18208",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wage theft",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wage theft Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 18242,
"slug": "wage-theft",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/wage-theft"
},
"news_18545": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18545",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18545",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Economy",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Economy Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1771,
"slug": "economy",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/economy"
},
"news_21790": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21790",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21790",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Kaiser",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Kaiser Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21807,
"slug": "kaiser",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/kaiser"
},
"news_421": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_421",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "421",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Kaiser Permanente",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Kaiser Permanente Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 430,
"slug": "kaiser-permanente",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/kaiser-permanente"
},
"news_34054": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_34054",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "34054",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "oakland Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 34071,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/oakland"
},
"news_33730": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33730",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33730",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33747,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/oakland"
},
"news_18540": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18540",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18540",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2595,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/category/education"
},
"news_18541": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_18541",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "18541",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Jose",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Jose Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 91,
"slug": "san-jose",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/san-jose"
},
"news_24524": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_24524",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "24524",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "school closures",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "school closures Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 24541,
"slug": "school-closures",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/school-closures"
},
"news_21285": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_21285",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "21285",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "South Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "South Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21302,
"slug": "south-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/tag/south-bay"
},
"news_33746": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33746",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33746",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Education",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Education Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33763,
"slug": "education",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/education"
},
"news_33731": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "news_33731",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "news",
"id": "33731",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "South Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "South Bay Archives | KQED News",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33748,
"slug": "south-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/news/interest/south-bay"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
},
"navPromosReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": true,
"promos": {
"news": {
"name": "2026 Voter Guide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"imageURL": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nav-News-Nov2026ElectionCoverage@2x-7bd4aad4.png",
"description": "Get informed in minutes with our Voter Guide for California’s November 3 election."
},
"podcasts-radio": {},
"video-tv": {},
"events": {},
"support": {}
}
}
}