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"content": "\u003cp>It’s possibly the hottest party of the weekend in \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>. But the cleanest? Don’t count on it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of residents lined up their vehicles this morning for the revival of the “Bulky Block Party,” where Oaklanders can discard their large household items for free as the city battles \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">a costly illegal dumping problem\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was a party in the loosest sense possible — music blaring from a speaker as drivers pulled in — that the city says gives residents a chance to get rid of items that might otherwise end up on neighborhood streets. The event was last held in 2024 as a monthly disposal, but this is the first of a series of “parties” that will happen quarterly through April 2027. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vehicles loaded with trash wait in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Barbara Lee was there. She told KQED the event was part of a number of strategies the city is enacting to manage its illegal dumping problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I keep saying I want Oakland to be the cleanest, safest and greenest city in the country, and that’s about eradicating this,” Lee said. “This is outrageous what we see here in Oakland.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An Alameda County Grand Jury \u003ca href=\"https://grandjury.acgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2025-2026-Alameda-County-Grand-Jury-Final-Report.pdf\">report \u003c/a>released this June criticized the city for the longstanding problem, finding that Oakland failed to inform residents about free bulky item disposal and that enforcement of illegal dumping had been “wholly inadequate.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Barbara Lee poses for a portrait at a Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cleaning up the trash \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">cost the city\u003c/a> about $14 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to a separate report from the city’s auditor in April. It found that a lot of the trash was from residents themselves, though outsiders do dump in the city as well. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That same month, the city \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/oakland-doubling-fines-5000-deploying-drones-cracks-down-illegal-dumping-official-now-calling-crisis/18896091/\">doubled \u003c/a>its fines and approved the first step of a pilot program to use drones powered by artificial intelligence to track illegal dumping. Fines for third-time violators jumped to $5,000 and $1,500 for first-time violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those fines operate on an equity system that Lee said people can opt for community service instead of paying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bags of trash on the ground on 48th Avenue and East 12th Street near an illegal dumping ground in Oakland on April 23, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The grand jury made several recommendations, including that the city require businesses to subscribe to a waste collection service, enact improved education campaigns to promote bulky item services and designate a single person to manage all illegal dumping efforts\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some residents say that economics are part of the reason for illegal dumping. Residential trash removal costs in Oakland are some of the highest in the Bay Area for household garbage bins, the Grand Jury noted. Monthly rates for a 32-gallon container for a single-family curbside collection cost $62.83, $110.31 for a 62-gallon container and $165.42 for 96-gallons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Julia Velasco, an Oakland resident who rented a U-Haul to carry her garbage to the site, said the event was a good start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of people that are taking advantage of this,” Velasco said. “I think there’s other factors that kind of make it difficult. Sometimes, maybe it’s not people from Oakland, maybe it’s just other people passing by and dumping stuff.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092657\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julia Velasco poses for a portrait in a U-Haul while she waits in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Courtney Payne, who was sandwiched between her parents Paul and Susan Payne as they waited in line in a U-Haul, said the city should increase the visibility of the events to ensure higher turnout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I actually just found out about this like two days ago,” Courtney Payne said. “It’s like, how do people even know about this?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staff were there handing out flyers to get the word out about other disposal options. John Hillmon, public works operations manager Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful, said the event allowed them to help educate residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re excited about having the community come out and find a way to not do illegal dumping and get rid of these items in a legal way,” Hillmon said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next Bulky Block Party is taking place on Oct. 24, 2026 at 7101 Edgewater Drive and is open to Oakland residents. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s possibly the hottest party of the weekend in \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>. But the cleanest? Don’t count on it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s possibly the hottest party of the weekend in \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>. But the cleanest? Don’t count on it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dozens of residents lined up their vehicles this morning for the revival of the “Bulky Block Party,” where Oaklanders can discard their large household items for free as the city battles \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">a costly illegal dumping problem\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Dozens of residents lined up their vehicles this morning for the revival of the “Bulky Block Party,” where Oaklanders can discard their large household items for free as the city battles \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">a costly illegal dumping problem\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was a party in the loosest sense possible — music blaring from a speaker as drivers pulled in — that the city says gives residents a chance to get rid of items that might otherwise end up on neighborhood streets. The event was last held in 2024 as a monthly disposal, but this is the first of a series of “parties” that will happen quarterly through April 2027. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It was a party in the loosest sense possible — music blaring from a speaker as drivers pulled in — that the city says gives residents a chance to get rid of items that might otherwise end up on neighborhood streets. The event was last held in 2024 as a monthly disposal, but this is the first of a series of “parties” that will happen quarterly through April 2027. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vehicles loaded with trash wait in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092656\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vehicles loaded with trash wait in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mayor Barbara Lee was there. She told KQED the event was part of a number of strategies the city is enacting to manage its illegal dumping problem.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I keep saying I want Oakland to be the cleanest, safest and greenest city in the country, and that’s about eradicating this,” Lee said. “This is outrageous what we see here in Oakland.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I keep saying I want Oakland to be the cleanest, safest and greenest city in the country, and that’s about eradicating this,” Lee said. “This is outrageous what we see here in Oakland.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An Alameda County Grand Jury \u003ca href=\"https://grandjury.acgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2025-2026-Alameda-County-Grand-Jury-Final-Report.pdf\">report \u003c/a>released this June criticized the city for the longstanding problem, finding that Oakland failed to inform residents about free bulky item disposal and that enforcement of illegal dumping had been “wholly inadequate.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An Alameda County Grand Jury \u003ca href=\"https://grandjury.acgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2025-2026-Alameda-County-Grand-Jury-Final-Report.pdf\">report \u003c/a>released this June criticized the city for the longstanding problem, finding that Oakland failed to inform residents about free bulky item disposal and that enforcement of illegal dumping had been “wholly inadequate.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Barbara Lee poses for a portrait at a Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092658\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Barbara Lee poses for a portrait at a Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cleaning up the trash \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">cost the city\u003c/a> about $14 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to a separate report from the city’s auditor in April. It found that a lot of the trash was from residents themselves, though outsiders do dump in the city as well. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cleaning up the trash \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">cost the city\u003c/a> about $14 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to a separate report from the city’s auditor in April. It found that a lot of the trash was from residents themselves, though outsiders do dump in the city as well. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That same month, the city \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/oakland-doubling-fines-5000-deploying-drones-cracks-down-illegal-dumping-official-now-calling-crisis/18896091/\">doubled \u003c/a>its fines and approved the first step of a pilot program to use drones powered by artificial intelligence to track illegal dumping. Fines for third-time violators jumped to $5,000 and $1,500 for first-time violations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That same month, the city \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/oakland-doubling-fines-5000-deploying-drones-cracks-down-illegal-dumping-official-now-calling-crisis/18896091/\">doubled \u003c/a>its fines and approved the first step of a pilot program to use drones powered by artificial intelligence to track illegal dumping. Fines for third-time violators jumped to $5,000 and $1,500 for first-time violations. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those fines operate on an equity system that Lee said people can opt for community service instead of paying. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Those fines operate on an equity system that Lee said people can opt for community service instead of paying. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bags of trash on the ground on 48th Avenue and East 12th Street near an illegal dumping ground in Oakland on April 23, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081167\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bags of trash on the ground on 48th Avenue and East 12th Street near an illegal dumping ground in Oakland on April 23, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The grand jury made several recommendations, including that the city require businesses to subscribe to a waste collection service, enact improved education campaigns to promote bulky item services and designate a single person to manage all illegal dumping efforts\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The grand jury made several recommendations, including that the city require businesses to subscribe to a waste collection service, enact improved education campaigns to promote bulky item services and designate a single person to manage all illegal dumping efforts\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some residents say that economics are part of the reason for illegal dumping. Residential trash removal costs in Oakland are some of the highest in the Bay Area for household garbage bins, the Grand Jury noted. Monthly rates for a 32-gallon container for a single-family curbside collection cost $62.83, $110.31 for a 62-gallon container and $165.42 for 96-gallons. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some residents say that economics are part of the reason for illegal dumping. Residential trash removal costs in Oakland are some of the highest in the Bay Area for household garbage bins, the Grand Jury noted. Monthly rates for a 32-gallon container for a single-family curbside collection cost $62.83, $110.31 for a 62-gallon container and $165.42 for 96-gallons. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Julia Velasco, an Oakland resident who rented a U-Haul to carry her garbage to the site, said the event was a good start. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Julia Velasco, an Oakland resident who rented a U-Haul to carry her garbage to the site, said the event was a good start. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of people that are taking advantage of this,” Velasco said. “I think there’s other factors that kind of make it difficult. Sometimes, maybe it’s not people from Oakland, maybe it’s just other people passing by and dumping stuff.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of people that are taking advantage of this,” Velasco said. “I think there’s other factors that kind of make it difficult. Sometimes, maybe it’s not people from Oakland, maybe it’s just other people passing by and dumping stuff.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092657\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julia Velasco poses for a portrait in a U-Haul while she waits in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092657\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julia Velasco poses for a portrait in a U-Haul while she waits in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Courtney Payne, who was sandwiched between her parents Paul and Susan Payne as they waited in line in a U-Haul, said the city should increase the visibility of the events to ensure higher turnout. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Courtney Payne, who was sandwiched between her parents Paul and Susan Payne as they waited in line in a U-Haul, said the city should increase the visibility of the events to ensure higher turnout. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I actually just found out about this like two days ago,” Courtney Payne said. “It’s like, how do people even know about this?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>City staff were there handing out flyers to get the word out about other disposal options. John Hillmon, public works operations manager Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful, said the event allowed them to help educate residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re excited about having the community come out and find a way to not do illegal dumping and get rid of these items in a legal way,” Hillmon said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The next Bulky Block Party is taking place on Oct. 24, 2026 at 7101 Edgewater Drive and is open to Oakland residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The city revived a free event where residents can dispose of large items in an effort to discourage illegal dumping that has plagued the city. ",
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"title": "Oakland Tackles Illegal Dumping — With a ‘Party’ | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s possibly the hottest party of the weekend in \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>. But the cleanest? Don’t count on it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dozens of residents lined up their vehicles this morning for the revival of the “Bulky Block Party,” where Oaklanders can discard their large household items for free as the city battles \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">a costly illegal dumping problem\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was a party in the loosest sense possible — music blaring from a speaker as drivers pulled in — that the city says gives residents a chance to get rid of items that might otherwise end up on neighborhood streets. The event was last held in 2024 as a monthly disposal, but this is the first of a series of “parties” that will happen quarterly through April 2027. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00056_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vehicles loaded with trash wait in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Barbara Lee was there. She told KQED the event was part of a number of strategies the city is enacting to manage its illegal dumping problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I keep saying I want Oakland to be the cleanest, safest and greenest city in the country, and that’s about eradicating this,” Lee said. “This is outrageous what we see here in Oakland.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An Alameda County Grand Jury \u003ca href=\"https://grandjury.acgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2025-2026-Alameda-County-Grand-Jury-Final-Report.pdf\">report \u003c/a>released this June criticized the city for the longstanding problem, finding that Oakland failed to inform residents about free bulky item disposal and that enforcement of illegal dumping had been “wholly inadequate.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092658\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00210_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Barbara Lee poses for a portrait at a Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cleaning up the trash \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12081003/illegal-dumping-is-a-big-problem-in-oakland-a-new-report-has-ideas-to-clean-up-the-mess\">cost the city\u003c/a> about $14 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to a separate report from the city’s auditor in April. It found that a lot of the trash was from residents themselves, though outsiders do dump in the city as well. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That same month, the city \u003ca href=\"https://abc7news.com/post/oakland-doubling-fines-5000-deploying-drones-cracks-down-illegal-dumping-official-now-calling-crisis/18896091/\">doubled \u003c/a>its fines and approved the first step of a pilot program to use drones powered by artificial intelligence to track illegal dumping. Fines for third-time violators jumped to $5,000 and $1,500 for first-time violations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those fines operate on an equity system that Lee said people can opt for community service instead of paying. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12081167\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260423-OAKLANDILLEGALDUMP00086_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bags of trash on the ground on 48th Avenue and East 12th Street near an illegal dumping ground in Oakland on April 23, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The grand jury made several recommendations, including that the city require businesses to subscribe to a waste collection service, enact improved education campaigns to promote bulky item services and designate a single person to manage all illegal dumping efforts\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some residents say that economics are part of the reason for illegal dumping. Residential trash removal costs in Oakland are some of the highest in the Bay Area for household garbage bins, the Grand Jury noted. Monthly rates for a 32-gallon container for a single-family curbside collection cost $62.83, $110.31 for a 62-gallon container and $165.42 for 96-gallons. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Julia Velasco, an Oakland resident who rented a U-Haul to carry her garbage to the site, said the event was a good start. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s a lot of people that are taking advantage of this,” Velasco said. “I think there’s other factors that kind of make it difficult. Sometimes, maybe it’s not people from Oakland, maybe it’s just other people passing by and dumping stuff.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092657\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260725-trashblockparty-00426_TV_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julia Velasco poses for a portrait in a U-Haul while she waits in line to enter the Bulky Block Party, run by Oakland Public Works, where residents can dispose of their bulk items for free at 7101 Edgewater Drive in Oakland on July 25, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Courtney Payne, who was sandwiched between her parents Paul and Susan Payne as they waited in line in a U-Haul, said the city should increase the visibility of the events to ensure higher turnout. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I actually just found out about this like two days ago,” Courtney Payne said. “It’s like, how do people even know about this?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>City staff were there handing out flyers to get the word out about other disposal options. John Hillmon, public works operations manager Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful, said the event allowed them to help educate residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re excited about having the community come out and find a way to not do illegal dumping and get rid of these items in a legal way,” Hillmon said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next Bulky Block Party is taking place on Oct. 24, 2026 at 7101 Edgewater Drive and is open to Oakland residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-judge-to-weigh-the-fate-of-trial-in-ice-officer-assault-case",
"title": "San Francisco Judge to Weigh the Fate of Trial in ICE Officer Assault Case",
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"headTitle": "San Francisco Judge to Weigh the Fate of Trial in ICE Officer Assault Case | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A San Francisco judge will soon decide whether or not to proceed with the criminal trial of a man charged with assaulting \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/ice\">an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Caleb Alexander Ranney was arrested on Aug. 8, 2025, at 630 Sansome St., the city’s ICE field office and detention facility, after an hourslong standoff between protesters and ICE agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Roughly 10 protesters were outside when two vans left the building at 3:18 p.m., escorted by about a dozen uniformed officers who pointed pepper ball rifles and batons at the crowd, according to \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2025/08/ice-tackles-detains-protesters/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which obtained a video detailing the incident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The outlet reported that ICE officers tackled and detained two protesters outside the building at around 3:25 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Protesters at the scene later told \u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em> that approximately three minutes after detaining the protesters, officers fired pepper balls under the garage door.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12061608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Led by Aztec traditional dancers, demonstrators march around the ICE Field Office on Sansome Street in San Francisco on Oct. 24, 2025, calling for the agency’s removal from the city. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors charged Ranney in December with two misdemeanors: assaulting a federal officer and destroying government property. They submitted the charges by information — a document that the U.S. Attorney’s Office files directly, without having to go through a grand jury.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document alleges that Ranney “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with” an ICE deportation officer it identifies only as “Victim One,” and that he damaged a secure vehicle entrance on the Jackson Street side of the building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ranney’s defense has asked the U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Hixson, who will preside over the trial, to consider the actions by a different officer at the scene: Federal Protective Service Inspector Stephen Glumaz. The public defenders alleged that Glumaz fired pepper ball rounds into the crowd shortly before the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The latest motion from Ranney’s defense marks the third allegation that the government mishandled evidence in the case. Hixson has already ruled that agents unconstitutionally searched Ranney’s backpack, and separately sanctioned the government for losing or destroying items taken from it, though he declined to dismiss the case on those grounds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anti-ICE protesters chant over SFPD officers during a demonstration outside the ICE offices in San Francisco on June 8, 2025. (Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The defense now argues that those episodes amount to “a pattern of misconduct by government agents with regard to the search in this case, spoliation of evidence, and lying about it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In June, prosecutors left Glumaz off their witness list, and the defense subpoenaed him on July 9 to testify at trial.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the motion, Glumaz’s supervisor emailed him on March 25 to inform him that he had been decertified “as a PepperBall and FN303 operator” and could not possess or operate either weapon until further notice. The last line of that email, defense attorneys wrote, said the decertification was “in connection with the use of force incidents” on Aug. 8 and Aug. 20, 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The motion said that prosecutors did not turn that email over until the evening of July 22 — nearly four months after it was sent — and five days before trial. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether Glumaz has since regained his certification is not clear from the filings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Not only was this the first time that the defense was made aware that Inspector Glumaz’s decertification from use of the pepper ball gun was caused by his actions on the date of the charged incident,” the motion stated, “this was also the first time the defense was made aware that Inspector Glumaz (or any other involved agent who was part of the same team) was involved in the subsequent protest on August 20, 2025.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an earlier filing, the defense pointed to surveillance footage, saying that it shows “a federal officer firing multiple pepper balls at unarmed protesters less than a minute before Mr. Ranney allegedly assaulted an ICE officer.” The defense said it may argue that Ranney acted in self-defense.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the 1963 Supreme Court ruling in \u003cem>Brady v. Maryland\u003c/em>, prosecutors must turn over evidence favorable to the defense regardless of whether or not it is requested.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The withheld material supports a claim that officers used excessive force, Assistant Public Defenders Angela Chuang and Samantha Jaffe said, and can help determine whether they were lawfully carrying out their duties when the alleged assault occurred.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>None of the named officers have responded publicly, and prosecutors have not yet filed their response to the motion. Under the schedule Hixson set for July 30, the government’s response is due by end of day Friday. The judge is scheduled to take up the motion at 9 a.m. Monday — the hour the trial is set to begin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043271\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters link arms during an anti-ICE protest on June 8, 2025. (Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors objected at Thursday’s hearing to the defense’s follow-up discovery demands — such as personnel files, use-of-force reports, agent text messages, and records from other San Francisco protests involving the same agents. The defense’s motion said prosecutors called their demands overly broad or unworkable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If Hixson does decline to dismiss the case, the defense said, they are asking him to instruct jurors that the government violated its disclosure obligations. That instruction would allow jurors to weigh the violation when they deliberate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ranney is not in custody and has been under pretrial supervision since December — when his first court appearance took place. According to the motion, Hixson warned prosecutors that failing to meet their disclosure obligations could result in dismissal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Roughly 10 protesters were outside when two vans left the building at 3:18 p.m., escorted by about a dozen uniformed officers who pointed pepper ball rifles and batons at the crowd, according to \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2025/08/ice-tackles-detains-protesters/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which obtained a video detailing the incident.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12061608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Led by Aztec traditional dancers, demonstrators march around the ICE Field Office on Sansome Street in San Francisco on Oct. 24, 2025, calling for the agency’s removal from the city.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12061608\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Led by Aztec traditional dancers, demonstrators march around the ICE Field Office on Sansome Street in San Francisco on Oct. 24, 2025, calling for the agency’s removal from the city.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors charged Ranney in December with two misdemeanors: assaulting a federal officer and destroying government property. They submitted the charges by information — a document that the U.S. Attorney’s Office files directly, without having to go through a grand jury.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors charged Ranney in December with two misdemeanors: assaulting a federal officer and destroying government property. They submitted the charges by information — a document that the U.S. Attorney’s Office files directly, without having to go through a grand jury.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The document alleges that Ranney “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with” an ICE deportation officer it identifies only as “Victim One,” and that he damaged a secure vehicle entrance on the Jackson Street side of the building.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The document alleges that Ranney “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with” an ICE deportation officer it identifies only as “Victim One,” and that he damaged a secure vehicle entrance on the Jackson Street side of the building.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ranney’s defense has asked the U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Hixson, who will preside over the trial, to consider the actions by a different officer at the scene: Federal Protective Service Inspector Stephen Glumaz. The public defenders alleged that Glumaz fired pepper ball rounds into the crowd shortly before the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ranney’s defense has asked the U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Hixson, who will preside over the trial, to consider the actions by a different officer at the scene: Federal Protective Service Inspector Stephen Glumaz. The public defenders alleged that Glumaz fired pepper ball rounds into the crowd shortly before the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The latest motion from Ranney’s defense marks the third allegation that the government mishandled evidence in the case. Hixson has already ruled that agents unconstitutionally searched Ranney’s backpack, and separately sanctioned the government for losing or destroying items taken from it, though he declined to dismiss the case on those grounds. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The latest motion from Ranney’s defense marks the third allegation that the government mishandled evidence in the case. Hixson has already ruled that agents unconstitutionally searched Ranney’s backpack, and separately sanctioned the government for losing or destroying items taken from it, though he declined to dismiss the case on those grounds. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anti-ICE protesters chant over SFPD officers during a demonstration outside the ICE offices in San Francisco on June 8, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043374\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anti-ICE protesters chant over SFPD officers during a demonstration outside the ICE offices in San Francisco on June 8, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The defense now argues that those episodes amount to “a pattern of misconduct by government agents with regard to the search in this case, spoliation of evidence, and lying about it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The defense now argues that those episodes amount to “a pattern of misconduct by government agents with regard to the search in this case, spoliation of evidence, and lying about it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In June, prosecutors left Glumaz off their witness list, and the defense subpoenaed him on July 9 to testify at trial.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the motion, Glumaz’s supervisor emailed him on March 25 to inform him that he had been decertified “as a PepperBall and FN303 operator” and could not possess or operate either weapon until further notice. The last line of that email, defense attorneys wrote, said the decertification was “in connection with the use of force incidents” on Aug. 8 and Aug. 20, 2025.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to the motion, Glumaz’s supervisor emailed him on March 25 to inform him that he had been decertified “as a PepperBall and FN303 operator” and could not possess or operate either weapon until further notice. The last line of that email, defense attorneys wrote, said the decertification was “in connection with the use of force incidents” on Aug. 8 and Aug. 20, 2025.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The motion said that prosecutors did not turn that email over until the evening of July 22 — nearly four months after it was sent — and five days before trial. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whether Glumaz has since regained his certification is not clear from the filings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Not only was this the first time that the defense was made aware that Inspector Glumaz’s decertification from use of the pepper ball gun was caused by his actions on the date of the charged incident,” the motion stated, “this was also the first time the defense was made aware that Inspector Glumaz (or any other involved agent who was part of the same team) was involved in the subsequent protest on August 20, 2025.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an earlier filing, the defense pointed to surveillance footage, saying that it shows “a federal officer firing multiple pepper balls at unarmed protesters less than a minute before Mr. Ranney allegedly assaulted an ICE officer.” The defense said it may argue that Ranney acted in self-defense.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an earlier filing, the defense pointed to surveillance footage, saying that it shows “a federal officer firing multiple pepper balls at unarmed protesters less than a minute before Mr. Ranney allegedly assaulted an ICE officer.” The defense said it may argue that Ranney acted in self-defense.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the 1963 Supreme Court ruling in \u003cem>Brady v. Maryland\u003c/em>, prosecutors must turn over evidence favorable to the defense regardless of whether or not it is requested.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under the 1963 Supreme Court ruling in \u003cem>Brady v. Maryland\u003c/em>, prosecutors must turn over evidence favorable to the defense regardless of whether or not it is requested.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The withheld material supports a claim that officers used excessive force, Assistant Public Defenders Angela Chuang and Samantha Jaffe said, and can help determine whether they were lawfully carrying out their duties when the alleged assault occurred.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The withheld material supports a claim that officers used excessive force, Assistant Public Defenders Angela Chuang and Samantha Jaffe said, and can help determine whether they were lawfully carrying out their duties when the alleged assault occurred.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>None of the named officers have responded publicly, and prosecutors have not yet filed their response to the motion. Under the schedule Hixson set for July 30, the government’s response is due by end of day Friday. The judge is scheduled to take up the motion at 9 a.m. Monday — the hour the trial is set to begin.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>None of the named officers have responded publicly, and prosecutors have not yet filed their response to the motion. Under the schedule Hixson set for July 30, the government’s response is due by end of day Friday. The judge is scheduled to take up the motion at 9 a.m. Monday — the hour the trial is set to begin.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Prosecutors objected at Thursday’s hearing to the defense’s follow-up discovery demands — such as personnel files, use-of-force reports, agent text messages, and records from other San Francisco protests involving the same agents. The defense’s motion said prosecutors called their demands overly broad or unworkable.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Prosecutors objected at Thursday’s hearing to the defense’s follow-up discovery demands — such as personnel files, use-of-force reports, agent text messages, and records from other San Francisco protests involving the same agents. The defense’s motion said prosecutors called their demands overly broad or unworkable.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If Hixson does decline to dismiss the case, the defense said, they are asking him to instruct jurors that the government violated its disclosure obligations. That instruction would allow jurors to weigh the violation when they deliberate.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If Hixson does decline to dismiss the case, the defense said, they are asking him to instruct jurors that the government violated its disclosure obligations. That instruction would allow jurors to weigh the violation when they deliberate.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ranney is not in custody and has been under pretrial supervision since December — when his first court appearance took place. According to the motion, Hixson warned prosecutors that failing to meet their disclosure obligations could result in dismissal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ranney is not in custody and has been under pretrial supervision since December — when his first court appearance took place. According to the motion, Hixson warned prosecutors that failing to meet their disclosure obligations could result in dismissal.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Ranney’s lawyers argue that the government withheld critical evidence in his case.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A San Francisco judge will soon decide whether or not to proceed with the criminal trial of a man charged with assaulting \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/ice\">an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Caleb Alexander Ranney was arrested on Aug. 8, 2025, at 630 Sansome St., the city’s ICE field office and detention facility, after an hourslong standoff between protesters and ICE agents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Roughly 10 protesters were outside when two vans left the building at 3:18 p.m., escorted by about a dozen uniformed officers who pointed pepper ball rifles and batons at the crowd, according to \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2025/08/ice-tackles-detains-protesters/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which obtained a video detailing the incident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The outlet reported that ICE officers tackled and detained two protesters outside the building at around 3:25 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Protesters at the scene later told \u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em> that approximately three minutes after detaining the protesters, officers fired pepper balls under the garage door.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12061608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/251024-ICEPROTEST-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Led by Aztec traditional dancers, demonstrators march around the ICE Field Office on Sansome Street in San Francisco on Oct. 24, 2025, calling for the agency’s removal from the city. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors charged Ranney in December with two misdemeanors: assaulting a federal officer and destroying government property. They submitted the charges by information — a document that the U.S. Attorney’s Office files directly, without having to go through a grand jury.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document alleges that Ranney “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with” an ICE deportation officer it identifies only as “Victim One,” and that he damaged a secure vehicle entrance on the Jackson Street side of the building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ranney’s defense has asked the U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Hixson, who will preside over the trial, to consider the actions by a different officer at the scene: Federal Protective Service Inspector Stephen Glumaz. The public defenders alleged that Glumaz fired pepper ball rounds into the crowd shortly before the alleged assault. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The latest motion from Ranney’s defense marks the third allegation that the government mishandled evidence in the case. Hixson has already ruled that agents unconstitutionally searched Ranney’s backpack, and separately sanctioned the government for losing or destroying items taken from it, though he declined to dismiss the case on those grounds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043374\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Anti-ICE protesters chant over SFPD officers during a demonstration outside the ICE offices in San Francisco on June 8, 2025. (Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The defense now argues that those episodes amount to “a pattern of misconduct by government agents with regard to the search in this case, spoliation of evidence, and lying about it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In June, prosecutors left Glumaz off their witness list, and the defense subpoenaed him on July 9 to testify at trial.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the motion, Glumaz’s supervisor emailed him on March 25 to inform him that he had been decertified “as a PepperBall and FN303 operator” and could not possess or operate either weapon until further notice. The last line of that email, defense attorneys wrote, said the decertification was “in connection with the use of force incidents” on Aug. 8 and Aug. 20, 2025.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The motion said that prosecutors did not turn that email over until the evening of July 22 — nearly four months after it was sent — and five days before trial. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether Glumaz has since regained his certification is not clear from the filings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Not only was this the first time that the defense was made aware that Inspector Glumaz’s decertification from use of the pepper ball gun was caused by his actions on the date of the charged incident,” the motion stated, “this was also the first time the defense was made aware that Inspector Glumaz (or any other involved agent who was part of the same team) was involved in the subsequent protest on August 20, 2025.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an earlier filing, the defense pointed to surveillance footage, saying that it shows “a federal officer firing multiple pepper balls at unarmed protesters less than a minute before Mr. Ranney allegedly assaulted an ICE officer.” The defense said it may argue that Ranney acted in self-defense.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under the 1963 Supreme Court ruling in \u003cem>Brady v. Maryland\u003c/em>, prosecutors must turn over evidence favorable to the defense regardless of whether or not it is requested.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The withheld material supports a claim that officers used excessive force, Assistant Public Defenders Angela Chuang and Samantha Jaffe said, and can help determine whether they were lawfully carrying out their duties when the alleged assault occurred.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>None of the named officers have responded publicly, and prosecutors have not yet filed their response to the motion. Under the schedule Hixson set for July 30, the government’s response is due by end of day Friday. The judge is scheduled to take up the motion at 9 a.m. Monday — the hour the trial is set to begin.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12043271\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250608-ICE-OUT-OF-THE-BAY-AC-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Protesters link arms during an anti-ICE protest on June 8, 2025. (Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Prosecutors objected at Thursday’s hearing to the defense’s follow-up discovery demands — such as personnel files, use-of-force reports, agent text messages, and records from other San Francisco protests involving the same agents. The defense’s motion said prosecutors called their demands overly broad or unworkable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If Hixson does decline to dismiss the case, the defense said, they are asking him to instruct jurors that the government violated its disclosure obligations. That instruction would allow jurors to weigh the violation when they deliberate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ranney is not in custody and has been under pretrial supervision since December — when his first court appearance took place. According to the motion, Hixson warned prosecutors that failing to meet their disclosure obligations could result in dismissal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista",
"title": "‘It Wasn’t Right’: Woman Arrested by ICE at SFO Is a San Francisco Photographer, Barista",
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"headTitle": "‘It Wasn’t Right’: Woman Arrested by ICE at SFO Is a San Francisco Photographer, Barista | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A Ukrainian woman who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years was detained by immigration enforcement agents at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Wednesday after a flight home from Portland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Iryna Gorb, 38, was arrested by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after landing in San Francisco, where she has lived and worked for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She is currently in detention at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073215/judge-orders-ice-to-provide-medical-care-in-largest-immigration-jail-in-california\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in Kern County, according to Andy Eblin, who’s been a friend of Gorb’s for 13 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Videos of Gorb’s arrest circulated on social media Wednesday evening after Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson, who was traveling through the airport at the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DoriaforRichmond\">posted\u003c/a> footage of the incident on Facebook. She said two ICE agents approached Gorb in a store in Terminal 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doria Robinson speaks at the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They put hands on her, pulled her down to the ground and we see the agent get on top of her,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the videos, Gorb can be heard yelling: “They’re f—n ICE, I’m from Ukraine, please, somebody.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She can be seen telling the agents to let her go, and heard saying, “You’re f—ing choking me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Robinson said the officials did not respond to bystanders who asked them to identify themselves. They handcuffed Gorb to an airport wheelchair and rolled her away, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t right,” Robinson said. “It just felt in your heart and your soul that that was not right. That was not the way we should be doing things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb called him from an ICE field office in Stockton late Wednesday, and told him she had been detained and would be transferred to the California City Detention Facility. She asked him to tell her boss at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill, where she is a head barista, and a few friends whom she was supposed to cat-sit for this week, that she would not be able to work. Eblin said Gorb also requested that he ask her neighbor to water her plants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can’t think of a better explanation of Iryna as a person than those concerns,” Eblin said. “She’s a good person that helped out a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said she was “not certain exactly” why she was detained, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t received any paperwork regarding her visa status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in 2010 under a visa that expired in May 2011. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation’s laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iryna Gorb worked as a head barista at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill and was an active member of San Francisco’s coffee community, according to friends. (Courtesy of Andy Eblin)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Gorb is a professional photographer and has run a vintage pop-up over the years, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Her absence leaves a tremendous void in our cafe and in our community,” Better Half, the coffee shop where Gorb works, posted on social media Thursday. “She has been such an important part of this space, and her presence will be deeply missed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said that when he was able to connect with Gorb again Thursday evening, she had been transferred to California City and sounded “substantially rattled.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said she’s expected to meet with an attorney on Friday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our predominant concern at this point is getting her released on bond so she’s able to wait out any proceedings in a safe, dignified place and dignified setting, which California City is absolutely not,” Eblin told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, immigration advocates began seeing ICE detentions at airports outside of Customs and Border Protection last year anecdotally, but in the last month, they have become a “consistent tactic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security includes TSA, so it just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said via email that ICE and DHS operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. airports, and that SFO is “not involved in any decisions about their operations, nor are we notified when they occur.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Atkinson said for people who are not U.S. citizens, “now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Iryna Gorb, 38, was arrested by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after landing in San Francisco, where she has lived and worked for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Videos of Gorb’s arrest circulated on social media Wednesday evening after Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson, who was traveling through the airport at the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DoriaforRichmond\">posted\u003c/a> footage of the incident on Facebook. She said two ICE agents approached Gorb in a store in Terminal 3.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doria Robinson speaks at the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb called him from an ICE field office in Stockton late Wednesday, and told him she had been detained and would be transferred to the California City Detention Facility. She asked him to tell her boss at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill, where she is a head barista, and a few friends whom she was supposed to cat-sit for this week, that she would not be able to work. Eblin said Gorb also requested that he ask her neighbor to water her plants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eblin said she was “not certain exactly” why she was detained, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t received any paperwork regarding her visa status. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in 2010 under a visa that expired in May 2011. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation’s laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Her absence leaves a tremendous void in our cafe and in our community,” Better Half, the coffee shop where Gorb works, posted on social media Thursday. “She has been such an important part of this space, and her presence will be deeply missed.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our predominant concern at this point is getting her released on bond so she’s able to wait out any proceedings in a safe, dignified place and dignified setting, which California City is absolutely not,” Eblin told KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, immigration advocates began seeing ICE detentions at airports outside of Customs and Border Protection last year anecdotally, but in the last month, they have become a “consistent tactic.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security includes TSA, so it just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said via email that ICE and DHS operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. airports, and that SFO is “not involved in any decisions about their operations, nor are we notified when they occur.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A friend coordinating her legal aid said the 38-year-old Ukrainian immigrant is in a federal immigration detention facility in California City. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A Ukrainian woman who has lived in the U.S. for 16 years was detained by immigration enforcement agents at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> on Wednesday after a flight home from Portland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Iryna Gorb, 38, was arrested by plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after landing in San Francisco, where she has lived and worked for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She is currently in detention at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073215/judge-orders-ice-to-provide-medical-care-in-largest-immigration-jail-in-california\">California City Detention Facility\u003c/a> in Kern County, according to Andy Eblin, who’s been a friend of Gorb’s for 13 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Videos of Gorb’s arrest circulated on social media Wednesday evening after Richmond City Councilmember Doria Robinson, who was traveling through the airport at the time, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/DoriaforRichmond\">posted\u003c/a> footage of the incident on Facebook. She said two ICE agents approached Gorb in a store in Terminal 3.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12066313\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251205-WCCUSDSTRIKERALLY01540_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doria Robinson speaks at the West Contra Costa United School District rally at Marina Bay Park in Richmond on Dec. 5, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They put hands on her, pulled her down to the ground and we see the agent get on top of her,” Robinson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the videos, Gorb can be heard yelling: “They’re f—n ICE, I’m from Ukraine, please, somebody.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She can be seen telling the agents to let her go, and heard saying, “You’re f—ing choking me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Robinson said the officials did not respond to bystanders who asked them to identify themselves. They handcuffed Gorb to an airport wheelchair and rolled her away, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It wasn’t right,” Robinson said. “It just felt in your heart and your soul that that was not right. That was not the way we should be doing things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb called him from an ICE field office in Stockton late Wednesday, and told him she had been detained and would be transferred to the California City Detention Facility. She asked him to tell her boss at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill, where she is a head barista, and a few friends whom she was supposed to cat-sit for this week, that she would not be able to work. Eblin said Gorb also requested that he ask her neighbor to water her plants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can’t think of a better explanation of Iryna as a person than those concerns,” Eblin said. “She’s a good person that helped out a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said she was “not certain exactly” why she was detained, and as far as he knew, she hadn’t received any paperwork regarding her visa status. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Gorb entered the U.S. lawfully in 2010 under a visa that expired in May 2011. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Gorb overstayed her visa and remained in the United States illegally for 15 years in violation of our nation’s laws. She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said Gorb moved to the U.S. to attend college in Boston before relocating to San Francisco 13 years ago. He said she’s an active part of the city’s coffee and art communities. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092619\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260724-SFO-ICE-02-KQED-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Iryna Gorb worked as a head barista at Better Half Coffee in Nob Hill and was an active member of San Francisco’s coffee community, according to friends. (Courtesy of Andy Eblin)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Gorb is a professional photographer and has run a vintage pop-up over the years, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Her absence leaves a tremendous void in our cafe and in our community,” Better Half, the coffee shop where Gorb works, posted on social media Thursday. “She has been such an important part of this space, and her presence will be deeply missed.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eblin said that when he was able to connect with Gorb again Thursday evening, she had been transferred to California City and sounded “substantially rattled.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said she’s expected to meet with an attorney on Friday afternoon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our predominant concern at this point is getting her released on bond so she’s able to wait out any proceedings in a safe, dignified place and dignified setting, which California City is absolutely not,” Eblin told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program at the San Francisco Bar Association, immigration advocates began seeing ICE detentions at airports outside of Customs and Border Protection last year anecdotally, but in the last month, they have become a “consistent tactic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What we’re seeing now is ICE showing up at airports because they have information about travelers, they have ID information,” she said. “The Department of Homeland Security includes TSA, so it just appears that TSA is now cooperating with ICE at a level that we haven’t seen before.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel said via email that ICE and DHS operate outside the jurisdiction of U.S. airports, and that SFO is “not involved in any decisions about their operations, nor are we notified when they occur.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Atkinson said for people who are not U.S. citizens, “now is not a safe time to be traveling through airports unless you’ve spoken to an attorney and you assess what risk there is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-voters-will-vote-again-on-the-great-highway-this-november",
"title": "San Francisco Voters Will Vote, Again, on the Great Highway This November",
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"headTitle": "San Francisco Voters Will Vote, Again, on the Great Highway This November | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>San Francisco voters will once again be asked to decide whether to keep \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079238/one-year-of-san-franciscos-controversial-beachside-park\">cars off of the Great Highway\u003c/a>. A proposal to reopen the westside road to vehicles on weekdays has officially qualified for the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The election this November will be the third time in nearly four years that the Great Highway debate has gone before voters. The measure would put cars back on the Great Highway on weekdays and keep it open as a park on weekends, and is fueled by a group of residents who have not given up the battle to bring vehicles back after years of debate and multiple losses at the ballot box. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This time, they say, is different. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Now that San Franciscans have experienced both the compromise and the 24/7 closure, I believe that voters can fully weigh the pros and cons at the ballot box,” said Supervisor Alan Wong, who supports reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. “At the end of the day, I have to prioritize those commuting to work, home or school over weekday recreational use of the highway.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069187\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong points to a map highlighting traffic incidents in 2024 and 2025 in the Sunset District during a press conference about the Great Highway at City Hall in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But critics of the proposal say it’s resurfacing an outdated idea that voters have already soundly rejected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The voters of San Francisco already voted to allow San Franciscans to adapt to climate change in a positive and joyful way that is to the benefit of all,” Supervisor Myrna Melgar said in a statement. “This cynical and expensive attempt to destroy a beautiful park will fail.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco closed a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway during the pandemic to allow more space for recreation and social distancing. It quickly amassed fans from residents around the Bay Area who flocked to the open road to bike, skateboard or stroll around.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2024, voters citywide passed Proposition K, permanently removing cars from the road, which has since been converted into a beachside park called Sunset Dunes. But the majority of voters who live closest to the westside thoroughfare voted against it, and efforts to put cars back on the Great Highway have continued to dominate local politics in the residential, car-heavy Sunset District. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2025, voters in the district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055340/san-francisco-supervisor-joel-engardio-braces-for-tuesday-recall-vote\">recalled former Sunset Supervisor Joel Engardio\u003c/a>, who supported Sunset Dunes. A small group of residents also filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition K. In January, a Superior Court judge \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068774/san-francisco-judge-rejects-great-highway-lawsuit\">dismissed all four claims\u003c/a> in the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Wong, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069580/great-highway-ballot-measure-proposal-appears-doomed-for-june-election\">failed to get enough support\u003c/a> from the Board of Supervisors to put a similar measure on the ballot. Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen backed Wong’s proposal. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents fed up with the road closure took up the cause, and this week confirmed they gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters again this November. Those who want to see Sunset Dunes closed on weekdays have said that the change has led to traffic congestion on the westside. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The anger is still out there. The unrest is still out there. People that live here are suffering because they can’t use the road,” said Albert Chow, a small business owner in the Sunset who led the recall effort and recently ran unsuccessfully to be the district’s supervisor. “There’s going to be more development here. There’s going to be more density here. Our public transit is not keeping up, yet we are losing roads.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A report from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, however, found that changes to commuter traffic have been minimal, and the city has moved to adapt traffic lights to better support the flow of cars on nearby avenues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s not a major traffic difference, despite the fact that we have created one of the city’s most visited park spaces,” said Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, which is opposing the measure in order to keep the park open permanently. “Converting this space into a park has been a huge success.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079376\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign for Sunset Dunes, a park on the former Great Highway roadway, in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood on April 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other park supporters point out how the lower portion of the Great Highway is already closed due to coastal erosion, and say the city must adapt the road for the changing coastline. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A more recent analysis from SFMTA found that this November’s ballot measure to allow cars back onto the Great Highway during weekdays would cost around $14 million. Much of the price tag would go toward fixing the street lights and signage that have not been used since Sunset Dunes opened. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure to close Sunset Dunes on weekdays is already facing opposition from several neighborhood groups and city leaders, including a majority of the Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Spending nearly $20 million we don’t have is irresponsible,” Supervisor Stephen Sherrill said in a statement. “Let’s stay focused on clean and safe streets, and on addressing the massive housing crisis in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters of the measure say it offers the neighborhood a compromise after years of fighting over the closed road. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12055055\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Albert Chow, a business owner of Great Wall in the Sunset District, walks through Taraval Street in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re not trying to take it all away from the park. There are ways to make this beautiful piece of land work for everybody,” Chow said. “It doesn’t make me happy that we are having this fight, but it wasn’t thoroughly thought out as to all of the unintended consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As for the price tag for reopening the roadway to cars, Chow said, “I hate to say it, too bad.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sunset Dunes supporters, meanwhile, say there is no compromise to be had, because clearing the road for cars only some days would mean removing the public art, skatepark and other installations that now scatter the former road. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To defeat the measure, Lux said that supporters of Sunset Dunes will focus on “getting facts” before voters in the upcoming election cycle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact is, this measure would close and demolish the park in order to reconstruct a roadway that voters already understand is failing,” Lux said. “We want to make sure that voters understand their choice. They have this one piece of land. Do they want it to be a successful park that is better for our people and environment, or do they want to destroy that park and turn it back into a roadway for a small group of people who have no demonstrable concerns other than anger?”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The election this November will be the third time in nearly four years that the Great Highway debate has gone before voters. The measure would put cars back on the Great Highway on weekdays and keep it open as a park on weekends, and is fueled by a group of residents who have not given up the battle to bring vehicles back after years of debate and multiple losses at the ballot box. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The election this November will be the third time in nearly four years that the Great Highway debate has gone before voters. The measure would put cars back on the Great Highway on weekdays and keep it open as a park on weekends, and is fueled by a group of residents who have not given up the battle to bring vehicles back after years of debate and multiple losses at the ballot box. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This time, they say, is different. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Now that San Franciscans have experienced both the compromise and the 24/7 closure, I believe that voters can fully weigh the pros and cons at the ballot box,” said Supervisor Alan Wong, who supports reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. “At the end of the day, I have to prioritize those commuting to work, home or school over weekday recreational use of the highway.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Now that San Franciscans have experienced both the compromise and the 24/7 closure, I believe that voters can fully weigh the pros and cons at the ballot box,” said Supervisor Alan Wong, who supports reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. “At the end of the day, I have to prioritize those commuting to work, home or school over weekday recreational use of the highway.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069187\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong points to a map highlighting traffic incidents in 2024 and 2025 in the Sunset District during a press conference about the Great Highway at City Hall in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069187\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong points to a map highlighting traffic incidents in 2024 and 2025 in the Sunset District during a press conference about the Great Highway at City Hall in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But critics of the proposal say it’s resurfacing an outdated idea that voters have already soundly rejected.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The voters of San Francisco already voted to allow San Franciscans to adapt to climate change in a positive and joyful way that is to the benefit of all,” Supervisor Myrna Melgar said in a statement. “This cynical and expensive attempt to destroy a beautiful park will fail.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The voters of San Francisco already voted to allow San Franciscans to adapt to climate change in a positive and joyful way that is to the benefit of all,” Supervisor Myrna Melgar said in a statement. “This cynical and expensive attempt to destroy a beautiful park will fail.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco closed a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway during the pandemic to allow more space for recreation and social distancing. It quickly amassed fans from residents around the Bay Area who flocked to the open road to bike, skateboard or stroll around.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco closed a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway during the pandemic to allow more space for recreation and social distancing. It quickly amassed fans from residents around the Bay Area who flocked to the open road to bike, skateboard or stroll around.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2024, voters citywide passed Proposition K, permanently removing cars from the road, which has since been converted into a beachside park called Sunset Dunes. But the majority of voters who live closest to the westside thoroughfare voted against it, and efforts to put cars back on the Great Highway have continued to dominate local politics in the residential, car-heavy Sunset District. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2024, voters citywide passed Proposition K, permanently removing cars from the road, which has since been converted into a beachside park called Sunset Dunes. But the majority of voters who live closest to the westside thoroughfare voted against it, and efforts to put cars back on the Great Highway have continued to dominate local politics in the residential, car-heavy Sunset District. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2025, voters in the district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055340/san-francisco-supervisor-joel-engardio-braces-for-tuesday-recall-vote\">recalled former Sunset Supervisor Joel Engardio\u003c/a>, who supported Sunset Dunes. A small group of residents also filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition K. In January, a Superior Court judge \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068774/san-francisco-judge-rejects-great-highway-lawsuit\">dismissed all four claims\u003c/a> in the case. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2025, voters in the district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055340/san-francisco-supervisor-joel-engardio-braces-for-tuesday-recall-vote\">recalled former Sunset Supervisor Joel Engardio\u003c/a>, who supported Sunset Dunes. A small group of residents also filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition K. In January, a Superior Court judge \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068774/san-francisco-judge-rejects-great-highway-lawsuit\">dismissed all four claims\u003c/a> in the case. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Wong, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069580/great-highway-ballot-measure-proposal-appears-doomed-for-june-election\">failed to get enough support\u003c/a> from the Board of Supervisors to put a similar measure on the ballot. Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen backed Wong’s proposal. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Wong, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069580/great-highway-ballot-measure-proposal-appears-doomed-for-june-election\">failed to get enough support\u003c/a> from the Board of Supervisors to put a similar measure on the ballot. Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen backed Wong’s proposal. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Residents fed up with the road closure took up the cause, and this week confirmed they gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters again this November. Those who want to see Sunset Dunes closed on weekdays have said that the change has led to traffic congestion on the westside. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Residents fed up with the road closure took up the cause, and this week confirmed they gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters again this November. Those who want to see Sunset Dunes closed on weekdays have said that the change has led to traffic congestion on the westside. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The anger is still out there. The unrest is still out there. People that live here are suffering because they can’t use the road,” said Albert Chow, a small business owner in the Sunset who led the recall effort and recently ran unsuccessfully to be the district’s supervisor. “There’s going to be more development here. There’s going to be more density here. Our public transit is not keeping up, yet we are losing roads.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The anger is still out there. The unrest is still out there. People that live here are suffering because they can’t use the road,” said Albert Chow, a small business owner in the Sunset who led the recall effort and recently ran unsuccessfully to be the district’s supervisor. “There’s going to be more development here. There’s going to be more density here. Our public transit is not keeping up, yet we are losing roads.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A report from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, however, found that changes to commuter traffic have been minimal, and the city has moved to adapt traffic lights to better support the flow of cars on nearby avenues. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A report from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, however, found that changes to commuter traffic have been minimal, and the city has moved to adapt traffic lights to better support the flow of cars on nearby avenues. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s not a major traffic difference, despite the fact that we have created one of the city’s most visited park spaces,” said Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, which is opposing the measure in order to keep the park open permanently. “Converting this space into a park has been a huge success.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s not a major traffic difference, despite the fact that we have created one of the city’s most visited park spaces,” said Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, which is opposing the measure in order to keep the park open permanently. “Converting this space into a park has been a huge success.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079376\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign for Sunset Dunes, a park on the former Great Highway roadway, in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood on April 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079376\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign for Sunset Dunes, a park on the former Great Highway roadway, in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood on April 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other park supporters point out how the lower portion of the Great Highway is already closed due to coastal erosion, and say the city must adapt the road for the changing coastline. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Other park supporters point out how the lower portion of the Great Highway is already closed due to coastal erosion, and say the city must adapt the road for the changing coastline. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A more recent analysis from SFMTA found that this November’s ballot measure to allow cars back onto the Great Highway during weekdays would cost around $14 million. Much of the price tag would go toward fixing the street lights and signage that have not been used since Sunset Dunes opened. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A more recent analysis from SFMTA found that this November’s ballot measure to allow cars back onto the Great Highway during weekdays would cost around $14 million. Much of the price tag would go toward fixing the street lights and signage that have not been used since Sunset Dunes opened. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure to close Sunset Dunes on weekdays is already facing opposition from several neighborhood groups and city leaders, including a majority of the Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Spending nearly $20 million we don’t have is irresponsible,” Supervisor Stephen Sherrill said in a statement. “Let’s stay focused on clean and safe streets, and on addressing the massive housing crisis in our city.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters of the measure say it offers the neighborhood a compromise after years of fighting over the closed road. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re not trying to take it all away from the park. There are ways to make this beautiful piece of land work for everybody,” Chow said. “It doesn’t make me happy that we are having this fight, but it wasn’t thoroughly thought out as to all of the unintended consequences.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As for the price tag for reopening the roadway to cars, Chow said, “I hate to say it, too bad.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sunset Dunes supporters, meanwhile, say there is no compromise to be had, because clearing the road for cars only some days would mean removing the public art, skatepark and other installations that now scatter the former road. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sunset Dunes supporters, meanwhile, say there is no compromise to be had, because clearing the road for cars only some days would mean removing the public art, skatepark and other installations that now scatter the former road. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To defeat the measure, Lux said that supporters of Sunset Dunes will focus on “getting facts” before voters in the upcoming election cycle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The fact is, this measure would close and demolish the park in order to reconstruct a roadway that voters already understand is failing,” Lux said. “We want to make sure that voters understand their choice. They have this one piece of land. Do they want it to be a successful park that is better for our people and environment, or do they want to destroy that park and turn it back into a roadway for a small group of people who have no demonstrable concerns other than anger?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A proposal to reopen the westside road to vehicles on weekdays has officially qualified for the ballot.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>San Francisco voters will once again be asked to decide whether to keep \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079238/one-year-of-san-franciscos-controversial-beachside-park\">cars off of the Great Highway\u003c/a>. A proposal to reopen the westside road to vehicles on weekdays has officially qualified for the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The election this November will be the third time in nearly four years that the Great Highway debate has gone before voters. The measure would put cars back on the Great Highway on weekdays and keep it open as a park on weekends, and is fueled by a group of residents who have not given up the battle to bring vehicles back after years of debate and multiple losses at the ballot box. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This time, they say, is different. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Now that San Franciscans have experienced both the compromise and the 24/7 closure, I believe that voters can fully weigh the pros and cons at the ballot box,” said Supervisor Alan Wong, who supports reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. “At the end of the day, I have to prioritize those commuting to work, home or school over weekday recreational use of the highway.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069187\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260108-AlanWongGreatHighway-08-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong points to a map highlighting traffic incidents in 2024 and 2025 in the Sunset District during a press conference about the Great Highway at City Hall in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But critics of the proposal say it’s resurfacing an outdated idea that voters have already soundly rejected.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The voters of San Francisco already voted to allow San Franciscans to adapt to climate change in a positive and joyful way that is to the benefit of all,” Supervisor Myrna Melgar said in a statement. “This cynical and expensive attempt to destroy a beautiful park will fail.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco closed a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway during the pandemic to allow more space for recreation and social distancing. It quickly amassed fans from residents around the Bay Area who flocked to the open road to bike, skateboard or stroll around.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2024, voters citywide passed Proposition K, permanently removing cars from the road, which has since been converted into a beachside park called Sunset Dunes. But the majority of voters who live closest to the westside thoroughfare voted against it, and efforts to put cars back on the Great Highway have continued to dominate local politics in the residential, car-heavy Sunset District. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2025, voters in the district \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12055340/san-francisco-supervisor-joel-engardio-braces-for-tuesday-recall-vote\">recalled former Sunset Supervisor Joel Engardio\u003c/a>, who supported Sunset Dunes. A small group of residents also filed a lawsuit challenging Proposition K. In January, a Superior Court judge \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12068774/san-francisco-judge-rejects-great-highway-lawsuit\">dismissed all four claims\u003c/a> in the case. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, Wong, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069580/great-highway-ballot-measure-proposal-appears-doomed-for-june-election\">failed to get enough support\u003c/a> from the Board of Supervisors to put a similar measure on the ballot. Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen backed Wong’s proposal. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Residents fed up with the road closure took up the cause, and this week confirmed they gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters again this November. Those who want to see Sunset Dunes closed on weekdays have said that the change has led to traffic congestion on the westside. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The anger is still out there. The unrest is still out there. People that live here are suffering because they can’t use the road,” said Albert Chow, a small business owner in the Sunset who led the recall effort and recently ran unsuccessfully to be the district’s supervisor. “There’s going to be more development here. There’s going to be more density here. Our public transit is not keeping up, yet we are losing roads.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A report from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, however, found that changes to commuter traffic have been minimal, and the city has moved to adapt traffic lights to better support the flow of cars on nearby avenues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s not a major traffic difference, despite the fact that we have created one of the city’s most visited park spaces,” said Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, which is opposing the measure in order to keep the park open permanently. “Converting this space into a park has been a huge success.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12079376\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260409-SunsetDunesAnniversary-14-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign for Sunset Dunes, a park on the former Great Highway roadway, in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood on April 9, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other park supporters point out how the lower portion of the Great Highway is already closed due to coastal erosion, and say the city must adapt the road for the changing coastline. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A more recent analysis from SFMTA found that this November’s ballot measure to allow cars back onto the Great Highway during weekdays would cost around $14 million. Much of the price tag would go toward fixing the street lights and signage that have not been used since Sunset Dunes opened. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure to close Sunset Dunes on weekdays is already facing opposition from several neighborhood groups and city leaders, including a majority of the Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Spending nearly $20 million we don’t have is irresponsible,” Supervisor Stephen Sherrill said in a statement. “Let’s stay focused on clean and safe streets, and on addressing the massive housing crisis in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters of the measure say it offers the neighborhood a compromise after years of fighting over the closed road. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12055055\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/250903-SUNSETCHINESERECALL00096_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Albert Chow, a business owner of Great Wall in the Sunset District, walks through Taraval Street in San Francisco on Sept. 3, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re not trying to take it all away from the park. There are ways to make this beautiful piece of land work for everybody,” Chow said. “It doesn’t make me happy that we are having this fight, but it wasn’t thoroughly thought out as to all of the unintended consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As for the price tag for reopening the roadway to cars, Chow said, “I hate to say it, too bad.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sunset Dunes supporters, meanwhile, say there is no compromise to be had, because clearing the road for cars only some days would mean removing the public art, skatepark and other installations that now scatter the former road. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To defeat the measure, Lux said that supporters of Sunset Dunes will focus on “getting facts” before voters in the upcoming election cycle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> is confronting a large unionization effort among employees who have historically stayed outside of unions: doctors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, doctors and physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move points to a marked shift in the healthcare industry, where in the past, it has been somewhat rare for generally highly paid doctors to form unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But interest in collective bargaining within the medical profession has accelerated, particularly post-pandemic, as more physicians report deteriorating working conditions and a loss of clinical autonomy amidst an increasingly consolidated and profit-driven industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doctors attend a press conference held by UCSF attending doctors to announce the UC unionization effort with SEIU Doctors United at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in San Francisco, California. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for SEIU Doctors United)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attending physicians at UC, who make clinical decisions and often supervise residents and medical students, said they are stretched thin with unsustainable patient loads, understaffing and less decision-making power — concerns often echoed by nurses and other patient care workers with higher union participation rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>UC declined to comment on the attending physicians’ organizing campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/university-of-california\">University of California\u003c/a> is confronting a large unionization effort among employees who have historically stayed outside of unions: doctors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Thursday, doctors and physicians announced their plans to form a union with SEIU Doctors United — a partnership between Doctors Council, Service Employees International Union and Committee of Interns and Residents that represents more than 45,000 doctors nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The move points to a marked shift in the healthcare industry, where in the past, it has been somewhat rare for generally highly paid doctors to form unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But interest in collective bargaining within the medical profession has accelerated, particularly post-pandemic, as more physicians report deteriorating working conditions and a loss of clinical autonomy amidst an increasingly consolidated and profit-driven industry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092511\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/UCDoctors3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doctors attend a press conference held by UCSF attending doctors to announce the UC unionization effort with SEIU Doctors United at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on July 23, 2026, in San Francisco, California. (Thos Robinson/Getty Images for SEIU Doctors United)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Attending physicians at UC, who make clinical decisions and often supervise residents and medical students, said they are stretched thin with unsustainable patient loads, understaffing and less decision-making power — concerns often echoed by nurses and other patient care workers with higher union participation rates.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes I do feel, especially as a primary care physician, overwhelmed,” Dr. Radhika Rajan, a UCSF pediatrician at SF General, told KQED. “The work that we have to do does not stop when we are leaving [the] clinic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So many of us are excited to unionize because the goal is to be able to have the resources to provide better care for our patients,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>UC declined to comment on the attending physicians’ organizing campaign.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About $24 billion, \u003ca href=\"https://health.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/uc-health-fact-sheet-web.pdf\">nearly 40%\u003c/a> of the university’s total revenue last year, came from its six academic health centers, serving 2.5 million Californians. UC is the state’s second largest employer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Labor experts said it’s unlikely that university executives would welcome a new large doctors’ union. If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucdoctorsunited.org/\">UC Doctors United\u003c/a> organizing campaign is successful, it could inspire doctors elsewhere to seek a collective voice on the job, according to John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People who run the university undoubtedly will not want 10,000 doctors at the UC system to unionize and to have to bargain collectively over things that they can unilaterally decide at the moment,” Logan said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The university this month reached a \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-and-cir-seiu-reach-tentative-contract-agreement\">tentative agreement\u003c/a> with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents 6,400 resident physicians and fellows who generally earn lower incomes than attending doctors. The deal includes an 18% salary increase and improvements to address emergency room capacity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, attending physicians earn more than $200,000 per year on average, depending on location, experience and specialty, according to Salary.com.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide, \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11221793/\">less than 10%\u003c/a> of practicing physicians are union members.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A suspect has been arrested after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> City Councilmember Rowena Brown was robbed and assaulted in her home last week by an acquaintance she was helping through a hard time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland police arrested Ahshatae Millhouse, 38, of Hayward, in Livermore on Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree burglary, assault and false imprisonment. She was booked into Santa Rita Jail and arraigned in Oakland on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brown’s office said in a post \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a> this week that the council member at large sought medical treatment after the incident and is recovering with support from loved ones.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She remains focused on her recovery and on continuing to serve the Oakland community,” her office said. “We are grateful to the Oakland Police Department for its swift response, for taking the suspect into custody, and for its continued investigation of the incident.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084253\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland Police vehicle in Oakland, California, on Nov. 5, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to court documents, Millhouse was at Brown’s apartment in the early hours of July 19. Brown asked her to leave “because of her escalating behavior,” and on her way to the door, Millhouse allegedly punched Brown twice, causing her to fall to the ground. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millhouse then dragged Brown by her hair into the living room, where she pressed her knee into Brown’s neck, according to court documents. Millhouse placed both of her hands around Brown’s neck and strangled her, the report said, before Brown was able to escape the apartment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Millhouse allegedly fled the scene with Brown’s purse and two cellphones. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sending you love, healing and support during this difficult time,” Councilmember Janani Ramachandran wrote to Brown \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a>. “You are an incredibly strong person and Oakland is lucky to have your leadership!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Brown’s staff, Millhouse was an acquaintance that Brown was helping through a difficult time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Millhouse’s brother, Terrill Millhouse, was shot and killed in East Oakland in November, the night before Thanksgiving. Last week, Oakland police released \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1354358532863216\">surveillance footage\u003c/a> of the suspect in the incident. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Millhouse and Brown have been acquainted since at least August 2024, when social media posts show Millhouse, who directs a music therapy nonprofit, campaigned for Brown. In February, Brown appointed Millhouse to the city’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJHSLBFDTb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">on social media\u003c/a> on Thursday that she had been in touch with Brown, and that “she is well and recovering from her injuries.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to thank her friends, family and OPD for their support during this period and ask that her privacy be respected at this time,” she wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millhouse is set to return to court on July 30. She has not yet entered a plea.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland police arrested Ahshatae Millhouse, 38, of Hayward, in Livermore on Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree burglary, assault and false imprisonment. She was booked into Santa Rita Jail and arraigned in Oakland on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Brown’s office said in a post \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a> this week that the council member at large sought medical treatment after the incident and is recovering with support from loved ones.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She remains focused on her recovery and on continuing to serve the Oakland community,” her office said. “We are grateful to the Oakland Police Department for its swift response, for taking the suspect into custody, and for its continued investigation of the incident.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to court documents, Millhouse was at Brown’s apartment in the early hours of July 19. Brown asked her to leave “because of her escalating behavior,” and on her way to the door, Millhouse allegedly punched Brown twice, causing her to fall to the ground. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to court documents, Millhouse was at Brown’s apartment in the early hours of July 19. Brown asked her to leave “because of her escalating behavior,” and on her way to the door, Millhouse allegedly punched Brown twice, causing her to fall to the ground. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Millhouse then dragged Brown by her hair into the living room, where she pressed her knee into Brown’s neck, according to court documents. Millhouse placed both of her hands around Brown’s neck and strangled her, the report said, before Brown was able to escape the apartment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Millhouse then dragged Brown by her hair into the living room, where she pressed her knee into Brown’s neck, according to court documents. Millhouse placed both of her hands around Brown’s neck and strangled her, the report said, before Brown was able to escape the apartment. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Millhouse allegedly fled the scene with Brown’s purse and two cellphones. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Sending you love, healing and support during this difficult time,” Councilmember Janani Ramachandran wrote to Brown \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a>. “You are an incredibly strong person and Oakland is lucky to have your leadership!”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Sending you love, healing and support during this difficult time,” Councilmember Janani Ramachandran wrote to Brown \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a>. “You are an incredibly strong person and Oakland is lucky to have your leadership!”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to Brown’s staff, Millhouse was an acquaintance that Brown was helping through a difficult time. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Millhouse’s brother, Terrill Millhouse, was shot and killed in East Oakland in November, the night before Thanksgiving. Last week, Oakland police released \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1354358532863216\">surveillance footage\u003c/a> of the suspect in the incident. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Millhouse and Brown have been acquainted since at least August 2024, when social media posts show Millhouse, who directs a music therapy nonprofit, campaigned for Brown. In February, Brown appointed Millhouse to the city’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJHSLBFDTb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">on social media\u003c/a> on Thursday that she had been in touch with Brown, and that “she is well and recovering from her injuries.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I want to thank her friends, family and OPD for their support during this period and ask that her privacy be respected at this time,” she wrote. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Millhouse is set to return to court on July 30. She has not yet entered a plea.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Brown’s acquaintance, Ahshatae Millhouse, 38, of Hayward, was arraigned Thursday for an assault and robbery that took place in the official’s Oakland home.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A suspect has been arrested after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> City Councilmember Rowena Brown was robbed and assaulted in her home last week by an acquaintance she was helping through a hard time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland police arrested Ahshatae Millhouse, 38, of Hayward, in Livermore on Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree burglary, assault and false imprisonment. She was booked into Santa Rita Jail and arraigned in Oakland on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brown’s office said in a post \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a> this week that the council member at large sought medical treatment after the incident and is recovering with support from loved ones.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She remains focused on her recovery and on continuing to serve the Oakland community,” her office said. “We are grateful to the Oakland Police Department for its swift response, for taking the suspect into custody, and for its continued investigation of the incident.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12084253\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/OaklandPoliceCarKQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An Oakland Police vehicle in Oakland, California, on Nov. 5, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to court documents, Millhouse was at Brown’s apartment in the early hours of July 19. Brown asked her to leave “because of her escalating behavior,” and on her way to the door, Millhouse allegedly punched Brown twice, causing her to fall to the ground. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millhouse then dragged Brown by her hair into the living room, where she pressed her knee into Brown’s neck, according to court documents. Millhouse placed both of her hands around Brown’s neck and strangled her, the report said, before Brown was able to escape the apartment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Millhouse allegedly fled the scene with Brown’s purse and two cellphones. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sending you love, healing and support during this difficult time,” Councilmember Janani Ramachandran wrote to Brown \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJBymfPeHD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">on social media\u003c/a>. “You are an incredibly strong person and Oakland is lucky to have your leadership!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to Brown’s staff, Millhouse was an acquaintance that Brown was helping through a difficult time. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Millhouse’s brother, Terrill Millhouse, was shot and killed in East Oakland in November, the night before Thanksgiving. Last week, Oakland police released \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1354358532863216\">surveillance footage\u003c/a> of the suspect in the incident. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Millhouse and Brown have been acquainted since at least August 2024, when social media posts show Millhouse, who directs a music therapy nonprofit, campaigned for Brown. In February, Brown appointed Millhouse to the city’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DbJHSLBFDTb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">on social media\u003c/a> on Thursday that she had been in touch with Brown, and that “she is well and recovering from her injuries.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to thank her friends, family and OPD for their support during this period and ask that her privacy be respected at this time,” she wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millhouse is set to return to court on July 30. She has not yet entered a plea.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-bruce-lee-fight-in-oakland-that-became-martial-arts-legend",
"title": "The Bruce Lee Fight in Oakland That Became Martial Arts Legend",
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"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Greglon Lee peered through the gaps in a black, wrought-iron fence enclosing an empty corner lot on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland’s\u003c/a> Auto Row. More than half a century ago, the martial arts legend Bruce Lee — then still unknown — ran a kung fu studio here with Greglon’s father. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though they were peers and close friends, Greglon’s father was one of Bruce’s most fervent disciples.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The main teacher was Bruce,” Greglon said. “My dad was 20 years older, and had just as much experience, but he let Bruce run things. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greglon Lee stores James Lee’s old Mook Jong, a training tool in martial arts, in the garage of the apartment complex he lives at in Berkeley on June 1, 2026. Greglon Lee is the son of James Lee, a martial artist who once was Bruce Lee’s training partner. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The studio served as the ring of what may have been one of the most important fights of Bruce Lee’s life: the Showdown in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the school where Bruce fought Wong Jack-man,” Greglon said. “Bruce took it personally.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco when his parents were on tour with an opera company from Hong Kong. He returned to the Bay Area as a young man to study and train, making a name for himself as a martial artist. But only recently has California made an effort to recognize and celebrate the Hollywood star’s early roots here. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this summer, San Francisco officials and Chinatown community members, along with Bruce’s daughter, Shannon, led the effort to commemorate May 17 — the day Bruce moved back to the city from Hong Kong as a teen — as Bruce Lee Day — becoming the first Chinese American to be honored with a namesake day in state history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2BKNDc48N4\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the Hollywood icon and martial artist’s time here in the Bay Area was brief, it was formative. Among the best-known chapters is the Showdown in Oakland, when he exchanged blows with a martial artist from San Francisco. The fight has become lore in the martial arts world, the subject of books, magazine articles and films, and is well-known to Bruce Lee fans around the world. More than 60 years after it happened, it remains controversial and hotly debated within dojos and on online forums. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s the story of how gung fu — let’s call it by its English name — how kung fu becomes American,” said Berkeley-based historian and cultural critic Jeff Chang, who wrote the recent biography \u003cem>Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian-America, \u003c/em>of the fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like the classic Akira Kurosawa film \u003cem>Rashomon\u003c/em>, which explores truth and self-interest among characters who give contradictory accounts of an event they witness, the story of the fight reads like a case study in selective human memory. Countless retellings, each drawing from legend and third-hand accounts, have inevitably added a bit to the hero’s journey, turning the story into its own myth. Here’s what really happened: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moving back to the heart of the martial arts scene \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1964, Bruce was a student at the University of Washington, but spent more time fighting than studying. Through his work as a cha-cha instructor, which would occasionally bring him to the Bay Area to make money, he met an Oakland resident named James Yimm Lee — Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>James, who grew up in Oakland, came from the world of blue-collar bodybuilding and weightlifting. But he was also a skilled martial artist who wanted to modernize and popularize the sport. When he met Bruce, James realized he “was the real deal,” Greglon said, “kind of like the [martial arts] Michael Jordan.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1442\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED.jpg 1442w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED-160x222.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED-1107x1536.jpg 1107w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1442px) 100vw, 1442px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in long-sleeved shirt, smiling in a family portrait. His wife, Linda Lee Caldwell, holds her daughter, Shannon, with Brandon on the left. (Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite sharing a surname, the men weren’t related but became fast friends and instant collaborators. So, James convinced Bruce to move, along with his wife Linda Lee Caldwell — who was then eight months pregnant — to the Bay Area, to live with James and his two children. James’ wife had just died of cancer, so Linda helped care for Greglon and his sister. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area, at that point,” said Chang, is “the heart of the U.S. martial arts movement. You have like all of these folks who are working class fighters … security guards or policemen or military. And they’re all mixing up into a martial arts scene that now is desegregating — and it’s created a lot of ferment. Bruce wanted to be down there.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce and James spent countless hours together, training and dissecting their craft. The two articulated a shared vision of martial arts: one that fluidly changed between styles and forms, and drew upon Daoism as a philosophy for how to live. To practice these ideas, they set up a kung fu school together in Oakland, which at first they ran out of James’ garage. When they started to pick up more students, they opened up the storefront at 4157 Broadway Street. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two shared a belief that martial arts should be more adaptable, not as fixed in style or form. And they both chafed at what they perceived as rigidity among other martial arts teachers — particularly in San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a young man, Bruce had run afoul of some of the San Francisco Chinatown koons — or kung fu schools. The community, at that time, was extremely wary of outsiders, and, due to decades of anti-Chinese racism, protective of their schools, Chang said. Exclusionary policies had heavily \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11443320/as-chinese-exclusion-act-turns-135-experts-point-to-parallels-today\">restricted Chinese immigration\u003c/a>, siloing off the community from newer waves of Chinese from the mainland and surrounding territories. San Francisco residents didn’t know what to make of Bruce, Chang said — “a loud, brash immigrant from Hong Kong.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Sun Sing Theater demonstration\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tensions came to a head in August 1964, when Bruce gave a martial arts demonstration at San Francisco Chinatown’s \u003ca href=\"https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3939/\">Sun Sing Theater\u003c/a> at 1021 Grant Ave. — one of San Francisco’s oldest opera houses, and where his father had performed opera nearly two decades earlier (though the building’s gorgeous facade remains, it’s boarded up today).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce had been there on tour with Diana Chang, known as the “Mandarin Marilyn Monroe,” to dance the cha-cha. But after they finished their performance, Bruce had a surprise for the crowd: he took to the stage to demonstrate his style of martial arts for the packed house. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A fight nearly broke out on stage, and the crowd hurled cigarette butts and insults at Bruce, then only 24 years old. As Chang describes it, Bruce scrambled to get the situation back under control.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1338\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091695\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in a yellow jumpsuit in action while directing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the set of “Game of Death.” (Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would like to let everybody know that any time my Chinatown brothers want to try out my Wing Chun,” Bruce said, as retold in Chang’s book, “they are welcomed to come find me at my school in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To the riled-up crowd, this sounded like a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To the San Francisco martial artists, a fight seemed inevitable. And they chose a promising young fighter, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.jingmo.com/\">\u003cem>jing wu\u003c/em>\u003c/a> star named Wong Jack-man, to challenge the “young dissident,” as the elders in the city called him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wong was known for being stoic, polished — a picture of grace and power — in comparison with Bruce’s more back-alley style of brawling. To this day, it’s not clear why he agreed to the proposal when his Chinatown friends came to the Jackson Cafe, at 633 Battery, where he worked as a waiter, and asked him to represent the big city in the challenge against Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ‘Showdown in Oakland’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The match-up — wrote Charles Russo, San Francisco journalist and author of \u003cem>Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America\u003c/em> — was “spectacular,” pitting two talented young martial artists with a uniquely yin-yang-like symmetry together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Bruce’s style was compact and economical. Wong’s expansive and acrobatic,” Russo said. “Collectively, it had all the characteristics of a fight promoter’s dream.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the end of a cold day in November 1964, Wong Jack-man and his friends piled into a crimson Pontiac Tempest and drove to the Broadway studio in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee’s old home on Monticello Avenue in East Oakland on June 1, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Waiting inside were a “very pregnant Linda,” James, and Bruce, Chang said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wong was dressed formally, in a dark, high-collared, long-sleeved uniform with lacing down the middle. Bruce wore white jeans and a white tank top. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were a total of nine people in the studio, only one of whom is alive today, Bruce’s wife Linda. And she did not speak Cantonese, the \u003cem>lingua franca\u003c/em> of the fight, so undoubtedly some context was lost. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, everyone can agree on what happened next: David Chin, one of Wong’s friends and an instigator of the fight, began enumerating rules. Bruce “kept the tone harsh,” martial arts journalist Russo said: “You came to my school to challenge me, and now you want to set the rules?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Wong reached out to shake hands, the tense Bruce Lee threw out a feint that crashed right above Wong’s eye — immediately setting the tone for the rest of the fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1539\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-1536x1182.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee during the Hall of Mirrors scene on the set of “Enter the Dragon.” (Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At one point, wrote Rick Wing, one of Wong’s students and another chronicler of the fight, Wong got Bruce into a headlock, though eventually, he let go.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Wong considered Lee to be a sparring opponent only, and not a mortal enemy,” Wing said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wong later told Wing about Bruce: “He would never say he lost until you killed him.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A final detail of the fight that everyone agrees with: once Bruce got out of the headlock, he lunged after Wong, who turned and tried to evade the attack. Then, he tripped on a floorboard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two scuffled on the edge of the studio, with Bruce pummeling Wong with punches and yelling, “Admit it, you lost!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether Wong actually surrendered is up for debate. However, multiple kung fu students of San Francisco Chinatown have relayed third-hand that if Wong had won, the neighborhood would have been celebrating. Instead, it was silent the next day, like a funeral. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The aftermath of the fight\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The details are somewhat unremarkable — a messy fight in a small Oakland studio with a murky victory — but rumors of the fight, and what caused it, would spread like wildfire through the martial arts community and ultimately reach Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The rumor mill claimed over and over — in tabloids, martial arts magazines and even major Hollywood films — that Chinatown’s old guard took issue with Bruce teaching kung fu to non-Chinese people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greglon Lee poses for a portrait at the apartment complex he lives at in Berkeley on June 1, 2026. Greglon Lee is the son of James Lee, a martial artist who once was Bruce Lee’s training partner. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those who peddle this narrative often point to discrimination Bruce may have faced growing up in Hong Kong, due to his own background as a quarter-Dutch on his mom’s side. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Chang questioned whether this narrative holds up to scrutiny. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people,” Chang said. “I just think that’s not true at all. The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese for a long time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the fight did have a big effect on Bruce’s life and career.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For all of his bluster, the fight against Wong Jack-man was a huge reality check for Bruce, who realized his technique and conditioning came up short of his own expectations. His sloppy “victory” would forever alter his approach to martial arts, his biographers have said, and came at the right time, just as his Hollywood star was about to rise. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Iron sharpens iron,” Greglon said. “You always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better. [After] the fight with Wong Jack-man, Bruce changed his training completely. It helped Bruce go to another level.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just months after The Showdown in Oakland, Bruce Lee got a call from a Hollywood producer asking him to audition for a part. It was his first big break and the beginning of a distinguished film career that ultimately led to Bruce starring in his most famous film, \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether or not the story bears the weight of the facts, “there’s a great mythology here,” Chang said, that may represent its power to this day. In the showdown, Bruce Lee’s fans found a battle over culture and change, one that matched the upheaval of the times, and wider shifts within Asian America. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Although that context was real, the more meaningful transformation was within Bruce himself. He went on to dedicate his life to becoming one of the best that ever lived. As an actor, he challenged stereotypes in Hollywood, refusing roles that typecast him. In his short life, he paved the way for future generations and set an example that continues to inspire and comfort fans to this day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was always something special about Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Enter the Dragon theme song plays\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The martial artist and actor was one of the first Asian stars in Hollywood. His path to fame wasn’t easy, but it paved the way for other Asian Americans to do the same today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s this famous thing Bruce said…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I said empty your mind…be formless, shapeless…like water. Water can flow or crash. Be water, my friend…”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s the cornerstone of his martial arts philosophy…as much a mantra for how to live as a fighting technique. Be adaptable. Go with the flow … even if you’re riding a tidal wave.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce was a disruptor in the kung fu world…a young upstart who wanted to do things differently. Though he would eventually become this legendary figure in American culture, it took him years to hone his own style and philosophy. And many of the early moments that shaped him, the ones that made him \u003cem>the\u003c/em> Bruce Lee we see on the silver screen, they took place in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I assume there’s people alive still in Oakland and San Francisco who know him and have great stories to share. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That’s Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins. Sam’s first exposure to Bruce Lee was in the star’s most famous film — Enter the Dragon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>Most people would say like the defining one in the one that first like drew me into him and pulled me in. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As a kid, he loved Bruce’s kung-fu moves. But as an adult he’s come to appreciate how brave Bruce was. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>The thing that really inspires me about him is that he changed how people think. And that’s so powerful, like how they view themselves and how they view others and pushed against like all these stereotypes and all these limitations that Hollywood was putting on him and society was putting on him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sam’s become kind of obsessed. He’s watched documentaries about Bruce Lee, been to museum exhibits about him and located local spots in San Francisco and Oakland that were meaningful in Bruce’s life. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>And I just have always wondered though, why isn’t there more in terms of honoring his legacy and all the great things that he did in his time here? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s this one story Sam has heard over and over about “The Showdown in Oakland,” a fight between Bruce and a kung fu fighter from San Francisco that has become lore in the martial arts world. It’s one of the early moments in Bruce’s career that puts him on the map, and it’s practically a legend at this point. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I’ve heard different versions of it. So I’m just so curious, like which one is like the most accurate?\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>This is Bay Curious. The show where we answer listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED’s Elize Manoukian set out to separate fact from fiction and understand what role the Bay Area played in Bruce Lee’s life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> There’s an interview Bruce Lee gives in 1966, right as his star is about to rise. He’s still a bit of an unknown…it seems like the interviewer doesn’t know who he is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>I think his name is Bruce Lee…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In the interview, Bruce explains to a mainstream American audience what kung fu is, using the Chinese pronunciation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>Well, gung fu is a Chinese form of combat. Arts like karate or jiu jitsu derive from gung fu. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then the journalist asks him: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>Don’t you have some karate schools in San Francisco or something?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>There are multiple issues with that question, but Bruce homes in on just one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: In Oakland, really. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even at this early point in his Hollywood career, the difference between the two Bay Area cities was important to him. You’ll soon hear why.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce lived in the Bay Area only a short while — just a few years — but his time in Oakland and San Francisco would go on to have a major influence on his career, and some have argued, on the way we think about martial arts in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> It’s a story in a way of how gung fu…how Kung Fu becomes American\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s historian and cultural critic Jeff Chang, the author of a recent Bruce Lee biography, “Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I asked him to tell me about Bruce’s life here, starting from the very beginning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Bruce was born in the Bay Area. He is there because his parents are on a tour. His dad is a famous Cantonese opera singer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And while his dad is performing in San Francisco, his mom becomes pregnant\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So he’s born in this segregated hospital in 1940.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, which is still open today. His mom, Grace, names her baby Bruce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Soon after, the family heads back to Hong Kong, which is quickly becoming the heart of Asia’s film industry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce’s dad, Hoi Cheun, transitions from singing opera to acting in movies. And at a young age, Bruce starts acting too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So the directors are looking at who’s this kid. He’s so, he’s so fascinating. He’s got so much energy. He loves to be. He’s like a born showperson. Let’s put him in the movies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bruce Lee speaking Cantonese in The Kid\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Bruce at age 10, in a movie called the Kid. It’s about a tough street urchin with a heart of gold. The film premieres in 1950, and it’s a smash success in Hong Kong. But being famous is hard on Bruce, and he starts getting picked on in school.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is Bruce Lee’s martial arts origin story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And so he learns to try to figure out ways of protecting himself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And eventually, he meets a seifu, a Gongfu seifu named Yipman. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Yipman is a legendary figure in 1950s Hong Kong. He trains Bruce in a discipline called Wing Chun. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At this point, Hong Kong’s youth culture is obsessed with kung fu and streetfighting. Kids would literally challenge each other and battle on school rooftops.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Turns out that Bruce really loves the taste of blood on his lips.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce has a short fuse and loves “talking with his hands,”. During his teen years, he gets a bad boy, James-Dean-kinda reputation in Hong Kong. He even gets kicked out of school for fighting. One day, when Bruce is 18 years old, the police come to his parents house, and tell them that if he stays in Hong Kong, he’ll be arrested. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And his parents are like, that’s it. You know, the police are after you, like the gangs are after you. You’re not, you’re not going to be here anymore. We’re going to send you back to the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Remember, Bruce was born in the U.S., so he’s a citizen. In 1959, his parents give him $100 and send him to live with one of their friends in San Francisco Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce gets a job, his first non-acting job, at a restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He hates it. He can’t take it. Like, this is beneath me. You know, I’ve been on the movie screen, and now you got me cutting carrots. Like, no, I’m not, I’m not about that life. So he quits in a day. And his guardian is like, OK, — Well, I guess we have to have you teach cha-cha then.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Oh, I forgot to mention: Bruce is an amazing dancer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Cha-cha was a huge craze in 1950s Hong Kong, and Bruce is super athletic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So while learning English, Bruce starts teaching cha-cha to San Francisco’s Chinese community to make money. But he’s bored. And restless. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he’s like, where are the fighters here? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He can’t help himself. There’s some part of him that just needs to feel the \u003cem>rush\u003c/em> of a real, flesh-and-blood fight again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So he walks into a kung fu school and challenges the other students to a fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And they run him out immediately.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s the first in a long list of grievances San Francisco’s kung fu community will have with Bruce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As if his parents read the writing on the wall, they decide to send him to Seattle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>His parents are like, OK, you’re going to get in trouble again. We’re sending you to a place where there’s less Chinese, there’s less distractions. And you’re going to finish your fricking diploma, and you’re going to get a college degree.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> He never gets that diploma. In fact, Bruce doesn’t last long in Seattle, although he does end up getting married to a woman named Linda while he’s there. The Bay Area is the heart of the West Coast’s martial arts scene, and Bruce wants to get back there. So he drops out of the University of Washington, moves his young family, and gambles everything…on the Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/strong>Back in Oakland, Bruce meets some folks who help him refine his theories and practice of martial arts. More on that when we come back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor break\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> The year is 1964, a time of major cultural change. Young people are questioning everything about U.S. society. And Bruce Lee, who has just moved back to the Bay Area as a 24-year-old college dropout, is going through his own personal revolution. He isn’t just studying martial arts; he has some radical ideas about its future. And he finds some enthusiastic disciples in the Bay Area. Elize Manoukian takes us to Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Yeah, this is the old house: 3039 Monticello. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Greglon Lee, a kung fu sifu based in Berkeley. He’s showing me the funky, yellow bungalow in the East Oakland hills where he once lived with Bruce Lee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce spent a lot of time here, and he was basically training 10-12 hours a day.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even as a college student, Bruce had picked up kung fu students across the West Coast. And one of the most dedicated was a man named James Yimm Lee, Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was one of his top students; my dad had been training with him for a few years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was a local streetfighter and bodybuilder. He became fascinated with kung fu, wanted to modernize and popularize it. He knew Bruce could help. So he convinced Bruce and his family to move in with him and his kids in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>You come down to Oakland. We got you covered, roof over your head, and you can train and do whatever you want.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James filled his garage with a bunch of diy equipment — punching pads, shields, leg stretchers. The two men scrutinized reels of Mohammed Ali boxing fights. They practiced what worked from classical styles of martial arts and threw away the rest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>To get better when you’re already good ain’t easy. You really have to break things down completely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was helping Bruce invent a NEW style of martial arts that tried to break away from set technique completely. Classical kung fu was too rigid, they said. Instead, they experimented with fusing wing chun, boxing, street fighting with some heavy doses of Daoist philosophy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The individual has to really do their own work. There’s no magic pill. There’s no magic movement to martial arts. It’s getting to know yourself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce’s homegrown fighting style would eventually become known as Jeet Kun Do, or as Greg calls it, JKD. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>And you’ve got to remember the Cha Cha taught him really good footwork and how to change timing, which is really the key to J. K. D. It’s not static.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce and James gain some attention for their new fighting style. Students come from hundreds of miles away to study with them. They pick up enough disciples that they decide to open up a little studio on Broadway Street in Oakland, near what’s now auto row. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was twenty years older, but he let Bruce run everything. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In Oakland, Bruce gains confidence in his approach to martial arts, and he’s convinced the San Francisco kung fu scene is \u003cem>backwards … \u003c/em>he’s not shy about sharing that opinion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here’s Bruce Lee biographer Jeff Chang again: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He’s basically saying, all of your schools, all the stuff they teach you: That’s all garbage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And some people in San Francisco get wind of this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They don’t have short-term memories. Like, they remember when Bruce first was there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It all comes to a head in the summer of 1964. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce is promoting his Oakland school, in a kung fu demonstration at San Francisco’s Sun Sing Theater, the same stage where his dad performed opera, two decades earlier. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During his demo, he starts critiquing the style of teaching in San Francisco, but in kind of a brash, 24-year-old way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Everything that you’ve been taught is no good. Let me show you how a real martial artist does things. Provocative, right?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The air in the theater is hazy with cigarette smoke. And the crowd is full of San Francisco martial artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re just waiting for Bruce to make a wrong move.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then he invites somebody on stage, and says, try to defend yourself using your style, and I’ll show you why mine’s better\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He wants to show the speed and accuracy of his punch. As it turns out, the guy that comes up to be on stage with him is somebody who’s deeply affiliated with the Chinatown koons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The koons are kung fu schools\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The volunteer blocks Bruce’s punch. Bruce tries again, and the kid blocks it again. Then, the kid puts up his fists, ready for a fight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And everybody starts hooting and hollering, ’cause they’re cheering for the guy who came up from the audience. That’s their guy, right? He’s like a ringer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce is embarrassed. But he stops and collects himself… trying to refocus the message on what his school has to offer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he says, “If you want more, come and see me in Oakland.” And what he really means is, “My school is in Oakland. You’re welcome to come, we’ll train and that kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But at this point, tempers are high. And to the riled-up crowd it sounds like Bruce is saying: “let’s finish what we started, meet me in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>This spreads through the sort of underground pipeline, right? The coconut wireless really fast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Soon every martial artist in the Bay Area is talking about what happened at the theater. And some San Francisco guys decide to challenge Bruce to a fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They want to see Bruce get his ass beaten.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So they recruit an up-and-coming martial artist named Wong Jack-man, telling him, you’re our best hope to take this guy down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, Wong wasn’t at the Sun Sing Theater, and by all accounts, didn’t really seem to know what he was walking into.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>WongJack-man thinks he’s going to Oakland to fight a comparison fight. It’s a friendly kind of thing. Everybody goes out and has tea and dim sum afterwards, right?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Instead, he’s an unwitting participant in one of Bruce Lee’s most famous fights. The Showdown in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here’s what happened according to Jeff and Greglon: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They come to the studio at dusk on a November evening. And at the studio are James, James Yimm Lee, Bruce and Linda. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>I know that my dad did bring a gun just in case, just in case things got out of control.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Elize: It starts out friendly enough…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man reaches his hand out, and that Bruce, uh, sort of gives a faint instead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And lashes out with a punch \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>That is directed at Wong Jack-man’s eyes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> So hard it leaves a mark.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And the realization that, Oh, Bruce is actually out for blood, like this is something serious. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce presses in. He uses low kicks and close-up punches.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Most people Bruce dealt with, he could take them out in about five seconds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But Wong sidesteps the assault and deflects with his forearms. He uses long and graceful kicks and wide diagonal blows — like axes coming down — he hits Bruce HARD in the neck, and gets Bruce into a headlock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Like holding his neck under his arm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man could have won right there. But he lets go. He considers Bruce an opponent, not a mortal enemy. Bruce seizes the opportunity and attacks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man started running.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he trips on a floorboard and falls down. Bruce pounces on him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>They’re on the floor, with Bruce yelling, “You lost, admit it!” Their friends jump in and separate the two. And that was that. A pretty messy fight, ended by a floorboard. Not at all the resolution to the Oakland- San Francisco rivalry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Except the story doesn’t end there. The fight at the studio was just the beginning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>It became a story that just passed word of mouth. The word gets back to Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The magazines picked up about Bruce and Wong Jack-man, all kinds of rumors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In one story, Wong Jack-man kills Bruce. In others, Bruce is defending the honor of an actress from Hong Kong. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the biggest story — the one that has prevailed — is that the fight was about who gets to learn kung fu. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s part of the mythology around Bruce Lee, that he not only popularizes kung fu…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He opens the doors for non-Chinese to kind of study it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Though it’s a compelling story, it’s just not true. After all, this is San Francisco in the 60s we’re talking about here. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese. And so it just doesn’t stand up to, to that kind of scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So a lot of the myths surrounding the Showdown are not true. But for Bruce, it was still a turning point.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fight was the first true test of his ideas. Wong Jack-man represented all of the things Bruce and James had been arguing needed to change. But it wasn’t the easy victory he had expected, says Greglon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce changed his training completely. So actually, the fight with Wong Jack-man helped Bruce go to another level. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Martial arts is ultimately about fighting yourself, Bruce Lee would write later in life. You train to control your impulses, to empty your mind. And this fight showed him he wasn’t there yet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He knew he needed to work harder. And get better. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee:\u003c/strong> Iron sharpens iron. You don’t sharpen your knife or sword on wood or a piece of butter. So you always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The timing of the Showdown would turn out to be important for Bruce. Because he would need these lessons as he embarked on a new phase of his career. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shortly after the Showdown in Oakland, something unexpected happens. Bruce’s wife gets a call.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Out of the blue one afternoon. Linda gets a call, and it’s this Hollywood producer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The producer’s barber saw Bruce do a kung fu demonstration earlier that year…and Bruce gets the role of Kato, the sidekick of a TV superhero named the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of martial arts fighting from The Green Hornet.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show only ran one season. And Kato doesn’t have many lines. But Bruce’s character, who uses martial arts to save the Green Hornet episode after episode, becomes a hit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>As the management looks at the numbers of toys being sold, they’re like, well, Kato’s outselling the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show gives Bruce a chance to show off his kung fu to a national audience. For many viewers, it’s their first time seeing martial arts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Bruce still can’t break into the mainstream. When the show gets canceled, Bruce struggles to find new work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He can’t get a single job in Hollywood for a while unless it’s as a fight choreographer or in a sort of stereotypically, like, you know, oriental type role that he would refuse to play. And he comes to realize at some point, well, actually, they don’t see me as a main character. And so he has to, at that point, make a choice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So at age 29, he decides, forget this. I’m going back to Asia, where I’m gonna be a superstar. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And in Hong Kong, his career explodes. He does a movie called \u003cem>Big Boss\u003c/em>, and then another called \u003cem>Fist of Fury.\u003c/em> After one screening, the audience was so excited, they actually tore the seats out of the movie theater. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>At this point that, Bruce is the largest star by far in Asia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>After a few years of mega-stardom, he writes, directs and stars in a third movie called \u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em>, where he faces off against a then-unknown actor named Chuck Norris. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He joked with his mother. Mom, in this movie, I get to beat up a white guy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em> was Bruce’s crossover hit. Suddenly Bruce’s movies are being watched back in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re being imported, they’re dubbed, and they’re packing the theatres.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Finally, Hollywood notices and comes crawling back. Warner Bros approaches him and his manager in Hong Kong about a new film they want him to star in. And this time, Bruce Lee gets to call the shots. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here he is in an interview from 1971:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> So are you going to go to the United States and be famous or you going to try and eat your cake and have it too?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I am going to do both because you see I have already made up my mind that in the United States something about the Oriental needs to be shown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> Hollywood sure hasn’t.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> You better believe it man, it’s all chop chop and with the eyes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He directs the fight scenes, negotiates higher pay and takes ownership of the script. And he names the movie — \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Originally, the writer and director saw Bruce’s character as an Asian James Bond. But Bruce Lee thought that that was too Western … too imperialist. The character, he said, should be a Shaolin monk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>These are ideas that he’s adopted from Taoism that he’s been teaching to other folks since he was 19 years old.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon clip:\u003c/strong> Don’t think, feel. It’s like a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce knew he was on the cusp of global stardom. But in his intense focus on his career, he may have ignored signs from his body that something was deeply wrong. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May 1973, he has a seizure on set. The doctors can’t find any reason for it, so they allow him to return to work. He continues traveling and working hard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few months later, he has a headache, so he takes an aspirin and a tranquilizer and falls asleep. He never wakes up. He’s only 32 years old. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip:\u003c/strong> Hong Kong was stunned, and as the word spread, people read with shock and disbelief that Bruce Lee was dead.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> A 1973 documentary “Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend” shows a crowd gathering outside the funeral parlor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip: \u003c/strong>Several hundred extra police were detailed to try to control the crowd; no one could believe that someone like Bruce Lee, so young, so fit, could just die.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>His death is still a mystery. The autopsy reveals a cerebral edema, which is a swelling of the brain caused by trauma, and other factors, but could not determine a cause.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Enter the Dragon, Bruce’s triumphant return to Hollywood, premieres just days later. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon trailer:\u003c/strong> What do you know about Han? We are investigating corruption….\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The film was a box office hit and cemented Bruce Lee’s legacy as not just a martial artist, but as a Hollywood star. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the first time, Americans finally see Bruce Lee as he wants to be seen: his confidence, his physique, and his philosophy all on display. Here he is in 1971 on the Pierre Berton Show. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>You see, the idea is running water never grow stale, so you got to just keep on flowing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>If you watch Bruce Lee movies now, this is the man you see: disciplined, polished, cool. But Hollywood only got the finished product. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s Bruce was much more raw, reckless, full of dreams and ambition. Though his time here was brief, the battles he fought shaped his philosophy and honed his skills so he could become the superstar we know today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That was KQED’s Elize Manoukian. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thanks to Sam Hopkins for asking today’s question. And he’ll be glad to know Bruce Lee is getting a little more recognition locally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California recently designated May 17 Bruce Lee Day to commemorate the date the fighter moved to the U.S. as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the site of Bruce Lee’s Oakland studio, there’s a street sign designating the intersection “Bruce Lee Way.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the Chinese Historical Society of America also has a cool exhibit about Bruce’s life and career at their museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thanks also to Charlie Russo, and Rick Wing, whose writing about Bruce Lee and the showdown in Oakland were helpful in the making of this story.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is a production of member-supported KQED in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone at KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The main teacher was Bruce,” Greglon said. “My dad was 20 years older, and had just as much experience, but he let Bruce run things. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco when his parents were on tour with an opera company from Hong Kong. He returned to the Bay Area as a young man to study and train, making a name for himself as a martial artist. But only recently has California made an effort to recognize and celebrate the Hollywood star’s early roots here. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this summer, San Francisco officials and Chinatown community members, along with Bruce’s daughter, Shannon, led the effort to commemorate May 17 — the day Bruce moved back to the city from Hong Kong as a teen — as Bruce Lee Day — becoming the first Chinese American to be honored with a namesake day in state history. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though the Hollywood icon and martial artist’s time here in the Bay Area was brief, it was formative. Among the best-known chapters is the Showdown in Oakland, when he exchanged blows with a martial artist from San Francisco. The fight has become lore in the martial arts world, the subject of books, magazine articles and films, and is well-known to Bruce Lee fans around the world. More than 60 years after it happened, it remains controversial and hotly debated within dojos and on online forums. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like the classic Akira Kurosawa film \u003cem>Rashomon\u003c/em>, which explores truth and self-interest among characters who give contradictory accounts of an event they witness, the story of the fight reads like a case study in selective human memory. Countless retellings, each drawing from legend and third-hand accounts, have inevitably added a bit to the hero’s journey, turning the story into its own myth. Here’s what really happened: \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Like the classic Akira Kurosawa film \u003cem>Rashomon\u003c/em>, which explores truth and self-interest among characters who give contradictory accounts of an event they witness, the story of the fight reads like a case study in selective human memory. Countless retellings, each drawing from legend and third-hand accounts, have inevitably added a bit to the hero’s journey, turning the story into its own myth. Here’s what really happened: \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1964, Bruce was a student at the University of Washington, but spent more time fighting than studying. Through his work as a cha-cha instructor, which would occasionally bring him to the Bay Area to make money, he met an Oakland resident named James Yimm Lee — Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>James, who grew up in Oakland, came from the world of blue-collar bodybuilding and weightlifting. But he was also a skilled martial artist who wanted to modernize and popularize the sport. When he met Bruce, James realized he “was the real deal,” Greglon said, “kind of like the [martial arts] Michael Jordan.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED.jpg 1442w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED-160x222.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED-1107x1536.jpg 1107w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in long-sleeved shirt, smiling in a family portrait. His wife, Linda Lee Caldwell, holds her daughter, Shannon, with Brandon on the left. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area, at that point,” said Chang, is “the heart of the U.S. martial arts movement. You have like all of these folks who are working class fighters … security guards or policemen or military. And they’re all mixing up into a martial arts scene that now is desegregating — and it’s created a lot of ferment. Bruce wanted to be down there.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area, at that point,” said Chang, is “the heart of the U.S. martial arts movement. You have like all of these folks who are working class fighters … security guards or policemen or military. And they’re all mixing up into a martial arts scene that now is desegregating — and it’s created a lot of ferment. Bruce wanted to be down there.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce and James spent countless hours together, training and dissecting their craft. The two articulated a shared vision of martial arts: one that fluidly changed between styles and forms, and drew upon Daoism as a philosophy for how to live. To practice these ideas, they set up a kung fu school together in Oakland, which at first they ran out of James’ garage. When they started to pick up more students, they opened up the storefront at 4157 Broadway Street. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bruce and James spent countless hours together, training and dissecting their craft. The two articulated a shared vision of martial arts: one that fluidly changed between styles and forms, and drew upon Daoism as a philosophy for how to live. To practice these ideas, they set up a kung fu school together in Oakland, which at first they ran out of James’ garage. When they started to pick up more students, they opened up the storefront at 4157 Broadway Street. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The two shared a belief that martial arts should be more adaptable, not as fixed in style or form. And they both chafed at what they perceived as rigidity among other martial arts teachers — particularly in San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The two shared a belief that martial arts should be more adaptable, not as fixed in style or form. And they both chafed at what they perceived as rigidity among other martial arts teachers — particularly in San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a young man, Bruce had run afoul of some of the San Francisco Chinatown koons — or kung fu schools. The community, at that time, was extremely wary of outsiders, and, due to decades of anti-Chinese racism, protective of their schools, Chang said. Exclusionary policies had heavily \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11443320/as-chinese-exclusion-act-turns-135-experts-point-to-parallels-today\">restricted Chinese immigration\u003c/a>, siloing off the community from newer waves of Chinese from the mainland and surrounding territories. San Francisco residents didn’t know what to make of Bruce, Chang said — “a loud, brash immigrant from Hong Kong.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>As a young man, Bruce had run afoul of some of the San Francisco Chinatown koons — or kung fu schools. The community, at that time, was extremely wary of outsiders, and, due to decades of anti-Chinese racism, protective of their schools, Chang said. Exclusionary policies had heavily \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11443320/as-chinese-exclusion-act-turns-135-experts-point-to-parallels-today\">restricted Chinese immigration\u003c/a>, siloing off the community from newer waves of Chinese from the mainland and surrounding territories. San Francisco residents didn’t know what to make of Bruce, Chang said — “a loud, brash immigrant from Hong Kong.” \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "The Sun Sing Theater demonstration",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Sun Sing Theater demonstration\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Sun Sing Theater demonstration\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tensions came to a head in August 1964, when Bruce gave a martial arts demonstration at San Francisco Chinatown’s \u003ca href=\"https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3939/\">Sun Sing Theater\u003c/a> at 1021 Grant Ave. — one of San Francisco’s oldest opera houses, and where his father had performed opera nearly two decades earlier (though the building’s gorgeous facade remains, it’s boarded up today).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tensions came to a head in August 1964, when Bruce gave a martial arts demonstration at San Francisco Chinatown’s \u003ca href=\"https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3939/\">Sun Sing Theater\u003c/a> at 1021 Grant Ave. — one of San Francisco’s oldest opera houses, and where his father had performed opera nearly two decades earlier (though the building’s gorgeous facade remains, it’s boarded up today).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce had been there on tour with Diana Chang, known as the “Mandarin Marilyn Monroe,” to dance the cha-cha. But after they finished their performance, Bruce had a surprise for the crowd: he took to the stage to demonstrate his style of martial arts for the packed house. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Bruce had been there on tour with Diana Chang, known as the “Mandarin Marilyn Monroe,” to dance the cha-cha. But after they finished their performance, Bruce had a surprise for the crowd: he took to the stage to demonstrate his style of martial arts for the packed house. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A fight nearly broke out on stage, and the crowd hurled cigarette butts and insults at Bruce, then only 24 years old. As Chang describes it, Bruce scrambled to get the situation back under control.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A fight nearly broke out on stage, and the crowd hurled cigarette butts and insults at Bruce, then only 24 years old. As Chang describes it, Bruce scrambled to get the situation back under control.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
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"attrs": {
"id": 12091695,
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"imageCredit": "Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091695\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in a yellow jumpsuit in action while directing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the set of “Game of Death.” \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091695\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in a yellow jumpsuit in action while directing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the set of “Game of Death.” \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I would like to let everybody know that any time my Chinatown brothers want to try out my Wing Chun,” Bruce said, as retold in Chang’s book, “they are welcomed to come find me at my school in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I would like to let everybody know that any time my Chinatown brothers want to try out my Wing Chun,” Bruce said, as retold in Chang’s book, “they are welcomed to come find me at my school in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To the riled-up crowd, this sounded like a challenge.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To the riled-up crowd, this sounded like a challenge.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To the San Francisco martial artists, a fight seemed inevitable. And they chose a promising young fighter, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.jingmo.com/\">\u003cem>jing wu\u003c/em>\u003c/a> star named Wong Jack-man, to challenge the “young dissident,” as the elders in the city called him. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To the San Francisco martial artists, a fight seemed inevitable. And they chose a promising young fighter, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.jingmo.com/\">\u003cem>jing wu\u003c/em>\u003c/a> star named Wong Jack-man, to challenge the “young dissident,” as the elders in the city called him. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wong was known for being stoic, polished — a picture of grace and power — in comparison with Bruce’s more back-alley style of brawling. To this day, it’s not clear why he agreed to the proposal when his Chinatown friends came to the Jackson Cafe, at 633 Battery, where he worked as a waiter, and asked him to represent the big city in the challenge against Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wong was known for being stoic, polished — a picture of grace and power — in comparison with Bruce’s more back-alley style of brawling. To this day, it’s not clear why he agreed to the proposal when his Chinatown friends came to the Jackson Cafe, at 633 Battery, where he worked as a waiter, and asked him to represent the big city in the challenge against Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "The ‘Showdown in Oakland’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ‘Showdown in Oakland’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ‘Showdown in Oakland’\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The match-up — wrote Charles Russo, San Francisco journalist and author of \u003cem>Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America\u003c/em> — was “spectacular,” pitting two talented young martial artists with a uniquely yin-yang-like symmetry together. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The match-up — wrote Charles Russo, San Francisco journalist and author of \u003cem>Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America\u003c/em> — was “spectacular,” pitting two talented young martial artists with a uniquely yin-yang-like symmetry together. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Bruce’s style was compact and economical. Wong’s expansive and acrobatic,” Russo said. “Collectively, it had all the characteristics of a fight promoter’s dream.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Bruce’s style was compact and economical. Wong’s expansive and acrobatic,” Russo said. “Collectively, it had all the characteristics of a fight promoter’s dream.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the end of a cold day in November 1964, Wong Jack-man and his friends piled into a crimson Pontiac Tempest and drove to the Broadway studio in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the end of a cold day in November 1964, Wong Jack-man and his friends piled into a crimson Pontiac Tempest and drove to the Broadway studio in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee’s old home on Monticello Avenue in East Oakland on June 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086152\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee’s old home on Monticello Avenue in East Oakland on June 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Waiting inside were a “very pregnant Linda,” James, and Bruce, Chang said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Waiting inside were a “very pregnant Linda,” James, and Bruce, Chang said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wong was dressed formally, in a dark, high-collared, long-sleeved uniform with lacing down the middle. Bruce wore white jeans and a white tank top. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Wong was dressed formally, in a dark, high-collared, long-sleeved uniform with lacing down the middle. Bruce wore white jeans and a white tank top. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There were a total of nine people in the studio, only one of whom is alive today, Bruce’s wife Linda. And she did not speak Cantonese, the \u003cem>lingua franca\u003c/em> of the fight, so undoubtedly some context was lost. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There were a total of nine people in the studio, only one of whom is alive today, Bruce’s wife Linda. And she did not speak Cantonese, the \u003cem>lingua franca\u003c/em> of the fight, so undoubtedly some context was lost. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, everyone can agree on what happened next: David Chin, one of Wong’s friends and an instigator of the fight, began enumerating rules. Bruce “kept the tone harsh,” martial arts journalist Russo said: “You came to my school to challenge me, and now you want to set the rules?”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>However, everyone can agree on what happened next: David Chin, one of Wong’s friends and an instigator of the fight, began enumerating rules. Bruce “kept the tone harsh,” martial arts journalist Russo said: “You came to my school to challenge me, and now you want to set the rules?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When Wong reached out to shake hands, the tense Bruce Lee threw out a feint that crashed right above Wong’s eye — immediately setting the tone for the rest of the fight. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When Wong reached out to shake hands, the tense Bruce Lee threw out a feint that crashed right above Wong’s eye — immediately setting the tone for the rest of the fight. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
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"attrs": {
"id": 12091693,
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"imageCredit": "Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-1536x1182.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-1536x1182.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee during the Hall of Mirrors scene on the set of “Enter the Dragon.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091693\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee during the Hall of Mirrors scene on the set of “Enter the Dragon.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At one point, wrote Rick Wing, one of Wong’s students and another chronicler of the fight, Wong got Bruce into a headlock, though eventually, he let go.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>At one point, wrote Rick Wing, one of Wong’s students and another chronicler of the fight, Wong got Bruce into a headlock, though eventually, he let go.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Wong considered Lee to be a sparring opponent only, and not a mortal enemy,” Wing said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Wong considered Lee to be a sparring opponent only, and not a mortal enemy,” Wing said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wong later told Wing about Bruce: “He would never say he lost until you killed him.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wong later told Wing about Bruce: “He would never say he lost until you killed him.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A final detail of the fight that everyone agrees with: once Bruce got out of the headlock, he lunged after Wong, who turned and tried to evade the attack. Then, he tripped on a floorboard. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A final detail of the fight that everyone agrees with: once Bruce got out of the headlock, he lunged after Wong, who turned and tried to evade the attack. Then, he tripped on a floorboard. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The two scuffled on the edge of the studio, with Bruce pummeling Wong with punches and yelling, “Admit it, you lost!”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The two scuffled on the edge of the studio, with Bruce pummeling Wong with punches and yelling, “Admit it, you lost!”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whether Wong actually surrendered is up for debate. However, multiple kung fu students of San Francisco Chinatown have relayed third-hand that if Wong had won, the neighborhood would have been celebrating. Instead, it was silent the next day, like a funeral. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Whether Wong actually surrendered is up for debate. However, multiple kung fu students of San Francisco Chinatown have relayed third-hand that if Wong had won, the neighborhood would have been celebrating. Instead, it was silent the next day, like a funeral. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "The aftermath of the fight",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The aftermath of the fight\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The aftermath of the fight\u003c/h2>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The details are somewhat unremarkable — a messy fight in a small Oakland studio with a murky victory — but rumors of the fight, and what caused it, would spread like wildfire through the martial arts community and ultimately reach Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The details are somewhat unremarkable — a messy fight in a small Oakland studio with a murky victory — but rumors of the fight, and what caused it, would spread like wildfire through the martial arts community and ultimately reach Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The rumor mill claimed over and over — in tabloids, martial arts magazines and even major Hollywood films — that Chinatown’s old guard took issue with Bruce teaching kung fu to non-Chinese people. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The rumor mill claimed over and over — in tabloids, martial arts magazines and even major Hollywood films — that Chinatown’s old guard took issue with Bruce teaching kung fu to non-Chinese people. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greglon Lee poses for a portrait at the apartment complex he lives at in Berkeley on June 1, 2026. Greglon Lee is the son of James Lee, a martial artist who once was Bruce Lee’s training partner.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086154\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greglon Lee poses for a portrait at the apartment complex he lives at in Berkeley on June 1, 2026. Greglon Lee is the son of James Lee, a martial artist who once was Bruce Lee’s training partner.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those who peddle this narrative often point to discrimination Bruce may have faced growing up in Hong Kong, due to his own background as a quarter-Dutch on his mom’s side. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Those who peddle this narrative often point to discrimination Bruce may have faced growing up in Hong Kong, due to his own background as a quarter-Dutch on his mom’s side. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Chang questioned whether this narrative holds up to scrutiny. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people,” Chang said. “I just think that’s not true at all. The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese for a long time.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people,” Chang said. “I just think that’s not true at all. The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese for a long time.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the fight did have a big effect on Bruce’s life and career.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For all of his bluster, the fight against Wong Jack-man was a huge reality check for Bruce, who realized his technique and conditioning came up short of his own expectations. His sloppy “victory” would forever alter his approach to martial arts, his biographers have said, and came at the right time, just as his Hollywood star was about to rise. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For all of his bluster, the fight against Wong Jack-man was a huge reality check for Bruce, who realized his technique and conditioning came up short of his own expectations. His sloppy “victory” would forever alter his approach to martial arts, his biographers have said, and came at the right time, just as his Hollywood star was about to rise. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Iron sharpens iron,” Greglon said. “You always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better. [After] the fight with Wong Jack-man, Bruce changed his training completely. It helped Bruce go to another level.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Iron sharpens iron,” Greglon said. “You always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better. [After] the fight with Wong Jack-man, Bruce changed his training completely. It helped Bruce go to another level.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Just months after The Showdown in Oakland, Bruce Lee got a call from a Hollywood producer asking him to audition for a part. It was his first big break and the beginning of a distinguished film career that ultimately led to Bruce starring in his most famous film, \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Just months after The Showdown in Oakland, Bruce Lee got a call from a Hollywood producer asking him to audition for a part. It was his first big break and the beginning of a distinguished film career that ultimately led to Bruce starring in his most famous film, \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Whether or not the story bears the weight of the facts, “there’s a great mythology here,” Chang said, that may represent its power to this day. In the showdown, Bruce Lee’s fans found a battle over culture and change, one that matched the upheaval of the times, and wider shifts within Asian America. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Whether or not the story bears the weight of the facts, “there’s a great mythology here,” Chang said, that may represent its power to this day. In the showdown, Bruce Lee’s fans found a battle over culture and change, one that matched the upheaval of the times, and wider shifts within Asian America. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Although that context was real, the more meaningful transformation was within Bruce himself. He went on to dedicate his life to becoming one of the best that ever lived. As an actor, he challenged stereotypes in Hollywood, refusing roles that typecast him. In his short life, he paved the way for future generations and set an example that continues to inspire and comfort fans to this day.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Although that context was real, the more meaningful transformation was within Bruce himself. He went on to dedicate his life to becoming one of the best that ever lived. As an actor, he challenged stereotypes in Hollywood, refusing roles that typecast him. In his short life, he paved the way for future generations and set an example that continues to inspire and comfort fans to this day.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was always something special about Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was always something special about Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Enter the Dragon theme song plays\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The martial artist and actor was one of the first Asian stars in Hollywood. His path to fame wasn’t easy, but it paved the way for other Asian Americans to do the same today. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The martial artist and actor was one of the first Asian stars in Hollywood. His path to fame wasn’t easy, but it paved the way for other Asian Americans to do the same today. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s this famous thing Bruce said…\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s this famous thing Bruce said…\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I said empty your mind…be formless, shapeless…like water. Water can flow or crash. Be water, my friend…”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I said empty your mind…be formless, shapeless…like water. Water can flow or crash. Be water, my friend…”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s the cornerstone of his martial arts philosophy…as much a mantra for how to live as a fighting technique. Be adaptable. Go with the flow … even if you’re riding a tidal wave.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s the cornerstone of his martial arts philosophy…as much a mantra for how to live as a fighting technique. Be adaptable. Go with the flow … even if you’re riding a tidal wave.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce was a disruptor in the kung fu world…a young upstart who wanted to do things differently. Though he would eventually become this legendary figure in American culture, it took him years to hone his own style and philosophy. And many of the early moments that shaped him, the ones that made him \u003cem>the\u003c/em> Bruce Lee we see on the silver screen, they took place in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bruce was a disruptor in the kung fu world…a young upstart who wanted to do things differently. Though he would eventually become this legendary figure in American culture, it took him years to hone his own style and philosophy. And many of the early moments that shaped him, the ones that made him \u003cem>the\u003c/em> Bruce Lee we see on the silver screen, they took place in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I assume there’s people alive still in Oakland and San Francisco who know him and have great stories to share. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I assume there’s people alive still in Oakland and San Francisco who know him and have great stories to share. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That’s Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins. Sam’s first exposure to Bruce Lee was in the star’s most famous film — Enter the Dragon.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That’s Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins. Sam’s first exposure to Bruce Lee was in the star’s most famous film — Enter the Dragon.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>Most people would say like the defining one in the one that first like drew me into him and pulled me in. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>Most people would say like the defining one in the one that first like drew me into him and pulled me in. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As a kid, he loved Bruce’s kung-fu moves. But as an adult he’s come to appreciate how brave Bruce was. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As a kid, he loved Bruce’s kung-fu moves. But as an adult he’s come to appreciate how brave Bruce was. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>The thing that really inspires me about him is that he changed how people think. And that’s so powerful, like how they view themselves and how they view others and pushed against like all these stereotypes and all these limitations that Hollywood was putting on him and society was putting on him. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>The thing that really inspires me about him is that he changed how people think. And that’s so powerful, like how they view themselves and how they view others and pushed against like all these stereotypes and all these limitations that Hollywood was putting on him and society was putting on him. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sam’s become kind of obsessed. He’s watched documentaries about Bruce Lee, been to museum exhibits about him and located local spots in San Francisco and Oakland that were meaningful in Bruce’s life. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sam’s become kind of obsessed. He’s watched documentaries about Bruce Lee, been to museum exhibits about him and located local spots in San Francisco and Oakland that were meaningful in Bruce’s life. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>And I just have always wondered though, why isn’t there more in terms of honoring his legacy and all the great things that he did in his time here? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>And I just have always wondered though, why isn’t there more in terms of honoring his legacy and all the great things that he did in his time here? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s this one story Sam has heard over and over about “The Showdown in Oakland,” a fight between Bruce and a kung fu fighter from San Francisco that has become lore in the martial arts world. It’s one of the early moments in Bruce’s career that puts him on the map, and it’s practically a legend at this point. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s this one story Sam has heard over and over about “The Showdown in Oakland,” a fight between Bruce and a kung fu fighter from San Francisco that has become lore in the martial arts world. It’s one of the early moments in Bruce’s career that puts him on the map, and it’s practically a legend at this point. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I’ve heard different versions of it. So I’m just so curious, like which one is like the most accurate?\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>This is Bay Curious. The show where we answer listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I’ve heard different versions of it. So I’m just so curious, like which one is like the most accurate?\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>This is Bay Curious. The show where we answer listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED’s Elize Manoukian set out to separate fact from fiction and understand what role the Bay Area played in Bruce Lee’s life.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>KQED’s Elize Manoukian set out to separate fact from fiction and understand what role the Bay Area played in Bruce Lee’s life.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> There’s an interview Bruce Lee gives in 1966, right as his star is about to rise. He’s still a bit of an unknown…it seems like the interviewer doesn’t know who he is.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> There’s an interview Bruce Lee gives in 1966, right as his star is about to rise. He’s still a bit of an unknown…it seems like the interviewer doesn’t know who he is.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>I think his name is Bruce Lee…\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>I think his name is Bruce Lee…\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In the interview, Bruce explains to a mainstream American audience what kung fu is, using the Chinese pronunciation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In the interview, Bruce explains to a mainstream American audience what kung fu is, using the Chinese pronunciation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>Well, gung fu is a Chinese form of combat. Arts like karate or jiu jitsu derive from gung fu. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>Well, gung fu is a Chinese form of combat. Arts like karate or jiu jitsu derive from gung fu. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then the journalist asks him: \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then the journalist asks him: \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>Don’t you have some karate schools in San Francisco or something?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>Don’t you have some karate schools in San Francisco or something?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>There are multiple issues with that question, but Bruce homes in on just one.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>There are multiple issues with that question, but Bruce homes in on just one.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: In Oakland, really. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: In Oakland, really. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even at this early point in his Hollywood career, the difference between the two Bay Area cities was important to him. You’ll soon hear why.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even at this early point in his Hollywood career, the difference between the two Bay Area cities was important to him. You’ll soon hear why.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce lived in the Bay Area only a short while — just a few years — but his time in Oakland and San Francisco would go on to have a major influence on his career, and some have argued, on the way we think about martial arts in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bruce lived in the Bay Area only a short while — just a few years — but his time in Oakland and San Francisco would go on to have a major influence on his career, and some have argued, on the way we think about martial arts in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> It’s a story in a way of how gung fu…how Kung Fu becomes American\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> It’s a story in a way of how gung fu…how Kung Fu becomes American\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s historian and cultural critic Jeff Chang, the author of a recent Bruce Lee biography, “Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s historian and cultural critic Jeff Chang, the author of a recent Bruce Lee biography, “Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I asked him to tell me about Bruce’s life here, starting from the very beginning. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Bruce was born in the Bay Area. He is there because his parents are on a tour. His dad is a famous Cantonese opera singer.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Bruce was born in the Bay Area. He is there because his parents are on a tour. His dad is a famous Cantonese opera singer.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And while his dad is performing in San Francisco, his mom becomes pregnant\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And while his dad is performing in San Francisco, his mom becomes pregnant\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So he’s born in this segregated hospital in 1940.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, which is still open today. His mom, Grace, names her baby Bruce. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, which is still open today. His mom, Grace, names her baby Bruce. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Soon after, the family heads back to Hong Kong, which is quickly becoming the heart of Asia’s film industry. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Soon after, the family heads back to Hong Kong, which is quickly becoming the heart of Asia’s film industry. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce’s dad, Hoi Cheun, transitions from singing opera to acting in movies. And at a young age, Bruce starts acting too.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bruce’s dad, Hoi Cheun, transitions from singing opera to acting in movies. And at a young age, Bruce starts acting too.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So the directors are looking at who’s this kid. He’s so, he’s so fascinating. He’s got so much energy. He loves to be. He’s like a born showperson. Let’s put him in the movies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So the directors are looking at who’s this kid. He’s so, he’s so fascinating. He’s got so much energy. He loves to be. He’s like a born showperson. Let’s put him in the movies. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bruce Lee speaking Cantonese in The Kid\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bruce Lee speaking Cantonese in The Kid\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Bruce at age 10, in a movie called the Kid. It’s about a tough street urchin with a heart of gold. The film premieres in 1950, and it’s a smash success in Hong Kong. But being famous is hard on Bruce, and he starts getting picked on in school.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Bruce at age 10, in a movie called the Kid. It’s about a tough street urchin with a heart of gold. The film premieres in 1950, and it’s a smash success in Hong Kong. But being famous is hard on Bruce, and he starts getting picked on in school.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is Bruce Lee’s martial arts origin story. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is Bruce Lee’s martial arts origin story. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And so he learns to try to figure out ways of protecting himself.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And so he learns to try to figure out ways of protecting himself.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And eventually, he meets a seifu, a Gongfu seifu named Yipman. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And eventually, he meets a seifu, a Gongfu seifu named Yipman. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Yipman is a legendary figure in 1950s Hong Kong. He trains Bruce in a discipline called Wing Chun. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Yipman is a legendary figure in 1950s Hong Kong. He trains Bruce in a discipline called Wing Chun. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At this point, Hong Kong’s youth culture is obsessed with kung fu and streetfighting. Kids would literally challenge each other and battle on school rooftops.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At this point, Hong Kong’s youth culture is obsessed with kung fu and streetfighting. Kids would literally challenge each other and battle on school rooftops.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Turns out that Bruce really loves the taste of blood on his lips.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Turns out that Bruce really loves the taste of blood on his lips.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce has a short fuse and loves “talking with his hands,”. During his teen years, he gets a bad boy, James-Dean-kinda reputation in Hong Kong. He even gets kicked out of school for fighting. One day, when Bruce is 18 years old, the police come to his parents house, and tell them that if he stays in Hong Kong, he’ll be arrested. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce has a short fuse and loves “talking with his hands,”. During his teen years, he gets a bad boy, James-Dean-kinda reputation in Hong Kong. He even gets kicked out of school for fighting. One day, when Bruce is 18 years old, the police come to his parents house, and tell them that if he stays in Hong Kong, he’ll be arrested. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And his parents are like, that’s it. You know, the police are after you, like the gangs are after you. You’re not, you’re not going to be here anymore. We’re going to send you back to the U.S.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And his parents are like, that’s it. You know, the police are after you, like the gangs are after you. You’re not, you’re not going to be here anymore. We’re going to send you back to the U.S.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Remember, Bruce was born in the U.S., so he’s a citizen. In 1959, his parents give him $100 and send him to live with one of their friends in San Francisco Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Remember, Bruce was born in the U.S., so he’s a citizen. In 1959, his parents give him $100 and send him to live with one of their friends in San Francisco Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce gets a job, his first non-acting job, at a restaurant.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bruce gets a job, his first non-acting job, at a restaurant.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He hates it. He can’t take it. Like, this is beneath me. You know, I’ve been on the movie screen, and now you got me cutting carrots. Like, no, I’m not, I’m not about that life. So he quits in a day. And his guardian is like, OK, — Well, I guess we have to have you teach cha-cha then.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He hates it. He can’t take it. Like, this is beneath me. You know, I’ve been on the movie screen, and now you got me cutting carrots. Like, no, I’m not, I’m not about that life. So he quits in a day. And his guardian is like, OK, — Well, I guess we have to have you teach cha-cha then.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Oh, I forgot to mention: Bruce is an amazing dancer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Oh, I forgot to mention: Bruce is an amazing dancer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Cha-cha was a huge craze in 1950s Hong Kong, and Bruce is super athletic. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Cha-cha was a huge craze in 1950s Hong Kong, and Bruce is super athletic. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So while learning English, Bruce starts teaching cha-cha to San Francisco’s Chinese community to make money. But he’s bored. And restless. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So while learning English, Bruce starts teaching cha-cha to San Francisco’s Chinese community to make money. But he’s bored. And restless. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he’s like, where are the fighters here? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he’s like, where are the fighters here? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He can’t help himself. There’s some part of him that just needs to feel the \u003cem>rush\u003c/em> of a real, flesh-and-blood fight again. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He can’t help himself. There’s some part of him that just needs to feel the \u003cem>rush\u003c/em> of a real, flesh-and-blood fight again. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So he walks into a kung fu school and challenges the other students to a fight. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So he walks into a kung fu school and challenges the other students to a fight. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And they run him out immediately.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And they run him out immediately.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s the first in a long list of grievances San Francisco’s kung fu community will have with Bruce. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s the first in a long list of grievances San Francisco’s kung fu community will have with Bruce. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As if his parents read the writing on the wall, they decide to send him to Seattle.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As if his parents read the writing on the wall, they decide to send him to Seattle.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>His parents are like, OK, you’re going to get in trouble again. We’re sending you to a place where there’s less Chinese, there’s less distractions. And you’re going to finish your fricking diploma, and you’re going to get a college degree.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>His parents are like, OK, you’re going to get in trouble again. We’re sending you to a place where there’s less Chinese, there’s less distractions. And you’re going to finish your fricking diploma, and you’re going to get a college degree.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> He never gets that diploma. In fact, Bruce doesn’t last long in Seattle, although he does end up getting married to a woman named Linda while he’s there. The Bay Area is the heart of the West Coast’s martial arts scene, and Bruce wants to get back there. So he drops out of the University of Washington, moves his young family, and gambles everything…on the Bay. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> He never gets that diploma. In fact, Bruce doesn’t last long in Seattle, although he does end up getting married to a woman named Linda while he’s there. The Bay Area is the heart of the West Coast’s martial arts scene, and Bruce wants to get back there. So he drops out of the University of Washington, moves his young family, and gambles everything…on the Bay. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/strong>Back in Oakland, Bruce meets some folks who help him refine his theories and practice of martial arts. More on that when we come back. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/strong>Back in Oakland, Bruce meets some folks who help him refine his theories and practice of martial arts. More on that when we come back. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor break\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor break\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> The year is 1964, a time of major cultural change. Young people are questioning everything about U.S. society. And Bruce Lee, who has just moved back to the Bay Area as a 24-year-old college dropout, is going through his own personal revolution. He isn’t just studying martial arts; he has some radical ideas about its future. And he finds some enthusiastic disciples in the Bay Area. Elize Manoukian takes us to Oakland. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> The year is 1964, a time of major cultural change. Young people are questioning everything about U.S. society. And Bruce Lee, who has just moved back to the Bay Area as a 24-year-old college dropout, is going through his own personal revolution. He isn’t just studying martial arts; he has some radical ideas about its future. And he finds some enthusiastic disciples in the Bay Area. Elize Manoukian takes us to Oakland. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Yeah, this is the old house: 3039 Monticello. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Yeah, this is the old house: 3039 Monticello. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Greglon Lee, a kung fu sifu based in Berkeley. He’s showing me the funky, yellow bungalow in the East Oakland hills where he once lived with Bruce Lee. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Greglon Lee, a kung fu sifu based in Berkeley. He’s showing me the funky, yellow bungalow in the East Oakland hills where he once lived with Bruce Lee. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce spent a lot of time here, and he was basically training 10-12 hours a day.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce spent a lot of time here, and he was basically training 10-12 hours a day.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even as a college student, Bruce had picked up kung fu students across the West Coast. And one of the most dedicated was a man named James Yimm Lee, Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even as a college student, Bruce had picked up kung fu students across the West Coast. And one of the most dedicated was a man named James Yimm Lee, Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was one of his top students; my dad had been training with him for a few years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was one of his top students; my dad had been training with him for a few years.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was a local streetfighter and bodybuilder. He became fascinated with kung fu, wanted to modernize and popularize it. He knew Bruce could help. So he convinced Bruce and his family to move in with him and his kids in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was a local streetfighter and bodybuilder. He became fascinated with kung fu, wanted to modernize and popularize it. He knew Bruce could help. So he convinced Bruce and his family to move in with him and his kids in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>You come down to Oakland. We got you covered, roof over your head, and you can train and do whatever you want.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>You come down to Oakland. We got you covered, roof over your head, and you can train and do whatever you want.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James filled his garage with a bunch of diy equipment — punching pads, shields, leg stretchers. The two men scrutinized reels of Mohammed Ali boxing fights. They practiced what worked from classical styles of martial arts and threw away the rest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James filled his garage with a bunch of diy equipment — punching pads, shields, leg stretchers. The two men scrutinized reels of Mohammed Ali boxing fights. They practiced what worked from classical styles of martial arts and threw away the rest. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>To get better when you’re already good ain’t easy. You really have to break things down completely. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>To get better when you’re already good ain’t easy. You really have to break things down completely. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was helping Bruce invent a NEW style of martial arts that tried to break away from set technique completely. Classical kung fu was too rigid, they said. Instead, they experimented with fusing wing chun, boxing, street fighting with some heavy doses of Daoist philosophy. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was helping Bruce invent a NEW style of martial arts that tried to break away from set technique completely. Classical kung fu was too rigid, they said. Instead, they experimented with fusing wing chun, boxing, street fighting with some heavy doses of Daoist philosophy. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The individual has to really do their own work. There’s no magic pill. There’s no magic movement to martial arts. It’s getting to know yourself. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The individual has to really do their own work. There’s no magic pill. There’s no magic movement to martial arts. It’s getting to know yourself. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce’s homegrown fighting style would eventually become known as Jeet Kun Do, or as Greg calls it, JKD. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce’s homegrown fighting style would eventually become known as Jeet Kun Do, or as Greg calls it, JKD. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>And you’ve got to remember the Cha Cha taught him really good footwork and how to change timing, which is really the key to J. K. D. It’s not static.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>And you’ve got to remember the Cha Cha taught him really good footwork and how to change timing, which is really the key to J. K. D. It’s not static.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce and James gain some attention for their new fighting style. Students come from hundreds of miles away to study with them. They pick up enough disciples that they decide to open up a little studio on Broadway Street in Oakland, near what’s now auto row. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce and James gain some attention for their new fighting style. Students come from hundreds of miles away to study with them. They pick up enough disciples that they decide to open up a little studio on Broadway Street in Oakland, near what’s now auto row. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was twenty years older, but he let Bruce run everything. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was twenty years older, but he let Bruce run everything. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In Oakland, Bruce gains confidence in his approach to martial arts, and he’s convinced the San Francisco kung fu scene is \u003cem>backwards … \u003c/em>he’s not shy about sharing that opinion. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In Oakland, Bruce gains confidence in his approach to martial arts, and he’s convinced the San Francisco kung fu scene is \u003cem>backwards … \u003c/em>he’s not shy about sharing that opinion. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Here’s Bruce Lee biographer Jeff Chang again: \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Here’s Bruce Lee biographer Jeff Chang again: \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He’s basically saying, all of your schools, all the stuff they teach you: That’s all garbage. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He’s basically saying, all of your schools, all the stuff they teach you: That’s all garbage. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And some people in San Francisco get wind of this.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And some people in San Francisco get wind of this.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They don’t have short-term memories. Like, they remember when Bruce first was there.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They don’t have short-term memories. Like, they remember when Bruce first was there.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It all comes to a head in the summer of 1964. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It all comes to a head in the summer of 1964. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bruce is promoting his Oakland school, in a kung fu demonstration at San Francisco’s Sun Sing Theater, the same stage where his dad performed opera, two decades earlier. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Bruce is promoting his Oakland school, in a kung fu demonstration at San Francisco’s Sun Sing Theater, the same stage where his dad performed opera, two decades earlier. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During his demo, he starts critiquing the style of teaching in San Francisco, but in kind of a brash, 24-year-old way. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>During his demo, he starts critiquing the style of teaching in San Francisco, but in kind of a brash, 24-year-old way. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Everything that you’ve been taught is no good. Let me show you how a real martial artist does things. Provocative, right?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Everything that you’ve been taught is no good. Let me show you how a real martial artist does things. Provocative, right?\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The air in the theater is hazy with cigarette smoke. And the crowd is full of San Francisco martial artists.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The air in the theater is hazy with cigarette smoke. And the crowd is full of San Francisco martial artists.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re just waiting for Bruce to make a wrong move.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re just waiting for Bruce to make a wrong move.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then he invites somebody on stage, and says, try to defend yourself using your style, and I’ll show you why mine’s better\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then he invites somebody on stage, and says, try to defend yourself using your style, and I’ll show you why mine’s better\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He wants to show the speed and accuracy of his punch. As it turns out, the guy that comes up to be on stage with him is somebody who’s deeply affiliated with the Chinatown koons.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He wants to show the speed and accuracy of his punch. As it turns out, the guy that comes up to be on stage with him is somebody who’s deeply affiliated with the Chinatown koons.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The koons are kung fu schools\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The koons are kung fu schools\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The volunteer blocks Bruce’s punch. Bruce tries again, and the kid blocks it again. Then, the kid puts up his fists, ready for a fight.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The volunteer blocks Bruce’s punch. Bruce tries again, and the kid blocks it again. Then, the kid puts up his fists, ready for a fight.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And everybody starts hooting and hollering, ’cause they’re cheering for the guy who came up from the audience. That’s their guy, right? He’s like a ringer.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And everybody starts hooting and hollering, ’cause they’re cheering for the guy who came up from the audience. That’s their guy, right? He’s like a ringer.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce is embarrassed. But he stops and collects himself… trying to refocus the message on what his school has to offer. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce is embarrassed. But he stops and collects himself… trying to refocus the message on what his school has to offer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he says, “If you want more, come and see me in Oakland.” And what he really means is, “My school is in Oakland. You’re welcome to come, we’ll train and that kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he says, “If you want more, come and see me in Oakland.” And what he really means is, “My school is in Oakland. You’re welcome to come, we’ll train and that kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But at this point, tempers are high. And to the riled-up crowd it sounds like Bruce is saying: “let’s finish what we started, meet me in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But at this point, tempers are high. And to the riled-up crowd it sounds like Bruce is saying: “let’s finish what we started, meet me in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>This spreads through the sort of underground pipeline, right? The coconut wireless really fast.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>This spreads through the sort of underground pipeline, right? The coconut wireless really fast.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Soon every martial artist in the Bay Area is talking about what happened at the theater. And some San Francisco guys decide to challenge Bruce to a fight. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Soon every martial artist in the Bay Area is talking about what happened at the theater. And some San Francisco guys decide to challenge Bruce to a fight. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They want to see Bruce get his ass beaten.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They want to see Bruce get his ass beaten.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So they recruit an up-and-coming martial artist named Wong Jack-man, telling him, you’re our best hope to take this guy down. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So they recruit an up-and-coming martial artist named Wong Jack-man, telling him, you’re our best hope to take this guy down. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, Wong wasn’t at the Sun Sing Theater, and by all accounts, didn’t really seem to know what he was walking into.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Now, Wong wasn’t at the Sun Sing Theater, and by all accounts, didn’t really seem to know what he was walking into.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>WongJack-man thinks he’s going to Oakland to fight a comparison fight. It’s a friendly kind of thing. Everybody goes out and has tea and dim sum afterwards, right?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>WongJack-man thinks he’s going to Oakland to fight a comparison fight. It’s a friendly kind of thing. Everybody goes out and has tea and dim sum afterwards, right?\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Instead, he’s an unwitting participant in one of Bruce Lee’s most famous fights. The Showdown in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Instead, he’s an unwitting participant in one of Bruce Lee’s most famous fights. The Showdown in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Here’s what happened according to Jeff and Greglon: \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Here’s what happened according to Jeff and Greglon: \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They come to the studio at dusk on a November evening. And at the studio are James, James Yimm Lee, Bruce and Linda. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They come to the studio at dusk on a November evening. And at the studio are James, James Yimm Lee, Bruce and Linda. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>I know that my dad did bring a gun just in case, just in case things got out of control.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>I know that my dad did bring a gun just in case, just in case things got out of control.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Elize: It starts out friendly enough…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Elize: It starts out friendly enough…\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man reaches his hand out, and that Bruce, uh, sort of gives a faint instead. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man reaches his hand out, and that Bruce, uh, sort of gives a faint instead. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And lashes out with a punch \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And lashes out with a punch \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>That is directed at Wong Jack-man’s eyes. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>That is directed at Wong Jack-man’s eyes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> So hard it leaves a mark.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> So hard it leaves a mark.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And the realization that, Oh, Bruce is actually out for blood, like this is something serious. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And the realization that, Oh, Bruce is actually out for blood, like this is something serious. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce presses in. He uses low kicks and close-up punches.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce presses in. He uses low kicks and close-up punches.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Most people Bruce dealt with, he could take them out in about five seconds. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Most people Bruce dealt with, he could take them out in about five seconds. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But Wong sidesteps the assault and deflects with his forearms. He uses long and graceful kicks and wide diagonal blows — like axes coming down — he hits Bruce HARD in the neck, and gets Bruce into a headlock.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But Wong sidesteps the assault and deflects with his forearms. He uses long and graceful kicks and wide diagonal blows — like axes coming down — he hits Bruce HARD in the neck, and gets Bruce into a headlock.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Like holding his neck under his arm.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Like holding his neck under his arm.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man could have won right there. But he lets go. He considers Bruce an opponent, not a mortal enemy. Bruce seizes the opportunity and attacks.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man could have won right there. But he lets go. He considers Bruce an opponent, not a mortal enemy. Bruce seizes the opportunity and attacks.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man started running.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man started running.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he trips on a floorboard and falls down. Bruce pounces on him. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he trips on a floorboard and falls down. Bruce pounces on him. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>They’re on the floor, with Bruce yelling, “You lost, admit it!” Their friends jump in and separate the two. And that was that. A pretty messy fight, ended by a floorboard. Not at all the resolution to the Oakland- San Francisco rivalry. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>They’re on the floor, with Bruce yelling, “You lost, admit it!” Their friends jump in and separate the two. And that was that. A pretty messy fight, ended by a floorboard. Not at all the resolution to the Oakland- San Francisco rivalry. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Except the story doesn’t end there. The fight at the studio was just the beginning. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Except the story doesn’t end there. The fight at the studio was just the beginning. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>It became a story that just passed word of mouth. The word gets back to Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>It became a story that just passed word of mouth. The word gets back to Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The magazines picked up about Bruce and Wong Jack-man, all kinds of rumors. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The magazines picked up about Bruce and Wong Jack-man, all kinds of rumors. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In one story, Wong Jack-man kills Bruce. In others, Bruce is defending the honor of an actress from Hong Kong. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In one story, Wong Jack-man kills Bruce. In others, Bruce is defending the honor of an actress from Hong Kong. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the biggest story — the one that has prevailed — is that the fight was about who gets to learn kung fu. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But the biggest story — the one that has prevailed — is that the fight was about who gets to learn kung fu. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s part of the mythology around Bruce Lee, that he not only popularizes kung fu…\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s part of the mythology around Bruce Lee, that he not only popularizes kung fu…\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He opens the doors for non-Chinese to kind of study it. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He opens the doors for non-Chinese to kind of study it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Though it’s a compelling story, it’s just not true. After all, this is San Francisco in the 60s we’re talking about here. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Though it’s a compelling story, it’s just not true. After all, this is San Francisco in the 60s we’re talking about here. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese. And so it just doesn’t stand up to, to that kind of scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese. And so it just doesn’t stand up to, to that kind of scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So a lot of the myths surrounding the Showdown are not true. But for Bruce, it was still a turning point.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So a lot of the myths surrounding the Showdown are not true. But for Bruce, it was still a turning point.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fight was the first true test of his ideas. Wong Jack-man represented all of the things Bruce and James had been arguing needed to change. But it wasn’t the easy victory he had expected, says Greglon. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The fight was the first true test of his ideas. Wong Jack-man represented all of the things Bruce and James had been arguing needed to change. But it wasn’t the easy victory he had expected, says Greglon. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce changed his training completely. So actually, the fight with Wong Jack-man helped Bruce go to another level. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce changed his training completely. So actually, the fight with Wong Jack-man helped Bruce go to another level. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Martial arts is ultimately about fighting yourself, Bruce Lee would write later in life. You train to control your impulses, to empty your mind. And this fight showed him he wasn’t there yet. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Martial arts is ultimately about fighting yourself, Bruce Lee would write later in life. You train to control your impulses, to empty your mind. And this fight showed him he wasn’t there yet. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He knew he needed to work harder. And get better. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>He knew he needed to work harder. And get better. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee:\u003c/strong> Iron sharpens iron. You don’t sharpen your knife or sword on wood or a piece of butter. So you always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee:\u003c/strong> Iron sharpens iron. You don’t sharpen your knife or sword on wood or a piece of butter. So you always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The timing of the Showdown would turn out to be important for Bruce. Because he would need these lessons as he embarked on a new phase of his career. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The timing of the Showdown would turn out to be important for Bruce. Because he would need these lessons as he embarked on a new phase of his career. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Shortly after the Showdown in Oakland, something unexpected happens. Bruce’s wife gets a call.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Shortly after the Showdown in Oakland, something unexpected happens. Bruce’s wife gets a call.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Out of the blue one afternoon. Linda gets a call, and it’s this Hollywood producer. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Out of the blue one afternoon. Linda gets a call, and it’s this Hollywood producer. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The producer’s barber saw Bruce do a kung fu demonstration earlier that year…and Bruce gets the role of Kato, the sidekick of a TV superhero named the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The producer’s barber saw Bruce do a kung fu demonstration earlier that year…and Bruce gets the role of Kato, the sidekick of a TV superhero named the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of martial arts fighting from The Green Hornet.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of martial arts fighting from The Green Hornet.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show only ran one season. And Kato doesn’t have many lines. But Bruce’s character, who uses martial arts to save the Green Hornet episode after episode, becomes a hit. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show only ran one season. And Kato doesn’t have many lines. But Bruce’s character, who uses martial arts to save the Green Hornet episode after episode, becomes a hit. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>As the management looks at the numbers of toys being sold, they’re like, well, Kato’s outselling the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>As the management looks at the numbers of toys being sold, they’re like, well, Kato’s outselling the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show gives Bruce a chance to show off his kung fu to a national audience. For many viewers, it’s their first time seeing martial arts. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show gives Bruce a chance to show off his kung fu to a national audience. For many viewers, it’s their first time seeing martial arts. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Bruce still can’t break into the mainstream. When the show gets canceled, Bruce struggles to find new work.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But Bruce still can’t break into the mainstream. When the show gets canceled, Bruce struggles to find new work.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He can’t get a single job in Hollywood for a while unless it’s as a fight choreographer or in a sort of stereotypically, like, you know, oriental type role that he would refuse to play. And he comes to realize at some point, well, actually, they don’t see me as a main character. And so he has to, at that point, make a choice.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He can’t get a single job in Hollywood for a while unless it’s as a fight choreographer or in a sort of stereotypically, like, you know, oriental type role that he would refuse to play. And he comes to realize at some point, well, actually, they don’t see me as a main character. And so he has to, at that point, make a choice.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So at age 29, he decides, forget this. I’m going back to Asia, where I’m gonna be a superstar. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So at age 29, he decides, forget this. I’m going back to Asia, where I’m gonna be a superstar. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And in Hong Kong, his career explodes. He does a movie called \u003cem>Big Boss\u003c/em>, and then another called \u003cem>Fist of Fury.\u003c/em> After one screening, the audience was so excited, they actually tore the seats out of the movie theater. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And in Hong Kong, his career explodes. He does a movie called \u003cem>Big Boss\u003c/em>, and then another called \u003cem>Fist of Fury.\u003c/em> After one screening, the audience was so excited, they actually tore the seats out of the movie theater. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>At this point that, Bruce is the largest star by far in Asia.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>At this point that, Bruce is the largest star by far in Asia.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>After a few years of mega-stardom, he writes, directs and stars in a third movie called \u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em>, where he faces off against a then-unknown actor named Chuck Norris. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>After a few years of mega-stardom, he writes, directs and stars in a third movie called \u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em>, where he faces off against a then-unknown actor named Chuck Norris. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He joked with his mother. Mom, in this movie, I get to beat up a white guy.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He joked with his mother. Mom, in this movie, I get to beat up a white guy.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em> was Bruce’s crossover hit. Suddenly Bruce’s movies are being watched back in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em> was Bruce’s crossover hit. Suddenly Bruce’s movies are being watched back in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re being imported, they’re dubbed, and they’re packing the theatres.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re being imported, they’re dubbed, and they’re packing the theatres.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Finally, Hollywood notices and comes crawling back. Warner Bros approaches him and his manager in Hong Kong about a new film they want him to star in. And this time, Bruce Lee gets to call the shots. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Finally, Hollywood notices and comes crawling back. Warner Bros approaches him and his manager in Hong Kong about a new film they want him to star in. And this time, Bruce Lee gets to call the shots. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Here he is in an interview from 1971:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Here he is in an interview from 1971:\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> So are you going to go to the United States and be famous or you going to try and eat your cake and have it too?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> So are you going to go to the United States and be famous or you going to try and eat your cake and have it too?\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I am going to do both because you see I have already made up my mind that in the United States something about the Oriental needs to be shown.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I am going to do both because you see I have already made up my mind that in the United States something about the Oriental needs to be shown.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> Hollywood sure hasn’t.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> Hollywood sure hasn’t.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> You better believe it man, it’s all chop chop and with the eyes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> You better believe it man, it’s all chop chop and with the eyes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He directs the fight scenes, negotiates higher pay and takes ownership of the script. And he names the movie — \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He directs the fight scenes, negotiates higher pay and takes ownership of the script. And he names the movie — \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Originally, the writer and director saw Bruce’s character as an Asian James Bond. But Bruce Lee thought that that was too Western … too imperialist. The character, he said, should be a Shaolin monk. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Originally, the writer and director saw Bruce’s character as an Asian James Bond. But Bruce Lee thought that that was too Western … too imperialist. The character, he said, should be a Shaolin monk. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>These are ideas that he’s adopted from Taoism that he’s been teaching to other folks since he was 19 years old.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>These are ideas that he’s adopted from Taoism that he’s been teaching to other folks since he was 19 years old.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon clip:\u003c/strong> Don’t think, feel. It’s like a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon clip:\u003c/strong> Don’t think, feel. It’s like a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce knew he was on the cusp of global stardom. But in his intense focus on his career, he may have ignored signs from his body that something was deeply wrong. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce knew he was on the cusp of global stardom. But in his intense focus on his career, he may have ignored signs from his body that something was deeply wrong. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May 1973, he has a seizure on set. The doctors can’t find any reason for it, so they allow him to return to work. He continues traveling and working hard. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In May 1973, he has a seizure on set. The doctors can’t find any reason for it, so they allow him to return to work. He continues traveling and working hard. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A few months later, he has a headache, so he takes an aspirin and a tranquilizer and falls asleep. He never wakes up. He’s only 32 years old. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A few months later, he has a headache, so he takes an aspirin and a tranquilizer and falls asleep. He never wakes up. He’s only 32 years old. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip:\u003c/strong> Hong Kong was stunned, and as the word spread, people read with shock and disbelief that Bruce Lee was dead.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip:\u003c/strong> Hong Kong was stunned, and as the word spread, people read with shock and disbelief that Bruce Lee was dead.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> A 1973 documentary “Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend” shows a crowd gathering outside the funeral parlor.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> A 1973 documentary “Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend” shows a crowd gathering outside the funeral parlor.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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},
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip: \u003c/strong>Several hundred extra police were detailed to try to control the crowd; no one could believe that someone like Bruce Lee, so young, so fit, could just die.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip: \u003c/strong>Several hundred extra police were detailed to try to control the crowd; no one could believe that someone like Bruce Lee, so young, so fit, could just die.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>His death is still a mystery. The autopsy reveals a cerebral edema, which is a swelling of the brain caused by trauma, and other factors, but could not determine a cause.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>His death is still a mystery. The autopsy reveals a cerebral edema, which is a swelling of the brain caused by trauma, and other factors, but could not determine a cause.\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Enter the Dragon, Bruce’s triumphant return to Hollywood, premieres just days later. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Enter the Dragon, Bruce’s triumphant return to Hollywood, premieres just days later. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon trailer:\u003c/strong> What do you know about Han? We are investigating corruption….\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon trailer:\u003c/strong> What do you know about Han? We are investigating corruption….\u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The film was a box office hit and cemented Bruce Lee’s legacy as not just a martial artist, but as a Hollywood star. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The film was a box office hit and cemented Bruce Lee’s legacy as not just a martial artist, but as a Hollywood star. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the first time, Americans finally see Bruce Lee as he wants to be seen: his confidence, his physique, and his philosophy all on display. Here he is in 1971 on the Pierre Berton Show. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For the first time, Americans finally see Bruce Lee as he wants to be seen: his confidence, his physique, and his philosophy all on display. Here he is in 1971 on the Pierre Berton Show. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>You see, the idea is running water never grow stale, so you got to just keep on flowing.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>You see, the idea is running water never grow stale, so you got to just keep on flowing.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
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"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>If you watch Bruce Lee movies now, this is the man you see: disciplined, polished, cool. But Hollywood only got the finished product. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>If you watch Bruce Lee movies now, this is the man you see: disciplined, polished, cool. But Hollywood only got the finished product. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s Bruce was much more raw, reckless, full of dreams and ambition. Though his time here was brief, the battles he fought shaped his philosophy and honed his skills so he could become the superstar we know today. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s Bruce was much more raw, reckless, full of dreams and ambition. Though his time here was brief, the battles he fought shaped his philosophy and honed his skills so he could become the superstar we know today. \u003c/p>\n"
],
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That was KQED’s Elize Manoukian. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thanks to Sam Hopkins for asking today’s question. And he’ll be glad to know Bruce Lee is getting a little more recognition locally.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California recently designated May 17 Bruce Lee Day to commemorate the date the fighter moved to the U.S. as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the site of Bruce Lee’s Oakland studio, there’s a street sign designating the intersection “Bruce Lee Way.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And the Chinese Historical Society of America also has a cool exhibit about Bruce’s life and career at their museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thanks also to Charlie Russo, and Rick Wing, whose writing about Bruce Lee and the showdown in Oakland were helpful in the making of this story.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is a production of member-supported KQED in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone at KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone at KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco, but found his people in the East Bay. His legendary 1964 Oakland fight reshaped his martial arts philosophy and stoked rumors about race and kung fu.",
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"title": "The Bruce Lee Fight in Oakland That Became Martial Arts Legend | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Greglon Lee peered through the gaps in a black, wrought-iron fence enclosing an empty corner lot on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland’s\u003c/a> Auto Row. More than half a century ago, the martial arts legend Bruce Lee — then still unknown — ran a kung fu studio here with Greglon’s father. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though they were peers and close friends, Greglon’s father was one of Bruce’s most fervent disciples.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The main teacher was Bruce,” Greglon said. “My dad was 20 years older, and had just as much experience, but he let Bruce run things. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086153\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01191-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greglon Lee stores James Lee’s old Mook Jong, a training tool in martial arts, in the garage of the apartment complex he lives at in Berkeley on June 1, 2026. Greglon Lee is the son of James Lee, a martial artist who once was Bruce Lee’s training partner. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The studio served as the ring of what may have been one of the most important fights of Bruce Lee’s life: the Showdown in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the school where Bruce fought Wong Jack-man,” Greglon said. “Bruce took it personally.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce Lee was born in San Francisco when his parents were on tour with an opera company from Hong Kong. He returned to the Bay Area as a young man to study and train, making a name for himself as a martial artist. But only recently has California made an effort to recognize and celebrate the Hollywood star’s early roots here. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this summer, San Francisco officials and Chinatown community members, along with Bruce’s daughter, Shannon, led the effort to commemorate May 17 — the day Bruce moved back to the city from Hong Kong as a teen — as Bruce Lee Day — becoming the first Chinese American to be honored with a namesake day in state history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/k2BKNDc48N4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/k2BKNDc48N4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the Hollywood icon and martial artist’s time here in the Bay Area was brief, it was formative. Among the best-known chapters is the Showdown in Oakland, when he exchanged blows with a martial artist from San Francisco. The fight has become lore in the martial arts world, the subject of books, magazine articles and films, and is well-known to Bruce Lee fans around the world. More than 60 years after it happened, it remains controversial and hotly debated within dojos and on online forums. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s the story of how gung fu — let’s call it by its English name — how kung fu becomes American,” said Berkeley-based historian and cultural critic Jeff Chang, who wrote the recent biography \u003cem>Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian-America, \u003c/em>of the fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like the classic Akira Kurosawa film \u003cem>Rashomon\u003c/em>, which explores truth and self-interest among characters who give contradictory accounts of an event they witness, the story of the fight reads like a case study in selective human memory. Countless retellings, each drawing from legend and third-hand accounts, have inevitably added a bit to the hero’s journey, turning the story into its own myth. Here’s what really happened: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moving back to the heart of the martial arts scene \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1964, Bruce was a student at the University of Washington, but spent more time fighting than studying. Through his work as a cha-cha instructor, which would occasionally bring him to the Bay Area to make money, he met an Oakland resident named James Yimm Lee — Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>James, who grew up in Oakland, came from the world of blue-collar bodybuilding and weightlifting. But he was also a skilled martial artist who wanted to modernize and popularize the sport. When he met Bruce, James realized he “was the real deal,” Greglon said, “kind of like the [martial arts] Michael Jordan.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1442\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED.jpg 1442w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED-160x222.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-03-KQED-1107x1536.jpg 1107w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1442px) 100vw, 1442px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in long-sleeved shirt, smiling in a family portrait. His wife, Linda Lee Caldwell, holds her daughter, Shannon, with Brandon on the left. (Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Despite sharing a surname, the men weren’t related but became fast friends and instant collaborators. So, James convinced Bruce to move, along with his wife Linda Lee Caldwell — who was then eight months pregnant — to the Bay Area, to live with James and his two children. James’ wife had just died of cancer, so Linda helped care for Greglon and his sister. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Bay Area, at that point,” said Chang, is “the heart of the U.S. martial arts movement. You have like all of these folks who are working class fighters … security guards or policemen or military. And they’re all mixing up into a martial arts scene that now is desegregating — and it’s created a lot of ferment. Bruce wanted to be down there.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce and James spent countless hours together, training and dissecting their craft. The two articulated a shared vision of martial arts: one that fluidly changed between styles and forms, and drew upon Daoism as a philosophy for how to live. To practice these ideas, they set up a kung fu school together in Oakland, which at first they ran out of James’ garage. When they started to pick up more students, they opened up the storefront at 4157 Broadway Street. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two shared a belief that martial arts should be more adaptable, not as fixed in style or form. And they both chafed at what they perceived as rigidity among other martial arts teachers — particularly in San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a young man, Bruce had run afoul of some of the San Francisco Chinatown koons — or kung fu schools. The community, at that time, was extremely wary of outsiders, and, due to decades of anti-Chinese racism, protective of their schools, Chang said. Exclusionary policies had heavily \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11443320/as-chinese-exclusion-act-turns-135-experts-point-to-parallels-today\">restricted Chinese immigration\u003c/a>, siloing off the community from newer waves of Chinese from the mainland and surrounding territories. San Francisco residents didn’t know what to make of Bruce, Chang said — “a loud, brash immigrant from Hong Kong.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Sun Sing Theater demonstration\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tensions came to a head in August 1964, when Bruce gave a martial arts demonstration at San Francisco Chinatown’s \u003ca href=\"https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3939/\">Sun Sing Theater\u003c/a> at 1021 Grant Ave. — one of San Francisco’s oldest opera houses, and where his father had performed opera nearly two decades earlier (though the building’s gorgeous facade remains, it’s boarded up today).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce had been there on tour with Diana Chang, known as the “Mandarin Marilyn Monroe,” to dance the cha-cha. But after they finished their performance, Bruce had a surprise for the crowd: he took to the stage to demonstrate his style of martial arts for the packed house. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A fight nearly broke out on stage, and the crowd hurled cigarette butts and insults at Bruce, then only 24 years old. As Chang describes it, Bruce scrambled to get the situation back under control.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1338\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091695\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-02-KQED-1536x1028.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee in a yellow jumpsuit in action while directing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the set of “Game of Death.” (Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would like to let everybody know that any time my Chinatown brothers want to try out my Wing Chun,” Bruce said, as retold in Chang’s book, “they are welcomed to come find me at my school in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To the riled-up crowd, this sounded like a challenge.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To the San Francisco martial artists, a fight seemed inevitable. And they chose a promising young fighter, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.jingmo.com/\">\u003cem>jing wu\u003c/em>\u003c/a> star named Wong Jack-man, to challenge the “young dissident,” as the elders in the city called him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wong was known for being stoic, polished — a picture of grace and power — in comparison with Bruce’s more back-alley style of brawling. To this day, it’s not clear why he agreed to the proposal when his Chinatown friends came to the Jackson Cafe, at 633 Battery, where he worked as a waiter, and asked him to represent the big city in the challenge against Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ‘Showdown in Oakland’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The match-up — wrote Charles Russo, San Francisco journalist and author of \u003cem>Striking Distance: Bruce Lee and the Dawn of Martial Arts in America\u003c/em> — was “spectacular,” pitting two talented young martial artists with a uniquely yin-yang-like symmetry together. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Bruce’s style was compact and economical. Wong’s expansive and acrobatic,” Russo said. “Collectively, it had all the characteristics of a fight promoter’s dream.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the end of a cold day in November 1964, Wong Jack-man and his friends piled into a crimson Pontiac Tempest and drove to the Broadway studio in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086152\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01676-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee’s old home on Monticello Avenue in East Oakland on June 1, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Waiting inside were a “very pregnant Linda,” James, and Bruce, Chang said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wong was dressed formally, in a dark, high-collared, long-sleeved uniform with lacing down the middle. Bruce wore white jeans and a white tank top. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were a total of nine people in the studio, only one of whom is alive today, Bruce’s wife Linda. And she did not speak Cantonese, the \u003cem>lingua franca\u003c/em> of the fight, so undoubtedly some context was lost. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, everyone can agree on what happened next: David Chin, one of Wong’s friends and an instigator of the fight, began enumerating rules. Bruce “kept the tone harsh,” martial arts journalist Russo said: “You came to my school to challenge me, and now you want to set the rules?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Wong reached out to shake hands, the tense Bruce Lee threw out a feint that crashed right above Wong’s eye — immediately setting the tone for the rest of the fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1539\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12091693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-160x123.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/260717-BRUCE-LEE-01-KQED-1536x1182.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bruce Lee during the Hall of Mirrors scene on the set of “Enter the Dragon.” (Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Archive)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At one point, wrote Rick Wing, one of Wong’s students and another chronicler of the fight, Wong got Bruce into a headlock, though eventually, he let go.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Wong considered Lee to be a sparring opponent only, and not a mortal enemy,” Wing said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wong later told Wing about Bruce: “He would never say he lost until you killed him.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A final detail of the fight that everyone agrees with: once Bruce got out of the headlock, he lunged after Wong, who turned and tried to evade the attack. Then, he tripped on a floorboard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The two scuffled on the edge of the studio, with Bruce pummeling Wong with punches and yelling, “Admit it, you lost!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether Wong actually surrendered is up for debate. However, multiple kung fu students of San Francisco Chinatown have relayed third-hand that if Wong had won, the neighborhood would have been celebrating. Instead, it was silent the next day, like a funeral. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The aftermath of the fight\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The details are somewhat unremarkable — a messy fight in a small Oakland studio with a murky victory — but rumors of the fight, and what caused it, would spread like wildfire through the martial arts community and ultimately reach Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The rumor mill claimed over and over — in tabloids, martial arts magazines and even major Hollywood films — that Chinatown’s old guard took issue with Bruce teaching kung fu to non-Chinese people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086154\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260601-BRUCELEE-TV-01619-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greglon Lee poses for a portrait at the apartment complex he lives at in Berkeley on June 1, 2026. Greglon Lee is the son of James Lee, a martial artist who once was Bruce Lee’s training partner. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those who peddle this narrative often point to discrimination Bruce may have faced growing up in Hong Kong, due to his own background as a quarter-Dutch on his mom’s side. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Chang questioned whether this narrative holds up to scrutiny. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people,” Chang said. “I just think that’s not true at all. The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese for a long time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the fight did have a big effect on Bruce’s life and career.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For all of his bluster, the fight against Wong Jack-man was a huge reality check for Bruce, who realized his technique and conditioning came up short of his own expectations. His sloppy “victory” would forever alter his approach to martial arts, his biographers have said, and came at the right time, just as his Hollywood star was about to rise. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Iron sharpens iron,” Greglon said. “You always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better. [After] the fight with Wong Jack-man, Bruce changed his training completely. It helped Bruce go to another level.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Just months after The Showdown in Oakland, Bruce Lee got a call from a Hollywood producer asking him to audition for a part. It was his first big break and the beginning of a distinguished film career that ultimately led to Bruce starring in his most famous film, \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Whether or not the story bears the weight of the facts, “there’s a great mythology here,” Chang said, that may represent its power to this day. In the showdown, Bruce Lee’s fans found a battle over culture and change, one that matched the upheaval of the times, and wider shifts within Asian America. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Although that context was real, the more meaningful transformation was within Bruce himself. He went on to dedicate his life to becoming one of the best that ever lived. As an actor, he challenged stereotypes in Hollywood, refusing roles that typecast him. In his short life, he paved the way for future generations and set an example that continues to inspire and comfort fans to this day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There was always something special about Bruce Lee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Enter the Dragon theme song plays\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>The martial artist and actor was one of the first Asian stars in Hollywood. His path to fame wasn’t easy, but it paved the way for other Asian Americans to do the same today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s this famous thing Bruce said…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I said empty your mind…be formless, shapeless…like water. Water can flow or crash. Be water, my friend…”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>It’s the cornerstone of his martial arts philosophy…as much a mantra for how to live as a fighting technique. Be adaptable. Go with the flow … even if you’re riding a tidal wave.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce was a disruptor in the kung fu world…a young upstart who wanted to do things differently. Though he would eventually become this legendary figure in American culture, it took him years to hone his own style and philosophy. And many of the early moments that shaped him, the ones that made him \u003cem>the\u003c/em> Bruce Lee we see on the silver screen, they took place in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I assume there’s people alive still in Oakland and San Francisco who know him and have great stories to share. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That’s Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins. Sam’s first exposure to Bruce Lee was in the star’s most famous film — Enter the Dragon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>Most people would say like the defining one in the one that first like drew me into him and pulled me in. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>As a kid, he loved Bruce’s kung-fu moves. But as an adult he’s come to appreciate how brave Bruce was. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>The thing that really inspires me about him is that he changed how people think. And that’s so powerful, like how they view themselves and how they view others and pushed against like all these stereotypes and all these limitations that Hollywood was putting on him and society was putting on him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sam’s become kind of obsessed. He’s watched documentaries about Bruce Lee, been to museum exhibits about him and located local spots in San Francisco and Oakland that were meaningful in Bruce’s life. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>And I just have always wondered though, why isn’t there more in terms of honoring his legacy and all the great things that he did in his time here? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>There’s this one story Sam has heard over and over about “The Showdown in Oakland,” a fight between Bruce and a kung fu fighter from San Francisco that has become lore in the martial arts world. It’s one of the early moments in Bruce’s career that puts him on the map, and it’s practically a legend at this point. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sam Hopkins: \u003c/strong>I’ve heard different versions of it. So I’m just so curious, like which one is like the most accurate?\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>This is Bay Curious. The show where we answer listener questions about the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m Olivia Allen-Price.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED’s Elize Manoukian set out to separate fact from fiction and understand what role the Bay Area played in Bruce Lee’s life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> There’s an interview Bruce Lee gives in 1966, right as his star is about to rise. He’s still a bit of an unknown…it seems like the interviewer doesn’t know who he is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>I think his name is Bruce Lee…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In the interview, Bruce explains to a mainstream American audience what kung fu is, using the Chinese pronunciation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>Well, gung fu is a Chinese form of combat. Arts like karate or jiu jitsu derive from gung fu. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then the journalist asks him: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival: \u003c/strong>Don’t you have some karate schools in San Francisco or something?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>There are multiple issues with that question, but Bruce homes in on just one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: In Oakland, really. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even at this early point in his Hollywood career, the difference between the two Bay Area cities was important to him. You’ll soon hear why.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce lived in the Bay Area only a short while — just a few years — but his time in Oakland and San Francisco would go on to have a major influence on his career, and some have argued, on the way we think about martial arts in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> It’s a story in a way of how gung fu…how Kung Fu becomes American\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s historian and cultural critic Jeff Chang, the author of a recent Bruce Lee biography, “Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I asked him to tell me about Bruce’s life here, starting from the very beginning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Bruce was born in the Bay Area. He is there because his parents are on a tour. His dad is a famous Cantonese opera singer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And while his dad is performing in San Francisco, his mom becomes pregnant\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So he’s born in this segregated hospital in 1940.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, which is still open today. His mom, Grace, names her baby Bruce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Soon after, the family heads back to Hong Kong, which is quickly becoming the heart of Asia’s film industry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce’s dad, Hoi Cheun, transitions from singing opera to acting in movies. And at a young age, Bruce starts acting too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>So the directors are looking at who’s this kid. He’s so, he’s so fascinating. He’s got so much energy. He loves to be. He’s like a born showperson. Let’s put him in the movies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bruce Lee speaking Cantonese in The Kid\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Bruce at age 10, in a movie called the Kid. It’s about a tough street urchin with a heart of gold. The film premieres in 1950, and it’s a smash success in Hong Kong. But being famous is hard on Bruce, and he starts getting picked on in school.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is Bruce Lee’s martial arts origin story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And so he learns to try to figure out ways of protecting himself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And eventually, he meets a seifu, a Gongfu seifu named Yipman. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Yipman is a legendary figure in 1950s Hong Kong. He trains Bruce in a discipline called Wing Chun. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At this point, Hong Kong’s youth culture is obsessed with kung fu and streetfighting. Kids would literally challenge each other and battle on school rooftops.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Turns out that Bruce really loves the taste of blood on his lips.\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>Music end\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce has a short fuse and loves “talking with his hands,”. During his teen years, he gets a bad boy, James-Dean-kinda reputation in Hong Kong. He even gets kicked out of school for fighting. One day, when Bruce is 18 years old, the police come to his parents house, and tell them that if he stays in Hong Kong, he’ll be arrested. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And his parents are like, that’s it. You know, the police are after you, like the gangs are after you. You’re not, you’re not going to be here anymore. We’re going to send you back to the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Remember, Bruce was born in the U.S., so he’s a citizen. In 1959, his parents give him $100 and send him to live with one of their friends in San Francisco Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce gets a job, his first non-acting job, at a restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He hates it. He can’t take it. Like, this is beneath me. You know, I’ve been on the movie screen, and now you got me cutting carrots. Like, no, I’m not, I’m not about that life. So he quits in a day. And his guardian is like, OK, — Well, I guess we have to have you teach cha-cha then.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Oh, I forgot to mention: Bruce is an amazing dancer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Cha-cha was a huge craze in 1950s Hong Kong, and Bruce is super athletic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So while learning English, Bruce starts teaching cha-cha to San Francisco’s Chinese community to make money. But he’s bored. And restless. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he’s like, where are the fighters here? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He can’t help himself. There’s some part of him that just needs to feel the \u003cem>rush\u003c/em> of a real, flesh-and-blood fight again. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So he walks into a kung fu school and challenges the other students to a fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And they run him out immediately.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s the first in a long list of grievances San Francisco’s kung fu community will have with Bruce. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As if his parents read the writing on the wall, they decide to send him to Seattle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>His parents are like, OK, you’re going to get in trouble again. We’re sending you to a place where there’s less Chinese, there’s less distractions. And you’re going to finish your fricking diploma, and you’re going to get a college degree.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> He never gets that diploma. In fact, Bruce doesn’t last long in Seattle, although he does end up getting married to a woman named Linda while he’s there. The Bay Area is the heart of the West Coast’s martial arts scene, and Bruce wants to get back there. So he drops out of the University of Washington, moves his young family, and gambles everything…on the Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen Price: \u003c/strong>Back in Oakland, Bruce meets some folks who help him refine his theories and practice of martial arts. More on that when we come back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sponsor break\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> The year is 1964, a time of major cultural change. Young people are questioning everything about U.S. society. And Bruce Lee, who has just moved back to the Bay Area as a 24-year-old college dropout, is going through his own personal revolution. He isn’t just studying martial arts; he has some radical ideas about its future. And he finds some enthusiastic disciples in the Bay Area. Elize Manoukian takes us to Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Yeah, this is the old house: 3039 Monticello. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>That’s Greglon Lee, a kung fu sifu based in Berkeley. He’s showing me the funky, yellow bungalow in the East Oakland hills where he once lived with Bruce Lee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce spent a lot of time here, and he was basically training 10-12 hours a day.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Even as a college student, Bruce had picked up kung fu students across the West Coast. And one of the most dedicated was a man named James Yimm Lee, Greglon’s dad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was one of his top students; my dad had been training with him for a few years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was a local streetfighter and bodybuilder. He became fascinated with kung fu, wanted to modernize and popularize it. He knew Bruce could help. So he convinced Bruce and his family to move in with him and his kids in the East Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>You come down to Oakland. We got you covered, roof over your head, and you can train and do whatever you want.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James filled his garage with a bunch of diy equipment — punching pads, shields, leg stretchers. The two men scrutinized reels of Mohammed Ali boxing fights. They practiced what worked from classical styles of martial arts and threw away the rest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>To get better when you’re already good ain’t easy. You really have to break things down completely. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>James was helping Bruce invent a NEW style of martial arts that tried to break away from set technique completely. Classical kung fu was too rigid, they said. Instead, they experimented with fusing wing chun, boxing, street fighting with some heavy doses of Daoist philosophy. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The individual has to really do their own work. There’s no magic pill. There’s no magic movement to martial arts. It’s getting to know yourself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce’s homegrown fighting style would eventually become known as Jeet Kun Do, or as Greg calls it, JKD. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>And you’ve got to remember the Cha Cha taught him really good footwork and how to change timing, which is really the key to J. K. D. It’s not static.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce and James gain some attention for their new fighting style. Students come from hundreds of miles away to study with them. They pick up enough disciples that they decide to open up a little studio on Broadway Street in Oakland, near what’s now auto row. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>My dad was twenty years older, but he let Bruce run everything. Because Bruce knew what he was doing and it was obvious that Bruce had it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In Oakland, Bruce gains confidence in his approach to martial arts, and he’s convinced the San Francisco kung fu scene is \u003cem>backwards … \u003c/em>he’s not shy about sharing that opinion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here’s Bruce Lee biographer Jeff Chang again: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He’s basically saying, all of your schools, all the stuff they teach you: That’s all garbage. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And some people in San Francisco get wind of this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They don’t have short-term memories. Like, they remember when Bruce first was there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It all comes to a head in the summer of 1964. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bruce is promoting his Oakland school, in a kung fu demonstration at San Francisco’s Sun Sing Theater, the same stage where his dad performed opera, two decades earlier. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During his demo, he starts critiquing the style of teaching in San Francisco, but in kind of a brash, 24-year-old way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Everything that you’ve been taught is no good. Let me show you how a real martial artist does things. Provocative, right?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The air in the theater is hazy with cigarette smoke. And the crowd is full of San Francisco martial artists.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re just waiting for Bruce to make a wrong move.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Then he invites somebody on stage, and says, try to defend yourself using your style, and I’ll show you why mine’s better\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He wants to show the speed and accuracy of his punch. As it turns out, the guy that comes up to be on stage with him is somebody who’s deeply affiliated with the Chinatown koons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The koons are kung fu schools\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The volunteer blocks Bruce’s punch. Bruce tries again, and the kid blocks it again. Then, the kid puts up his fists, ready for a fight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And everybody starts hooting and hollering, ’cause they’re cheering for the guy who came up from the audience. That’s their guy, right? He’s like a ringer.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce is embarrassed. But he stops and collects himself… trying to refocus the message on what his school has to offer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he says, “If you want more, come and see me in Oakland.” And what he really means is, “My school is in Oakland. You’re welcome to come, we’ll train and that kind of thing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But at this point, tempers are high. And to the riled-up crowd it sounds like Bruce is saying: “let’s finish what we started, meet me in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>This spreads through the sort of underground pipeline, right? The coconut wireless really fast.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Soon every martial artist in the Bay Area is talking about what happened at the theater. And some San Francisco guys decide to challenge Bruce to a fight. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They want to see Bruce get his ass beaten.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So they recruit an up-and-coming martial artist named Wong Jack-man, telling him, you’re our best hope to take this guy down. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, Wong wasn’t at the Sun Sing Theater, and by all accounts, didn’t really seem to know what he was walking into.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>WongJack-man thinks he’s going to Oakland to fight a comparison fight. It’s a friendly kind of thing. Everybody goes out and has tea and dim sum afterwards, right?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Instead, he’s an unwitting participant in one of Bruce Lee’s most famous fights. The Showdown in Oakland. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here’s what happened according to Jeff and Greglon: \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They come to the studio at dusk on a November evening. And at the studio are James, James Yimm Lee, Bruce and Linda. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>I know that my dad did bring a gun just in case, just in case things got out of control.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Elize: It starts out friendly enough…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man reaches his hand out, and that Bruce, uh, sort of gives a faint instead. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>And lashes out with a punch \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>That is directed at Wong Jack-man’s eyes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> So hard it leaves a mark.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And the realization that, Oh, Bruce is actually out for blood, like this is something serious. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce presses in. He uses low kicks and close-up punches.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Most people Bruce dealt with, he could take them out in about five seconds. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>But Wong sidesteps the assault and deflects with his forearms. He uses long and graceful kicks and wide diagonal blows — like axes coming down — he hits Bruce HARD in the neck, and gets Bruce into a headlock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Like holding his neck under his arm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man could have won right there. But he lets go. He considers Bruce an opponent, not a mortal enemy. Bruce seizes the opportunity and attacks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Wong Jack-man started running.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>And he trips on a floorboard and falls down. Bruce pounces on him. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>They’re on the floor, with Bruce yelling, “You lost, admit it!” Their friends jump in and separate the two. And that was that. A pretty messy fight, ended by a floorboard. Not at all the resolution to the Oakland- San Francisco rivalry. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Except the story doesn’t end there. The fight at the studio was just the beginning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>It became a story that just passed word of mouth. The word gets back to Hong Kong.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>The magazines picked up about Bruce and Wong Jack-man, all kinds of rumors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>In one story, Wong Jack-man kills Bruce. In others, Bruce is defending the honor of an actress from Hong Kong. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the biggest story — the one that has prevailed — is that the fight was about who gets to learn kung fu. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Very famously, the fight has been portrayed as this thing where Bruce was defending his right to teach non-Chinese people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>It’s part of the mythology around Bruce Lee, that he not only popularizes kung fu…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He opens the doors for non-Chinese to kind of study it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Though it’s a compelling story, it’s just not true. After all, this is San Francisco in the 60s we’re talking about here. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang:\u003c/strong> The record shows that the koons in San Francisco had already opened themselves to non-Chinese. And so it just doesn’t stand up to, to that kind of scrutiny.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So a lot of the myths surrounding the Showdown are not true. But for Bruce, it was still a turning point.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fight was the first true test of his ideas. Wong Jack-man represented all of the things Bruce and James had been arguing needed to change. But it wasn’t the easy victory he had expected, says Greglon. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee: \u003c/strong>Bruce changed his training completely. So actually, the fight with Wong Jack-man helped Bruce go to another level. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Martial arts is ultimately about fighting yourself, Bruce Lee would write later in life. You train to control your impulses, to empty your mind. And this fight showed him he wasn’t there yet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He knew he needed to work harder. And get better. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Greglon Lee:\u003c/strong> Iron sharpens iron. You don’t sharpen your knife or sword on wood or a piece of butter. So you always have to have an adversary, an opponent in fighting to get better.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The timing of the Showdown would turn out to be important for Bruce. Because he would need these lessons as he embarked on a new phase of his career. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Shortly after the Showdown in Oakland, something unexpected happens. Bruce’s wife gets a call.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>Out of the blue one afternoon. Linda gets a call, and it’s this Hollywood producer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The producer’s barber saw Bruce do a kung fu demonstration earlier that year…and Bruce gets the role of Kato, the sidekick of a TV superhero named the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sounds of martial arts fighting from The Green Hornet.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show only ran one season. And Kato doesn’t have many lines. But Bruce’s character, who uses martial arts to save the Green Hornet episode after episode, becomes a hit. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>As the management looks at the numbers of toys being sold, they’re like, well, Kato’s outselling the Green Hornet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The show gives Bruce a chance to show off his kung fu to a national audience. For many viewers, it’s their first time seeing martial arts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Bruce still can’t break into the mainstream. When the show gets canceled, Bruce struggles to find new work.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He can’t get a single job in Hollywood for a while unless it’s as a fight choreographer or in a sort of stereotypically, like, you know, oriental type role that he would refuse to play. And he comes to realize at some point, well, actually, they don’t see me as a main character. And so he has to, at that point, make a choice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>So at age 29, he decides, forget this. I’m going back to Asia, where I’m gonna be a superstar. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And in Hong Kong, his career explodes. He does a movie called \u003cem>Big Boss\u003c/em>, and then another called \u003cem>Fist of Fury.\u003c/em> After one screening, the audience was so excited, they actually tore the seats out of the movie theater. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>At this point that, Bruce is the largest star by far in Asia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>After a few years of mega-stardom, he writes, directs and stars in a third movie called \u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em>, where he faces off against a then-unknown actor named Chuck Norris. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>He joked with his mother. Mom, in this movie, I get to beat up a white guy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>The Way of the Dragon\u003c/em> was Bruce’s crossover hit. Suddenly Bruce’s movies are being watched back in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>They’re being imported, they’re dubbed, and they’re packing the theatres.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Finally, Hollywood notices and comes crawling back. Warner Bros approaches him and his manager in Hong Kong about a new film they want him to star in. And this time, Bruce Lee gets to call the shots. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Here he is in an interview from 1971:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> So are you going to go to the United States and be famous or you going to try and eat your cake and have it too?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> I am going to do both because you see I have already made up my mind that in the United States something about the Oriental needs to be shown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee interviewer archival:\u003c/strong> Hollywood sure hasn’t.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival:\u003c/strong> You better believe it man, it’s all chop chop and with the eyes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>He directs the fight scenes, negotiates higher pay and takes ownership of the script. And he names the movie — \u003cem>Enter the Dragon\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Originally, the writer and director saw Bruce’s character as an Asian James Bond. But Bruce Lee thought that that was too Western … too imperialist. The character, he said, should be a Shaolin monk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jeff Chang: \u003c/strong>These are ideas that he’s adopted from Taoism that he’s been teaching to other folks since he was 19 years old.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon clip:\u003c/strong> Don’t think, feel. It’s like a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>Bruce knew he was on the cusp of global stardom. But in his intense focus on his career, he may have ignored signs from his body that something was deeply wrong. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In May 1973, he has a seizure on set. The doctors can’t find any reason for it, so they allow him to return to work. He continues traveling and working hard. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A few months later, he has a headache, so he takes an aspirin and a tranquilizer and falls asleep. He never wakes up. He’s only 32 years old. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip:\u003c/strong> Hong Kong was stunned, and as the word spread, people read with shock and disbelief that Bruce Lee was dead.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian:\u003c/strong> A 1973 documentary “Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend” shows a crowd gathering outside the funeral parlor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee: The Man and The Legend clip: \u003c/strong>Several hundred extra police were detailed to try to control the crowd; no one could believe that someone like Bruce Lee, so young, so fit, could just die.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>His death is still a mystery. The autopsy reveals a cerebral edema, which is a swelling of the brain caused by trauma, and other factors, but could not determine a cause.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Enter the Dragon, Bruce’s triumphant return to Hollywood, premieres just days later. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Enter the Dragon trailer:\u003c/strong> What do you know about Han? We are investigating corruption….\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>The film was a box office hit and cemented Bruce Lee’s legacy as not just a martial artist, but as a Hollywood star. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the first time, Americans finally see Bruce Lee as he wants to be seen: his confidence, his physique, and his philosophy all on display. Here he is in 1971 on the Pierre Berton Show. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bruce Lee archival: \u003c/strong>You see, the idea is running water never grow stale, so you got to just keep on flowing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Elize Manoukian: \u003c/strong>If you watch Bruce Lee movies now, this is the man you see: disciplined, polished, cool. But Hollywood only got the finished product. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay Area’s Bruce was much more raw, reckless, full of dreams and ambition. Though his time here was brief, the battles he fought shaped his philosophy and honed his skills so he could become the superstar we know today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>That was KQED’s Elize Manoukian. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thanks to Sam Hopkins for asking today’s question. And he’ll be glad to know Bruce Lee is getting a little more recognition locally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California recently designated May 17 Bruce Lee Day to commemorate the date the fighter moved to the U.S. as a teenager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the site of Bruce Lee’s Oakland studio, there’s a street sign designating the intersection “Bruce Lee Way.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And the Chinese Historical Society of America also has a cool exhibit about Bruce’s life and career at their museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thanks also to Charlie Russo, and Rick Wing, whose writing about Bruce Lee and the showdown in Oakland were helpful in the making of this story.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bay Curious is a production of member-supported KQED in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. With extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone at KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>"
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"title": "How OpenAI’s Models Escaped Their Sandbox and Slipped Past California's AI Law",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/open-ai\">OpenAI\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/\"> this week said\u003c/a> more than one of its models — three, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-23/openai-models-lurked-in-hugging-face-system-for-hours-undetected?srnd=homepage-americas\">\u003cem>Bloomberg\u003c/em>\u003c/a> — attacked Hugging Face, a popular repository for open-source AI tools — marking one of the first publicly disclosed cases of frontier AI models autonomously cyberattacking another company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The disclosure came days after Hugging Face \u003ca href=\"https://huggingface.co/blog/security-incident-july-2026\">revealed\u003c/a> it was breached in a hack by a “malicious dataset,” which intruded into the AI company’s software to run code. The campaign executed a flurry of more than 17,000 automated actions in a matter of hours, the post said. It’s still unclear if Hugging Face customer or partner data was taken. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This matches the ‘agentic attacker’ scenario the industry has been forecasting,” Hugging Face wrote on July 16.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI said an investigation showed the incident was driven by a combination of models — “including GPT‑5.6 Sol and an even more capable pre-release model.” The company said it’s working with Hugging Face to produce a more thorough report of what happened.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI’s announcement came one day after the San Francisco-based frontier AI developer disclosed a separate incident in which it paused another pre-release model that had escaped what the industry calls “a sandbox” — an isolated environment with no path to the open internet, except for a single internal service that fetches software packages — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/openai-models-escaped-containment-and-hacked-huggingface/\">posted\u003c/a> to GitHub. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last April, a researcher challenged an early version of Anthropic’s Mythos model to break out of an isolated system and message back. Mythos did, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaymomentum.io/p/the-ai-that-broke-out-of-its-cage\">went further\u003c/a>, building a multistep process to reach the wider internet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">frontier AI law\u003c/a>, the first of its kind in the country, obliges the largest developers to tell the state about critical safety incidents, but only ones that kill or injure someone or that cause catastrophic harm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It expressly excludes the kind of safety evaluation OpenAI was running when its models got loose. Which leaves a question nobody in Sacramento or Washington can answer: how often have frontier models in development gone rogue at companies that decided not to mention it? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was one of the topics I was focused on when I worked at OpenAI: what happens when AI models become good enough to reward-hack their way through the infrastructure they use to accomplish their objectives?” Ariel Herbert-Voss, OpenAI’s first security hire, wrote KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a really difficult problem to defend against and is one of the reasons I left to start my own company,” Herbert-Voss, now the founder of an automated offensive cybersecurity company called RunSybil, said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a really remarkable and, I think, fair to say scary event,“ said Nathan Calvin, general counsel at safety advocate EncodeAI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Scientists and AI researchers have warned for years of the possibility that AI systems could go rogue and do unpredictable and unintended things. AI developers commonly test safety with so-called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia/what-is-ai-red-teaming\">red teams\u003c/a>” that try to break or trick machine learning models, like chatbots, to find hidden flaws. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092368\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Hugging Face logo is seen displayed on a mobile phone screen with the AI revolution symbol in the background. (Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In certain circumstances, AI will try to break out of their sandboxes or otherwise do things that were not what the creator intended,” Calvin said. “But this really is the first very big example of that happening, at scale, with a really highly capable AI model in a way that actually harmed a third party.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to OpenAI’s account, the company was running an internal evaluation designed to measure how good its models are at hacking. To get a true reading, OpenAI deliberately switched off the safety filters that normally stop its models from carrying out cyberattacks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The models were confined to a so-called “sandbox,” an isolated environment with no route to the open internet except OpenAI’s one internal service that fetches software libraries from public repositories. The models found a previously unknown flaw in that service, exploited it, escalated their privileges and moved from machine to machine inside OpenAI’s research network until they reached one with internet access. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once the models broke out onto the open internet, according to OpenAI, they reasoned that Hugging Face might be storing the answers to the test they were trying to pass. Hugging Face’s credentials and production database aren’t on the public internet any more than a bank’s vault sits on a sidewalk, but the models broke into Hugging Face using stolen credentials, among other things.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">OpenAI restructured to a for-profit company in a move tied to an agreement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Company CEO Sam Altman participates in a discussion in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023. (Photo by Eric Risberg, AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In short: The models were told to hack. They were not told to leave the building or to break into another company’s servers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hugging Face detected the intrusion and shut it down on its own, days before OpenAI connected the attack to its own testing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s quite mind-blowing that all of this happened autonomously!“ Hugging Face Chief Executive Clement Delangue wrote on social media platform \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/ClementDelangue/status/2079670308156645882\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In its blog post, OpenAI wrote, “This incident points to the need to further strengthen our model’s alignment, cyber protections during evaluation time and monitoring during internal testing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Future of Life Institute — a nonprofit which issues a biannual risk assessment of nine leading AI companies — recently warned that many of the companies building frontier models are quietly walking back safety commitments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the group’s \u003ca href=\"https://futureoflife.org/ai-safety-index-summer-2026/\">most recent\u003c/a> AI Safety Index, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta all weakened or abandoned promises to pause development if certain red lines were approached, even while publicly suggesting they were amenable. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of phone screen displaying Anthropic Claude, a Large Language Model (LLM) powered generative artificial intelligence chatbot in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an email, KQED asked Hamza Chaudhry, who leads AI and national security work at Future of Life, to imagine it was not OpenAI’s software gone rogue but a foreign state, intentionally executing an unauthorized intrusion into a private company’s production infrastructure, exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, stealing live credentials and accessing a production database. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We would likely call this a dangerous act of cyber-espionage,” he wrote — a likely criminal violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which “would draw a threat group designation and eventually an indictment or sanctions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI did not respond to KQED’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told \u003cem>Bloomberg \u003c/em>the company communicated with law enforcement and other government authorities about the incident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fact that Google DeepMind, Meta, Mistral, xAI and Chinese AI model developers haven’t revealed similar events doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t happened. OpenAI and Anthropic are the only two frontier model developers that have publicly disclosed containment failures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There is no mandatory public disclosure regime in force, like the one in California that requires \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992954/cybersecurity-expert-shares-tips-for-dublin-based-patelco-credit-union-customers-after-ransomware-attack\">hacked companies to reveal\u003c/a> there’s been a data breach.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12036125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads logos are screened on a mobile phone on Jan. 25, 2025. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Congressional candidate and state Sen. Scott Wiener wrote two AI frontier model safety bills. Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007323/can-california-still-lead-on-ai-regulation-following-newsoms-veto-of-ai-safety-bill\">vetoed\u003c/a> Wiener’s first effort, arguing in his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SB-1047-Veto-Message.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> that “By focusing only on the most expensive and large-scale models, SB 1047 establishes a regulatory framework that could give the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The next year, Newsom signed Wiener’s second at-bat, but only after the bill was softened to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058013/newsom-signs-california-ai-transparency-bill-tailored-to-meet-tech-industry-tastes\">overcome industry pushback\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">law\u003c/a>, which took effect Jan. 1, requires developers of the most powerful AI models to notify the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services of any “critical safety incident“ within 15 days of discovering it — which is not the same as reporting the incident to the public. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wiener told KQED he still thinks the law is strong. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We worked very hard with the governor to produce a bill that is meaningful and impactful, and that he would sign,“ he said, adding he doesn’t consider the work done, because AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">State Sen. Scott Wiener, a candidate for California’s 11th Congressional District, participates in a forum with other candidates at UC Law San Francisco on Jan. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AI, he said, is “likely the most powerful technology in human history, and we need to make sure that we are both understanding the risks and taking them seriously, so that we can get ahead of them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Calvin likened the Hugging Face hack to the cyclospora outbreak linked to, but not confirmed as originating from, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091770/california-based-taylor-farms-recalls-lettuce-shipped-to-27-states-over-cyclospora-risk\">Taylor Farms\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That California-based company has said it’s removing its lettuce indefinitely while the FDA investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And OpenAI is like, ‘Maybe it’ll happen again. Maybe it’ll get worse. We don’t really know,“ Calvin said. “Your AI, again, hacked out of its box and hacked into another company, and you’re saying that you don’t know how to stop it from doing that again? That seems pretty nuts,” Calvin said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/open-ai\">OpenAI\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/\"> this week said\u003c/a> more than one of its models — three, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-23/openai-models-lurked-in-hugging-face-system-for-hours-undetected?srnd=homepage-americas\">\u003cem>Bloomberg\u003c/em>\u003c/a> — attacked Hugging Face, a popular repository for open-source AI tools — marking one of the first publicly disclosed cases of frontier AI models autonomously cyberattacking another company. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/open-ai\">OpenAI\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/\"> this week said\u003c/a> more than one of its models — three, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-23/openai-models-lurked-in-hugging-face-system-for-hours-undetected?srnd=homepage-americas\">\u003cem>Bloomberg\u003c/em>\u003c/a> — attacked Hugging Face, a popular repository for open-source AI tools — marking one of the first publicly disclosed cases of frontier AI models autonomously cyberattacking another company. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The disclosure came days after Hugging Face \u003ca href=\"https://huggingface.co/blog/security-incident-july-2026\">revealed\u003c/a> it was breached in a hack by a “malicious dataset,” which intruded into the AI company’s software to run code. The campaign executed a flurry of more than 17,000 automated actions in a matter of hours, the post said. It’s still unclear if Hugging Face customer or partner data was taken. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The disclosure came days after Hugging Face \u003ca href=\"https://huggingface.co/blog/security-incident-july-2026\">revealed\u003c/a> it was breached in a hack by a “malicious dataset,” which intruded into the AI company’s software to run code. The campaign executed a flurry of more than 17,000 automated actions in a matter of hours, the post said. It’s still unclear if Hugging Face customer or partner data was taken. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This matches the ‘agentic attacker’ scenario the industry has been forecasting,” Hugging Face wrote on July 16.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This matches the ‘agentic attacker’ scenario the industry has been forecasting,” Hugging Face wrote on July 16.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>OpenAI said an investigation showed the incident was driven by a combination of models — “including GPT‑5.6 Sol and an even more capable pre-release model.” The company said it’s working with Hugging Face to produce a more thorough report of what happened.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>OpenAI’s announcement came one day after the San Francisco-based frontier AI developer disclosed a separate incident in which it paused another pre-release model that had escaped what the industry calls “a sandbox” — an isolated environment with no path to the open internet, except for a single internal service that fetches software packages — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/openai-models-escaped-containment-and-hacked-huggingface/\">posted\u003c/a> to GitHub. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>OpenAI’s announcement came one day after the San Francisco-based frontier AI developer disclosed a separate incident in which it paused another pre-release model that had escaped what the industry calls “a sandbox” — an isolated environment with no path to the open internet, except for a single internal service that fetches software packages — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/openai-models-escaped-containment-and-hacked-huggingface/\">posted\u003c/a> to GitHub. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Last April, a researcher challenged an early version of Anthropic’s Mythos model to break out of an isolated system and message back. Mythos did, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaymomentum.io/p/the-ai-that-broke-out-of-its-cage\">went further\u003c/a>, building a multistep process to reach the wider internet. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Last April, a researcher challenged an early version of Anthropic’s Mythos model to break out of an isolated system and message back. Mythos did, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaymomentum.io/p/the-ai-that-broke-out-of-its-cage\">went further\u003c/a>, building a multistep process to reach the wider internet. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">frontier AI law\u003c/a>, the first of its kind in the country, obliges the largest developers to tell the state about critical safety incidents, but only ones that kill or injure someone or that cause catastrophic harm.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">frontier AI law\u003c/a>, the first of its kind in the country, obliges the largest developers to tell the state about critical safety incidents, but only ones that kill or injure someone or that cause catastrophic harm.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It expressly excludes the kind of safety evaluation OpenAI was running when its models got loose. Which leaves a question nobody in Sacramento or Washington can answer: how often have frontier models in development gone rogue at companies that decided not to mention it? \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This was one of the topics I was focused on when I worked at OpenAI: what happens when AI models become good enough to reward-hack their way through the infrastructure they use to accomplish their objectives?” Ariel Herbert-Voss, OpenAI’s first security hire, wrote KQED. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This was one of the topics I was focused on when I worked at OpenAI: what happens when AI models become good enough to reward-hack their way through the infrastructure they use to accomplish their objectives?” Ariel Herbert-Voss, OpenAI’s first security hire, wrote KQED. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s a really difficult problem to defend against and is one of the reasons I left to start my own company,” Herbert-Voss, now the founder of an automated offensive cybersecurity company called RunSybil, said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s a really difficult problem to defend against and is one of the reasons I left to start my own company,” Herbert-Voss, now the founder of an automated offensive cybersecurity company called RunSybil, said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s a really remarkable and, I think, fair to say scary event,“ said Nathan Calvin, general counsel at safety advocate EncodeAI. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s a really remarkable and, I think, fair to say scary event,“ said Nathan Calvin, general counsel at safety advocate EncodeAI. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Scientists and AI researchers have warned for years of the possibility that AI systems could go rogue and do unpredictable and unintended things. AI developers commonly test safety with so-called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia/what-is-ai-red-teaming\">red teams\u003c/a>” that try to break or trick machine learning models, like chatbots, to find hidden flaws. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Scientists and AI researchers have warned for years of the possibility that AI systems could go rogue and do unpredictable and unintended things. AI developers commonly test safety with so-called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia/what-is-ai-red-teaming\">red teams\u003c/a>” that try to break or trick machine learning models, like chatbots, to find hidden flaws. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In certain circumstances, AI will try to break out of their sandboxes or otherwise do things that were not what the creator intended,” Calvin said. “But this really is the first very big example of that happening, at scale, with a really highly capable AI model in a way that actually harmed a third party.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to OpenAI’s account, the company was running an internal evaluation designed to measure how good its models are at hacking. To get a true reading, OpenAI deliberately switched off the safety filters that normally stop its models from carrying out cyberattacks.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to OpenAI’s account, the company was running an internal evaluation designed to measure how good its models are at hacking. To get a true reading, OpenAI deliberately switched off the safety filters that normally stop its models from carrying out cyberattacks.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The models were confined to a so-called “sandbox,” an isolated environment with no route to the open internet except OpenAI’s one internal service that fetches software libraries from public repositories. The models found a previously unknown flaw in that service, exploited it, escalated their privileges and moved from machine to machine inside OpenAI’s research network until they reached one with internet access. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The models were confined to a so-called “sandbox,” an isolated environment with no route to the open internet except OpenAI’s one internal service that fetches software libraries from public repositories. The models found a previously unknown flaw in that service, exploited it, escalated their privileges and moved from machine to machine inside OpenAI’s research network until they reached one with internet access. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once the models broke out onto the open internet, according to OpenAI, they reasoned that Hugging Face might be storing the answers to the test they were trying to pass. Hugging Face’s credentials and production database aren’t on the public internet any more than a bank’s vault sits on a sidewalk, but the models broke into Hugging Face using stolen credentials, among other things.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Once the models broke out onto the open internet, according to OpenAI, they reasoned that Hugging Face might be storing the answers to the test they were trying to pass. Hugging Face’s credentials and production database aren’t on the public internet any more than a bank’s vault sits on a sidewalk, but the models broke into Hugging Face using stolen credentials, among other things.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">OpenAI restructured to a for-profit company in a move tied to an agreement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Company CEO Sam Altman participates in a discussion in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In short: The models were told to hack. They were not told to leave the building or to break into another company’s servers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In short: The models were told to hack. They were not told to leave the building or to break into another company’s servers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hugging Face detected the intrusion and shut it down on its own, days before OpenAI connected the attack to its own testing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hugging Face detected the intrusion and shut it down on its own, days before OpenAI connected the attack to its own testing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s quite mind-blowing that all of this happened autonomously!“ Hugging Face Chief Executive Clement Delangue wrote on social media platform \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/ClementDelangue/status/2079670308156645882\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s quite mind-blowing that all of this happened autonomously!“ Hugging Face Chief Executive Clement Delangue wrote on social media platform \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/ClementDelangue/status/2079670308156645882\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In its blog post, OpenAI wrote, “This incident points to the need to further strengthen our model’s alignment, cyber protections during evaluation time and monitoring during internal testing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In its blog post, OpenAI wrote, “This incident points to the need to further strengthen our model’s alignment, cyber protections during evaluation time and monitoring during internal testing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Future of Life Institute — a nonprofit which issues a biannual risk assessment of nine leading AI companies — recently warned that many of the companies building frontier models are quietly walking back safety commitments. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Future of Life Institute — a nonprofit which issues a biannual risk assessment of nine leading AI companies — recently warned that many of the companies building frontier models are quietly walking back safety commitments. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to the group’s \u003ca href=\"https://futureoflife.org/ai-safety-index-summer-2026/\">most recent\u003c/a> AI Safety Index, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta all weakened or abandoned promises to pause development if certain red lines were approached, even while publicly suggesting they were amenable. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to the group’s \u003ca href=\"https://futureoflife.org/ai-safety-index-summer-2026/\">most recent\u003c/a> AI Safety Index, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta all weakened or abandoned promises to pause development if certain red lines were approached, even while publicly suggesting they were amenable. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of phone screen displaying Anthropic Claude, a Large Language Model (LLM) powered generative artificial intelligence chatbot in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of phone screen displaying Anthropic Claude, a Large Language Model (LLM) powered generative artificial intelligence chatbot in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an email, KQED asked Hamza Chaudhry, who leads AI and national security work at Future of Life, to imagine it was not OpenAI’s software gone rogue but a foreign state, intentionally executing an unauthorized intrusion into a private company’s production infrastructure, exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, stealing live credentials and accessing a production database. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an email, KQED asked Hamza Chaudhry, who leads AI and national security work at Future of Life, to imagine it was not OpenAI’s software gone rogue but a foreign state, intentionally executing an unauthorized intrusion into a private company’s production infrastructure, exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, stealing live credentials and accessing a production database. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We would likely call this a dangerous act of cyber-espionage,” he wrote — a likely criminal violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which “would draw a threat group designation and eventually an indictment or sanctions.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We would likely call this a dangerous act of cyber-espionage,” he wrote — a likely criminal violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which “would draw a threat group designation and eventually an indictment or sanctions.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>OpenAI did not respond to KQED’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told \u003cem>Bloomberg \u003c/em>the company communicated with law enforcement and other government authorities about the incident.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>OpenAI did not respond to KQED’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told \u003cem>Bloomberg \u003c/em>the company communicated with law enforcement and other government authorities about the incident.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fact that Google DeepMind, Meta, Mistral, xAI and Chinese AI model developers haven’t revealed similar events doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t happened. OpenAI and Anthropic are the only two frontier model developers that have publicly disclosed containment failures. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The fact that Google DeepMind, Meta, Mistral, xAI and Chinese AI model developers haven’t revealed similar events doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t happened. OpenAI and Anthropic are the only two frontier model developers that have publicly disclosed containment failures. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There is no mandatory public disclosure regime in force, like the one in California that requires \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992954/cybersecurity-expert-shares-tips-for-dublin-based-patelco-credit-union-customers-after-ransomware-attack\">hacked companies to reveal\u003c/a> there’s been a data breach.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There is no mandatory public disclosure regime in force, like the one in California that requires \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992954/cybersecurity-expert-shares-tips-for-dublin-based-patelco-credit-union-customers-after-ransomware-attack\">hacked companies to reveal\u003c/a> there’s been a data breach.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12036125\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads logos are screened on a mobile phone on Jan. 25, 2025. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Congressional candidate and state Sen. Scott Wiener wrote two AI frontier model safety bills. Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007323/can-california-still-lead-on-ai-regulation-following-newsoms-veto-of-ai-safety-bill\">vetoed\u003c/a> Wiener’s first effort, arguing in his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SB-1047-Veto-Message.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> that “By focusing only on the most expensive and large-scale models, SB 1047 establishes a regulatory framework that could give the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Congressional candidate and state Sen. Scott Wiener wrote two AI frontier model safety bills. Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007323/can-california-still-lead-on-ai-regulation-following-newsoms-veto-of-ai-safety-bill\">vetoed\u003c/a> Wiener’s first effort, arguing in his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SB-1047-Veto-Message.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> that “By focusing only on the most expensive and large-scale models, SB 1047 establishes a regulatory framework that could give the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The next year, Newsom signed Wiener’s second at-bat, but only after the bill was softened to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058013/newsom-signs-california-ai-transparency-bill-tailored-to-meet-tech-industry-tastes\">overcome industry pushback\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The next year, Newsom signed Wiener’s second at-bat, but only after the bill was softened to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058013/newsom-signs-california-ai-transparency-bill-tailored-to-meet-tech-industry-tastes\">overcome industry pushback\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">law\u003c/a>, which took effect Jan. 1, requires developers of the most powerful AI models to notify the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services of any “critical safety incident“ within 15 days of discovering it — which is not the same as reporting the incident to the public. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">law\u003c/a>, which took effect Jan. 1, requires developers of the most powerful AI models to notify the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services of any “critical safety incident“ within 15 days of discovering it — which is not the same as reporting the incident to the public. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wiener told KQED he still thinks the law is strong. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Wiener told KQED he still thinks the law is strong. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We worked very hard with the governor to produce a bill that is meaningful and impactful, and that he would sign,“ he said, adding he doesn’t consider the work done, because AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We worked very hard with the governor to produce a bill that is meaningful and impactful, and that he would sign,“ he said, adding he doesn’t consider the work done, because AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">State Sen. Scott Wiener, a candidate for California’s 11th Congressional District, participates in a forum with other candidates at UC Law San Francisco on Jan. 7, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AI, he said, is “likely the most powerful technology in human history, and we need to make sure that we are both understanding the risks and taking them seriously, so that we can get ahead of them.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AI, he said, is “likely the most powerful technology in human history, and we need to make sure that we are both understanding the risks and taking them seriously, so that we can get ahead of them.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Calvin likened the Hugging Face hack to the cyclospora outbreak linked to, but not confirmed as originating from, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091770/california-based-taylor-farms-recalls-lettuce-shipped-to-27-states-over-cyclospora-risk\">Taylor Farms\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Calvin likened the Hugging Face hack to the cyclospora outbreak linked to, but not confirmed as originating from, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091770/california-based-taylor-farms-recalls-lettuce-shipped-to-27-states-over-cyclospora-risk\">Taylor Farms\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That California-based company has said it’s removing its lettuce indefinitely while the FDA investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That California-based company has said it’s removing its lettuce indefinitely while the FDA investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And OpenAI is like, ‘Maybe it’ll happen again. Maybe it’ll get worse. We don’t really know,“ Calvin said. “Your AI, again, hacked out of its box and hacked into another company, and you’re saying that you don’t know how to stop it from doing that again? That seems pretty nuts,” Calvin said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And OpenAI is like, ‘Maybe it’ll happen again. Maybe it’ll get worse. We don’t really know,“ Calvin said. “Your AI, again, hacked out of its box and hacked into another company, and you’re saying that you don’t know how to stop it from doing that again? That seems pretty nuts,” Calvin said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "California’s new frontier AI law doesn't require OpenAI to report its agents’ Hugging Face Hack. How often does this happen elsewhere?",
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"title": "How OpenAI’s Models Escaped Their Sandbox and Slipped Past California's AI Law | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/open-ai\">OpenAI\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/\"> this week said\u003c/a> more than one of its models — three, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-23/openai-models-lurked-in-hugging-face-system-for-hours-undetected?srnd=homepage-americas\">\u003cem>Bloomberg\u003c/em>\u003c/a> — attacked Hugging Face, a popular repository for open-source AI tools — marking one of the first publicly disclosed cases of frontier AI models autonomously cyberattacking another company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The disclosure came days after Hugging Face \u003ca href=\"https://huggingface.co/blog/security-incident-july-2026\">revealed\u003c/a> it was breached in a hack by a “malicious dataset,” which intruded into the AI company’s software to run code. The campaign executed a flurry of more than 17,000 automated actions in a matter of hours, the post said. It’s still unclear if Hugging Face customer or partner data was taken. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This matches the ‘agentic attacker’ scenario the industry has been forecasting,” Hugging Face wrote on July 16.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI said an investigation showed the incident was driven by a combination of models — “including GPT‑5.6 Sol and an even more capable pre-release model.” The company said it’s working with Hugging Face to produce a more thorough report of what happened.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/AP24134775174210-scaled-e1770337042768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11985952\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI’s announcement came one day after the San Francisco-based frontier AI developer disclosed a separate incident in which it paused another pre-release model that had escaped what the industry calls “a sandbox” — an isolated environment with no path to the open internet, except for a single internal service that fetches software packages — and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.com/story/openai-models-escaped-containment-and-hacked-huggingface/\">posted\u003c/a> to GitHub. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last April, a researcher challenged an early version of Anthropic’s Mythos model to break out of an isolated system and message back. Mythos did, and then \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaymomentum.io/p/the-ai-that-broke-out-of-its-cage\">went further\u003c/a>, building a multistep process to reach the wider internet. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California’s \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">frontier AI law\u003c/a>, the first of its kind in the country, obliges the largest developers to tell the state about critical safety incidents, but only ones that kill or injure someone or that cause catastrophic harm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It expressly excludes the kind of safety evaluation OpenAI was running when its models got loose. Which leaves a question nobody in Sacramento or Washington can answer: how often have frontier models in development gone rogue at companies that decided not to mention it? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was one of the topics I was focused on when I worked at OpenAI: what happens when AI models become good enough to reward-hack their way through the infrastructure they use to accomplish their objectives?” Ariel Herbert-Voss, OpenAI’s first security hire, wrote KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a really difficult problem to defend against and is one of the reasons I left to start my own company,” Herbert-Voss, now the founder of an automated offensive cybersecurity company called RunSybil, said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a really remarkable and, I think, fair to say scary event,“ said Nathan Calvin, general counsel at safety advocate EncodeAI. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Scientists and AI researchers have warned for years of the possibility that AI systems could go rogue and do unpredictable and unintended things. AI developers commonly test safety with so-called “\u003ca href=\"https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia/what-is-ai-red-teaming\">red teams\u003c/a>” that try to break or trick machine learning models, like chatbots, to find hidden flaws. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092368\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1849294862-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Hugging Face logo is seen displayed on a mobile phone screen with the AI revolution symbol in the background. (Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In certain circumstances, AI will try to break out of their sandboxes or otherwise do things that were not what the creator intended,” Calvin said. “But this really is the first very big example of that happening, at scale, with a really highly capable AI model in a way that actually harmed a third party.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to OpenAI’s account, the company was running an internal evaluation designed to measure how good its models are at hacking. To get a true reading, OpenAI deliberately switched off the safety filters that normally stop its models from carrying out cyberattacks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The models were confined to a so-called “sandbox,” an isolated environment with no route to the open internet except OpenAI’s one internal service that fetches software libraries from public repositories. The models found a previously unknown flaw in that service, exploited it, escalated their privileges and moved from machine to machine inside OpenAI’s research network until they reached one with internet access. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once the models broke out onto the open internet, according to OpenAI, they reasoned that Hugging Face might be storing the answers to the test they were trying to pass. Hugging Face’s credentials and production database aren’t on the public internet any more than a bank’s vault sits on a sidewalk, but the models broke into Hugging Face using stolen credentials, among other things.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12062600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/111623_Sam-Altman_AP_CM_01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">OpenAI restructured to a for-profit company in a move tied to an agreement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Company CEO Sam Altman participates in a discussion in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023. (Photo by Eric Risberg, AP Photo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In short: The models were told to hack. They were not told to leave the building or to break into another company’s servers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hugging Face detected the intrusion and shut it down on its own, days before OpenAI connected the attack to its own testing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s quite mind-blowing that all of this happened autonomously!“ Hugging Face Chief Executive Clement Delangue wrote on social media platform \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/ClementDelangue/status/2079670308156645882\">X\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In its blog post, OpenAI wrote, “This incident points to the need to further strengthen our model’s alignment, cyber protections during evaluation time and monitoring during internal testing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Future of Life Institute — a nonprofit which issues a biannual risk assessment of nine leading AI companies — recently warned that many of the companies building frontier models are quietly walking back safety commitments. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to the group’s \u003ca href=\"https://futureoflife.org/ai-safety-index-summer-2026/\">most recent\u003c/a> AI Safety Index, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta all weakened or abandoned promises to pause development if certain red lines were approached, even while publicly suggesting they were amenable. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/GettyImages-2159671948-scaled-e1781542152687.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058035\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of phone screen displaying Anthropic Claude, a Large Language Model (LLM) powered generative artificial intelligence chatbot in Lafayette, California, on June 27, 2024. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an email, KQED asked Hamza Chaudhry, who leads AI and national security work at Future of Life, to imagine it was not OpenAI’s software gone rogue but a foreign state, intentionally executing an unauthorized intrusion into a private company’s production infrastructure, exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, stealing live credentials and accessing a production database. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We would likely call this a dangerous act of cyber-espionage,” he wrote — a likely criminal violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which “would draw a threat group designation and eventually an indictment or sanctions.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>OpenAI did not respond to KQED’s request for comment, but a spokesperson told \u003cem>Bloomberg \u003c/em>the company communicated with law enforcement and other government authorities about the incident.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fact that Google DeepMind, Meta, Mistral, xAI and Chinese AI model developers haven’t revealed similar events doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t happened. OpenAI and Anthropic are the only two frontier model developers that have publicly disclosed containment failures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There is no mandatory public disclosure regime in force, like the one in California that requires \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992954/cybersecurity-expert-shares-tips-for-dublin-based-patelco-credit-union-customers-after-ransomware-attack\">hacked companies to reveal\u003c/a> there’s been a data breach.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12036125\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/MetaGetty2-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads logos are screened on a mobile phone on Jan. 25, 2025. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Congressional candidate and state Sen. Scott Wiener wrote two AI frontier model safety bills. Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007323/can-california-still-lead-on-ai-regulation-following-newsoms-veto-of-ai-safety-bill\">vetoed\u003c/a> Wiener’s first effort, arguing in his \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SB-1047-Veto-Message.pdf\">veto message\u003c/a> that “By focusing only on the most expensive and large-scale models, SB 1047 establishes a regulatory framework that could give the public a false sense of security about controlling this fast-moving technology.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The next year, Newsom signed Wiener’s second at-bat, but only after the bill was softened to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12058013/newsom-signs-california-ai-transparency-bill-tailored-to-meet-tech-industry-tastes\">overcome industry pushback\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB53\">law\u003c/a>, which took effect Jan. 1, requires developers of the most powerful AI models to notify the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services of any “critical safety incident“ within 15 days of discovering it — which is not the same as reporting the incident to the public. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wiener told KQED he still thinks the law is strong. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We worked very hard with the governor to produce a bill that is meaningful and impactful, and that he would sign,“ he said, adding he doesn’t consider the work done, because AI continues to evolve at a rapid pace. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069061\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/260107-SFCongressionalCandidateForum-13-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">State Sen. Scott Wiener, a candidate for California’s 11th Congressional District, participates in a forum with other candidates at UC Law San Francisco on Jan. 7, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>AI, he said, is “likely the most powerful technology in human history, and we need to make sure that we are both understanding the risks and taking them seriously, so that we can get ahead of them.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Calvin likened the Hugging Face hack to the cyclospora outbreak linked to, but not confirmed as originating from, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12091770/california-based-taylor-farms-recalls-lettuce-shipped-to-27-states-over-cyclospora-risk\">Taylor Farms\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That California-based company has said it’s removing its lettuce indefinitely while the FDA investigation continues. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And OpenAI is like, ‘Maybe it’ll happen again. Maybe it’ll get worse. We don’t really know,“ Calvin said. “Your AI, again, hacked out of its box and hacked into another company, and you’re saying that you don’t know how to stop it from doing that again? That seems pretty nuts,” Calvin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "sausalito-city-manager-to-be-released-from-jail-ordered-to-seek-mental-health-evaluation",
"title": "Sausalito City Manager to Be Released From Jail, Ordered to Seek Mental Health Evaluation",
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"headTitle": "Sausalito City Manager to Be Released From Jail, Ordered to Seek Mental Health Evaluation | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092004/sausalito-city-manager-elaine-forbes-faces-misdemeanor-charges-over-boat-trespassing\">Sausalito City Manager Elaine Forbes\u003c/a> will be released from jail and undergo a psychological evaluation after she was arrested over the weekend for trespassing amid what her family said is a mental health crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes, who previously served as the director of the Port of San Francisco, agreed to voluntarily go to Marin General Hospital for a mental health assessment, according to her attorney, Randall Knox.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Given the fact that Ms. Forbes has never been arrested [before] and the circumstances of these particular allegations, the judge agreed to release her on her own recognizance,” he told KQED after her hearing on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Family spokesperson Sam Singer said Forbes’ wife and family “believe that this is the right judicial move and are very pleased” with the court’s action. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1249\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092354\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED-1536x959.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Boats parked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor in Sausalito on July 22, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes, 53, assumed the role of Sausalito city manager earlier this month, but had been on a leave of absence since Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a special city council meeting on Tuesday night, Sausalito Mayor Steven Woodside said Forbes remains on leave, and that “no decisions were made regarding her employment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to assure everyone that we are gathering and evaluating all of the facts surrounding this matter,” Woodside said. “This moment calls for a sensitive balance between individual privacy rights and the rights the public have for accountability. It’s not easy. But we will get through this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the time being, Assistant City Manager Brandon Phipps has assumed the role of acting city manager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Woodside said Tuesday that the city was also in negotiations to have former City Manager Chris Zapata come back to serve in an advisory capacity. If he does, it would be on a “loan” from Marin County, where he is now the assistant county executive, Woodside said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes was found aboard the Lisa Marie, a 66-foot, three-story yacht docked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor, just after 6 a.m. Saturday morning, hours after she had been reported missing by her wife, according to Singer. He said her phone and wallet were found outside of an addiction recovery center in Sausalito that evening.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marin sheriff’s deputies located Forbes amid empty alcohol bottles, having manipulated the boat’s controls “as if she was attempting to steal the vessel,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Domenick Yazzolino said. She was initially arrested on suspicion of felony burglary.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When deputies found Forbes on Saturday, they said she told them she was having a “bad morning” and to get off of her boat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to nearby boat owner Rand Siegfried, Forbes also told officers she had been on his boat, the Sea Dog, that morning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There, they found clothes strewn around the deck and items missing, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There was a layer of clothing on every floor of the boat that was two or three garments deep,” Siegfried said. “It seems like she tried on a lot of my wife’s things, and I think she actually went to jail with one of my wife’s sweaters on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes was later charged with four misdemeanors: trespassing onto private property, petty theft less than $950 and two counts of unlawful lodging for entering the two boats.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Siegfried, who was out of town at the time, said he believes the value of the items Forbes took from the Sea Dog is likely worth more than $950, but he and his wife had not yet determined what was stolen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092355\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Boats parked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor in Sausalito on July 22, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It didn’t seem like there’s malicious intent, but boy, it was damaging,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope she seeks out help to get better, but I also hope she is responsible for what she has done,” Siegfried said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a court appearance on Wednesday afternoon, Judge Cindee Mayfield in Marin County Superior Court granted Knox’s request to release Forbes without posting bail.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes is set to return to court on Aug. 11. During her hearing on Wednesday, Knox said it is possible he would appear on her behalf if she is in treatment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a blip,” he said Tuesday, adding that Forbes “is grateful that the city of Sausalito has been so supportive … and she has a really solid network of friends and family who are going to try to help her navigate this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jgeha\">\u003cem>Joseph Geha\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forbes, who previously served as the director of the Port of San Francisco, agreed to voluntarily go to Marin General Hospital for a mental health assessment, according to her attorney, Randall Knox.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Given the fact that Ms. Forbes has never been arrested [before] and the circumstances of these particular allegations, the judge agreed to release her on her own recognizance,” he told KQED after her hearing on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Family spokesperson Sam Singer said Forbes’ wife and family “believe that this is the right judicial move and are very pleased” with the court’s action. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forbes, 53, assumed the role of Sausalito city manager earlier this month, but had been on a leave of absence since Thursday. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During a special city council meeting on Tuesday night, Sausalito Mayor Steven Woodside said Forbes remains on leave, and that “no decisions were made regarding her employment.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I want to assure everyone that we are gathering and evaluating all of the facts surrounding this matter,” Woodside said. “This moment calls for a sensitive balance between individual privacy rights and the rights the public have for accountability. It’s not easy. But we will get through this.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Woodside said Tuesday that the city was also in negotiations to have former City Manager Chris Zapata come back to serve in an advisory capacity. If he does, it would be on a “loan” from Marin County, where he is now the assistant county executive, Woodside said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forbes was found aboard the Lisa Marie, a 66-foot, three-story yacht docked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor, just after 6 a.m. Saturday morning, hours after she had been reported missing by her wife, according to Singer. He said her phone and wallet were found outside of an addiction recovery center in Sausalito that evening.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Marin sheriff’s deputies located Forbes amid empty alcohol bottles, having manipulated the boat’s controls “as if she was attempting to steal the vessel,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Domenick Yazzolino said. She was initially arrested on suspicion of felony burglary.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There was a layer of clothing on every floor of the boat that was two or three garments deep,” Siegfried said. “It seems like she tried on a lot of my wife’s things, and I think she actually went to jail with one of my wife’s sweaters on.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forbes was later charged with four misdemeanors: trespassing onto private property, petty theft less than $950 and two counts of unlawful lodging for entering the two boats.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Siegfried, who was out of town at the time, said he believes the value of the items Forbes took from the Sea Dog is likely worth more than $950, but he and his wife had not yet determined what was stolen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During a court appearance on Wednesday afternoon, Judge Cindee Mayfield in Marin County Superior Court granted Knox’s request to release Forbes without posting bail.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Forbes is set to return to court on Aug. 11. During her hearing on Wednesday, Knox said it is possible he would appear on her behalf if she is in treatment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is a blip,” he said Tuesday, adding that Forbes “is grateful that the city of Sausalito has been so supportive … and she has a really solid network of friends and family who are going to try to help her navigate this.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092004/sausalito-city-manager-elaine-forbes-faces-misdemeanor-charges-over-boat-trespassing\">Sausalito City Manager Elaine Forbes\u003c/a> will be released from jail and undergo a psychological evaluation after she was arrested over the weekend for trespassing amid what her family said is a mental health crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes, who previously served as the director of the Port of San Francisco, agreed to voluntarily go to Marin General Hospital for a mental health assessment, according to her attorney, Randall Knox.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Given the fact that Ms. Forbes has never been arrested [before] and the circumstances of these particular allegations, the judge agreed to release her on her own recognizance,” he told KQED after her hearing on Wednesday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Family spokesperson Sam Singer said Forbes’ wife and family “believe that this is the right judicial move and are very pleased” with the court’s action. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1249\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092354\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-7-KQED-1536x959.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Boats parked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor in Sausalito on July 22, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes, 53, assumed the role of Sausalito city manager earlier this month, but had been on a leave of absence since Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During a special city council meeting on Tuesday night, Sausalito Mayor Steven Woodside said Forbes remains on leave, and that “no decisions were made regarding her employment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I want to assure everyone that we are gathering and evaluating all of the facts surrounding this matter,” Woodside said. “This moment calls for a sensitive balance between individual privacy rights and the rights the public have for accountability. It’s not easy. But we will get through this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the time being, Assistant City Manager Brandon Phipps has assumed the role of acting city manager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Woodside said Tuesday that the city was also in negotiations to have former City Manager Chris Zapata come back to serve in an advisory capacity. If he does, it would be on a “loan” from Marin County, where he is now the assistant county executive, Woodside said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes was found aboard the Lisa Marie, a 66-foot, three-story yacht docked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor, just after 6 a.m. Saturday morning, hours after she had been reported missing by her wife, according to Singer. He said her phone and wallet were found outside of an addiction recovery center in Sausalito that evening.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Marin sheriff’s deputies located Forbes amid empty alcohol bottles, having manipulated the boat’s controls “as if she was attempting to steal the vessel,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Lt. Domenick Yazzolino said. She was initially arrested on suspicion of felony burglary.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When deputies found Forbes on Saturday, they said she told them she was having a “bad morning” and to get off of her boat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to nearby boat owner Rand Siegfried, Forbes also told officers she had been on his boat, the Sea Dog, that morning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There, they found clothes strewn around the deck and items missing, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There was a layer of clothing on every floor of the boat that was two or three garments deep,” Siegfried said. “It seems like she tried on a lot of my wife’s things, and I think she actually went to jail with one of my wife’s sweaters on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes was later charged with four misdemeanors: trespassing onto private property, petty theft less than $950 and two counts of unlawful lodging for entering the two boats.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Siegfried, who was out of town at the time, said he believes the value of the items Forbes took from the Sea Dog is likely worth more than $950, but he and his wife had not yet determined what was stolen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092355\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/20260722_sausalitofile_gc-9-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Boats parked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor in Sausalito on July 22, 2026. (Gina Castro for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It didn’t seem like there’s malicious intent, but boy, it was damaging,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope she seeks out help to get better, but I also hope she is responsible for what she has done,” Siegfried said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a court appearance on Wednesday afternoon, Judge Cindee Mayfield in Marin County Superior Court granted Knox’s request to release Forbes without posting bail.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Forbes is set to return to court on Aug. 11. During her hearing on Wednesday, Knox said it is possible he would appear on her behalf if she is in treatment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a blip,” he said Tuesday, adding that Forbes “is grateful that the city of Sausalito has been so supportive … and she has a really solid network of friends and family who are going to try to help her navigate this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jgeha\">\u003cem>Joseph Geha\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "San Francisco Is Feeling the Heat, But Infrastructure Isn’t Prepared",
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"content": "\u003cp>As average temperatures around the globe rise, extreme heat events are growing more common, even in temperate coastal regions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. But the city is lagging behind on infrastructure upgrades needed to keep up with dangerous heat waves, especially for the many residents who live in buildings without air conditioning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s according to health experts and city officials tasked with preparing the city for extreme heat events, a sustained period of abnormally hot weather, who spoke at a public hearing on Thursday. The discussion comes as San Francisco recorded its hottest July day on record in more than a decade this month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is going to get worse, and while we plan for climate change, we are living it,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the Department of Emergency Management. “We are in the crisis. We are in the eye of the storm. We are going to continue to have these events, and it is important that we prepare.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco has seen rising temperatures in recent decades and an increase in extreme heat waves, according to Carroll. In March, the city hit a record-breaking 90 degrees Fahrenheit — the highest temperature recorded that month in the past 152 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087087\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person sunbathes at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on June 10, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a heat wave over Labor Day in 2017, 14 people died in the Bay Area, including six in San Francisco alone. Hundreds more people went to the hospital. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the city is “plainly under-investing in our infrastructure needs in a host of ways,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who called for the hearing. “As a city, we’re blowing it on building for our future and investing in the physical structures of our future.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heat is the leading cause of death from extreme weather events in the U.S. and can often trigger health issues associated with chronic heart or lung diseases. The issue is particularly dangerous in dense neighborhoods like South of Market, the Mission and the Bayview, where it can be 15 to 20 degrees hotter due to urban heat island effects, which amplify temperatures due to things like asphalt absorbing heat or a lack of vegetation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Extreme heat can also trigger an increase in 911 calls for a variety of issues stemming from ways people try to get cool, like swimming at the beach, and safety threats that ramp up during heat waves, such as domestic violence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When more people are going to the beach, we see increased drownings. We have issues with children falling out of windows when windows get left open,” Carroll told KQED. “So we really try to get ahead of things and make sure our public is aware when we see heat coming.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Low-income residents, particularly renters in buildings without air conditioning, as well as seniors and people with disabilities, face some of the greatest challenges to responding to extreme heat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For many of the seniors we serve, preparing for extreme heat is not as simple as staying cool or going to a cooling center. Many live alone, have mobility limitations and depend on caregivers,” said Winnie Yu, chief programs officer at Self Help for the Elderly. “Many experience homelessness or live in single-room occupancy hotels without air conditioning, elevators or private kitchens and refrigerators. As renters, many cannot install air conditioning or make home modifications even if they wanted to.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city has 86 locations city-wide for people to gather at during extreme heat, but 25 still lack air conditioning. The city also lacks money to scale the model to the nearly 100 other locations that have applied for funding to upgrade their cooling capacity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city is not looking to build out new pop-up cooling centers, however, after past attempts found that few people turned to those spaces, according to Carroll. More people will turn to existing public spaces that they know, like community centers and libraries, and she said the city is focused on increasing access to cooling infrastructure in those places. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city has also worked to increase its climate resilience, such as an effort to plant 3,500 street trees to increase the shade canopy and improve air quality, but Mandelman said tree planting alone isn’t enough.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty-1536x1043.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People enjoying the sun at the Palace of Fine Arts as a heat wave rolls through San Francisco on July 11, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco is also working to implement the Heat and Air Quality Resilience Project, a cross-departmental initiative to address medium- to long-term extreme heat and wildfire smoke resilience strategies as well as short-term emergency response. The \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/HAQR-2305221_0.pdf\">2023 plan for the project\u003c/a> includes strategies to adapt both buildings and the natural environment for a changing climate, and to identify funding resources for upgrades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unlike some other major cities in areas with historically warm weather, San Francisco was largely built with its foggy, temperate climate in mind, and many older buildings do not have air conditioning or other modern adaptations for warmer weather. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brian Strong, who oversees the city’s capital improvement projects, said funding cuts from the federal government have thwarted efforts to modernize the city’s built environment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have to take care of ourselves and can’t rely on the federal government,” he said. “There’s not enough resources there to really address the problems.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said the city has shifted its thinking about infrastructure redevelopment over the last decade, as climate change has presented issues for residents far beyond just heat, including flooding, sea level rise and the ballooning housing crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are building capacity and thinking about these things in combination. A lot of the heat resilience work at libraries is related to seismic work, unlike 10 years ago,” he said. “When we put together the [last] 10-year capital plan, that was taken with events happening at the time and heat was not considered, the housing crisis was not considered … Now, we’re going to need to think more long-term.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It is going to get worse, and while we plan for climate change, we are living it,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the Department of Emergency Management. “We are in the crisis. We are in the eye of the storm. We are going to continue to have these events, and it is important that we prepare.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco has seen rising temperatures in recent decades and an increase in extreme heat waves, according to Carroll. In March, the city hit a record-breaking 90 degrees Fahrenheit — the highest temperature recorded that month in the past 152 years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During a heat wave over Labor Day in 2017, 14 people died in the Bay Area, including six in San Francisco alone. Hundreds more people went to the hospital. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the city is “plainly under-investing in our infrastructure needs in a host of ways,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who called for the hearing. “As a city, we’re blowing it on building for our future and investing in the physical structures of our future.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Heat is the leading cause of death from extreme weather events in the U.S. and can often trigger health issues associated with chronic heart or lung diseases. The issue is particularly dangerous in dense neighborhoods like South of Market, the Mission and the Bayview, where it can be 15 to 20 degrees hotter due to urban heat island effects, which amplify temperatures due to things like asphalt absorbing heat or a lack of vegetation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Extreme heat can also trigger an increase in 911 calls for a variety of issues stemming from ways people try to get cool, like swimming at the beach, and safety threats that ramp up during heat waves, such as domestic violence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When more people are going to the beach, we see increased drownings. We have issues with children falling out of windows when windows get left open,” Carroll told KQED. “So we really try to get ahead of things and make sure our public is aware when we see heat coming.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Low-income residents, particularly renters in buildings without air conditioning, as well as seniors and people with disabilities, face some of the greatest challenges to responding to extreme heat. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“For many of the seniors we serve, preparing for extreme heat is not as simple as staying cool or going to a cooling center. Many live alone, have mobility limitations and depend on caregivers,” said Winnie Yu, chief programs officer at Self Help for the Elderly. “Many experience homelessness or live in single-room occupancy hotels without air conditioning, elevators or private kitchens and refrigerators. As renters, many cannot install air conditioning or make home modifications even if they wanted to.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city has 86 locations city-wide for people to gather at during extreme heat, but 25 still lack air conditioning. The city also lacks money to scale the model to the nearly 100 other locations that have applied for funding to upgrade their cooling capacity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city is not looking to build out new pop-up cooling centers, however, after past attempts found that few people turned to those spaces, according to Carroll. More people will turn to existing public spaces that they know, like community centers and libraries, and she said the city is focused on increasing access to cooling infrastructure in those places. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city has also worked to increase its climate resilience, such as an effort to plant 3,500 street trees to increase the shade canopy and improve air quality, but Mandelman said tree planting alone isn’t enough.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco is also working to implement the Heat and Air Quality Resilience Project, a cross-departmental initiative to address medium- to long-term extreme heat and wildfire smoke resilience strategies as well as short-term emergency response. The \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/HAQR-2305221_0.pdf\">2023 plan for the project\u003c/a> includes strategies to adapt both buildings and the natural environment for a changing climate, and to identify funding resources for upgrades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Unlike some other major cities in areas with historically warm weather, San Francisco was largely built with its foggy, temperate climate in mind, and many older buildings do not have air conditioning or other modern adaptations for warmer weather. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Brian Strong, who oversees the city’s capital improvement projects, said funding cuts from the federal government have thwarted efforts to modernize the city’s built environment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have to take care of ourselves and can’t rely on the federal government,” he said. “There’s not enough resources there to really address the problems.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said the city has shifted its thinking about infrastructure redevelopment over the last decade, as climate change has presented issues for residents far beyond just heat, including flooding, sea level rise and the ballooning housing crisis. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are building capacity and thinking about these things in combination. A lot of the heat resilience work at libraries is related to seismic work, unlike 10 years ago,” he said. “When we put together the [last] 10-year capital plan, that was taken with events happening at the time and heat was not considered, the housing crisis was not considered … Now, we’re going to need to think more long-term.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A public hearing on the city’s extreme heat preparedness comes as San Francisco recorded its hottest July day on record in more than a decade this month. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As average temperatures around the globe rise, extreme heat events are growing more common, even in temperate coastal regions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. But the city is lagging behind on infrastructure upgrades needed to keep up with dangerous heat waves, especially for the many residents who live in buildings without air conditioning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s according to health experts and city officials tasked with preparing the city for extreme heat events, a sustained period of abnormally hot weather, who spoke at a public hearing on Thursday. The discussion comes as San Francisco recorded its hottest July day on record in more than a decade this month. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It is going to get worse, and while we plan for climate change, we are living it,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the Department of Emergency Management. “We are in the crisis. We are in the eye of the storm. We are going to continue to have these events, and it is important that we prepare.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco has seen rising temperatures in recent decades and an increase in extreme heat waves, according to Carroll. In March, the city hit a record-breaking 90 degrees Fahrenheit — the highest temperature recorded that month in the past 152 years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087087\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260610-RISKYWX00983_TV-KQED-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person sunbathes at Ocean Beach in San Francisco on June 10, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During a heat wave over Labor Day in 2017, 14 people died in the Bay Area, including six in San Francisco alone. Hundreds more people went to the hospital. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the city is “plainly under-investing in our infrastructure needs in a host of ways,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who called for the hearing. “As a city, we’re blowing it on building for our future and investing in the physical structures of our future.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heat is the leading cause of death from extreme weather events in the U.S. and can often trigger health issues associated with chronic heart or lung diseases. The issue is particularly dangerous in dense neighborhoods like South of Market, the Mission and the Bayview, where it can be 15 to 20 degrees hotter due to urban heat island effects, which amplify temperatures due to things like asphalt absorbing heat or a lack of vegetation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Extreme heat can also trigger an increase in 911 calls for a variety of issues stemming from ways people try to get cool, like swimming at the beach, and safety threats that ramp up during heat waves, such as domestic violence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When more people are going to the beach, we see increased drownings. We have issues with children falling out of windows when windows get left open,” Carroll told KQED. “So we really try to get ahead of things and make sure our public is aware when we see heat coming.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Low-income residents, particularly renters in buildings without air conditioning, as well as seniors and people with disabilities, face some of the greatest challenges to responding to extreme heat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“For many of the seniors we serve, preparing for extreme heat is not as simple as staying cool or going to a cooling center. Many live alone, have mobility limitations and depend on caregivers,” said Winnie Yu, chief programs officer at Self Help for the Elderly. “Many experience homelessness or live in single-room occupancy hotels without air conditioning, elevators or private kitchens and refrigerators. As renters, many cannot install air conditioning or make home modifications even if they wanted to.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city has 86 locations city-wide for people to gather at during extreme heat, but 25 still lack air conditioning. The city also lacks money to scale the model to the nearly 100 other locations that have applied for funding to upgrade their cooling capacity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city is not looking to build out new pop-up cooling centers, however, after past attempts found that few people turned to those spaces, according to Carroll. More people will turn to existing public spaces that they know, like community centers and libraries, and she said the city is focused on increasing access to cooling infrastructure in those places. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city has also worked to increase its climate resilience, such as an effort to plant 3,500 street trees to increase the shade canopy and improve air quality, but Mandelman said tree planting alone isn’t enough.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12047560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/Heat-Wave-SF-Getty-1536x1043.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People enjoying the sun at the Palace of Fine Arts as a heat wave rolls through San Francisco on July 11, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco is also working to implement the Heat and Air Quality Resilience Project, a cross-departmental initiative to address medium- to long-term extreme heat and wildfire smoke resilience strategies as well as short-term emergency response. The \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/HAQR-2305221_0.pdf\">2023 plan for the project\u003c/a> includes strategies to adapt both buildings and the natural environment for a changing climate, and to identify funding resources for upgrades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Unlike some other major cities in areas with historically warm weather, San Francisco was largely built with its foggy, temperate climate in mind, and many older buildings do not have air conditioning or other modern adaptations for warmer weather. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Brian Strong, who oversees the city’s capital improvement projects, said funding cuts from the federal government have thwarted efforts to modernize the city’s built environment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re going to have to take care of ourselves and can’t rely on the federal government,” he said. “There’s not enough resources there to really address the problems.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He said the city has shifted its thinking about infrastructure redevelopment over the last decade, as climate change has presented issues for residents far beyond just heat, including flooding, sea level rise and the ballooning housing crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are building capacity and thinking about these things in combination. A lot of the heat resilience work at libraries is related to seismic work, unlike 10 years ago,” he said. “When we put together the [last] 10-year capital plan, that was taken with events happening at the time and heat was not considered, the housing crisis was not considered … Now, we’re going to need to think more long-term.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "why-do-these-uc-professors-want-college-standardized-testing-back",
"title": "Why Do These UC Professors Want College Standardized Testing Back?",
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"headTitle": "Why Do These UC Professors Want College Standardized Testing Back? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>In May 2020, the University of California regents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11820185/uc-admissions-to-phase-out-sat-and-act-requirement\">voted\u003c/a> unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr> (Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What fairness looks like\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1469\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a pencil on a page of an SAT college entrance exam preparation book, taken on Aug., 6, 2017, in Melville, New York. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stephanie, a high school teacher at a college prep school, wrote into Forum saying she was against reinstating the SAT.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg\" alt=\"A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced.\" class=\"wp-image-10747399\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-400x235.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-800x470.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1440x847.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1180x694.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-960x565.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced. (Lance Johnson/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Arguments for Standardized Testing \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1385\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-1536x1074.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The Arguments Against Standardized Testing \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say in response to concerns being raised by professors like Aganagic? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12050458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Back view of large group of students sitting in the classroom and listening to their teacher. (Skynesher/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind the Testing Debate\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Next Steps\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who decides to bring back standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The regents will really make the ultimate call on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1485\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Standardized test company logo seen displayed on smartphone. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there a middle ground option for standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wouldn’t the effects of the pandemic also be a major factor in student performance?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some researchers I talked to said that that’s really what you would expect from the impact of the pandemic because the pandemic impacted students differently. Some of them have the peace and quiet they need to study and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and others do not. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May 2020, the University of California regents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11820185/uc-admissions-to-phase-out-sat-and-act-requirement\">voted\u003c/a> unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "What fairness looks like",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Stephanie, a high school teacher at a college prep school, wrote into Forum saying she was against reinstating the SAT.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "The Arguments for Standardized Testing ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-1536x1074.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "The Arguments Against Standardized Testing ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The Arguments Against Standardized Testing \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say in response to concerns being raised by professors like Aganagic? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who decides to bring back standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The regents will really make the ultimate call on this. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there a middle ground option for standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wouldn’t the effects of the pandemic also be a major factor in student performance?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some researchers I talked to said that that’s really what you would expect from the impact of the pandemic because the pandemic impacted students differently. Some of them have the peace and quiet they need to study and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and others do not. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some researchers I talked to said that that’s really what you would expect from the impact of the pandemic because the pandemic impacted students differently. Some of them have the peace and quiet they need to study and a reliable Wi-Fi connection, and others do not. \u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "In 2020, the University of California regents voted unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. Over 3,000 faculty members are asking for it to come back.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In May 2020, the University of California regents \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11820185/uc-admissions-to-phase-out-sat-and-act-requirement\">voted\u003c/a> unanimously to phase out the SAT and ACT as admission requirements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Considered a rite of passage in high school \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">since the 1940s\u003c/a> for students planning to continue their education, the standardized tests were also \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/education/530951/should-colleges-still-require-the-sats-and-acts\">long criticized\u003c/a> as insufficient predictors of college performance and discriminatory to low-income students who didn’t have the same access to test-prep materials and classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC system wasn’t alone. At the end of 2021, Harvard University announced it would waive \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-test-optional-sat-act-scores-college-admission/\">the testing requirement through 2026.\u003c/a> Institutions like \u003ca href=\"https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/how-to-apply/standardized-tests.html\">New York University\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/application/required-materials/\">University of Chicago\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.nd.edu/apply/\">Notre Dame University\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-policy/\">Northwestern University\u003c/a> are all currently test-optional for this application cycle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1331\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11996136\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/021822-UCLA-Campus-File-RN-CM-45-copy-1920x1278.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UCLA campus in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2022. \u003cbr> (Raquel Natalicchio for CalMatters)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But tides are shifting for these schools — and possibly for the UCs, too. Over the summer, more than 3,000 faculty members at University of California schools have signed \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">a pair of open letters\u003c/a> supporting admissions testing. \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/\">One letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 2,300 people — called for the return of the mathematics test for STEM majors, saying that testing is a “critical baseline” and “a common external check that students have the core mathematical fluency required for university-level STEM coursework.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The SAT/ACT mathematics requirement is not an obstacle to equity; rather, it is a prerequisite for it,” the letter reads. “Failing to measure preparation gaps does not remove barriers; it moves them into the classroom, where they become harder to overcome.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What fairness looks like\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>2020 was also a year when the country was in the middle of a “racial justice reckoning” after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/george-floyd\">the killing of George Floyd by police officers\u003c/a>, explained \u003cem>Berkeleyside \u003c/em>higher education reporter Felicia Mello on \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101914438/should-the-ucs-reinstate-the-sat\">KQED’s Forum\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a lot of discussion about equity happening,” Mello said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also added that a year prior, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/30/914061484/lies-money-and-cheating-the-deeper-story-of-the-college-admissions-scandal\">the infamous Varsity Blues college admissions scandal\u003c/a> took place, in which federal authorities cracked down on wealthy parents who had been cheating the application process through bribes and rigged standardized test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg?ver=1706236237\" alt=\"A bald person with glasses speaks into a microphone at a long table.\" class=\"wp-image-11973813\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/240125-UC-REGENTS-UNDOCUMENTED-WORK-MD-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UC President Michael Drake (center) announces the UC Board of Regents’ vote not to consider a proposal to allow the university to hire undocumented students at a UC Board of Regents meeting at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center on Jan. 25, 2024. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Board of Regents then took the decision first to go test-optional and eventually ended up going completely test-blind, and that’s the situation that we’ve been in since then,” Mello said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, after the UCs went test-optional in 2020, “we saw students thoroughly unprepared to take math in college,” said co-author of the STEM faculty letter, Mina Aganagic — a professor of mathematics and physics at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that these kids didn’t take pre-calc or calc or they haven’t mastered that,” she argued. “The issue is at a much, much earlier level. Students who struggle with material that’s taught in elementary and middle school.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And for those students, helping them learn calculus is really literally an impossible task,” she said. “So it was heartbreaking seeing so many students struggle.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://ucstudentsuccess.org/socscihum/\">other letter\u003c/a> — signed by more than 900 people — argued for bringing back the reading and writing portion of the SAT and ACT, echoing similar sentiments from STEM faculty members. The humanities faculty members also remarked on \u003ca href=\"https://www.404media.co/teachers-are-not-ok-ai-chatgpt/\">the rise of AI use among students\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As artificial intelligence becomes more capable, it is arguably more important than ever for students to be able to think through and compose sound arguments on their own, to comprehend the texts they read and to recognize weaknesses in the arguments of those texts,” the social sciences letter reads. “The growing use of AI also makes essays a less reliable indicator of these abilities.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, critics of the SAT and ACT requirements emphasize the disadvantage under-resourced students face and note that the letter’s signatories are a small portion of the large UC faculty.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The problem was that the SAT itself was basically a test that was really about assessing someone’s socioeconomic status,” said Lisa Holder, an \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> civil rights attorney who helped \u003ca href=\"https://publiccounsel.org/our-cases/smith-v-regents-of-university-of-california/\">file a lawsuit\u003c/a> to end the use of SAT and ACT in UC admissions, which ended in a settlement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1469\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092383\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1366973965-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Close-up of a pencil on a page of an SAT college entrance exam preparation book, taken on Aug., 6, 2017, in Melville, New York. (Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The metric that that test actually excelled at measuring was your access to test prep. And that is correlated to wealth,” she said. “This is one snapshot, a day in the life of an individual, as opposed to four years of a high-performing, high-achieving student who is striving.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stephanie, a high school teacher at a college prep school, wrote into Forum saying she was against reinstating the SAT.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I see how much time and money the wealthy students at my school spend on test prep, and it’s egregious,” she said. “The test prep courses and private tutors don’t teach students the material. They teach them how to game the system.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Another listener, who said they are a UC Merced professor, wrote on Forum’s Discord channel that many of the signatures came from “faculty at the three most selective campuses like Berkeley, UCLA and San Diego.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We educate a much higher share of students who need remedial math or writing,” they wrote. “Instead of trying to weed those students out, our approach has been to provide them with additional support and help them catch up.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1129\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg\" alt=\"A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced.\" class=\"wp-image-10747399\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-400x235.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-800x470.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1440x847.jpg 1440w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-1180x694.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/11/UCMerced11-960x565.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign marking the entrance to UC Merced. (Lance Johnson/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>However, an audience member who said they were a math tutor for two decades also pointed out that “kids trying to learn calculus couldn’t add two fractions efficiently, so I stopped tutoring calculus altogether. It was too much hassle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you wish to compete in the world, boost standards. Universities are not designed for remedial education.” Another told Forum that as a Northern California teacher who worked in \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-standards-based-grading-and-how-does-it-work/2024/09\">a standards-based grading school\u003c/a>, “All of my co-teachers agreed that this made grades very inflated. Students graduated shockingly ill-prepared for college, but their grades looked great.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Read on to learn more about Forum’s conversation with experts and reporters on the debate around standardized testing in California’s public higher education system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Arguments for Standardized Testing \u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What are professors who signed the letter seeing in classrooms?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Aganagic\u003c/strong>: You’d see enormous amounts of stress on the students. You’d see students who try to take the class three times, and they’re failing again. And they say, “I’ve done everything,” and they have done everything. But the task put in front of them is to cover a multi-year gap in one college calculus class together with 400 to 700 other students. It is simply impossible. It’s sort of like I asked you to climb a wall with no footholds at all. A mathematical genius could not do that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why is standardized testing the best way to measure that readiness for college-level work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>First, most of the SAT actually focuses on the kind of math that’s taught in middle school. I don’t mean acing it, but you will be able to do all right. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The other absolutely crucial thing to understand is how UC uses the SAT. UC was never providing a linear ranking of students and then saying, “We’ll take those with top SAT scores.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we will do is the following: Let’s say you take two students from a poor Black neighborhood. They’re going to the same high school. We have grade inflation. Both of these kids ace their math class. And we have to pick one. How are you going to pick? Right now, if we have to pick one, it’s going to be a random choice. In fact, Berkeley doesn’t even take teachers’ recommendations into account. What we are asking for is, “Give us the SAT score.” It will allow us to make an informed choice. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1385\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-860780-1536x1074.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SAT preparation books sit on a shelf at a Barnes and Noble store June 27, 2002 in New York City. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There’s also the \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://smarterbalanced.org/our-system/students-and-families/samples/\">\u003cstrong>Smarter Balanced Test\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong> that all California public high school juniors have to take. Would that be a reliable measure?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Certainly having something would be better than having nothing at all. But one problem is purely technical — test problems leaking. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And right now, Smarter Balanced is intended to assess how schools are doing. It’s not designed as a high-stakes test. And converting it to one would require huge resources just to achieve the same thing the SAT is already doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say to critics of standardized testing, who say scores track closely with income and racial disparities? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Every measure we have, including Smarter Balanced, already has in it, baked, these inequities. There’s just simply no way around it. The SAT is no better, no worse than any other measure we had. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the crucial thing is what washes them out is how we use the SAT. We are not comparing a kid from an affluent background to a low-income student and saying, “Compare their SAT scores.” No, we compare students who are alike in every other respect. In other words, the SAT becomes one part of a student’s file. And when we cannot decide between two students who are completely alike in every other respect, it’s a much more informed choice than throwing a die, which is deeply unfair. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Didn’t the pandemic — and remote schooling — also have a hand in dropping performances? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The overall level of math preparedness has been declining. Nobody’s questioning that. But what we are seeing here is a population of students at the very lowest level of preparedness. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Usually what you see is kind of a bell curve. And when you’re talking about overall level shifting, you’re talking about this bell curve kind of shifting. But what we are seeing is the bell curve — it becomes kind of a U-shape. You see students who are acing our classes and students who’re hopelessly failing, and there’s nothing in the middle. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088396\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2230923952-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">California State University, Northridge on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Couldn’t the UCs support these students through remedial college courses?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We’re pouring a lot into remediation. However, there are certain sizes of gaps that you simply cannot fill. They just become too large. If you are asking to fill a gap from elementary and middle school, it’s just hopeless. For those students, it would take years of work in college to catch up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And California has this beautiful master plan for higher education: of community colleges, the CSUs and the UCs and pathways between them. So a student who is not as well-prepared could have a real path upward: you could go to a community college, take remedial classes and then transfer to UC. You’re not placed into this classroom where you simply have no way of succeeding because your task was impossible. It is not your failure. It’s the failure of a whole system, and we should not propagate this. We should use the SAT as a placement to put kids in the right places, to give them ladders they can climb up. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>The Arguments Against Standardized Testing \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What was the lawsuit filed against the UCs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lisa Holder: \u003c/strong>In 2019, \u003ca href=\"https://equaljusticesociety.org/\">Equal Justice Society\u003c/a> — along with several private and public firms in a case called Smith v. UC Regents — sued the University of California for continuing to use the SAT and the ACT as a principal criteria for UC admissions when, in fact, the social science showed that the standardized tests, particularly the SAT and the ACT, were not the best metric for assessing a student’s college readiness, even though they purported to be that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The best metric, according to social scientists and psychometricians, was a student’s high school performance. Basically the classes that they took for four years. What did their teachers say about them, their student evaluations, their extracurriculars, their sports, their community involvement? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What was heartbreaking was seeing the clients we had in the Smith case who were incredible students. Many of them were students of color, disabled students and students that did not have a lot of money. And so they had no access to test prep, but they were straight A students. We had a student who had been living in his car for four years, yet he was a straight A student. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some would argue that accessibility to test-prep has improved thanks to online resources like Khan Academy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s completely speculative. We haven’t had the test for five years, and there’s no requirement under any settlement to bring that test back. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What we should be doing is looking at the data that is right in front of us. And the data is what tells us that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/admissions-outcomes-and-performance.pdf\">UC’s own studies conducted by the board\u003c/a> established that students admitted in the last five years under the test-free policy are equally — if not more — qualified and prepared than the previous students. And that this test-free policy is much more aligned with the UC’s mission, which is to offer high-quality, publicly funded education to California’s best students, not its wealthiest students. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This is a publicly funded university system, and everyone, regardless of income, is paying taxes to fund it. All high-performing California students should be able to access this school without obstruction from a gatekeeper test calibrated to measure for wealth rather than excellence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What do you say in response to concerns being raised by professors like Aganagic? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The achievement lapses that folks may be seeing are much more likely attributable to this generation’s addiction to mobile phones and their scattered focus, their literacy deficits and sort of shrinking attention spans caused by mobile phone usage and AI addiction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s a much larger systemic problem that we have to start to think about pedagogically in all of our schools. Also, what we’re seeing in this cohort of students is also largely impacted by the missed learning opportunities that they experienced during COVID. Some students were out of school for a year and a half, and so I’m sure that their math preparation may have suffered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And frankly, we have a lot of really lackluster curricula around STEM in our high schools. And so, students may not be excelling as much as they could be if we were to modernize our systems and sort of keep up with what’s going on globally around STEM. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12050458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/07/GenericClassroomGetty-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Back view of large group of students sitting in the classroom and listening to their teacher. (Skynesher/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Behind the Testing Debate\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: What have some of the effects been of waiving the test requirement?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Felicia Mello: \u003c/strong>UC’s data actually showed that they saw a big bump in applications right after going test-optional. In the first year, applications went up about 19%. And you also start to see a slight increase in diversity of both the people who are applying and the people who are getting in. In terms of performance, the official UC stats don’t show a huge difference. They show that persistence — meaning students who remained in college from the first year to the second year — was largely flat during that time. First-year GPAs ticked down very slightly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I am really just speaking to kind of what we saw right after the change went into effect in 2021. But the picture painted by the overall UC data is not as grim as the one that is being put forward by faculty on some campuses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How would you characterize the support for the faculty letters? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We have about 3,000 UC faculty out of roughly 26,000 who have signed on to one of these letters, either the letter from STEM faculty or the letter from social sciences and humanities faculty. We have seen the STEM faculty be much more out front on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The social sciences and humanities faculty who have come out in favor of this mentioned that having a good quantitative background is also important for social science classes like economics. There also is clearly some concern around students’ writing skills — that the rise of AI has made it harder to tell, even from students’ applications, whether they’re writing them themselves, and it also just has the potential to constrain what students are learning in terms of writing and communication in general. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC Berkeley math faculty — who had really been pushing via this open letter for the return of the SAT — had done their own analysis of numbers in introductory calculus classes. And they found that between 2021 and 2023, after UC got rid of the SAT and admissions, there was a big jump in students who were severely underprepared for that introductory calculus course. But unfortunately, because we only have those three years of data, they weren’t giving the same test prior to or after that. It is a bit hard to put that data in context. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Supporters of reinstating the requirement say that the tests would be used in a holistic approach. How true is that?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The UC actually does consider 13 different factors in admissions currently, even separate from test scores. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Not just your high school GPA, but how you’re doing relative to other students in your class. It looks at the types of life circumstances you’ve had, your geographic location. Have you had a recent improvement in your performance? What kinds of rigorous courses have you taken? Have you taken AP courses? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s another factor here, which is the broader political environment, and I think there’s a concern that even if the UC brings back the test, there will be pressure then on the UC to focus more narrowly on the task and abandon some of the more holistic aspects of its review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration has certainly been pressuring universities to not pay much attention to the diversity of their classes and not intentionally try to enroll a diverse student body. There’s a concern that this could be seized on by outside actors to try and do an analysis of the university’s admission policies that would focus really narrowly on those test scores. Now, whether that actually happens would remain to be seen.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Equity advocates have also said in the past that, for different reasons, even if you go test-optional, it’s still sending a signal whether those students choose to submit their scores or not, and that could still affect their application.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Next Steps\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mina Kim: The UC is saying that they will study and make a decision on whether to bring back the testing requirement a year from now. How likely is it that they will bring it back?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mello: \u003c/strong>This is something that was actually in the works even before these open letters. We’ve seen a number of factors that have changed since 2020: We have seen shifts in AI and how it affects the application process. Some of those concerns related to the pandemic are no longer there in the same way. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a lot of pressure to make this decision more quickly. The Faculty Senate had laid out this process of coming to a recommendation by fall 2027. The faculty had originally laid out a plan: They said, we’re going to study this, and the earliest that we could make a decision under this very detailed road map would be for people who are applying in fall of 2028.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They have since rescinded that detailed timeline. All we know at this point is that they’re going to make their recommendation by June. That creates some potential anxiety for this year’s incoming high school juniors. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who decides to bring back standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The regents will really make the ultimate call on this. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most interesting part of the regents meeting was the chair of the Board of Regents saying that she really felt like the public discussion around this has been too narrowly focused on standardized testing and that the university really needs to take a broader look at what it means to be ready for college in 2026. So this will include things like looking at the high school courses that UC requires people to have when they’re applying. Right now, there’s not a requirement for computer science or any other technology-related course. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s really an appetite for looking at these things more broadly. The regents are looking at, “How do we both maintain that reputation for excellence?” But also do what they are intending to do as a state university and make sure that access to the university is based on hard work and aptitude as opposed to just how much wealth your family has. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1485\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12092389\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1056629578-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Standardized test company logo seen displayed on smartphone. (Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is there a middle ground option for standardized testing?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are some universities and colleges that are using the SAT more for placement purposes after people get in. So they’re essentially saying, “We don’t require this for admissions, but we either require or strongly encourage you to share scores after you get in so that we can help figure out if you’re going to be in the right math class for you.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the things that I observe during the course of this reporting is that placement practices for math classes really vary across UC. It’s an extremely diverse system. I spoke with the math chair at UC Santa Barbara who did not sign on to this open letter in support of bringing back the SAT, and he was saying that when we identify students who may not be prepared for our introductory calculus classes, we make sure we flag that early on. We make sure that they are going to community college, and getting the kind of remedial preparation that they need, and then coming back, and those students tend to succeed in our classes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Wouldn’t the effects of the pandemic also be a major factor in student performance?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Essentially, there’s nobody I interviewed on either side that said, “Oh, we’re not dealing with any pandemic-related learning deficiencies.” There’s broad acknowledgment that our students are struggling in various ways since the pandemic, and something needs to be done. And the question is, what is the best response? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We know it’s not just all about the pandemic, because instead of seeing everybody equally struggling, we’re seeing this concentration on both ends where some people are doing really well, some people are really struggling, and that middle category of student is dropping out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"order": 9
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"order": 15
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 18
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"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",
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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},
"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",
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"meta": {
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
"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",
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"order": 11
},
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"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",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"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",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"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",
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},
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