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"content": "\u003cp>Thinking of taking a road trip in an electric vehicle? Or are concerns about running out of battery power on a long drive keeping you from buying an EV?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Charging infrastructure has improved over the last few years, and newer vehicles charge much faster than previous generations. But it still matters what you drive, where you’re driving and how much you plan in advance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Road trips can play a disproportionate role in the public conversation about EVs. The vast majority of EV charging happens at home, not at public fast chargers. Many EV-owning households also have a gas or hybrid vehicle they prefer for long trips.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And some EV owners shrug off range anxiety because they simply don’t go on many road trips. Ford CEO Jim Farley, in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/confessions-from-lifelong-petrol-head-i-love-electric-jim-farley-fc81e/\">love letter to EVs\u003c/a>, wrote that Ford’s research shows half of Americans go on 150-mile-plus drives “four days or fewer per year.” Owning a car that’s cheaper and easier 361 days of the year but a bit of a hassle on your yearly holiday drive might beat out having the dream road-trip machine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, being able to go on road trips is a priority for many people. Here are some tips on how to make a battery-powered long haul more relaxing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"edTag\">Before you decide:\u003c/h2>\n\u003col class=\"edTag\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consider your vehicle. \u003c/strong>Aside from a few models (like older Nissan Leafs), most modern EVs can handle a long drive, but the experience will vary widely. Some EVs, like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV6, \u003ca href=\"https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-charging.html\">can charge very quickly,\u003c/a> getting back on the road in less than 20 minutes. Others, like the affordable Chevy Bolt, charge slowly, taking an hour or more. Tesla’s routing software is excellent, and Tesla’s Supercharger network — now open to Fords and Rivians — is best in class. If you’re renting a car for a road trip, opt for a Tesla or at least a fast-charging option. If you’re taking your own car, get familiar with its capabilities.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consider your destination.\u003c/strong> California has abundant chargers, while parts of Wyoming are nearly chargerless. Charger availability can vary widely, not just state by state or city by city but interstate by interstate, neighborhood by neighborhood. Look up your specific route before making a judgment call about whether you’ll do it on battery power.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003ch2 class=\"edTag\">Before you go:\u003c/h2>\n\u003col class=\"edTag\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Prep your car.\u003c/strong> Just like with a gas car, it’s a good idea to check your tire pressure before you hit the road — although there’s no need to check your oil, of course! And charge up. A lot of EV owners keep their cars at a maximum of 80% charge for day-to-day driving to \u003ca href=\"https://seas.umich.edu/news/tips-extending-lifetime-lithium-ion-batteries\">extend the life of the battery\u003c/a>. But road trips are when that full 100% charge comes in handy, and occasionally charging to 100% does not damage your battery. If you can, schedule the charge so you hit 100% shortly before you leave.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Check your route.\u003c/strong> Plug your destination into your car’s onboard navigation or an EV routing app like A Better Route Planner to see which chargers will be available along the way. On a road trip, you’ll be looking for DC fast chargers, not Level 2 chargers, preferably chargers that match or exceed your car’s max charging speed. Check reviews, too, and opt for chargers with higher reliability scores. And even if you don’t drive a Tesla, you may want to download the Tesla app just in case there’s a supercharger with Magic Dock (meaning any EV can use it) along your route.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Look for hotels with EV chargers\u003c/strong> (and decide if they’re worth it). Charging up overnight at hotels can be convenient, especially if you’re in a slower-charging car. But check reviews (like on the charger review app Plugshare) to ensure the hotel chargers are reliable. Check prices, too. Some hotel charges are free. Others might cost $30 or more to charge a mid-size battery — as much as a fast charger. And have a backup plan, especially if the hotel only has one plug, for another way to charge.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003ch2 class=\"edTag\">On your trip:\u003c/h2>\n\u003col class=\"edTag\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Pack intentionally.\u003c/strong> You should never overload any vehicle. But even if you’re within your EV’s weight limit, if you \u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.acg.aaa.com/aaa-study-evs-lose-significant-range-when-hauling-heavy-cargo_20231016125847450/#\">load your vehicle down\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/how-is-ev-driving-range-impacted-by-towing\">pull a trailer\u003c/a>, you’ll reduce your range significantly. That may not be a problem if you’ve planned for it, but don’t get caught by surprise!\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Watch your speed. \u003c/strong>Of all the things that can reduce your range — temperature, wind, elevation — your speed is the easiest to control. Going faster will mean more charging stops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Turn on the A/C. \u003c/strong>Yes, climate control affects your range — just like it affects fuel economy in a gas car. But A/C in the summer \u003ca href=\"https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/what-a-c-does-to-your-range\">isn’t nearly as big of a drain\u003c/a> as a heater in the winter, and a road trip is miserable without it. One thing that can help, in either cold or hot weather, is starting the climate control while your car is still charging. (On a winter road trip, you might also see a meaningful range boost if you rely more on heated seats and less on the heater.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Listen to your car.\u003c/strong> Because external factors can reduce your range — and because \u003ca href=\"https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a44754199/tesla-range-display-estimate-tested/\">some cars are less accurate than others\u003c/a> at identifying your probable range — you may need to stop and charge before you expect. If your vehicle sends warning signals that it can’t reach its destination without a charge, don’t ignore them.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Charge to 80%. \u003c/strong>At a fast charger, charging speeds reduce rapidly after a car hits 80%. You’ll save yourself a lot of time by unplugging and moving on once you hit that mark. At slower chargers, like overnight charges at hotels, you can go ahead and charge to 100% if you’ll be using the car the next day.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Multitask.\u003c/strong> Meal stops. Bathroom visits. Snack resupply runs. Stretching interludes. Playground visits. Shopping. Whenever possible, use your charging stops as a chance to get \u003cem>out \u003c/em>of your car. That’s not possible at all chargers. But increasingly, companies are vying to put chargers near amenities, which can make a charging stop feel less like a hassle and more like a break.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, being able to go on road trips is a priority for many people. Here are some tips on how to make a battery-powered long haul more relaxing.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2 class=\"edTag\">Before you decide:\u003c/h2>\n\u003col class=\"edTag\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consider your vehicle. \u003c/strong>Aside from a few models (like older Nissan Leafs), most modern EVs can handle a long drive, but the experience will vary widely. Some EVs, like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV6, \u003ca href=\"https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-charging.html\">can charge very quickly,\u003c/a> getting back on the road in less than 20 minutes. Others, like the affordable Chevy Bolt, charge slowly, taking an hour or more. Tesla’s routing software is excellent, and Tesla’s Supercharger network — now open to Fords and Rivians — is best in class. If you’re renting a car for a road trip, opt for a Tesla or at least a fast-charging option. If you’re taking your own car, get familiar with its capabilities.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consider your destination.\u003c/strong> California has abundant chargers, while parts of Wyoming are nearly chargerless. Charger availability can vary widely, not just state by state or city by city but interstate by interstate, neighborhood by neighborhood. Look up your specific route before making a judgment call about whether you’ll do it on battery power.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003ch2 class=\"edTag\">Before you go:\u003c/h2>\n\u003col class=\"edTag\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Prep your car.\u003c/strong> Just like with a gas car, it’s a good idea to check your tire pressure before you hit the road — although there’s no need to check your oil, of course! And charge up. A lot of EV owners keep their cars at a maximum of 80% charge for day-to-day driving to \u003ca href=\"https://seas.umich.edu/news/tips-extending-lifetime-lithium-ion-batteries\">extend the life of the battery\u003c/a>. But road trips are when that full 100% charge comes in handy, and occasionally charging to 100% does not damage your battery. If you can, schedule the charge so you hit 100% shortly before you leave.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Check your route.\u003c/strong> Plug your destination into your car’s onboard navigation or an EV routing app like A Better Route Planner to see which chargers will be available along the way. On a road trip, you’ll be looking for DC fast chargers, not Level 2 chargers, preferably chargers that match or exceed your car’s max charging speed. Check reviews, too, and opt for chargers with higher reliability scores. And even if you don’t drive a Tesla, you may want to download the Tesla app just in case there’s a supercharger with Magic Dock (meaning any EV can use it) along your route.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Look for hotels with EV chargers\u003c/strong> (and decide if they’re worth it). Charging up overnight at hotels can be convenient, especially if you’re in a slower-charging car. But check reviews (like on the charger review app Plugshare) to ensure the hotel chargers are reliable. Check prices, too. Some hotel charges are free. Others might cost $30 or more to charge a mid-size battery — as much as a fast charger. And have a backup plan, especially if the hotel only has one plug, for another way to charge.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003ch2 class=\"edTag\">On your trip:\u003c/h2>\n\u003col class=\"edTag\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Pack intentionally.\u003c/strong> You should never overload any vehicle. But even if you’re within your EV’s weight limit, if you \u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.acg.aaa.com/aaa-study-evs-lose-significant-range-when-hauling-heavy-cargo_20231016125847450/#\">load your vehicle down\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/how-is-ev-driving-range-impacted-by-towing\">pull a trailer\u003c/a>, you’ll reduce your range significantly. That may not be a problem if you’ve planned for it, but don’t get caught by surprise!\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Watch your speed. \u003c/strong>Of all the things that can reduce your range — temperature, wind, elevation — your speed is the easiest to control. Going faster will mean more charging stops.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Turn on the A/C. \u003c/strong>Yes, climate control affects your range — just like it affects fuel economy in a gas car. 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"content": "\u003cp>The man accused of killing a woman by pushing her into a BART train last week did not appear at his arraignment Monday morning because he was in the hospital, according to the San Francisco public defender’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The arraignment is set to continue Tuesday, but a spokesperson for the public defender’s office said Monday that he likely won’t be well enough to go to court. He is in the hospital for a mental health issue, the San Francisco Standard \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/08/trevor-belmont-bart-murder-suspect-mental-illness/\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trevor Belmont, 49, faces charges of murder and elder abuse in connection with the alleged attack on a 74-year-old woman waiting at the Powell Street Station late on July 1. Around 11 p.m., Belmont reportedly pushed the victim, San Mateo County resident Corazon Dandan, into the path of a southbound train, causing her to hit her head and fall onto the platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART Police officers and paramedics administered aid before Dandan was transferred to San Francisco General Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead as a result of her injuries, including severe head wounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belmont, who is also known as Hoak Taing, was arrested on the platform following the event, BART Police said in a statement. He was booked on the morning of July 2 and is currently in custody at the San Francisco General Hospital, according to SF sheriff’s office records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The criminal complaint filed by the district attorney’s office alleges that Belmont inflicted great bodily harm on the “vulnerable” victim and intentionally killed her while lying in wait. He has previously been charged in multiple criminal cases in San Francisco dating back to 2007, according to San Francisco Superior Court data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belmont’s arraignment was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon but was continued to Monday morning, and again to Tuesday morning, after he did not appear. Angela Chan, a spokesperson for the public defender’s office, said in a statement to KQED that it isn’t likely he will appear in court tomorrow, either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mr. Belmont is in the hospital. It doesn’t appear he will be well enough to go to court tomorrow,” she said via email.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "Suspect in BART Killing Is in Hospital, Misses Court Appearance",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The man accused of killing a woman by pushing her into a BART train last week did not appear at his arraignment Monday morning because he was in the hospital, according to the San Francisco public defender’s office.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The arraignment is set to continue Tuesday, but a spokesperson for the public defender’s office said Monday that he likely won’t be well enough to go to court. He is in the hospital for a mental health issue, the San Francisco Standard \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/08/trevor-belmont-bart-murder-suspect-mental-illness/\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trevor Belmont, 49, faces charges of murder and elder abuse in connection with the alleged attack on a 74-year-old woman waiting at the Powell Street Station late on July 1. Around 11 p.m., Belmont reportedly pushed the victim, San Mateo County resident Corazon Dandan, into the path of a southbound train, causing her to hit her head and fall onto the platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART Police officers and paramedics administered aid before Dandan was transferred to San Francisco General Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead as a result of her injuries, including severe head wounds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belmont, who is also known as Hoak Taing, was arrested on the platform following the event, BART Police said in a statement. He was booked on the morning of July 2 and is currently in custody at the San Francisco General Hospital, according to SF sheriff’s office records.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The criminal complaint filed by the district attorney’s office alleges that Belmont inflicted great bodily harm on the “vulnerable” victim and intentionally killed her while lying in wait. He has previously been charged in multiple criminal cases in San Francisco dating back to 2007, according to San Francisco Superior Court data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Belmont’s arraignment was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon but was continued to Monday morning, and again to Tuesday morning, after he did not appear. Angela Chan, a spokesperson for the public defender’s office, said in a statement to KQED that it isn’t likely he will appear in court tomorrow, either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Mr. Belmont is in the hospital. It doesn’t appear he will be well enough to go to court tomorrow,” she said via email.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-father-who-lost-2-sons-in-a-boeing-crash-waits-to-hear-if-us-will-prosecute-the-company",
"title": "California Father Who Lost 2 Sons in a Boeing Crash Waits to Hear if US Will Prosecute the Company",
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"headTitle": "California Father Who Lost 2 Sons in a Boeing Crash Waits to Hear if US Will Prosecute the Company | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>As they travel around Alaska on a long-planned vacation, Ike and Susan Riffel stop now and then to put up stickers directing people to “Live Riffully.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a way for the California couple to honor the memories of their sons, Melvin and Bennett, who died in 2019 when a Boeing 737 Max jetliner \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/1108708781ba46808a16843bda8cc079\">crashed in Ethiopia\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Riffels and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-crash-victims-families-d4d944ba4f9669004f32908ffea98e32\">families of other passengers\u003c/a> who died in the crash and a similar one in Indonesia a little more than four months earlier are waiting to learn any day now whether the U.S. Justice Department, all these years later, \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-justice-department-737-max-82145b25ed988cd8cae0bce3de79ce9d\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">will prosecute Boeing\u003c/a>\u003c/span> in connection with \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/africa-canada-business-ethiopia-d8759281778e21537ae302633c9531a4\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">the two disasters\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, which killed 346 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ike Riffel fears that instead of putting Boeing on trial, the government will offer the company another shot at corporate probation through a legal document called a \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-department-of-justice-texas-business-fraud-57db69f33fda9f62785e1fe5d3b2f538\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">deferred prosecution agreement\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, or DPA. Or that prosecutors will let Boeing plead guilty and avoid a trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A DPA hides the truth. A plea agreement would hide the truth,” Riffel says. “It would leave the families with absolutely no idea” of what happened inside Boeing as \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-jet-incident-crashes-f73fb7b9eaff7f6549c88e958f7b8b38\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">the Max\u003c/a>\u003c/span> was being designed and tested, and after the first crash in 2018 pointed to problems with new flight-control software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The families want to know the truth. Who was responsible? Who did what?” the father says. “Why did they have to die?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ike is a retired forestry consultant, and Susan a retired religious educator. They live in Redding, California, where they raised their sons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mel was 29 and preparing to become a father himself when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/7a1b300ff96f435bbb029da62079b2f4\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">went down\u003c/a>\u003c/span> six minutes after takeoff. He played sports in school and worked as a technician for the California Department of Transportation in Redding. Bennett, 26, loved performing arts while growing up. He worked in IT support in Chico, California, and clients still send cards to his parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were our only two sons. They were very adventurous, very independent, loved to travel,” Riffel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early 2019, Mel and his wife, Brittney, took a “babymoon” to Australia. Brittney flew home while Mel met his brother in Taiwan to start what they called their world tour. He and Bennett were headed toward their last stop, South Africa, where Mel planned to do some surfing, when they boarded the Ethiopian Airlines flight in Addis Ababa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in California, Susan Riffel answered the phone when it rang on that Sunday morning. On the other end, someone from the airline told them their sons had been on a plane that had crashed. [aside postID=news_11973969 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/01/gettyimages-1948397327-7d48b5a4f4fb502524725b8fb8b887c5a611adfa-s1600-c85-copy-1020x765.jpg']“When you first hear it, you don’t believe it,” Ike Riffel says. “You still don’t believe after you see that there was a crash. ‘Oh, maybe they didn’t get on.’ You think of all these scenarios.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next shock came in January 2021: \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176\">The Justice Department\u003c/a> charged Boeing with fraud for misleading regulators who approved the Max, but at the same time, prosecutors approved \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-indonesia-61b2ccb06d4eebb2d4091c6d90147f72\">an agreement\u003c/a> that meant the single felony charge could be dropped in three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard it on the news. It just kind of blew me away. I thought, what the hell?” Riffel says. “I felt pretty powerless. I didn’t know what a deferred prosecution agreement was.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his wife believe they were deceived by the Justice Department, which until then had denied there was a criminal investigation going on. Boeing has never contacted the family, according to Riffel. He assumes that’s based on advice from the company’s lawyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no trust in (Boeing) to do the right thing, and I really lost my confidence in the Department of Justice,” he says. “Their motto is to protect the American people, not to protect Boeing, and it seems to me they have spent the whole time defending Boeing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Justice Department reopened the possibility of prosecuting Boeing last month, when it said the company had breached the 2021 agreement. The DOJ did not publicly specify the alleged violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boeing has said it lived up to the terms of the deal, which required it to pay $2.5 billion, most of it to the company’s airline customers, and to maintain a program to detect and prevent violations of U.S. anti-fraud laws, among other conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pending decision in Washington matters to family members around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 157 passengers and crew members who died in the Ethiopian crash came from \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/general-news-d3dc3b7722bf4b72a97849c0375d3777\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">35 countries\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, with the largest numbers from Kenya and Canada. Nearly two dozen passengers were flying to attend a United Nations environmental conference in Nairobi.[aside postID=forum_2010101870169 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qut-1020x680.jpg']The March 10, 2019, crash came just months after another Boeing 737 Max 8, operated by \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2019/03/boeing-under-increase-scrutiny-airplane-cropped-1020x574.jpg\">Indonesia’s Lion Air\u003c/a>, crashed into \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/1e2ee9dec58149e789c700a6b37d6aa2\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">the Java Sea\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, killing all 189 people on board. The vast majority of passengers on the Oct. 29, 2018, flight were Indonesians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both crashes, software known by the acronym MCAS \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ethiopia-business-africa-software-ed2d68b7f5fcfecb7b25e35d707d0614\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">pitched the nose\u003c/a>\u003c/span> of the plane down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Relatives of people on both flights \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-crash-passengers-fear-pain-trial-fe75ff7e155f1e6ff4881c830aa7337a\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">sued Boeing\u003c/a>\u003c/span> in U.S. federal court in Chicago. Boeing has settled the vast majority of those cases after requiring the families not to disclose how much they were paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Riffels have found strength and purpose in meeting with families of some of the other passengers from Flight 302. Together, they have pressed the Justice Department, the \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/hub/federal-aviation-administration\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">Federal Aviation Administration\u003c/a>\u003c/span> and Congress to make sure that aircraft are as safe as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of them want the government to prosecute high-ranking Boeing officials, including \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/a1bca4555d49900036dc94c6bd46722d\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">former CEO\u003c/a>\u003c/span> Dennis Muilenburg and current chief executive \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">David Calhoun\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, who was on the company’s board when the crashes occurred. They have asked the Justice Department to fine Boeing more than $24 billion for what one of their lawyers, Paul Cassell, called “the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group of relatives includes Javier de Luis, \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-whistleblowers-safety-senate-hearings-f8354ddddc6372e3337cd74b9ea264e3\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">an aerospace engineer\u003c/a>\u003c/span> whose sister, Graziella, was on the Ethiopian flight. And Michael Stumo and Nadia Milleron, who lost their daughter, Samya. Canadians \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/travel-general-news-a34bf4b82f364c749eb7ade9a5114424\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">Paul Njoroge\u003c/a>\u003c/span> and Chris and Clariss Moore have made several trips to Washington to implore government officials to move against Boeing and demand safer planes. Njoroge’s \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/transportation-b5ea783d264186697388c599176cb9bd\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">wife, three children and mother-in-law\u003c/a>\u003c/span> were all on the plane, as was the Moores’ daughter, Danielle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, the disparate group of family members connected by emails just to check in on each other. Before long, and especially after meeting face to face, they grew more determined to do more than grieve together; they wanted to make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to find some meaning in what happened to our loved ones,” Ike Riffel says. “If we can make aviation safer so this doesn’t happen again, then we have had some victories out of this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Families of the passengers who died in the Boeing 737 Max crash in Ethiopia fear that instead of putting Boeing on trial, the government will offer the company another shot at corporate probation through a legal document called a deferred prosecution agreement, or DPA. Or that prosecutors will let Boeing plead guilty and avoid a trial.\r\n\r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As they travel around Alaska on a long-planned vacation, Ike and Susan Riffel stop now and then to put up stickers directing people to “Live Riffully.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a way for the California couple to honor the memories of their sons, Melvin and Bennett, who died in 2019 when a Boeing 737 Max jetliner \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/1108708781ba46808a16843bda8cc079\">crashed in Ethiopia\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Riffels and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-crash-victims-families-d4d944ba4f9669004f32908ffea98e32\">families of other passengers\u003c/a> who died in the crash and a similar one in Indonesia a little more than four months earlier are waiting to learn any day now whether the U.S. Justice Department, all these years later, \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-justice-department-737-max-82145b25ed988cd8cae0bce3de79ce9d\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">will prosecute Boeing\u003c/a>\u003c/span> in connection with \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/africa-canada-business-ethiopia-d8759281778e21537ae302633c9531a4\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">the two disasters\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, which killed 346 people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ike Riffel fears that instead of putting Boeing on trial, the government will offer the company another shot at corporate probation through a legal document called a \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-department-of-justice-texas-business-fraud-57db69f33fda9f62785e1fe5d3b2f538\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">deferred prosecution agreement\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, or DPA. Or that prosecutors will let Boeing plead guilty and avoid a trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A DPA hides the truth. A plea agreement would hide the truth,” Riffel says. “It would leave the families with absolutely no idea” of what happened inside Boeing as \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-jet-incident-crashes-f73fb7b9eaff7f6549c88e958f7b8b38\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">the Max\u003c/a>\u003c/span> was being designed and tested, and after the first crash in 2018 pointed to problems with new flight-control software.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The families want to know the truth. Who was responsible? Who did what?” the father says. “Why did they have to die?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ike is a retired forestry consultant, and Susan a retired religious educator. They live in Redding, California, where they raised their sons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mel was 29 and preparing to become a father himself when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/7a1b300ff96f435bbb029da62079b2f4\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">went down\u003c/a>\u003c/span> six minutes after takeoff. He played sports in school and worked as a technician for the California Department of Transportation in Redding. Bennett, 26, loved performing arts while growing up. He worked in IT support in Chico, California, and clients still send cards to his parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They were our only two sons. They were very adventurous, very independent, loved to travel,” Riffel says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early 2019, Mel and his wife, Brittney, took a “babymoon” to Australia. Brittney flew home while Mel met his brother in Taiwan to start what they called their world tour. He and Bennett were headed toward their last stop, South Africa, where Mel planned to do some surfing, when they boarded the Ethiopian Airlines flight in Addis Ababa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in California, Susan Riffel answered the phone when it rang on that Sunday morning. On the other end, someone from the airline told them their sons had been on a plane that had crashed. \u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“When you first hear it, you don’t believe it,” Ike Riffel says. “You still don’t believe after you see that there was a crash. ‘Oh, maybe they didn’t get on.’ You think of all these scenarios.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next shock came in January 2021: \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-violated-settlement-max-crashes-25cde72e154f60adae54177ce35c9176\">The Justice Department\u003c/a> charged Boeing with fraud for misleading regulators who approved the Max, but at the same time, prosecutors approved \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-indonesia-61b2ccb06d4eebb2d4091c6d90147f72\">an agreement\u003c/a> that meant the single felony charge could be dropped in three years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I heard it on the news. It just kind of blew me away. I thought, what the hell?” Riffel says. “I felt pretty powerless. I didn’t know what a deferred prosecution agreement was.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He and his wife believe they were deceived by the Justice Department, which until then had denied there was a criminal investigation going on. Boeing has never contacted the family, according to Riffel. He assumes that’s based on advice from the company’s lawyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have no trust in (Boeing) to do the right thing, and I really lost my confidence in the Department of Justice,” he says. “Their motto is to protect the American people, not to protect Boeing, and it seems to me they have spent the whole time defending Boeing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Justice Department reopened the possibility of prosecuting Boeing last month, when it said the company had breached the 2021 agreement. The DOJ did not publicly specify the alleged violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boeing has said it lived up to the terms of the deal, which required it to pay $2.5 billion, most of it to the company’s airline customers, and to maintain a program to detect and prevent violations of U.S. anti-fraud laws, among other conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pending decision in Washington matters to family members around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 157 passengers and crew members who died in the Ethiopian crash came from \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/general-news-d3dc3b7722bf4b72a97849c0375d3777\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">35 countries\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, with the largest numbers from Kenya and Canada. Nearly two dozen passengers were flying to attend a United Nations environmental conference in Nairobi.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The March 10, 2019, crash came just months after another Boeing 737 Max 8, operated by \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2019/03/boeing-under-increase-scrutiny-airplane-cropped-1020x574.jpg\">Indonesia’s Lion Air\u003c/a>, crashed into \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/1e2ee9dec58149e789c700a6b37d6aa2\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">the Java Sea\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, killing all 189 people on board. The vast majority of passengers on the Oct. 29, 2018, flight were Indonesians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both crashes, software known by the acronym MCAS \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ethiopia-business-africa-software-ed2d68b7f5fcfecb7b25e35d707d0614\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">pitched the nose\u003c/a>\u003c/span> of the plane down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Relatives of people on both flights \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-max-crash-passengers-fear-pain-trial-fe75ff7e155f1e6ff4881c830aa7337a\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">sued Boeing\u003c/a>\u003c/span> in U.S. federal court in Chicago. Boeing has settled the vast majority of those cases after requiring the families not to disclose how much they were paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Riffels have found strength and purpose in meeting with families of some of the other passengers from Flight 302. Together, they have pressed the Justice Department, the \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/hub/federal-aviation-administration\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">Federal Aviation Administration\u003c/a>\u003c/span> and Congress to make sure that aircraft are as safe as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many of them want the government to prosecute high-ranking Boeing officials, including \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/a1bca4555d49900036dc94c6bd46722d\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">former CEO\u003c/a>\u003c/span> Dennis Muilenburg and current chief executive \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ceo-calhoun-safety-senate-investigations-de6a273e5ad69764f4e666cc4afda2c1\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">David Calhoun\u003c/a>\u003c/span>, who was on the company’s board when the crashes occurred. They have asked the Justice Department to fine Boeing more than $24 billion for what one of their lawyers, Paul Cassell, called “the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group of relatives includes Javier de Luis, \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/boeing-whistleblowers-safety-senate-hearings-f8354ddddc6372e3337cd74b9ea264e3\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">an aerospace engineer\u003c/a>\u003c/span> whose sister, Graziella, was on the Ethiopian flight. And Michael Stumo and Nadia Milleron, who lost their daughter, Samya. Canadians \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/travel-general-news-a34bf4b82f364c749eb7ade9a5114424\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">Paul Njoroge\u003c/a>\u003c/span> and Chris and Clariss Moore have made several trips to Washington to implore government officials to move against Boeing and demand safer planes. Njoroge’s \u003cspan class=\"LinkEnhancement\">\u003ca class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" href=\"https://apnews.com/article/transportation-b5ea783d264186697388c599176cb9bd\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\">wife, three children and mother-in-law\u003c/a>\u003c/span> were all on the plane, as was the Moores’ daughter, Danielle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, the disparate group of family members connected by emails just to check in on each other. Before long, and especially after meeting face to face, they grew more determined to do more than grieve together; they wanted to make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want to find some meaning in what happened to our loved ones,” Ike Riffel says. “If we can make aviation safer so this doesn’t happen again, then we have had some victories out of this.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>For the second time in less than 72 hours, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bart\">BART\u003c/a> suffered a service meltdown on Wednesday morning due to problems along its tracks near downtown Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A rail maintenance vehicle derailed near Oakland’s 19th Street station around 3:30 a.m., about an hour and a half before the day’s first trains were scheduled to run through the area, the agency said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lengthy process of getting the maintenance vehicle back on the rails prompted BART to cancel service on its Red Line between Richmond, San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other service impacts included:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Passengers from the six East Bay stations the Red Line serves exclusively — Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley and Ashby — were advised to get on Orange Line/Berryessa trains and transfer to Yellow Line trains for the trip across the bay.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Riders needing to get to Millbrae, where they can make a direct connection to Caltrain, were told to transfer to a shuttle at SFO.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trains on the southbound Orange Line running to Berryessa\u003cbr>\nstation in northeast San José were forced to detour from 12th Street in downtown Oakland to West Oakland before then turning around to continue to Lake Merritt.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>BART offered no estimate of when normal service would resume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s problems follow a major disruption on Sunday afternoon that started around 2:30 p.m. when a train suffered an equipment problem and stopped between Lake Merritt and West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The train wouldn’t move, so we coupled it with another train and towed it out of the way,” Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the delays weren’t over. Shortly afterward, Trost said, a rail defect was found at an interlocking — a switch point where trains can cross over from one set of tracks to another — outside West Oakland station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crews repaired that problem. Then, yet another train suffered an equipment issue, this time while traveling through the Transbay Tube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Via social media, BART reported major delays for more than four hours into early Sunday evening and was forced to halt direct trains between Berryessa and San Francisco and limit service between Dublin/Pleasanton and the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/SFBARTalert/status/1805045211275673729\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The latest disruptions come at an especially sensitive time for BART, which is joining with other transit operators in a campaign to craft a 2026 tax measure that would help the agencies head off a fiscal catastrophe resulting from fare revenue lost in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Facing annual deficits of more than $350 million a year starting in July 2026, BART has said it would consider cutting some lines, reducing service hours and closing some stations if it doesn’t identify new sources of revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email last week to a new Metropolitan Transportation Commission committee charged with crafting the tax proposal, BART General Manager Bob Powers highlighted the ambitious program of service improvements the agency has undertaken in response to long-standing rider complaints about service reliability, crime, cleanliness, fare evasion and the growing presence of people on the system suffering various modes of crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those improvements are partly driven by demands from state lawmakers, who agreed to approve emergency operating funds for BART and other agencies on the condition they address concerns about their service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART’s efforts have included increasing police presence, hiring crisis intervention specialists, rolling out new fare gates, a focused effort to keep trains and stations clean, a customer-friendly night and weekend schedule and operating all of its service with its new generation of train cars. The agency has even hired attendants at its busiest stations to ensure clean restrooms are available for customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But those efforts don’t appear to be luring customers back to the system, largely because of the continuing pandemic-driven shift in work habits. BART ridership has returned to just 43% of its 2019 level, and that growth has slowed dramatically in the past year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Monday afternoon meeting of transportation agency executives, Powers warned that without a workable tax measure, BART would be forced to consider service reductions that would be felt throughout the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m well on the way to do a Plan B and a Plan C,” Powers said. “… Nobody’s going to like my Plan B. … It’s going to impact every single person around this table one way or the other. And my Plan C is going to be catastrophic for many people around this table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other service impacts included:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Passengers from the six East Bay stations the Red Line serves exclusively — Richmond, El Cerrito del Norte, El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley and Ashby — were advised to get on Orange Line/Berryessa trains and transfer to Yellow Line trains for the trip across the bay.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Riders needing to get to Millbrae, where they can make a direct connection to Caltrain, were told to transfer to a shuttle at SFO.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Trains on the southbound Orange Line running to Berryessa\u003cbr>\nstation in northeast San José were forced to detour from 12th Street in downtown Oakland to West Oakland before then turning around to continue to Lake Merritt.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>BART offered no estimate of when normal service would resume.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s problems follow a major disruption on Sunday afternoon that started around 2:30 p.m. when a train suffered an equipment problem and stopped between Lake Merritt and West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The train wouldn’t move, so we coupled it with another train and towed it out of the way,” Alicia Trost, BART’s chief communications officer, said in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the delays weren’t over. Shortly afterward, Trost said, a rail defect was found at an interlocking — a switch point where trains can cross over from one set of tracks to another — outside West Oakland station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crews repaired that problem. Then, yet another train suffered an equipment issue, this time while traveling through the Transbay Tube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Via social media, BART reported major delays for more than four hours into early Sunday evening and was forced to halt direct trains between Berryessa and San Francisco and limit service between Dublin/Pleasanton and the city.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The latest disruptions come at an especially sensitive time for BART, which is joining with other transit operators in a campaign to craft a 2026 tax measure that would help the agencies head off a fiscal catastrophe resulting from fare revenue lost in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Facing annual deficits of more than $350 million a year starting in July 2026, BART has said it would consider cutting some lines, reducing service hours and closing some stations if it doesn’t identify new sources of revenue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an email last week to a new Metropolitan Transportation Commission committee charged with crafting the tax proposal, BART General Manager Bob Powers highlighted the ambitious program of service improvements the agency has undertaken in response to long-standing rider complaints about service reliability, crime, cleanliness, fare evasion and the growing presence of people on the system suffering various modes of crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those improvements are partly driven by demands from state lawmakers, who agreed to approve emergency operating funds for BART and other agencies on the condition they address concerns about their service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART’s efforts have included increasing police presence, hiring crisis intervention specialists, rolling out new fare gates, a focused effort to keep trains and stations clean, a customer-friendly night and weekend schedule and operating all of its service with its new generation of train cars. The agency has even hired attendants at its busiest stations to ensure clean restrooms are available for customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But those efforts don’t appear to be luring customers back to the system, largely because of the continuing pandemic-driven shift in work habits. BART ridership has returned to just 43% of its 2019 level, and that growth has slowed dramatically in the past year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a Monday afternoon meeting of transportation agency executives, Powers warned that without a workable tax measure, BART would be forced to consider service reductions that would be felt throughout the region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m well on the way to do a Plan B and a Plan C,” Powers said. “… Nobody’s going to like my Plan B. … It’s going to impact every single person around this table one way or the other. And my Plan C is going to be catastrophic for many people around this table.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Uber Drivers Rally Outside Company's San José Facility to Protest 'Unfair' Deactivations",
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"content": "\u003cp>People who drive for Uber are demanding the popular ride-hailing app company increase transparency and support over what they call unfair driver “deactivations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About three dozen people, including drivers as well as advocates and organizers from Gig Workers Rising, rallied outside the Uber Greenlight driver support center in South San José on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You get up, you get ready for work, you go to turn on your app, and you’re completely deactivated from the application,” Marianna Porras, a driver and organizer with Gig Workers Rising, told KQED. “You’re not able to use the platform, and you can’t speak to anybody about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porras and other drivers said being deactivated costs them their livelihoods for days, weeks or months at a time, putting further financial and emotional strain on workers already feeling exploited by the gig economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rally on Tuesday was part of a multi-city effort launching a new campaign called \u003ca href=\"https://activaterespect.com/\">Activate Respect\u003c/a>, calling out the company for processes the group wants revamped and rebalanced so drivers are prioritized more equally with customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s one of the latest campaigns by gig workers to demand better treatment, benefits, pay and protections from the giant companies running these markets, as the companies have pushed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11987299/california-supreme-court-appears-hesitant-to-overrule-voters-on-controversial-gig-worker-law\">controversial legislation\u003c/a> to avoid spending more on employee overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deactivations occur for a wide variety of reasons, drivers say, including minor customer complaints, which can sometimes be falsely filed by a rider seeking a discount or free ride from the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A driver could also be deactivated if the application’s facial recognition software isn’t able to match the driver’s face on a given day to their identification document on file.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers said one of the biggest issues they face is not being able to get clear information about why they are being deactivated. They often say they receive boilerplate or vague notices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once deactivated, “it’s next to impossible to speak to a human being who can fix it,” the campaign’s website says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José City Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who spoke at the rally in support of the drivers, said workers at most jobs have more rights and clearer processes when mistakes are made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your boss has a conversation with you. There’s an opportunity to correct performance, there’s an opportunity to provide feedback, right? You’re not just fired out of nowhere,” Ortiz said. “You don’t just wake up, getting ready to make money for your family, to put food on the table, and find out that your job was stolen from you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said Uber is “essentially taking advantage of communities of color and immigrants,” including South Americans who often fill driver roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber declined an interview request from KQED on Tuesday, but in an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the company is “fully committed” to improving how it serves drivers and creating a safe and equitable platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the years, we’ve implemented significant improvements based on driver feedback, including establishing an appeals process for deactivations and safeguarding drivers from false allegations,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a \u003ca href=\"https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/driver-app/deactivation-review/\">company webpage\u003c/a>, Uber said when deactivations occur, it “will make every effort to be clear, empathetic, and consistent in our communications and specific and transparent about the reasons behind our decision, except where doing so poses a risk to other users.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also notes that the company endeavors to give advance notice to drivers but that it’s not always possible, and drivers “should have the ability to request a review of any decision that removes access for more than 7 days and can’t be resolved by the driver or delivery person on their own.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11990750,news_11986533,forum_2010101905828\"]Activate Respect’s website said when customers experience problems with the app, Uber prioritizes addressing it, but that’s not always the case for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While we struggle to get back into our accounts, Uber’s appeal process is confusing and ineffective for most of us,” the site said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porras said the problems around deactivations are another form of exploitation by Uber and other gig economy companies that, when taken together, make workers who create the company’s wealth feel like they have little control or job security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want investigations to be done before the drivers are deactivated,” Porras said. “Give a fair investigation without taking them off the platform before knowing the details of everything that is about the situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dora Manriquez, a driver and leader with Gig Workers Rising, said she came to the rally to stand up for fellow drivers who are afraid to speak up against the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber has made them believe that they don’t have rights,” Manriquez said. “We do have the rights even though they make us feel powerless. We do have power together, we have power by being united.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Uber Drivers rallied in San José on Tuesday, demanding the company change its 'deactivation' process to be more transparent and fair to drivers.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>People who drive for Uber are demanding the popular ride-hailing app company increase transparency and support over what they call unfair driver “deactivations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About three dozen people, including drivers as well as advocates and organizers from Gig Workers Rising, rallied outside the Uber Greenlight driver support center in South San José on Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You get up, you get ready for work, you go to turn on your app, and you’re completely deactivated from the application,” Marianna Porras, a driver and organizer with Gig Workers Rising, told KQED. “You’re not able to use the platform, and you can’t speak to anybody about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porras and other drivers said being deactivated costs them their livelihoods for days, weeks or months at a time, putting further financial and emotional strain on workers already feeling exploited by the gig economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rally on Tuesday was part of a multi-city effort launching a new campaign called \u003ca href=\"https://activaterespect.com/\">Activate Respect\u003c/a>, calling out the company for processes the group wants revamped and rebalanced so drivers are prioritized more equally with customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s one of the latest campaigns by gig workers to demand better treatment, benefits, pay and protections from the giant companies running these markets, as the companies have pushed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11987299/california-supreme-court-appears-hesitant-to-overrule-voters-on-controversial-gig-worker-law\">controversial legislation\u003c/a> to avoid spending more on employee overhead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deactivations occur for a wide variety of reasons, drivers say, including minor customer complaints, which can sometimes be falsely filed by a rider seeking a discount or free ride from the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A driver could also be deactivated if the application’s facial recognition software isn’t able to match the driver’s face on a given day to their identification document on file.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers said one of the biggest issues they face is not being able to get clear information about why they are being deactivated. They often say they receive boilerplate or vague notices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once deactivated, “it’s next to impossible to speak to a human being who can fix it,” the campaign’s website says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José City Councilmember Peter Ortiz, who spoke at the rally in support of the drivers, said workers at most jobs have more rights and clearer processes when mistakes are made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Your boss has a conversation with you. There’s an opportunity to correct performance, there’s an opportunity to provide feedback, right? You’re not just fired out of nowhere,” Ortiz said. “You don’t just wake up, getting ready to make money for your family, to put food on the table, and find out that your job was stolen from you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said Uber is “essentially taking advantage of communities of color and immigrants,” including South Americans who often fill driver roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber declined an interview request from KQED on Tuesday, but in an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the company is “fully committed” to improving how it serves drivers and creating a safe and equitable platform.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Over the years, we’ve implemented significant improvements based on driver feedback, including establishing an appeals process for deactivations and safeguarding drivers from false allegations,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a \u003ca href=\"https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/driver-app/deactivation-review/\">company webpage\u003c/a>, Uber said when deactivations occur, it “will make every effort to be clear, empathetic, and consistent in our communications and specific and transparent about the reasons behind our decision, except where doing so poses a risk to other users.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also notes that the company endeavors to give advance notice to drivers but that it’s not always possible, and drivers “should have the ability to request a review of any decision that removes access for more than 7 days and can’t be resolved by the driver or delivery person on their own.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Activate Respect’s website said when customers experience problems with the app, Uber prioritizes addressing it, but that’s not always the case for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“While we struggle to get back into our accounts, Uber’s appeal process is confusing and ineffective for most of us,” the site said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porras said the problems around deactivations are another form of exploitation by Uber and other gig economy companies that, when taken together, make workers who create the company’s wealth feel like they have little control or job security.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We want investigations to be done before the drivers are deactivated,” Porras said. “Give a fair investigation without taking them off the platform before knowing the details of everything that is about the situation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dora Manriquez, a driver and leader with Gig Workers Rising, said she came to the rally to stand up for fellow drivers who are afraid to speak up against the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber has made them believe that they don’t have rights,” Manriquez said. “We do have the rights even though they make us feel powerless. We do have power together, we have power by being united.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "uber-and-lyft-are-fighting-minimum-wage-laws-but-in-this-state-the-drivers-won",
"title": "Uber and Lyft Are Fighting Minimum Wage Laws. But in This State, the Drivers Won",
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"content": "\u003cp>In a windowless room, Uber driver Farhan Badel took the podium in front of a committee of Minnesota state legislators in early May. As Badel leaned into the microphone and started speaking, the room quieted. Testifying before lawmakers was something he’d done nearly a dozen times before, but he says this time felt like his last chance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been fighting for two long years,” Badel stated, referencing ride-hail drivers’ battle to get a minimum wage law passed in the state. He said his message to lawmakers was this: “Uber and Lyft, especially Uber, notorious for their shady lobbying … should not be allowed to dictate what becomes law in this state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lobbying Badel referenced is part of a playbook Uber and Lyft have used in cities across the country to curb minimum wage laws for drivers. The San Francisco-based companies have barraged lawmakers with emails, sent warning messages to riders and drivers, and threatened to vacate states if they were forced to pay minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Minnesota, the campaign was particularly aggressive. Interviews with drivers and lawmakers, along with internal emails and documents obtained by NPR, show that Minnesota was the target of an intense operation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That hearing where Badel testified was the latest twist in a whiplash series of events. Over the last two years, ride-hail drivers had organized and grown into a more than 1,300-member group that marched at City Hall, met with lawmakers and brought national attention to their plight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They had seen wins and losses in dizzying succession: Three separate bills mandating minimum wage for ride-hail drivers passed at the state and city levels, only to get unexpectedly vetoed by Gov. Tim Walz or Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The drivers say it felt to them like a true David and Goliath situation, pitting them against multibillion-dollar corporations that seemed to hold far more power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990764\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990764\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farhan Badel, an Uber/Lyft driver and MULDA organizer, in Apple Valley, Minn., on May 25. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This spring it reached a boiling point. After gains by the drivers, Uber and Lyft stepped up their lobbying campaign and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/15/1238885721/uber-lyft-minneapolis-minimum-wage-law\">threatened to pull out of Minneapolis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is part of their corporate playbook,” says Laura Padin, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.datocms-assets.com/64990/1714149807-the-bullys-playbook-april-2024.pdf\">studies lobbying in the gig economy (PDF)\u003c/a> at the National Employment Law Project, a labor rights advocacy organization. “The fact that they can issue threats and say ‘We’re going to leave if you treat us like everyone else’ is a big problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft say the proposed minimum wage would have left the companies unable to sustain their businesses in the state. Uber says it would have made Minnesota “one of the most expensive markets in the country,” and Lyft says it would have made “prices rise so much that we would have seen a 51% decrease in ride requests.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walz and Frey, both labor-friendly Democrats, had been adamant that they wanted ride-hail drivers to make a livable wage. They also took the companies, and their warnings, seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the very beginning, I had two primary goals,” Frey told NPR in an interview. “To get a very significant pay increase for drivers and to keep this very important rideshare service, including Uber and Lyft, in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar scenarios have played out in New York and Seattle, which ultimately passed city minimum wage laws. But every state law governing driver pay and protections that has been crafted to date has included provisions backed by Uber and Lyft — through their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/05/09/inside-uber-political-machine/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2024-05-09_Wells-Uber-1\">lobbying and public campaigns\u003c/a>. For example, in California, the companies \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1422181&session=2019&view=received\">spent a combined $108.5 million\u003c/a> on a successful \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/11/05/931561150/california-voters-give-uber-lyft-a-win-but-some-drivers-arent-so-sure\">ballot measure campaign\u003c/a> to exempt them from a state labor law. Another statewide battle happened in Washington, and one is underway in Massachusetts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Minnesota, something wholly unexpected happened last month — the drivers won.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The worst I’ve seen in eight years’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It all started in a small coffee shop in Minneapolis. In the summer of 2022, ride-hail driver Eid Ali gathered with about 20 Uber and Lyft drivers to talk about low pay, safety concerns and other issues that come with the job. Ali is a father of five and the sole provider for his family. Before he started driving for Uber and Lyft in 2014, Ali was a taxi driver and had done some organizing. He says this helped him and the other drivers come up with a game plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first step was to recruit more drivers. Ali and the others went to shopping malls and airport parking lots to speak with drivers. They also went to mosques — the majority of ride-hail drivers in Minneapolis are immigrants, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/TNC_driver_earnings_analysis_pay_standard_options_report_030824.pdf\">state data (PDF)\u003c/a>, with many from East Africa, especially Somalia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drivers coalesced in a group called Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association, or MULDA, and Ali became the president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990765\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990765\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eid Ali, president of Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA), at the organization’s offices in Bloomington, Minn., on May 25. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He says drivers reached out to him constantly about not being able to make ends meet. “Family folks raising kids, who depend on this income, are coming to me every day and telling me ‘I don’t know what to do,’” Ali says. “I was thinking that if I don’t do anything, if I don’t fight a few more days or maybe a few more weeks, who’s going to do that?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft categorize drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. This means drivers pay their own expenses such as gas, car maintenance and cellphones, and they don’t have employee benefits, including health insurance, sick days and workers’ compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low pay is the top problem, drivers say, as their earnings have steadily shrunk and become harder to predict. In 2022, both Uber and Lyft \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/working-for-an-algorithm/2022/03/01/secretive-algorithm-will-now-determine-uber-driver-pay-in-many-cities\">switched how they paid drivers\u003c/a>, going from a time-and-mileage calculation to an opaque algorithm. Uber and Lyft say the software helps drivers pick and choose trips, but drivers say since that change they’ve seen the companies take a bigger cut, while they’ve gotten less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sergio Avedian, a longtime ride-hail driver in Los Angeles and senior contributor to the popular blog the \u003ca href=\"https://therideshareguy.com/\">Rideshare Guy\u003c/a>, says thousands of drivers regularly send him their pay stubs. “This is the worst I’ve seen in eight years,” he says, estimating he often earns less than minimum wage after expenses. “But people are driving, they’re desperate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Twin Cities metro area, where 95% of all of Minnesota’s ride-hail trips happen, the median take-home wage for drivers is $13.63 per hour, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/TNC_driver_earnings_analysis_pay_standard_options_report_030824.pdf\">report (PDF)\u003c/a> by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. That’s below the minimum wage for large businesses in St. Paul ($15) and Minneapolis ($15.57).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber’s spokesperson calls this report “\u003ca href=\"https://uberpubpolicy.medium.com/excessive-rates-and-their-negative-effects-a-review-of-minnesotas-proposed-pay-standard-9747c14d0254\">flawed\u003c/a>.” Lyft didn’t respond to questions about driver pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft have shaped minimum wage laws in their favor in other states. In Washington, for example, after Seattle passed a minimum wage for ride-hail drivers, the two companies \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/news/2022/03/04/bill-in-washington-state-would-be-first-to-bar-uber-and-lyft-drivers-from-being-classified-as-employees\">lobbied legislators\u003c/a> to pass a state law. That law gives drivers a minimum pay floor but also grants a key concession to the companies: ensuring that the drivers remain classified as independent contractors, which exempts the companies from providing customary worker benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990766\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990766\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Symbols for Uber and Lyft adorn Farhan Badel’s vehicle in Apple Valley, Minn. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the fall of 2022, hundreds of drivers had joined MULDA, with the campaign crystallizing around the push for a minimum wage. That October, they \u003ca href=\"https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/10/20/uber-and-lyft-drivers-press-lawmakers-to-address-long-standing-labor-complaints/\">held their first press conference\u003c/a> at the Minnesota state Capitol. “Drivers are at a breaking point,” Ali announced, alongside state lawmakers that day. From there, their cause quickly picked up steam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By March 2023, state legislators had introduced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF2369&ssn=0&y=2023\">bill\u003c/a> that set out minimum pay and other protections for ride-hail drivers. It swiftly passed the House and Senate and landed on Walz’s desk in late May 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All signs pointed to Walz signing the bill, Badel says. The drivers got ready to celebrate a victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Insiders told us to come to the state Capitol the day when they signed all these bills,” Badel says. “They told us to come there dressed well — you know, look presentable, look happy. So, we were getting all these checkmarks that he was going to sign the bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A lobbying blitz\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>What Badel and Ali didn’t know was that Uber and Lyft’s lobbyists were hard at work behind the scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days before the governor received the bill, the companies’ lobbyists sent a slew of emails to his staffers and colleagues, according to public records obtained by NPR. Those included “talking points and numbers” that said rider fares would skyrocket if the bill passed. In Minneapolis, they said fares would go up 70%, without citing specific data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/lyft-uber-playbook-20240610/aiTimeline.html?initialWidth=840&childId=responsive-embed-lyft-uber-playbook-20240610-aiTimeline&parentTitle=Uber%20and%20Lyft%20use%20lobbying%20to%20fight%20minimum%20wage%20law%20in%20Minnesota%20%3A%20NPR&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2024%2F06%2F17%2Fnx-s1-4942958%2Fuber-minimum-wage-minnesota-lyft-lobbying\" width=\"800\" height=\"2200\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brent Kent, a registered lobbyist for Lyft and the company’s director of public policy, sent a letter to Minnesota’s Senate president saying the bill would have a “catastrophic impact” and create “transportation deserts.” Rides in Minneapolis would go from $17 to $54, he said, also not citing specific data for that statistic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As signing day neared, the lobbyists ramped up their efforts. They requested phone calls between Walz and the CEOs of both Uber and Lyft. At one point, Uber lobbyist Joel Carlson emailed the governor’s legislative assistant asking for an alternative email for the office, because he said he had a lot of people wanting to write in with opposition to the bill and didn’t want to “email bomb” her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carlson also fired off “veto request” letters he collected from 11 community groups — business and hospitality associations as well as organizations that work with people with disabilities, the elderly and domestic violence survivors. At least half of those groups have partnered with Uber or Lyft, but that wasn’t disclosed in their letters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber’s spokesperson says it “engaged many organizations and local stakeholders to ensure they understood the impact of the legislation” and “many decided to express their concerns.” The spokesperson also confirmed that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi had spoken with the governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990767\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990767\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew McGlory, a rideshare driver and active member of MULDA, in downtown Minneapolis. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We urged the governor to veto the bill publicly, as well, via issued statements and in emails to riders and drivers,” the spokesperson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft didn’t respond to questions about its involvement with the letters from community groups or conversations between its CEO and the governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days before the anticipated signing, the companies rolled out a tactic they’d used in California, New York, Texas and other states: They \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uber-minnesota-rideshare-driver-bill-veto-tim-walz/\">threatened to leave the state\u003c/a> if the bill was signed into law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By May 25, 2023, Ali says he and the other drivers were anxious about the outcome. They gathered in front of Walz’s office chanting, “Governor sign the bill!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That afternoon, Walz issued his \u003ca href=\"https://www.house.mn.gov/NewLaws/story/2023/5502\">first and only veto\u003c/a> in four years as governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His veto letter started off saying the minimum wage bill “could make Minnesota one of the most expensive states in the country for rideshare.” It cited the need to maintain ride-hail services in the state and also referenced the letters from community groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokeswoman for Walz says that alongside the veto, the governor \u003ca href=\"https://mn.gov/governor/assets/EO%2023-07%20TNC_tcm1055-579270.pdf\">formed a task force (PDF)\u003c/a> to study the issue. She pointed NPR to a \u003ca href=\"https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/#/detail/appId/1/id/579275\">press release\u003c/a> where he said, “Rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions … This is not the right bill to achieve these goals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ali says it was a big surprise and a major blow for MULDA. “That was my worst nightmare, because I didn’t know what to say to those drivers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘You’re our last resort’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As the state bill made its way through the Legislature, the MULDA drivers were also simultaneously working with city council members in Minneapolis. After the governor’s veto, the drivers reorganized and went all in at the local level — becoming ever-present at City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They came to City Hall many, many times, saying: ‘Government officials, you’re our last resort,’” says Robin Wonsley, the Minneapolis council member for Ward 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The makeup of the workforce for the rideshare companies is predominantly Black, predominantly immigrant and also predominantly low income,” she added. “And many of these drivers, or a disproportionate number of these drivers, are \u003ca href=\"https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/TNC_driver_earnings_analysis_pay_standard_options_report_030824.pdf\">actually on public assistance (PDF)\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990768\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990768\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robin Wonsley, Minneapolis council member for Ward 2, outside City Hall in Bloomington, Minn., on May 26. Wonsley and colleagues worked on a city ordinance to give ride-hail drivers a minimum wage in Minneapolis. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She joined fellow council members Jamal Osman, who’d introduced her to MULDA, and Jason Chavez to work on a city ordinance. They reached out to economists and experts to come up with a calculation that would be equivalent to the city’s minimum wage. Uber and Lyft only pay drivers when they’re giving rides and not when they’re waiting for a passenger, so a straight hourly wage wouldn’t work. The \u003ca href=\"https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/MetaData/31233/2023-052_Id_31233.pdf\">ordinance (PDF)\u003c/a> they introduced mandated that drivers be paid $1.40 per mile and 51¢ per minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/08/17/minneapolis-approves-measure-to-boost-pay-for-uber-lyft-drivers\">passed the council\u003c/a> in August 2023 by a 7–5 vote. But behind the scenes, the companies’ lobbyists were leaning hard on Frey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As with the governor, Uber and Lyft’s lobbyists targeted the mayor, according to internal emails obtained by NPR through public records requests. Lyft’s Kent reached out to staffers saying the company had “grave concerns.” He sent the mayor and council members an opposition letter from a Lyft executive that had one sentence bolded and underlined: “Should this proposal become law, Lyft will be forced to cease operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Uber’s Carlson called the ordinance “problematic.” On Aug. 21, Carlson emailed a senior aide at City Hall, saying he had spoken with the mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber understands the importance and optics to provide a thoughtful response to the council’s vote and have offered to him the opportunity to announce the following if he chooses,” the email reads. Carlson said the mayor could announce that Uber pledges to give drivers a minimum wage and a $5 minimum on all trips. He sent suggested language for the mayor’s announcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990769\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990769\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Minneapolis, the median take-home wage for ride-hail drivers is nearly $2 less than the minimum wage. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The next day, Frey \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/08/22/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-vetoes-rideshare-bill\">vetoed the ordinance\u003c/a>. In his \u003ca href=\"https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/FileV2/32370/2023_052-Veto-Letter.pdf\">veto letter (PDF)\u003c/a>, he said he’d work on another ordinance that included all stakeholders. The mayor also wrote that he was “pleased to share” that he secured a commitment from Uber to provide drivers a minimum wage and a $5 minimum per ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber’s spokesperson says the minimum wage guarantee “was not part of any negotiations.” A spokesperson for Frey says the commitment from Uber “was not in exchange for a veto.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wonsley says she was outraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why are we having city leaders now supporting a multibillion-dollar corporation and having an exemption from a city policy that hundreds of small businesses have been in compliance with?” she says, referring to the city’s minimum wage law. “And then he announced a nonbinding agreement with Uber, saying, ‘Look, we don’t need to change nothing, the company has made a commitment, a symbolic commitment to pay drivers more.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were like ‘Wait, what?’ ” Wonsley adds. “That makes absolutely no sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frey’s spokesperson says the commitment from Uber “was never intended to be a permanent solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Public pressure campaign\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The mayor’s veto, coming after the governor’s veto, could have been the end for MULDA drivers’ quest to get a minimum wage law. In other states that went through similar scenarios, such setbacks have taken the wind out of organizing efforts. But Ali and Badel say they came too close to give up. And council member Wonsley says she wasn’t ready to back down either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her colleagues introduced two more ordinances in October 2023. One focused on minimum wage, the other on worker protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than six months later, the council passed the new minimum wage \u003ca href=\"https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/FileV2/34129/Transportation-Rideshare-Compensation-Ordinance.pdf\">ordinance (PDF)\u003c/a> by a 9–4 vote. The next day, once again, Frey vetoed the ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I asked the City Council to wait one day,” says Frey, until after the release of the statewide report on driver earnings. “Both times I vetoed it because it wasn’t supported by the data. And so, we should be listening to the data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This time, however, the council had enough votes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/03/14/minneapolis-city-council-overrides-freys-veto-on-ordinance-boosting-rideshare-driver-pay\">override his veto\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With this go-round, Uber and Lyft kicked their pressure campaign up a notch. Instead of mostly working with lawmakers behind closed doors, the companies brought their lobbying to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been a full-court press campaign,” Wonsley says. “Every single day there are several articles, interviews in the press, basically demonizing our actions and creating a lot of confusion for the public around what our policy actually accomplished.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day after the veto override, Uber and Lyft \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/15/1238885721/uber-lyft-minneapolis-minimum-wage-law\">announced they were leaving Minneapolis\u003c/a> as soon as the ordinance went into effect. It was around this time that Matthew McGlory, a MULDA member and longtime Uber and Lyft driver, started getting in-app messages and emails from the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990770\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990770\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew McGlory, a rideshare driver and active member of MULDA, in downtown Minneapolis on May 26. McGlory says drivers in other states have been watching Minnesota, waiting to see what happened. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We know that this decision will have a huge negative effect,” a message from Uber read. “It will put thousands of drivers — like you — out of work.” Uber provided a link to email lawmakers urging them to pass statewide legislation that could preempt the city ordinance and be more favorable to the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft, meanwhile, sent an email to its riders saying the ordinance would make rides “unaffordable” for the majority of residents. Lyft’s spokesperson didn’t respond to questions about the in-app messages. Uber’s spokesperson says, “The message speaks for itself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was also a flurry of activity in the local news. Uber put an online ad in the \u003cem>Star Tribune\u003c/em> saying Minneapolis was “forcing” it to leave and offered a button to click to “save our rides.” Dan Meyers, a director at disability advocacy group Rise, \u003ca href=\"https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-rideshare-driver-pay-proposal-looks-at-only-one-side-of-equation/600348209/\">wrote an op-ed\u003c/a> saying the ordinance would be “devastating to the disability community.” Lyft and Rise are \u003ca href=\"https://rise.org/12858-2/\">longtime partners\u003c/a>, which wasn’t disclosed in the op-ed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Rise says, “Our work with Lyft is well-known among our peers and partners.” Lyft didn’t respond to questions about any possible involvement with the op-ed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with the ordinance set to go into effect in Minneapolis, MULDA drivers say they were still nervous. A statewide bill could preempt the city ordinance and undercut their pay. It was hard to tell which way it would go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘No one else has been able to do this in the country’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The same day Farhan Badel took the podium in early May pleading with state lawmakers to not let the ride-hail companies dictate the law, Uber’s Carlson also spoke. They were discussing a compromise state bill that would preempt the Minneapolis ordinance — it offered drivers a rate of $1.27 per mile and 49¢ per minute. Carlson told the lawmakers this wouldn’t work for Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11986533,news_11987167,forum_2010101905828\"]“Uber has calculated that if you reasonably calculate the expenses you come up with a rate of 41¢ per mile and 68¢ per minute,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislators left that hearing without giving any indication\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>which way it would go. But a couple of weeks later, they made a move that stunned observers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the night of May 19, \u003ca href=\"https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/21/heres-whats-in-the-bill-regulating-uber-and-lyft-driver-pay-and-labor-standards/\">the state passed a new bill\u003c/a> giving drivers the minimum wage rate of $1.28 per mile and 31¢ per minute. Even though it was slightly lower and preempted the Minneapolis ordinance, Wonsley and the council backed it. Frey says he was opposed to the preemption, but that he ultimately supported the bill too since he says it was “nearly identical” to what he proposed months earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a major win for the MULDA drivers. After the bill’s passage, in a moment of jubilation in the Capitol’s hallways, they hoisted one of the state legislators in the air and chanted “MULDA” over and over. The legislator, Sen. Omar Fateh, who was instrumental in getting the bill passed, said, “It was Uber and Lyft versus MULDA and MULDA won.” The crowd erupted in cheers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990771\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990771\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rideshare vehicles share the road with other drivers in downtown Minneapolis. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft say the companies accepted the compromise, and that neither will shutter operations in the state. Unlike the minimum pay laws for ride-hail drivers in California and Washington state, Minnesota’s bill doesn’t mandate that drivers remain independent contractors — something Uber and Lyft had sought, but didn’t get.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 28, Walz signed the bill into law with Ali by his side wearing a white MULDA T-shirt. During a press conference announcing its passage, the governor congratulated state lawmakers. “No one else has been able to do this in the country,” Walz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The driver McGlory says MULDA has heard from drivers in other states who have been watching Minnesota over the past year and a half, waiting to see what happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m doing this not just for drivers in Minneapolis. I’m doing this for the drivers in Nashville, Tenn. I’m doing this for drivers in Jackson, Miss.,” McGlory says, pausing for a moment before continuing. “Because when we educate ourselves, when we organize ourselves and we mobilize ourselves, we can win.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Like my favorite physics teacher said, ‘We have to become an unstoppable force that meets an immovable object.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Uber and Lyft have lobbied in cities across the country to curb minimum wage laws for drivers, but drivers of the ride-hail companies in Minnesota scored a hard-fought victory after years of struggle.",
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"title": "Uber and Lyft Are Fighting Minimum Wage Laws. But in This State, the Drivers Won | KQED",
"description": "Uber and Lyft have lobbied in cities across the country to curb minimum wage laws for drivers, but drivers of the ride-hail companies in Minnesota scored a hard-fought victory after years of struggle.",
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"headline": "Uber and Lyft Are Fighting Minimum Wage Laws. But in This State, the Drivers Won",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In a windowless room, Uber driver Farhan Badel took the podium in front of a committee of Minnesota state legislators in early May. As Badel leaned into the microphone and started speaking, the room quieted. Testifying before lawmakers was something he’d done nearly a dozen times before, but he says this time felt like his last chance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been fighting for two long years,” Badel stated, referencing ride-hail drivers’ battle to get a minimum wage law passed in the state. He said his message to lawmakers was this: “Uber and Lyft, especially Uber, notorious for their shady lobbying … should not be allowed to dictate what becomes law in this state.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The lobbying Badel referenced is part of a playbook Uber and Lyft have used in cities across the country to curb minimum wage laws for drivers. The San Francisco-based companies have barraged lawmakers with emails, sent warning messages to riders and drivers, and threatened to vacate states if they were forced to pay minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Minnesota, the campaign was particularly aggressive. Interviews with drivers and lawmakers, along with internal emails and documents obtained by NPR, show that Minnesota was the target of an intense operation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That hearing where Badel testified was the latest twist in a whiplash series of events. Over the last two years, ride-hail drivers had organized and grown into a more than 1,300-member group that marched at City Hall, met with lawmakers and brought national attention to their plight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They had seen wins and losses in dizzying succession: Three separate bills mandating minimum wage for ride-hail drivers passed at the state and city levels, only to get unexpectedly vetoed by Gov. Tim Walz or Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The drivers say it felt to them like a true David and Goliath situation, pitting them against multibillion-dollar corporations that seemed to hold far more power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990764\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990764\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn-1-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farhan Badel, an Uber/Lyft driver and MULDA organizer, in Apple Valley, Minn., on May 25. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This spring it reached a boiling point. After gains by the drivers, Uber and Lyft stepped up their lobbying campaign and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/15/1238885721/uber-lyft-minneapolis-minimum-wage-law\">threatened to pull out of Minneapolis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is part of their corporate playbook,” says Laura Padin, who \u003ca href=\"https://www.datocms-assets.com/64990/1714149807-the-bullys-playbook-april-2024.pdf\">studies lobbying in the gig economy (PDF)\u003c/a> at the National Employment Law Project, a labor rights advocacy organization. “The fact that they can issue threats and say ‘We’re going to leave if you treat us like everyone else’ is a big problem.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft say the proposed minimum wage would have left the companies unable to sustain their businesses in the state. Uber says it would have made Minnesota “one of the most expensive markets in the country,” and Lyft says it would have made “prices rise so much that we would have seen a 51% decrease in ride requests.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walz and Frey, both labor-friendly Democrats, had been adamant that they wanted ride-hail drivers to make a livable wage. They also took the companies, and their warnings, seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the very beginning, I had two primary goals,” Frey told NPR in an interview. “To get a very significant pay increase for drivers and to keep this very important rideshare service, including Uber and Lyft, in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similar scenarios have played out in New York and Seattle, which ultimately passed city minimum wage laws. But every state law governing driver pay and protections that has been crafted to date has included provisions backed by Uber and Lyft — through their \u003ca href=\"https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/05/09/inside-uber-political-machine/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2024-05-09_Wells-Uber-1\">lobbying and public campaigns\u003c/a>. For example, in California, the companies \u003ca href=\"https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1422181&session=2019&view=received\">spent a combined $108.5 million\u003c/a> on a successful \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/11/05/931561150/california-voters-give-uber-lyft-a-win-but-some-drivers-arent-so-sure\">ballot measure campaign\u003c/a> to exempt them from a state labor law. Another statewide battle happened in Washington, and one is underway in Massachusetts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Minnesota, something wholly unexpected happened last month — the drivers won.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘The worst I’ve seen in eight years’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>It all started in a small coffee shop in Minneapolis. In the summer of 2022, ride-hail driver Eid Ali gathered with about 20 Uber and Lyft drivers to talk about low pay, safety concerns and other issues that come with the job. Ali is a father of five and the sole provider for his family. Before he started driving for Uber and Lyft in 2014, Ali was a taxi driver and had done some organizing. He says this helped him and the other drivers come up with a game plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first step was to recruit more drivers. Ali and the others went to shopping malls and airport parking lots to speak with drivers. They also went to mosques — the majority of ride-hail drivers in Minneapolis are immigrants, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/TNC_driver_earnings_analysis_pay_standard_options_report_030824.pdf\">state data (PDF)\u003c/a>, with many from East Africa, especially Somalia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drivers coalesced in a group called Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association, or MULDA, and Ali became the president.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990765\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990765\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn2-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eid Ali, president of Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association (MULDA), at the organization’s offices in Bloomington, Minn., on May 25. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>He says drivers reached out to him constantly about not being able to make ends meet. “Family folks raising kids, who depend on this income, are coming to me every day and telling me ‘I don’t know what to do,’” Ali says. “I was thinking that if I don’t do anything, if I don’t fight a few more days or maybe a few more weeks, who’s going to do that?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft categorize drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. This means drivers pay their own expenses such as gas, car maintenance and cellphones, and they don’t have employee benefits, including health insurance, sick days and workers’ compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low pay is the top problem, drivers say, as their earnings have steadily shrunk and become harder to predict. In 2022, both Uber and Lyft \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/working-for-an-algorithm/2022/03/01/secretive-algorithm-will-now-determine-uber-driver-pay-in-many-cities\">switched how they paid drivers\u003c/a>, going from a time-and-mileage calculation to an opaque algorithm. Uber and Lyft say the software helps drivers pick and choose trips, but drivers say since that change they’ve seen the companies take a bigger cut, while they’ve gotten less.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sergio Avedian, a longtime ride-hail driver in Los Angeles and senior contributor to the popular blog the \u003ca href=\"https://therideshareguy.com/\">Rideshare Guy\u003c/a>, says thousands of drivers regularly send him their pay stubs. “This is the worst I’ve seen in eight years,” he says, estimating he often earns less than minimum wage after expenses. “But people are driving, they’re desperate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Twin Cities metro area, where 95% of all of Minnesota’s ride-hail trips happen, the median take-home wage for drivers is $13.63 per hour, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/TNC_driver_earnings_analysis_pay_standard_options_report_030824.pdf\">report (PDF)\u003c/a> by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. That’s below the minimum wage for large businesses in St. Paul ($15) and Minneapolis ($15.57).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber’s spokesperson calls this report “\u003ca href=\"https://uberpubpolicy.medium.com/excessive-rates-and-their-negative-effects-a-review-of-minnesotas-proposed-pay-standard-9747c14d0254\">flawed\u003c/a>.” Lyft didn’t respond to questions about driver pay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber and Lyft have shaped minimum wage laws in their favor in other states. In Washington, for example, after Seattle passed a minimum wage for ride-hail drivers, the two companies \u003ca href=\"https://themarkup.org/news/2022/03/04/bill-in-washington-state-would-be-first-to-bar-uber-and-lyft-drivers-from-being-classified-as-employees\">lobbied legislators\u003c/a> to pass a state law. That law gives drivers a minimum pay floor but also grants a key concession to the companies: ensuring that the drivers remain classified as independent contractors, which exempts the companies from providing customary worker benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990766\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990766\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn3-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Symbols for Uber and Lyft adorn Farhan Badel’s vehicle in Apple Valley, Minn. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>By the fall of 2022, hundreds of drivers had joined MULDA, with the campaign crystallizing around the push for a minimum wage. That October, they \u003ca href=\"https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/10/20/uber-and-lyft-drivers-press-lawmakers-to-address-long-standing-labor-complaints/\">held their first press conference\u003c/a> at the Minnesota state Capitol. “Drivers are at a breaking point,” Ali announced, alongside state lawmakers that day. From there, their cause quickly picked up steam.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By March 2023, state legislators had introduced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF2369&ssn=0&y=2023\">bill\u003c/a> that set out minimum pay and other protections for ride-hail drivers. It swiftly passed the House and Senate and landed on Walz’s desk in late May 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All signs pointed to Walz signing the bill, Badel says. The drivers got ready to celebrate a victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Insiders told us to come to the state Capitol the day when they signed all these bills,” Badel says. “They told us to come there dressed well — you know, look presentable, look happy. So, we were getting all these checkmarks that he was going to sign the bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A lobbying blitz\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>What Badel and Ali didn’t know was that Uber and Lyft’s lobbyists were hard at work behind the scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days before the governor received the bill, the companies’ lobbyists sent a slew of emails to his staffers and colleagues, according to public records obtained by NPR. Those included “talking points and numbers” that said rider fares would skyrocket if the bill passed. In Minneapolis, they said fares would go up 70%, without citing specific data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://apps.npr.org/dailygraphics/graphics/lyft-uber-playbook-20240610/aiTimeline.html?initialWidth=840&childId=responsive-embed-lyft-uber-playbook-20240610-aiTimeline&parentTitle=Uber%20and%20Lyft%20use%20lobbying%20to%20fight%20minimum%20wage%20law%20in%20Minnesota%20%3A%20NPR&parentUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2F2024%2F06%2F17%2Fnx-s1-4942958%2Fuber-minimum-wage-minnesota-lyft-lobbying\" width=\"800\" height=\"2200\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\" frameborder=\"0\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brent Kent, a registered lobbyist for Lyft and the company’s director of public policy, sent a letter to Minnesota’s Senate president saying the bill would have a “catastrophic impact” and create “transportation deserts.” Rides in Minneapolis would go from $17 to $54, he said, also not citing specific data for that statistic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As signing day neared, the lobbyists ramped up their efforts. They requested phone calls between Walz and the CEOs of both Uber and Lyft. At one point, Uber lobbyist Joel Carlson emailed the governor’s legislative assistant asking for an alternative email for the office, because he said he had a lot of people wanting to write in with opposition to the bill and didn’t want to “email bomb” her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carlson also fired off “veto request” letters he collected from 11 community groups — business and hospitality associations as well as organizations that work with people with disabilities, the elderly and domestic violence survivors. At least half of those groups have partnered with Uber or Lyft, but that wasn’t disclosed in their letters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber’s spokesperson says it “engaged many organizations and local stakeholders to ensure they understood the impact of the legislation” and “many decided to express their concerns.” The spokesperson also confirmed that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi had spoken with the governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990767\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990767\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn4-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew McGlory, a rideshare driver and active member of MULDA, in downtown Minneapolis. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We urged the governor to veto the bill publicly, as well, via issued statements and in emails to riders and drivers,” the spokesperson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft didn’t respond to questions about its involvement with the letters from community groups or conversations between its CEO and the governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Days before the anticipated signing, the companies rolled out a tactic they’d used in California, New York, Texas and other states: They \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uber-minnesota-rideshare-driver-bill-veto-tim-walz/\">threatened to leave the state\u003c/a> if the bill was signed into law.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By May 25, 2023, Ali says he and the other drivers were anxious about the outcome. They gathered in front of Walz’s office chanting, “Governor sign the bill!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That afternoon, Walz issued his \u003ca href=\"https://www.house.mn.gov/NewLaws/story/2023/5502\">first and only veto\u003c/a> in four years as governor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His veto letter started off saying the minimum wage bill “could make Minnesota one of the most expensive states in the country for rideshare.” It cited the need to maintain ride-hail services in the state and also referenced the letters from community groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokeswoman for Walz says that alongside the veto, the governor \u003ca href=\"https://mn.gov/governor/assets/EO%2023-07%20TNC_tcm1055-579270.pdf\">formed a task force (PDF)\u003c/a> to study the issue. She pointed NPR to a \u003ca href=\"https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/#/detail/appId/1/id/579275\">press release\u003c/a> where he said, “Rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions … This is not the right bill to achieve these goals.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ali says it was a big surprise and a major blow for MULDA. “That was my worst nightmare, because I didn’t know what to say to those drivers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘You’re our last resort’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>As the state bill made its way through the Legislature, the MULDA drivers were also simultaneously working with city council members in Minneapolis. After the governor’s veto, the drivers reorganized and went all in at the local level — becoming ever-present at City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They came to City Hall many, many times, saying: ‘Government officials, you’re our last resort,’” says Robin Wonsley, the Minneapolis council member for Ward 2.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The makeup of the workforce for the rideshare companies is predominantly Black, predominantly immigrant and also predominantly low income,” she added. “And many of these drivers, or a disproportionate number of these drivers, are \u003ca href=\"https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/TNC_driver_earnings_analysis_pay_standard_options_report_030824.pdf\">actually on public assistance (PDF)\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990768\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990768\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn5-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robin Wonsley, Minneapolis council member for Ward 2, outside City Hall in Bloomington, Minn., on May 26. Wonsley and colleagues worked on a city ordinance to give ride-hail drivers a minimum wage in Minneapolis. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She joined fellow council members Jamal Osman, who’d introduced her to MULDA, and Jason Chavez to work on a city ordinance. They reached out to economists and experts to come up with a calculation that would be equivalent to the city’s minimum wage. Uber and Lyft only pay drivers when they’re giving rides and not when they’re waiting for a passenger, so a straight hourly wage wouldn’t work. The \u003ca href=\"https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/MetaData/31233/2023-052_Id_31233.pdf\">ordinance (PDF)\u003c/a> they introduced mandated that drivers be paid $1.40 per mile and 51¢ per minute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/08/17/minneapolis-approves-measure-to-boost-pay-for-uber-lyft-drivers\">passed the council\u003c/a> in August 2023 by a 7–5 vote. But behind the scenes, the companies’ lobbyists were leaning hard on Frey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As with the governor, Uber and Lyft’s lobbyists targeted the mayor, according to internal emails obtained by NPR through public records requests. Lyft’s Kent reached out to staffers saying the company had “grave concerns.” He sent the mayor and council members an opposition letter from a Lyft executive that had one sentence bolded and underlined: “Should this proposal become law, Lyft will be forced to cease operations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Uber’s Carlson called the ordinance “problematic.” On Aug. 21, Carlson emailed a senior aide at City Hall, saying he had spoken with the mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Uber understands the importance and optics to provide a thoughtful response to the council’s vote and have offered to him the opportunity to announce the following if he chooses,” the email reads. Carlson said the mayor could announce that Uber pledges to give drivers a minimum wage and a $5 minimum on all trips. He sent suggested language for the mayor’s announcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990769\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990769\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn6-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Minneapolis, the median take-home wage for ride-hail drivers is nearly $2 less than the minimum wage. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The next day, Frey \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/08/22/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-vetoes-rideshare-bill\">vetoed the ordinance\u003c/a>. In his \u003ca href=\"https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/FileV2/32370/2023_052-Veto-Letter.pdf\">veto letter (PDF)\u003c/a>, he said he’d work on another ordinance that included all stakeholders. The mayor also wrote that he was “pleased to share” that he secured a commitment from Uber to provide drivers a minimum wage and a $5 minimum per ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber’s spokesperson says the minimum wage guarantee “was not part of any negotiations.” A spokesperson for Frey says the commitment from Uber “was not in exchange for a veto.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wonsley says she was outraged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why are we having city leaders now supporting a multibillion-dollar corporation and having an exemption from a city policy that hundreds of small businesses have been in compliance with?” she says, referring to the city’s minimum wage law. “And then he announced a nonbinding agreement with Uber, saying, ‘Look, we don’t need to change nothing, the company has made a commitment, a symbolic commitment to pay drivers more.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were like ‘Wait, what?’ ” Wonsley adds. “That makes absolutely no sense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frey’s spokesperson says the commitment from Uber “was never intended to be a permanent solution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Public pressure campaign\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The mayor’s veto, coming after the governor’s veto, could have been the end for MULDA drivers’ quest to get a minimum wage law. In other states that went through similar scenarios, such setbacks have taken the wind out of organizing efforts. But Ali and Badel say they came too close to give up. And council member Wonsley says she wasn’t ready to back down either.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her colleagues introduced two more ordinances in October 2023. One focused on minimum wage, the other on worker protections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Less than six months later, the council passed the new minimum wage \u003ca href=\"https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/FileV2/34129/Transportation-Rideshare-Compensation-Ordinance.pdf\">ordinance (PDF)\u003c/a> by a 9–4 vote. The next day, once again, Frey vetoed the ordinance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I asked the City Council to wait one day,” says Frey, until after the release of the statewide report on driver earnings. “Both times I vetoed it because it wasn’t supported by the data. And so, we should be listening to the data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This time, however, the council had enough votes to \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/03/14/minneapolis-city-council-overrides-freys-veto-on-ordinance-boosting-rideshare-driver-pay\">override his veto\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With this go-round, Uber and Lyft kicked their pressure campaign up a notch. Instead of mostly working with lawmakers behind closed doors, the companies brought their lobbying to the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been a full-court press campaign,” Wonsley says. “Every single day there are several articles, interviews in the press, basically demonizing our actions and creating a lot of confusion for the public around what our policy actually accomplished.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day after the veto override, Uber and Lyft \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/03/15/1238885721/uber-lyft-minneapolis-minimum-wage-law\">announced they were leaving Minneapolis\u003c/a> as soon as the ordinance went into effect. It was around this time that Matthew McGlory, a MULDA member and longtime Uber and Lyft driver, started getting in-app messages and emails from the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990770\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990770\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn7-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew McGlory, a rideshare driver and active member of MULDA, in downtown Minneapolis on May 26. McGlory says drivers in other states have been watching Minnesota, waiting to see what happened. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We know that this decision will have a huge negative effect,” a message from Uber read. “It will put thousands of drivers — like you — out of work.” Uber provided a link to email lawmakers urging them to pass statewide legislation that could preempt the city ordinance and be more favorable to the companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft, meanwhile, sent an email to its riders saying the ordinance would make rides “unaffordable” for the majority of residents. Lyft’s spokesperson didn’t respond to questions about the in-app messages. Uber’s spokesperson says, “The message speaks for itself.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was also a flurry of activity in the local news. Uber put an online ad in the \u003cem>Star Tribune\u003c/em> saying Minneapolis was “forcing” it to leave and offered a button to click to “save our rides.” Dan Meyers, a director at disability advocacy group Rise, \u003ca href=\"https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-rideshare-driver-pay-proposal-looks-at-only-one-side-of-equation/600348209/\">wrote an op-ed\u003c/a> saying the ordinance would be “devastating to the disability community.” Lyft and Rise are \u003ca href=\"https://rise.org/12858-2/\">longtime partners\u003c/a>, which wasn’t disclosed in the op-ed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson for Rise says, “Our work with Lyft is well-known among our peers and partners.” Lyft didn’t respond to questions about any possible involvement with the op-ed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with the ordinance set to go into effect in Minneapolis, MULDA drivers say they were still nervous. A statewide bill could preempt the city ordinance and undercut their pay. It was hard to tell which way it would go.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘No one else has been able to do this in the country’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The same day Farhan Badel took the podium in early May pleading with state lawmakers to not let the ride-hail companies dictate the law, Uber’s Carlson also spoke. They were discussing a compromise state bill that would preempt the Minneapolis ordinance — it offered drivers a rate of $1.27 per mile and 49¢ per minute. Carlson told the lawmakers this wouldn’t work for Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Uber has calculated that if you reasonably calculate the expenses you come up with a rate of 41¢ per mile and 68¢ per minute,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislators left that hearing without giving any indication\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>which way it would go. But a couple of weeks later, they made a move that stunned observers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the night of May 19, \u003ca href=\"https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/21/heres-whats-in-the-bill-regulating-uber-and-lyft-driver-pay-and-labor-standards/\">the state passed a new bill\u003c/a> giving drivers the minimum wage rate of $1.28 per mile and 31¢ per minute. Even though it was slightly lower and preempted the Minneapolis ordinance, Wonsley and the council backed it. Frey says he was opposed to the preemption, but that he ultimately supported the bill too since he says it was “nearly identical” to what he proposed months earlier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a major win for the MULDA drivers. After the bill’s passage, in a moment of jubilation in the Capitol’s hallways, they hoisted one of the state legislators in the air and chanted “MULDA” over and over. The legislator, Sen. Omar Fateh, who was instrumental in getting the bill passed, said, “It was Uber and Lyft versus MULDA and MULDA won.” The crowd erupted in cheers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990771\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1700px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990771\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1134\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy.jpg 1700w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/npr.brightspotcdn8-copy-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rideshare vehicles share the road with other drivers in downtown Minneapolis. \u003ccite>(Jenn Ackerman for NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft say the companies accepted the compromise, and that neither will shutter operations in the state. Unlike the minimum pay laws for ride-hail drivers in California and Washington state, Minnesota’s bill doesn’t mandate that drivers remain independent contractors — something Uber and Lyft had sought, but didn’t get.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On May 28, Walz signed the bill into law with Ali by his side wearing a white MULDA T-shirt. During a press conference announcing its passage, the governor congratulated state lawmakers. “No one else has been able to do this in the country,” Walz said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The driver McGlory says MULDA has heard from drivers in other states who have been watching Minnesota over the past year and a half, waiting to see what happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m doing this not just for drivers in Minneapolis. I’m doing this for the drivers in Nashville, Tenn. I’m doing this for drivers in Jackson, Miss.,” McGlory says, pausing for a moment before continuing. “Because when we educate ourselves, when we organize ourselves and we mobilize ourselves, we can win.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Like my favorite physics teacher said, ‘We have to become an unstoppable force that meets an immovable object.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "VTA Breaks Ground on $12.7 Billion BART Extension Through South Bay",
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"content": "\u003cp>The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the old saying goes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And on Friday, the first scoop of dirt was taken out of the ground in what has been a decadeslong journey of planning and fundraising to run six new miles of BART track through the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, known as VTA, held a groundbreaking on Friday to celebrate the beginning of heavy construction work on its BART Silicon Valley Phase II project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The project is a critical step in fulfilling the longstanding vision of ringing the Bay with high-quality, green-transit passenger rail,” Carolyn Gonot, VTA’s general manager, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990511\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot speaks during the agency’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II project groundbreaking event on Friday. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The $12.7 billion undertaking will extend BART from its current end of the line at Berryessa Station in North San José and will run west to create four new stations: 28th Street/Little Portugal near East San José, Downtown San José, Diridon and Santa Clara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This project is more than a transit expansion. It’s a catalyst for sustainable urban development and promoting affordable housing and equitable access to education, to health care, to jobs, to opportunities and strengthening neighborhoods for generations to come,” Gonot said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Bay officials at the groundbreaking emphasized how big transportation projects require collective efforts and steadfast commitment to a vision over many years to complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan said people are still benefiting from services like Caltrain today due to forward-looking investments made in the past. He noted he used the rail line to commute to run his former business in San Francisco while living in San José and a bus line in his youth to traverse Highway 17.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Transit changed my life. It allowed me to get where I needed to go again and again, and it was a gift from past generations,” Mahan said. “We need to give that same gift to the next generation, and the one after that, and the one after that. Because transit connectivity creates opportunity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990510\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990510\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan said transit projects take collective effort and vision to complete during a groundbreaking event for VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II project in Santa Clara on Friday. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project has faced significant timeline delays and massive cost increases long before any of the golden-colored shovels wielded by politicians and project leaders hit the ground on Friday in the hot sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An original VTA estimate in 2014 put the project cost at $4.7 billion, hoping to open the new stations to riders by 2026, which is more than two-and-a-half times cheaper than the current estimate and about 11 years sooner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2020 and 2021, the cost increased to $6.9 billion, then to $9.1 billion, in part due to evaluations from federal officials overseeing the project. VTA later revised its own estimate to $12.2 billion in October 2023, and another federal estimate earlier this year pegged the current cost and timeline, which VTA has not refuted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11989983,news_11988365,news_11986396\"]But local and regional leaders have largely held firm in calling for the project to push ahead, despite the hurdles and fumbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t imagine what our valley will look like in 50 or 100 years, but we can be confident that connecting rail around the Bay and helping millions of people access the heart of Silicon Valley, where most of the region’s growth is expected to happen in the coming decades, is going to create opportunity for so many,” Mahan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to a new BART station, the site of the groundbreaking in Santa Clara near the border of San José is where a huge hole will be dug to eventually allow a $76 million tunnel boring machine being assembled in Germany to be dropped into the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once in place, it will begin eating away at millions of cubic yards of dirt to make way for the largely underground extension. The muck removed from the tunneling effort and digging for other station construction is set to be used to help benefit tidal marsh restoration efforts in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said that breaking ground on projects such as the BART extension and the recent start of construction of an elevated light rail extension through a heavily trafficked part of East San José shows a commitment to advancement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990512\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990512\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Clara County Supervisor and VTA Board Chair Cindy Chavez thanks VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot (right) for her efforts to guide the agency’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II project on Friday. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We deserve world-class transportation in one of the most important economic hubs in the world,” Chavez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a recognition of not just the importance of this community, but a recognition that we in this region are not stopping, we’re going to keep growing,” she said. “We’re not slowing down. We’re going to continue to be the center of innovation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Transit leaders and regional officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the new 6-mile BART extension through Silicon Valley on Friday, and emphasized the need to remain committed to major projects to benefit the region in the long run. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the old saying goes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And on Friday, the first scoop of dirt was taken out of the ground in what has been a decadeslong journey of planning and fundraising to run six new miles of BART track through the South Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, known as VTA, held a groundbreaking on Friday to celebrate the beginning of heavy construction work on its BART Silicon Valley Phase II project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The project is a critical step in fulfilling the longstanding vision of ringing the Bay with high-quality, green-transit passenger rail,” Carolyn Gonot, VTA’s general manager, said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990511\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990511\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-09_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot speaks during the agency’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II project groundbreaking event on Friday. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The $12.7 billion undertaking will extend BART from its current end of the line at Berryessa Station in North San José and will run west to create four new stations: 28th Street/Little Portugal near East San José, Downtown San José, Diridon and Santa Clara.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This project is more than a transit expansion. It’s a catalyst for sustainable urban development and promoting affordable housing and equitable access to education, to health care, to jobs, to opportunities and strengthening neighborhoods for generations to come,” Gonot said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>South Bay officials at the groundbreaking emphasized how big transportation projects require collective efforts and steadfast commitment to a vision over many years to complete.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan said people are still benefiting from services like Caltrain today due to forward-looking investments made in the past. He noted he used the rail line to commute to run his former business in San Francisco while living in San José and a bus line in his youth to traverse Highway 17.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Transit changed my life. It allowed me to get where I needed to go again and again, and it was a gift from past generations,” Mahan said. “We need to give that same gift to the next generation, and the one after that, and the one after that. Because transit connectivity creates opportunity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990510\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990510\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-11_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San José Mayor Matt Mahan said transit projects take collective effort and vision to complete during a groundbreaking event for VTA’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II project in Santa Clara on Friday. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The project has faced significant timeline delays and massive cost increases long before any of the golden-colored shovels wielded by politicians and project leaders hit the ground on Friday in the hot sun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An original VTA estimate in 2014 put the project cost at $4.7 billion, hoping to open the new stations to riders by 2026, which is more than two-and-a-half times cheaper than the current estimate and about 11 years sooner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Between 2020 and 2021, the cost increased to $6.9 billion, then to $9.1 billion, in part due to evaluations from federal officials overseeing the project. VTA later revised its own estimate to $12.2 billion in October 2023, and another federal estimate earlier this year pegged the current cost and timeline, which VTA has not refuted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But local and regional leaders have largely held firm in calling for the project to push ahead, despite the hurdles and fumbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t imagine what our valley will look like in 50 or 100 years, but we can be confident that connecting rail around the Bay and helping millions of people access the heart of Silicon Valley, where most of the region’s growth is expected to happen in the coming decades, is going to create opportunity for so many,” Mahan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to a new BART station, the site of the groundbreaking in Santa Clara near the border of San José is where a huge hole will be dug to eventually allow a $76 million tunnel boring machine being assembled in Germany to be dropped into the ground.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once in place, it will begin eating away at millions of cubic yards of dirt to make way for the largely underground extension. The muck removed from the tunneling effort and digging for other station construction is set to be used to help benefit tidal marsh restoration efforts in the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said that breaking ground on projects such as the BART extension and the recent start of construction of an elevated light rail extension through a heavily trafficked part of East San José shows a commitment to advancement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11990512\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11990512\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/06/240614-VTAGROUNDBREAKING-JG-06_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Clara County Supervisor and VTA Board Chair Cindy Chavez thanks VTA General Manager Carolyn Gonot (right) for her efforts to guide the agency’s BART Silicon Valley Phase II project on Friday. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We deserve world-class transportation in one of the most important economic hubs in the world,” Chavez said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a recognition of not just the importance of this community, but a recognition that we in this region are not stopping, we’re going to keep growing,” she said. “We’re not slowing down. We’re going to continue to be the center of innovation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Santa Clara County’s public transit agency needs to make a series of improvements to strengthen its project management and financial oversight, according to a new state audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, also needs to more frequently report key metrics to its board of directors, and lay out a new strategic plan based on specific performance goals, Grant Parks, the state auditor, said in his report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-101-santa-clara-valley-transportation-authority/\">The 84-page report\u003c/a> was released Tuesday, a little more than a year after Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) asked the state to look into the VTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When requesting the audit, Berman noted the agency has been the subject of three critical civil grand jury reports since 2004 and was previously audited by the state in 2008. The most recent report found that the agency had made but not sustained many of the changes recommended in the 2008 audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the auditor’s report provides a really helpful roadmap for VTA to improve their operations, improve their financial management and to improve their governance,” Berman said. “I was encouraged to see the VTA board agreed with the vast majority of the recommendations from the state auditor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, VTA officials did not agree with two key recommendations in the report. One suggests requiring local government officials to publicly explain the reasoning behind the board members they’ve chosen to represent their region and why they think those appointees are qualified. Currently, some groups of cities appoint their representatives in private meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA countered that a more expedient solution would be to require each appointee to fill out a questionnaire attesting to their experience before they are sworn in, an option the auditor dismissed on the grounds that it would not appropriately hold officials accountable for their appointment decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The auditor also suggested lawmakers increase VTA board-member term lengths from two to four years to boost experience and strengthen stability. The report noted that “VTA’s directors continue to average shorter tenures compared to their peers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA has countered that its current two-year terms work well because they offer more flexibility to the cities that select appointees to the board. The agency also said it would continue encouraging those cities to reappoint members for consecutive terms whenever feasible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berman said he was “surprised and disappointed” that VTA is resisting those changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be honest, I found their arguments against those two recommendations to be laughably weak,” he said. “It makes no sense from a good governance standpoint, either in how you appoint the board members or for how long you appoint the board members.[aside label=\"More public transit coverage\" tag=\"public-transit\"]In a statement, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, chair of the VTA board, didn’t directly address those points of disagreement but said she thought the report was thorough, fair and thoughtful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA has a strong commitment to continuous improvement and takes every independent evaluation very seriously,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent audit comes four years after a county grand jury investigation found the agency operated one of the “most expensive and least efficient” transit systems in the country and accused it of making many service decisions for political reasons rather than those in the best interest of quality transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Operating costs increase continuously, and taxpayers subsidize 90% of these costs, to the tune of about $5.50 per rider for each bus trip and $10.75 per rider for each light rail trip,” the 2019 grand jury report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent audit noted that VTA should — but does not — conduct cost-benefit analyses of its projects, nor does it consistently estimate the costs of project operations and maintenance. It also does not regularly inform its board about cost increases or schedule changes, it said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though the report said that VTA has generally followed best practices when selecting which capital improvement projects to pursue, it found that the agency neglected to do a cost-benefit analysis before pursuing the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector, a project that broke ground earlier this month to extend light rail service about 2.4 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a result, it is not clear whether one of these projects — an extension of VTA’s light rail system — is the best use of the $653 million cost VTA plans to incur,” the report said, recommending that the agency set a monetary threshold to determine when cost-benefit analyses are worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The audit recommended that VTA officials report detailed information to the board with greater frequency, including changes in project costs and scheduling, and key performance metrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also found that VTA’s total operating costs per passenger trip and per service hour were higher than any of the five other comparable transit agencies the auditor looked at — including those in Los Angeles, Orange County and Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These high operating cost metrics indicate that VTA is not operating as efficiently as its peers, which warrants VTA’s further review to assess the causes,” the auditor said. “However, because VTA staff do not regularly report these types of data to the board, the board has a limited ability to monitor VTA’s performance and direct VTA staff to identify and address causes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Richardson, VTA’s chief financial officer, said the agency has been working to improve its reporting to the board while also ensuring information is easily digestible and concise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just hasn’t been happening on a routine basis and we’ve recognized that, and it’s work that we’re putting in place right now to begin doing,” Richardson told KQED. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping the board informed on a quarterly basis of what I would call the basic financial performance, but what we really haven’t dived into is metric-type information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent audit also noted that while VTA is in a “relatively good financial condition,” about 60% of its revenue has come from four sales tax measures, three of which will sunset within the next three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA should begin planning to identify and generate its replacement revenue sources now,” the auditor said, noting that replacement tax measures take a long time to draft and get on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Santa Clara County’s public transit agency needs to make a series of improvements to strengthen its project management and financial oversight, according to a new state audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, also needs to more frequently report key metrics to its board of directors, and lay out a new strategic plan based on specific performance goals, Grant Parks, the state auditor, said in his report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.auditor.ca.gov/reports/2023-101-santa-clara-valley-transportation-authority/\">The 84-page report\u003c/a> was released Tuesday, a little more than a year after Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) asked the state to look into the VTA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When requesting the audit, Berman noted the agency has been the subject of three critical civil grand jury reports since 2004 and was previously audited by the state in 2008. The most recent report found that the agency had made but not sustained many of the changes recommended in the 2008 audit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the auditor’s report provides a really helpful roadmap for VTA to improve their operations, improve their financial management and to improve their governance,” Berman said. “I was encouraged to see the VTA board agreed with the vast majority of the recommendations from the state auditor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, VTA officials did not agree with two key recommendations in the report. One suggests requiring local government officials to publicly explain the reasoning behind the board members they’ve chosen to represent their region and why they think those appointees are qualified. Currently, some groups of cities appoint their representatives in private meetings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA countered that a more expedient solution would be to require each appointee to fill out a questionnaire attesting to their experience before they are sworn in, an option the auditor dismissed on the grounds that it would not appropriately hold officials accountable for their appointment decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The auditor also suggested lawmakers increase VTA board-member term lengths from two to four years to boost experience and strengthen stability. The report noted that “VTA’s directors continue to average shorter tenures compared to their peers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VTA has countered that its current two-year terms work well because they offer more flexibility to the cities that select appointees to the board. The agency also said it would continue encouraging those cities to reappoint members for consecutive terms whenever feasible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berman said he was “surprised and disappointed” that VTA is resisting those changes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be honest, I found their arguments against those two recommendations to be laughably weak,” he said. “It makes no sense from a good governance standpoint, either in how you appoint the board members or for how long you appoint the board members.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In a statement, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, chair of the VTA board, didn’t directly address those points of disagreement but said she thought the report was thorough, fair and thoughtful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA has a strong commitment to continuous improvement and takes every independent evaluation very seriously,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent audit comes four years after a county grand jury investigation found the agency operated one of the “most expensive and least efficient” transit systems in the country and accused it of making many service decisions for political reasons rather than those in the best interest of quality transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Operating costs increase continuously, and taxpayers subsidize 90% of these costs, to the tune of about $5.50 per rider for each bus trip and $10.75 per rider for each light rail trip,” the 2019 grand jury report said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent audit noted that VTA should — but does not — conduct cost-benefit analyses of its projects, nor does it consistently estimate the costs of project operations and maintenance. It also does not regularly inform its board about cost increases or schedule changes, it said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though the report said that VTA has generally followed best practices when selecting which capital improvement projects to pursue, it found that the agency neglected to do a cost-benefit analysis before pursuing the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector, a project that broke ground earlier this month to extend light rail service about 2.4 miles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a result, it is not clear whether one of these projects — an extension of VTA’s light rail system — is the best use of the $653 million cost VTA plans to incur,” the report said, recommending that the agency set a monetary threshold to determine when cost-benefit analyses are worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The audit recommended that VTA officials report detailed information to the board with greater frequency, including changes in project costs and scheduling, and key performance metrics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also found that VTA’s total operating costs per passenger trip and per service hour were higher than any of the five other comparable transit agencies the auditor looked at — including those in Los Angeles, Orange County and Sacramento.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These high operating cost metrics indicate that VTA is not operating as efficiently as its peers, which warrants VTA’s further review to assess the causes,” the auditor said. “However, because VTA staff do not regularly report these types of data to the board, the board has a limited ability to monitor VTA’s performance and direct VTA staff to identify and address causes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Greg Richardson, VTA’s chief financial officer, said the agency has been working to improve its reporting to the board while also ensuring information is easily digestible and concise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It just hasn’t been happening on a routine basis and we’ve recognized that, and it’s work that we’re putting in place right now to begin doing,” Richardson told KQED. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping the board informed on a quarterly basis of what I would call the basic financial performance, but what we really haven’t dived into is metric-type information.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most recent audit also noted that while VTA is in a “relatively good financial condition,” about 60% of its revenue has come from four sales tax measures, three of which will sunset within the next three decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“VTA should begin planning to identify and generate its replacement revenue sources now,” the auditor said, noting that replacement tax measures take a long time to draft and get on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Federal Safety Agency Investigating Waymo's Autonomous Taxis",
"headTitle": "Federal Safety Agency Investigating Waymo’s Autonomous Taxis | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has opened another investigation of automated driving systems, this time into crashes involving Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24662325/732396413-inoa-pe24016-12382.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">documents\u003c/a> detailing the probe on its website early Tuesday after receiving 22 reports of Waymo vehicles either crashing or doing something that may have violated traffic laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past month, the agency has opened at least four investigations of vehicles that can either drive themselves or take on at least some driving functions, as it appears to be getting more aggressive in regulating the devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the probe of Waymo, which was once Google’s self-driving vehicle unit, the agency said it has reports of 17 crashes and five other reports of possible traffic law violations. No injuries were reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the crashes, the Waymo vehicles hit stationary objects such as gates, chains or parked vehicles. Some of the incidents happened shortly after the Waymo driving system behaved unexpectedly near traffic control devices, according to the documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo said in a statement that the NHTSA plays an important role in road safety and that it will continue working with the agency “as part of our mission to become the world’s most trusted driver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company said it makes over 50,000 weekly trips with riders in challenging environments. “We are proud of our performance and safety record over tens of millions of autonomous miles driven, as well as our demonstrated commitment to safety transparency,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo, based in Mountain View, has been operating around the clock throughout San Francisco since last summer under permits issued by the California Public Utilities Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV has permitted the company to operate in 22 Peninsula and Silicon Valley cities and throughout Los Angeles and bordering communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said NHTSA’s more aggressive actions show that autonomous vehicles may not be ready for public roads yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"more on autonomous vehicles\" tag=\"waymo\"]The agency’s only enforcement power on autonomous vehicles, at present, is to open investigations and seek recalls, which it is doing, Brooks said. NHTSA has been criticized in the past for being slow to regulate Tesla and other companies that offer automated driving systems, but Brooks said things appear to have changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately, I think it’s a good thing here that they’re taking these steps, trying to figure out why these vehicles are acting the way they are,” Brooks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NHTSA said it would investigate the 22 incidents involving Waymo’s fifth-generation driving system plus similar scenarios “to more closely assess any commonalities in these incidents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said it understands that Waymo’s automated driving system was engaged throughout each incident, or in some cases involving a test vehicle, a human driver disengaged the system just before an accident happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The probe will evaluate the system’s performance in detecting and responding to traffic control devices and in avoiding crashes with stationary and semi-stationary objects and vehicles, the documents said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since late April, NHTSA has opened investigations into collisions involving self-driving vehicles run by Amazon-owned Zoox, as well as partially automated driver-assist systems offered by Tesla and Ford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, the agency ordered all companies with self-driving vehicles or partially automated systems to report all crashes to the government. The probes rely heavily on data reported by the automakers under that order.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NHTSA is also investigating General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit after receiving reports that the vehicles may not have used proper caution around pedestrians. The DMV and CPUC \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965443/california-dmv-pumps-the-brakes-on-cruise-driverless-taxis-in-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suspended Cruise’s operating permits\u003c/a> last October after an incident in downtown San Francisco in which one of the company’s vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Ford investigation, the agency is looking into two nighttime crashes on freeways that killed three people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NHTSA has also questioned whether a recall of Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assist system last year was effective enough to ensure human drivers were paying attention. NHTSA said it ultimately found 467 crashes involving Autopilot, resulting in 54 injuries and 14 deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also pressured Tesla to recall its “Full Self Driving” system last year because it can misbehave around intersections and doesn’t always follow speed limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their names, neither Tesla’s Autopilot nor its “Full Self Driving” systems can drive vehicles themselves, and the company said human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, NHTSA has moved to set performance standards for automatic emergency braking systems, requiring them to brake quickly to avoid pedestrians and other vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The standards come after other investigations involving automatic braking systems from Tesla, Honda and Fisker because they can brake for no reason, increasing the risk of a crash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2022 interview, then-NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff said the agency would step up scrutiny of automated vehicles, and the agency has recently taken more action. NHTSA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since Cliff left for the California Air Resources Board in August 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into how the company's self-driving vehicles behaved in 22 separate incidents.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The U.S. government’s highway safety agency has opened another investigation of automated driving systems, this time into crashes involving Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted \u003ca href=\"https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24662325/732396413-inoa-pe24016-12382.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">documents\u003c/a> detailing the probe on its website early Tuesday after receiving 22 reports of Waymo vehicles either crashing or doing something that may have violated traffic laws.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the past month, the agency has opened at least four investigations of vehicles that can either drive themselves or take on at least some driving functions, as it appears to be getting more aggressive in regulating the devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the probe of Waymo, which was once Google’s self-driving vehicle unit, the agency said it has reports of 17 crashes and five other reports of possible traffic law violations. No injuries were reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the crashes, the Waymo vehicles hit stationary objects such as gates, chains or parked vehicles. Some of the incidents happened shortly after the Waymo driving system behaved unexpectedly near traffic control devices, according to the documents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo said in a statement that the NHTSA plays an important role in road safety and that it will continue working with the agency “as part of our mission to become the world’s most trusted driver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company said it makes over 50,000 weekly trips with riders in challenging environments. “We are proud of our performance and safety record over tens of millions of autonomous miles driven, as well as our demonstrated commitment to safety transparency,” the statement said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Waymo, based in Mountain View, has been operating around the clock throughout San Francisco since last summer under permits issued by the California Public Utilities Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV has permitted the company to operate in 22 Peninsula and Silicon Valley cities and throughout Los Angeles and bordering communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said NHTSA’s more aggressive actions show that autonomous vehicles may not be ready for public roads yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The agency’s only enforcement power on autonomous vehicles, at present, is to open investigations and seek recalls, which it is doing, Brooks said. NHTSA has been criticized in the past for being slow to regulate Tesla and other companies that offer automated driving systems, but Brooks said things appear to have changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately, I think it’s a good thing here that they’re taking these steps, trying to figure out why these vehicles are acting the way they are,” Brooks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NHTSA said it would investigate the 22 incidents involving Waymo’s fifth-generation driving system plus similar scenarios “to more closely assess any commonalities in these incidents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency said it understands that Waymo’s automated driving system was engaged throughout each incident, or in some cases involving a test vehicle, a human driver disengaged the system just before an accident happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The probe will evaluate the system’s performance in detecting and responding to traffic control devices and in avoiding crashes with stationary and semi-stationary objects and vehicles, the documents said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since late April, NHTSA has opened investigations into collisions involving self-driving vehicles run by Amazon-owned Zoox, as well as partially automated driver-assist systems offered by Tesla and Ford.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2021, the agency ordered all companies with self-driving vehicles or partially automated systems to report all crashes to the government. The probes rely heavily on data reported by the automakers under that order.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NHTSA is also investigating General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle unit after receiving reports that the vehicles may not have used proper caution around pedestrians. The DMV and CPUC \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11965443/california-dmv-pumps-the-brakes-on-cruise-driverless-taxis-in-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suspended Cruise’s operating permits\u003c/a> last October after an incident in downtown San Francisco in which one of the company’s vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Ford investigation, the agency is looking into two nighttime crashes on freeways that killed three people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NHTSA has also questioned whether a recall of Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assist system last year was effective enough to ensure human drivers were paying attention. NHTSA said it ultimately found 467 crashes involving Autopilot, resulting in 54 injuries and 14 deaths.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency also pressured Tesla to recall its “Full Self Driving” system last year because it can misbehave around intersections and doesn’t always follow speed limits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite their names, neither Tesla’s Autopilot nor its “Full Self Driving” systems can drive vehicles themselves, and the company said human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, NHTSA has moved to set performance standards for automatic emergency braking systems, requiring them to brake quickly to avoid pedestrians and other vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The standards come after other investigations involving automatic braking systems from Tesla, Honda and Fisker because they can brake for no reason, increasing the risk of a crash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2022 interview, then-NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff said the agency would step up scrutiny of automated vehicles, and the agency has recently taken more action. NHTSA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since Cliff left for the California Air Resources Board in August 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "we-approach-in-peace-are-barts-outreach-efforts-to-help-people-in-crisis-working",
"title": "'We Approach in Peace': Are BART's Efforts to Help People in Crisis Working?",
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"headTitle": "‘We Approach in Peace’: Are BART’s Efforts to Help People in Crisis Working? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>On a recent rainy morning, Stephine Barnes paces slowly through a covered outdoor walkway off the main entrance of the San Leandro BART station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People like to camp out here because you have shelter. There’s no rain, it’s dry. So people just find little nooks and crannies,” Barnes says, surveying the area. “It’s usually where we find a lot of people in the wee hours of the morning, sleeping, camped out, wandering around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnes is a BART crisis intervention specialist, and her job entails seeking out and offering help to the many people in the sprawling transit system struggling with lack of shelter, mental health problems or addiction. She and her partner for the day, Natalie Robinson, are part of the agency’s ambitious new efforts to address a slew of human crises that show up on BART’s trains and platforms every day — without involving the police.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They spot a young woman with glasses and a purple bow in her hair who is hastily pulling belongings from a bike locker. Two roller bags, a dirty blanket and a ragged stuffed octopus are among the random array of possessions splayed on the ground around her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnes and Robinson approach cautiously, mindful of a large Rottweiler sitting nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We like to connect people with resources,” Robinson says. “So if you have a need for shelter, housing, anything like that, you can let us know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The woman, who gives her name as Cat, seems tentative but receptive. She tells them that she and her boyfriend arrived recently from Southern California. They had been living in their car and storing their belongings in the bike locker. But BART police had just ordered them to clear out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cat nods to the dog, which sports a black-and-white smiley face bandana around its neck. “That’s Einstein,” she says. “He’s our son.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, my goodness, you’re just a sweetheart,” Barnes exclaims, patting the dog’s head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979248\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979248 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged Black woman speaks to a younger woman wearing a purple hair decoration.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Outside the San Leandro Bart station, BART Crisis Intervention Specialist Stephine Barnes tells an unhoused person named Cat about a nearby housing assistance program. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She tells Cat to take her time retrieving her belongings, and emphasizes that she and Robinson are not police officers and aren’t there to pressure her to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you guys are interested in getting on the list for permanent housing in Alameda County, there’s a place called Hedco in Hayward,” Barnes tells her. “You can get coffee in the morning and all that kind of stuff. And then they put you in line on how to get these resources for housing and all of those things Alameda County offers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robinson explains how to get there and hands Cat her card, telling her to call if she needs anything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m really bad with resources, honestly. So this is great,” Cat says, stuffing the card in her jacket pocket and continuing her hurried packing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to be out here forever,” Robinson says as she and Barnes wish Cat luck and head back toward the station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll probably never know if she follows through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It varies widely,” Robinson says. “We could bring someone to a resource, and they literally don’t walk in the door, or we connect somebody, and they follow all the way through.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>‘Customer service on steroids’\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 2021, Barnes and Robinson, both seasoned BART employees, were among the first to join the crisis intervention team, now a 20-member crew dispatched throughout the 50-station transit system to offer help to people who appear to be overtly in need of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding that population has gotten a good deal easier in recent years, amid a discernible uptick in the number of people on BART’s trains and platforms experiencing homelessness or suffering from serious mental health issues — a trend that mirrors \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/homeless-populations-surge-11-in-san-jose-and-8-17176329.php\">the overall surge\u003c/a> in the Bay Area’s unhoused population since the start of the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART realized “a lot of the problems that were happening outside the station were coming inside the station,” says Barnes, 53, who was a station agent for 27 years, most recently at the Coliseum station in Oakland, before taking this job. “And, of course, as an agent, you see that firsthand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART’s boots-on-the-ground outreach approach, launched in the depths of the pandemic, marks a notable foray into social services for an agency whose main objective has always been getting people from point A to point B.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort comes as BART struggles to recoup ridership, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/202403%20MRR.pdf\">still hovers at just over 40%\u003c/a> of pre-pandemic levels, and as riders \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareacouncil.org/press-releases/new-poll-overwhelming-support-for-more-police-on-bart-greater-focus-on-cleanliness-and-stronger-enforcement-of-rules/\">consistently say in surveys that \u003c/a>they’re most dissatisfied with how the agency addresses homelessness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986011\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11986011 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut.jpg\" alt=\"Two middle-aged women in dark-blue uniforms speak to an unseen passenger on a BART train.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BART Crisis Intervention Specialists Natalie Robinson (left) and Stephine Barnes check on the well-being of a BART passenger they think might need help. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Those factors have prompted BART’s leaders to ratchet up funding for crisis intervention and related services — to the tune of $11 million last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/Homeless%20Action%20Plan.pdf\">according to the agency’s 2023 homeless action plan\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People have seen a need for something different than what everyone was doing before, which was, ‘Call the police, call the police, call the police,’” says Barnes, who describes her job as “customer service on steroids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most jobs at BART have existed since the agency started running trains more than 50 years ago, she notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was nothing, though, that really addressed the mental health component or the homelessness crisis that we’re experiencing in the Bay Area,” Barnes says. “So when I first read [about the job], I thought, ‘Wow, this is like the next-level customer service.’ Because some customers need more help than just buying a Clipper Card.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CISes, as they’re called, operate under the auspices of BART’s Police Department. But they wear distinctive, labeled uniforms and roam the stations and trains of their assigned zone in pairs, unaccompanied by sworn officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also have no enforcement power and don’t carry any weapons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re armed, instead, with latex gloves, Narcan — used to reverse opioid overdoses — and police radios in the event they need backup. And they use electronic notepads to document and tally their interactions, data the agency hopes will eventually demonstrate the still-undetermined effectiveness of the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some CISes, like Robinson, 49, who worked as a BART police dispatcher for 16 years, also load their pockets with snacks to hand out. Others carry extra pairs of clean socks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of the help CISes offer comes in the form of referrals to a collection of social service and mental health nonprofits sprinkled throughout BART’s five-county service area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We get to do God’s work out here,” Robinson says. “We’re helping people who are unhoused, who have substance-abuse issues, mental health issues. And being able to connect them to the proper service — those who are willing to make changes in their life — it’s just really rewarding.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Signs of distress\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On this morning, Barnes and Robinson are about midway through an 8-hour shift, one that began at 5 a.m. and has taken them back and forth multiple times across their zone, from San Leandro to Lake Merritt stations. Much of that is spent patrolling train cars and platforms, searching for telltale signs of distress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We pay attention to maybe some drug paraphernalia, someone who might be passed out, and check on their welfare,” Robinson says. “And then we’re also patrolling stations and just interacting with the public and building relationships with individuals that we see on a repeat basis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART station agents and train operators can reach out to the CISes for help dealing with difficult but non-threatening situations, Barnes says. Passengers can also now call BART police to request help from a non-sworn officer, and dispatchers are authorized to reroute certain 911 calls to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979245\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979245 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a bathrobe and slippers walks on a train platform.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person in a bathrobe and slippers walks along the platform of the Fruitvale BART Station — someone that Crisis Intervention Specialist Stephine Barnes says she has interacted with multiple times. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We can be more accessible to the public than the officers can. They’re responding to emergencies, they’re responding to fights, they’re responding to someone with a weapon,” Barnes says. “But we can take the time out. If you need to talk to me for an hour, you have me for an hour. If I need to escort you on the train, and I need to take you to a resource that’s 30, 40 minutes away, I have the time to do that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even when people are in their worst state, Barnes says, they’re still generally grateful to have someone checking in on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, of course, there are times when you’re going to be called names and told ‘Get away, you’re going to get your ass kicked,’ she says. “But I got that more as a station agent than I have in this position.”[aside label=\"more on homelessness\" tag=\"homelessness\"]BART says CISes “\u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230103-2\">have a background in social work\u003c/a>” or related experience and receive a month-long training that focuses on conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques for people suffering from mental health, homelessness and substance-abuse issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all trained in how to come in peace. So when we approach, we approach in peace,” Barnes says. “It’s about a greeting. It’s about, ‘Hey, how are you? How are you doing? How can I best support you?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And a lot of times, they’re very receptive to it,” she says. “But it takes time. Relationships take time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over roughly two hours that morning, Barnes and Robinson ask about 10 people if they need some help, including several semi-conscious riders slumped over on their seats and an older man near the entrance of the Coliseum station wrapped in a dirty blanket, muttering to himself. All, except Cat, the woman they encountered at San Leandro station, wave them off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last quarter of 2023, CISes \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/Quarterly%20Service%20Performance%20Review%20-%20Second%20Quarter%20Fiscal%20Year%202024%20-%20Presentation%20%281%29.pdf\">reported having more than 4,500 contacts\u003c/a>, of which 210 — just under 5% — resulted in verifiable connections to service providers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a game of patience. It may be the first contact somebody is ready to seek that help. Sometimes it might be the 20th contact,” says Ja’Son Scott, deputy chief of BART’s nascent Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau, which encompasses the CIS program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scott’s bureau was launched \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/unarmed-bart-ambassadors-program-formalized-with-a-focus-on-community-service/article_f74c861e-326f-585d-9014-44665369b258.html\">in the fall of 2020\u003c/a>, just months after George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protests for racial justice and police accountability. BART says its new approach, aimed at helping to restore ridership, came in response to mounting requests from passengers for an increased safety presence in the system but with less reliance on armed officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979241\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979241 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in uniform look through an open BART train door.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BART Crisis Intervention Specialists Natalie Robinson (left) and Stephine Barnes speak to passengers on a BART train that’s been stalled on the platform after a man reportedly flung a bag of feces-caked laundry around the first car. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The initiative has an annual budget of roughly $8 million, and in addition to the 20 CISes, it includes up to 10 “transit ambassadors” who also patrol the system, reporting safety concerns and “biohazards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>I realize we didn’t have all the tools as police officers to deal with all the issues that you see in BART, and it’s not always necessary for a police officer to do that,” Scott says. “We can’t arrest our way through these problems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Outreach vs. enforcement\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>BART’s social service efforts, however, haven’t always gone smoothly. The agency’s inspector general \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/REPORT_%24350K%20for%20Homeless%20Outreach%20Yielded%20Unclear%20Results_Final_020323.pdf\">reported\u003c/a> last year that a $350,000 multiyear contract with the Salvation Army to address homelessness resulted in just one unsheltered person entering treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, BART’s Police Department has ramped up enforcement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240328\">reporting a 62% increase in arrests\u003c/a> last year while aggressively recruiting to fill vacant positions on its force by offering higher salaries and signing bonuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those developments come as riders say they want to see more sworn officers in the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://drive.zooce.com/management/builtinapps/fileoperator.aspx?child=1&a=D3B60E43-50D3-46D5-A799-2C3CECF14238&ro=1&fid=13728646727690992504_9832503603610834240\">2023 Bay Area Council poll\u003c/a> found three-fourths of respondents would make that a high priority. Four out of five agreed that people who violate BART’s code of conduct — rules that prohibit smoking, eating, and playing loud music, among other things — should be ejected from the system. And more than two-thirds of respondents said they thought BART should focus exclusively on running a clean, safe and reliable transit operation — while letting other public agencies deal with people in crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Debora Allen, a BART Board director, is among that majority. A staunch supporter of tougher law enforcement within the system, Allen was one of just two board members who voted against forming the Progressive Policing Bureau. And she remains dubious of its benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look, no one wants to help people who are down and out and in crisis more than me. I think all of us on that board have the same interest,” she says. But “transit isn’t the place to start social service programs. We have counties and cities who receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year to do this social service work. We should remain focused on transit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979246\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979246 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A Narcan case on someone's belt.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephine Barnes and other crisis intervention specialists always carry Narcan, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Allen argues that BART is using scarce dollars to deliver services to people inside the system, all but incentivizing them to stay there, while offering little in the way of data to show if the program is actually helping people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I have argued all along is our first line of defense should be to keep those people out of the system,” Allen says, decrying BART’s failure to clamp down on rampant fare evasion. \u003cb>“\u003c/b>Having them wandering and sometimes even living inside of a transit system with active moving trains all the time is the most dangerous place for them to decide to live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We are definitely needed’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Lake Merritt station, Barnes and Robinson are dispatched to a Dublin-Pleasanton-bound train that’s been stalled on the platform after a man reportedly flung a bag of feces-caked laundry around the first car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>So it was all over the train car. They say he wiped it out, but it definitely needs disinfecting,” Robinson says after speaking with the train operator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They calmly head up the stairs and out of the station in pursuit of the man and spend about five minutes looking for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>We don’t see him anywhere. We always make an attempt to try to find somebody,” says Robinson, who had hoped to refer him to a shower and laundry truck that serves the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To do this job successfully, she says, it’s important to not get too emotionally involved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, my personal outlook and training is that, you know, this is their life, their problems, their choices,” Robinson says. “So I can’t dwell necessarily on the feelings that are so associated with seeing so much human misery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11979243\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two people in dark-blue uniforms talk to a BART train conductor.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BART Crisis Intervention Specialists Natalie Robinson (center) and Stephine Barnes speak to a BART train conductor about a man who had been causing a disturbance on the train. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Robinson says the support she and her team offer can be a game changer — if and when people actually accept it. She recounts trying to build a relationship, over months, with a young man she often saw riding the trains in her zone, obviously intoxicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And then one day, he came and asked for us and said he was ready for recovery,” she says. “He needed somebody to dial the phone for him. He needed somebody to talk to his dad for him. He was literally at his lowest point in his life. And you need a hand in those moments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She paused, waiting for the whine of a departing train to fade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So yeah, we are definitely needed,” she says. “There needs to be a 100 of us, not just 20.”\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "BART's crisis intervention team is part of the transit agency's ambitious new strategy to reach out to the many people in the sprawling transit system who struggle with lack of shelter, mental health problems or addiction — without involving the police.",
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"title": "'We Approach in Peace': Are BART's Efforts to Help People in Crisis Working? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On a recent rainy morning, Stephine Barnes paces slowly through a covered outdoor walkway off the main entrance of the San Leandro BART station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People like to camp out here because you have shelter. There’s no rain, it’s dry. So people just find little nooks and crannies,” Barnes says, surveying the area. “It’s usually where we find a lot of people in the wee hours of the morning, sleeping, camped out, wandering around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnes is a BART crisis intervention specialist, and her job entails seeking out and offering help to the many people in the sprawling transit system struggling with lack of shelter, mental health problems or addiction. She and her partner for the day, Natalie Robinson, are part of the agency’s ambitious new efforts to address a slew of human crises that show up on BART’s trains and platforms every day — without involving the police.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They spot a young woman with glasses and a purple bow in her hair who is hastily pulling belongings from a bike locker. Two roller bags, a dirty blanket and a ragged stuffed octopus are among the random array of possessions splayed on the ground around her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barnes and Robinson approach cautiously, mindful of a large Rottweiler sitting nearby.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We like to connect people with resources,” Robinson says. “So if you have a need for shelter, housing, anything like that, you can let us know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The woman, who gives her name as Cat, seems tentative but receptive. She tells them that she and her boyfriend arrived recently from Southern California. They had been living in their car and storing their belongings in the bike locker. But BART police had just ordered them to clear out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cat nods to the dog, which sports a black-and-white smiley face bandana around its neck. “That’s Einstein,” she says. “He’s our son.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, my goodness, you’re just a sweetheart,” Barnes exclaims, patting the dog’s head.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979248\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979248 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A middle-aged Black woman speaks to a younger woman wearing a purple hair decoration.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-12-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Outside the San Leandro Bart station, BART Crisis Intervention Specialist Stephine Barnes tells an unhoused person named Cat about a nearby housing assistance program. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She tells Cat to take her time retrieving her belongings, and emphasizes that she and Robinson are not police officers and aren’t there to pressure her to leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you guys are interested in getting on the list for permanent housing in Alameda County, there’s a place called Hedco in Hayward,” Barnes tells her. “You can get coffee in the morning and all that kind of stuff. And then they put you in line on how to get these resources for housing and all of those things Alameda County offers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Robinson explains how to get there and hands Cat her card, telling her to call if she needs anything.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m really bad with resources, honestly. So this is great,” Cat says, stuffing the card in her jacket pocket and continuing her hurried packing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t have to be out here forever,” Robinson says as she and Barnes wish Cat luck and head back toward the station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ll probably never know if she follows through.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It varies widely,” Robinson says. “We could bring someone to a resource, and they literally don’t walk in the door, or we connect somebody, and they follow all the way through.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>‘Customer service on steroids’\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In 2021, Barnes and Robinson, both seasoned BART employees, were among the first to join the crisis intervention team, now a 20-member crew dispatched throughout the 50-station transit system to offer help to people who appear to be overtly in need of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finding that population has gotten a good deal easier in recent years, amid a discernible uptick in the number of people on BART’s trains and platforms experiencing homelessness or suffering from serious mental health issues — a trend that mirrors \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/homeless-populations-surge-11-in-san-jose-and-8-17176329.php\">the overall surge\u003c/a> in the Bay Area’s unhoused population since the start of the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART realized “a lot of the problems that were happening outside the station were coming inside the station,” says Barnes, 53, who was a station agent for 27 years, most recently at the Coliseum station in Oakland, before taking this job. “And, of course, as an agent, you see that firsthand.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART’s boots-on-the-ground outreach approach, launched in the depths of the pandemic, marks a notable foray into social services for an agency whose main objective has always been getting people from point A to point B.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The effort comes as BART struggles to recoup ridership, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/202403%20MRR.pdf\">still hovers at just over 40%\u003c/a> of pre-pandemic levels, and as riders \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareacouncil.org/press-releases/new-poll-overwhelming-support-for-more-police-on-bart-greater-focus-on-cleanliness-and-stronger-enforcement-of-rules/\">consistently say in surveys that \u003c/a>they’re most dissatisfied with how the agency addresses homelessness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986011\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11986011 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut.jpg\" alt=\"Two middle-aged women in dark-blue uniforms speak to an unseen passenger on a BART train.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-06_qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BART Crisis Intervention Specialists Natalie Robinson (left) and Stephine Barnes check on the well-being of a BART passenger they think might need help. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Those factors have prompted BART’s leaders to ratchet up funding for crisis intervention and related services — to the tune of $11 million last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/Homeless%20Action%20Plan.pdf\">according to the agency’s 2023 homeless action plan\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People have seen a need for something different than what everyone was doing before, which was, ‘Call the police, call the police, call the police,’” says Barnes, who describes her job as “customer service on steroids.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most jobs at BART have existed since the agency started running trains more than 50 years ago, she notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was nothing, though, that really addressed the mental health component or the homelessness crisis that we’re experiencing in the Bay Area,” Barnes says. “So when I first read [about the job], I thought, ‘Wow, this is like the next-level customer service.’ Because some customers need more help than just buying a Clipper Card.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CISes, as they’re called, operate under the auspices of BART’s Police Department. But they wear distinctive, labeled uniforms and roam the stations and trains of their assigned zone in pairs, unaccompanied by sworn officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They also have no enforcement power and don’t carry any weapons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re armed, instead, with latex gloves, Narcan — used to reverse opioid overdoses — and police radios in the event they need backup. And they use electronic notepads to document and tally their interactions, data the agency hopes will eventually demonstrate the still-undetermined effectiveness of the program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some CISes, like Robinson, 49, who worked as a BART police dispatcher for 16 years, also load their pockets with snacks to hand out. Others carry extra pairs of clean socks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much of the help CISes offer comes in the form of referrals to a collection of social service and mental health nonprofits sprinkled throughout BART’s five-county service area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We get to do God’s work out here,” Robinson says. “We’re helping people who are unhoused, who have substance-abuse issues, mental health issues. And being able to connect them to the proper service — those who are willing to make changes in their life — it’s just really rewarding.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Signs of distress\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On this morning, Barnes and Robinson are about midway through an 8-hour shift, one that began at 5 a.m. and has taken them back and forth multiple times across their zone, from San Leandro to Lake Merritt stations. Much of that is spent patrolling train cars and platforms, searching for telltale signs of distress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We pay attention to maybe some drug paraphernalia, someone who might be passed out, and check on their welfare,” Robinson says. “And then we’re also patrolling stations and just interacting with the public and building relationships with individuals that we see on a repeat basis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BART station agents and train operators can reach out to the CISes for help dealing with difficult but non-threatening situations, Barnes says. Passengers can also now call BART police to request help from a non-sworn officer, and dispatchers are authorized to reroute certain 911 calls to them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979245\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979245 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a bathrobe and slippers walks on a train platform.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-07-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A person in a bathrobe and slippers walks along the platform of the Fruitvale BART Station — someone that Crisis Intervention Specialist Stephine Barnes says she has interacted with multiple times. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We can be more accessible to the public than the officers can. They’re responding to emergencies, they’re responding to fights, they’re responding to someone with a weapon,” Barnes says. “But we can take the time out. If you need to talk to me for an hour, you have me for an hour. If I need to escort you on the train, and I need to take you to a resource that’s 30, 40 minutes away, I have the time to do that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even when people are in their worst state, Barnes says, they’re still generally grateful to have someone checking in on them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, of course, there are times when you’re going to be called names and told ‘Get away, you’re going to get your ass kicked,’ she says. “But I got that more as a station agent than I have in this position.”\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>BART says CISes “\u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2023/news20230103-2\">have a background in social work\u003c/a>” or related experience and receive a month-long training that focuses on conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques for people suffering from mental health, homelessness and substance-abuse issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all trained in how to come in peace. So when we approach, we approach in peace,” Barnes says. “It’s about a greeting. It’s about, ‘Hey, how are you? How are you doing? How can I best support you?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And a lot of times, they’re very receptive to it,” she says. “But it takes time. Relationships take time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over roughly two hours that morning, Barnes and Robinson ask about 10 people if they need some help, including several semi-conscious riders slumped over on their seats and an older man near the entrance of the Coliseum station wrapped in a dirty blanket, muttering to himself. All, except Cat, the woman they encountered at San Leandro station, wave them off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last quarter of 2023, CISes \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/Quarterly%20Service%20Performance%20Review%20-%20Second%20Quarter%20Fiscal%20Year%202024%20-%20Presentation%20%281%29.pdf\">reported having more than 4,500 contacts\u003c/a>, of which 210 — just under 5% — resulted in verifiable connections to service providers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a game of patience. It may be the first contact somebody is ready to seek that help. Sometimes it might be the 20th contact,” says Ja’Son Scott, deputy chief of BART’s nascent Progressive Policing and Community Engagement Bureau, which encompasses the CIS program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scott’s bureau was launched \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/unarmed-bart-ambassadors-program-formalized-with-a-focus-on-community-service/article_f74c861e-326f-585d-9014-44665369b258.html\">in the fall of 2020\u003c/a>, just months after George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protests for racial justice and police accountability. BART says its new approach, aimed at helping to restore ridership, came in response to mounting requests from passengers for an increased safety presence in the system but with less reliance on armed officers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979241\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979241 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in uniform look through an open BART train door.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BART Crisis Intervention Specialists Natalie Robinson (left) and Stephine Barnes speak to passengers on a BART train that’s been stalled on the platform after a man reportedly flung a bag of feces-caked laundry around the first car. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The initiative has an annual budget of roughly $8 million, and in addition to the 20 CISes, it includes up to 10 “transit ambassadors” who also patrol the system, reporting safety concerns and “biohazards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>I realize we didn’t have all the tools as police officers to deal with all the issues that you see in BART, and it’s not always necessary for a police officer to do that,” Scott says. “We can’t arrest our way through these problems.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Outreach vs. enforcement\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>BART’s social service efforts, however, haven’t always gone smoothly. The agency’s inspector general \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/REPORT_%24350K%20for%20Homeless%20Outreach%20Yielded%20Unclear%20Results_Final_020323.pdf\">reported\u003c/a> last year that a $350,000 multiyear contract with the Salvation Army to address homelessness resulted in just one unsheltered person entering treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, BART’s Police Department has ramped up enforcement, \u003ca href=\"https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2024/news20240328\">reporting a 62% increase in arrests\u003c/a> last year while aggressively recruiting to fill vacant positions on its force by offering higher salaries and signing bonuses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those developments come as riders say they want to see more sworn officers in the system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://drive.zooce.com/management/builtinapps/fileoperator.aspx?child=1&a=D3B60E43-50D3-46D5-A799-2C3CECF14238&ro=1&fid=13728646727690992504_9832503603610834240\">2023 Bay Area Council poll\u003c/a> found three-fourths of respondents would make that a high priority. Four out of five agreed that people who violate BART’s code of conduct — rules that prohibit smoking, eating, and playing loud music, among other things — should be ejected from the system. And more than two-thirds of respondents said they thought BART should focus exclusively on running a clean, safe and reliable transit operation — while letting other public agencies deal with people in crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Debora Allen, a BART Board director, is among that majority. A staunch supporter of tougher law enforcement within the system, Allen was one of just two board members who voted against forming the Progressive Policing Bureau. And she remains dubious of its benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look, no one wants to help people who are down and out and in crisis more than me. I think all of us on that board have the same interest,” she says. But “transit isn’t the place to start social service programs. We have counties and cities who receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year to do this social service work. We should remain focused on transit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979246\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11979246 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A Narcan case on someone's belt.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-08-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephine Barnes and other crisis intervention specialists always carry Narcan, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Allen argues that BART is using scarce dollars to deliver services to people inside the system, all but incentivizing them to stay there, while offering little in the way of data to show if the program is actually helping people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I have argued all along is our first line of defense should be to keep those people out of the system,” Allen says, decrying BART’s failure to clamp down on rampant fare evasion. \u003cb>“\u003c/b>Having them wandering and sometimes even living inside of a transit system with active moving trains all the time is the most dangerous place for them to decide to live.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘We are definitely needed’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>At Lake Merritt station, Barnes and Robinson are dispatched to a Dublin-Pleasanton-bound train that’s been stalled on the platform after a man reportedly flung a bag of feces-caked laundry around the first car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>So it was all over the train car. They say he wiped it out, but it definitely needs disinfecting,” Robinson says after speaking with the train operator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They calmly head up the stairs and out of the station in pursuit of the man and spend about five minutes looking for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>“\u003c/b>We don’t see him anywhere. We always make an attempt to try to find somebody,” says Robinson, who had hoped to refer him to a shower and laundry truck that serves the area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To do this job successfully, she says, it’s important to not get too emotionally involved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I mean, my personal outlook and training is that, you know, this is their life, their problems, their choices,” Robinson says. “So I can’t dwell necessarily on the feelings that are so associated with seeing so much human misery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11979243\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11979243\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Two people in dark-blue uniforms talk to a BART train conductor.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/03/240313-BART-CRISIS-INTERVENTION-UNIT-MD-04-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BART Crisis Intervention Specialists Natalie Robinson (center) and Stephine Barnes speak to a BART train conductor about a man who had been causing a disturbance on the train. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But Robinson says the support she and her team offer can be a game changer — if and when people actually accept it. She recounts trying to build a relationship, over months, with a young man she often saw riding the trains in her zone, obviously intoxicated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And then one day, he came and asked for us and said he was ready for recovery,” she says. “He needed somebody to dial the phone for him. He needed somebody to talk to his dad for him. He was literally at his lowest point in his life. And you need a hand in those moments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She paused, waiting for the whine of a departing train to fade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So yeah, we are definitely needed,” she says. “There needs to be a 100 of us, not just 20.”\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Their Batteries Hurt the Environment, but EVs Still Beat Gas Cars. Here's Why",
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"content": "\u003cp>Electric vehicles are sometimes called “zero-emission vehicles.” But the batteries that go into them are not zero-emission at all. In fact, making those batteries takes \u003ca href=\"https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-much-co2-emitted-manufacturing-batteries\">a lot of (mostly-not-clean) energy \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/electric-car-batteries-geography/\">hurts the environment in other ways\u003c/a>, a fact that’s become common knowledge after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/partner-content-audi-nl-the-cost-of-batteries\">widespread \u003c/a>media \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2021/jan/11/the-curse-of-white-oil-electric-vehicles-dirty-secret-podcast\">coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Does that environmental damage cancel out the green benefits of giving up gasoline? Or, as Jennifer Sousie, who owns a Nissan Leaf, put it: “Does the manufacturing and ultimate disposal of the batteries completely negate all the good that the no-emission aspect of my car does?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer is no. Here’s why.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Batteries do more harm upfront — then less year after year\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With all that’s required to mine and process minerals — from giant diesel trucks to fossil-fuel-powered refineries — EV battery production has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-anti-dread-climate-podcast/whats-the-downside-of-going-electric\">a significant carbon footprint\u003c/a>. As a result, \u003ca href=\"https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-a-mid-size-bev-and-ice-vehicle\">building an electric vehicle\u003c/a> does more damage to the climate than building a gas car does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the gas car starts to catch up as soon as it goes its first mile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you look at the climate impact of building \u003cem>and using \u003c/em>a vehicle — something called a “lifecycle analysis” — \u003ca href=\"https://theicct.org/publication/a-global-comparison-of-the-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-combustion-engine-and-electric-passenger-cars/\">study \u003c/a>after \u003ca href=\"https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1875764/\">study\u003c/a> has found a clear benefit to EVs. The size of the benefit varies — by vehicle, the source of the electricity it runs on, and a host of other factors — but the overall trend is obvious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The results were clearer than we thought, actually,” says Georg Bieker, with the International Council on Clean Transportation, who authored one of those reports. (This is the group \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2015/09/24/443053672/how-a-little-lab-in-west-virginia-caught-volkswagens-big-cheat\">that busted Volkswagen\u003c/a> for cheating on its emissions tests. Holding industries accountable for whether they’re actually reducing emissions is the ICCT’s whole \u003cem>thing.\u003c/em>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Building a battery is an environmental cost that’s paid once. Burning gasoline is a cost that’s paid again, and again, and again.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Gasoline’s environmental cost is ongoing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Several listeners asked NPR about the negative impacts of mines, beyond carbon emissions. There are several: They disrupt habitats. They pollute with runoff or other waste. And people can suffer in other ways: \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/ev-mineral-manganese-south-africa/\">worker poisonings\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara\">child labor\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lithium-water-mining-indigenous-cb2f5b1580c12f8ba1b19223648069b7\">indigenous communities’ rights violated\u003c/a> and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thea Riofrancos is a political scientist who \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/01/29/1152387283/the-hidden-environmental-costs-of-the-transitioning-to-electric-vehicles\">has sounded the alarm\u003c/a> about these impacts. She’s glad people are asking these questions — which she’d like to see them do for more than just EVs. “The fact that mined products are in basically everything we use should give us pause,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, she says, anybody weighing an EV versus a gas-powered car needs to think just as carefully about the other side of the equation: the cost of relying on fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A traditional car needs mining every day, needs mining every time it’s used. It needs the whole extraction complex of fossil fuels in order to power it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The carbon pollution from burning gasoline and diesel in vehicles is the \u003ca href=\"https://usafacts.org/articles/what-are-the-main-sources-of-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/\">top contributor to climate change in the U.S\u003c/a>. And there are other costs: Oil spills; funding for corrupt oil-rich regimes; the illnesses and preventable deaths caused by pollution from fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add it up, she says, and if you’re concerned about all the harms from mining, you’ll still want to choose an EV over a comparable gas car.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New technology and better practices can reduce EVs’ footprint\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are several ways that manufacturing EVs could become cleaner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public pressure and a shift toward mining in regions with stronger regulations, like the U.S. instead of China, could reduce the harms done in mines. New technology, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/03/11/lithium-reserves-boom-mining-elements-energy\">a mining method called “direct lithium extraction,”\u003c/a> could produce minerals with much smaller footprints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Batteries are also changing. A group called Lead the Charge is \u003ca href=\"https://leadthecharge.org/scorecards/\">evaluating automakers\u003c/a> on their efforts to clean up supply chains and source materials ethically; there’s a wide range of ratings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, if you want to avoid cobalt in your battery because of the horrific mining conditions, you could seek out an LFP battery, which is made \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ev-batteries-lithium-iron-phosphate-narrows-gap-with-nickel-cobalt-2023-06-22/\">without cobalt\u003c/a> – they’re used in vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 and Ford Mach-E. In the future, batteries based on sodium might be an alternative to lithium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And last but not least, battery minerals \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhpr.org/environment/2022-01-26/mass-startup-transforms-old-electric-car-batteries-into-better-than-new-ones\">can be recycled\u003c/a>. This won’t meaningfully reduce the need for mining until huge numbers of EVs on the road have reached the end of their lifespan. But eventually, the same molecules of lithium and nickel could be used for many generations of cars – something that can’t be said for fossil fuels. (Recycling batteries is also important because it addresses environmental concerns about the risks of throwing them out.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11985790\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11985790\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy.jpg\" alt=\"A platform with four wheels sits parked on the side of the road.\" width=\"1300\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy.jpg 1300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A battery pack and a GMC Hummer EV stand outside an event in Lansing, Mich., in 2022. Thea Riofrancos says car shoppers concerned about the environmental impacts of mining for batteries can choose a smaller EV, instead of a behemoth like a Hummer, to minimize the harms. \u003ccite>(Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What’s best for the planet? Smaller batteries, fewer vehicles\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, for people who want to minimize their impact on the environment today, Riofrancos has some advice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11980088,science_1992222,science_1991185\"]First, ask whether you need a car at all. Riofrancos is a big advocate for bikes and public transit, which have much smaller footprints than an EV. But she also knows first-hand that many parts of the U.S. are not designed for car-free living — after years as a bike commuter, she now lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where that doesn’t work. (She tried.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her husband recently replaced their vehicle. “I was not going to buy another car that uses gasoline, knowing what I know about the climate,” she says. “But I also have a lot of question marks about EVs, knowing what I know about EV supply chains.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So after careful consideration, she bought an EV. But not just any EV. A used Chevy Bolt, which is a \u003cem>small \u003c/em>EV — smaller batteries require less mining. And since it was used, it was both more affordable and already had more than made up for the impacts of its manufacturing through the gasoline it had saved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listeners worried about battery mining impacts are asking the right questions, Riofrancos says. And the answers are more complicated than “yes” or “no” to EVs — they might include what kind of EV, what size and type of battery, and whether to buy a car at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You know, there’s no perfect world out there, but there is better and worse and everything in between,” Riofrancos says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Electric vehicles are sometimes called “zero-emission vehicles.” But the batteries that go into them are not zero-emission at all. In fact, making those batteries takes \u003ca href=\"https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-much-co2-emitted-manufacturing-batteries\">a lot of (mostly-not-clean) energy \u003c/a>and \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/electric-car-batteries-geography/\">hurts the environment in other ways\u003c/a>, a fact that’s become common knowledge after \u003ca href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/partner-content-audi-nl-the-cost-of-batteries\">widespread \u003c/a>media \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2021/jan/11/the-curse-of-white-oil-electric-vehicles-dirty-secret-podcast\">coverage\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Does that environmental damage cancel out the green benefits of giving up gasoline? Or, as Jennifer Sousie, who owns a Nissan Leaf, put it: “Does the manufacturing and ultimate disposal of the batteries completely negate all the good that the no-emission aspect of my car does?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer is no. Here’s why.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Batteries do more harm upfront — then less year after year\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>With all that’s required to mine and process minerals — from giant diesel trucks to fossil-fuel-powered refineries — EV battery production has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-anti-dread-climate-podcast/whats-the-downside-of-going-electric\">a significant carbon footprint\u003c/a>. As a result, \u003ca href=\"https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/comparative-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-a-mid-size-bev-and-ice-vehicle\">building an electric vehicle\u003c/a> does more damage to the climate than building a gas car does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the gas car starts to catch up as soon as it goes its first mile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you look at the climate impact of building \u003cem>and using \u003c/em>a vehicle — something called a “lifecycle analysis” — \u003ca href=\"https://theicct.org/publication/a-global-comparison-of-the-life-cycle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-of-combustion-engine-and-electric-passenger-cars/\">study \u003c/a>after \u003ca href=\"https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1875764/\">study\u003c/a> has found a clear benefit to EVs. The size of the benefit varies — by vehicle, the source of the electricity it runs on, and a host of other factors — but the overall trend is obvious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The results were clearer than we thought, actually,” says Georg Bieker, with the International Council on Clean Transportation, who authored one of those reports. (This is the group \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2015/09/24/443053672/how-a-little-lab-in-west-virginia-caught-volkswagens-big-cheat\">that busted Volkswagen\u003c/a> for cheating on its emissions tests. Holding industries accountable for whether they’re actually reducing emissions is the ICCT’s whole \u003cem>thing.\u003c/em>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Building a battery is an environmental cost that’s paid once. Burning gasoline is a cost that’s paid again, and again, and again.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Gasoline’s environmental cost is ongoing\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Several listeners asked NPR about the negative impacts of mines, beyond carbon emissions. There are several: They disrupt habitats. They pollute with runoff or other waste. And people can suffer in other ways: \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/ev-mineral-manganese-south-africa/\">worker poisonings\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara\">child labor\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lithium-water-mining-indigenous-cb2f5b1580c12f8ba1b19223648069b7\">indigenous communities’ rights violated\u003c/a> and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thea Riofrancos is a political scientist who \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/01/29/1152387283/the-hidden-environmental-costs-of-the-transitioning-to-electric-vehicles\">has sounded the alarm\u003c/a> about these impacts. She’s glad people are asking these questions — which she’d like to see them do for more than just EVs. “The fact that mined products are in basically everything we use should give us pause,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, she says, anybody weighing an EV versus a gas-powered car needs to think just as carefully about the other side of the equation: the cost of relying on fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A traditional car needs mining every day, needs mining every time it’s used. It needs the whole extraction complex of fossil fuels in order to power it,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The carbon pollution from burning gasoline and diesel in vehicles is the \u003ca href=\"https://usafacts.org/articles/what-are-the-main-sources-of-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/\">top contributor to climate change in the U.S\u003c/a>. And there are other costs: Oil spills; funding for corrupt oil-rich regimes; the illnesses and preventable deaths caused by pollution from fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add it up, she says, and if you’re concerned about all the harms from mining, you’ll still want to choose an EV over a comparable gas car.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>New technology and better practices can reduce EVs’ footprint\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>There are several ways that manufacturing EVs could become cleaner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public pressure and a shift toward mining in regions with stronger regulations, like the U.S. instead of China, could reduce the harms done in mines. New technology, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/03/11/lithium-reserves-boom-mining-elements-energy\">a mining method called “direct lithium extraction,”\u003c/a> could produce minerals with much smaller footprints.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Batteries are also changing. A group called Lead the Charge is \u003ca href=\"https://leadthecharge.org/scorecards/\">evaluating automakers\u003c/a> on their efforts to clean up supply chains and source materials ethically; there’s a wide range of ratings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now, if you want to avoid cobalt in your battery because of the horrific mining conditions, you could seek out an LFP battery, which is made \u003ca href=\"https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ev-batteries-lithium-iron-phosphate-narrows-gap-with-nickel-cobalt-2023-06-22/\">without cobalt\u003c/a> – they’re used in vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 and Ford Mach-E. In the future, batteries based on sodium might be an alternative to lithium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And last but not least, battery minerals \u003ca href=\"https://www.nhpr.org/environment/2022-01-26/mass-startup-transforms-old-electric-car-batteries-into-better-than-new-ones\">can be recycled\u003c/a>. This won’t meaningfully reduce the need for mining until huge numbers of EVs on the road have reached the end of their lifespan. But eventually, the same molecules of lithium and nickel could be used for many generations of cars – something that can’t be said for fossil fuels. (Recycling batteries is also important because it addresses environmental concerns about the risks of throwing them out.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11985790\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11985790\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy.jpg\" alt=\"A platform with four wheels sits parked on the side of the road.\" width=\"1300\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy.jpg 1300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/gettyimages-1237977311_wide-fc4aa98bd1e7a13368e09d93ce0698d1c795b3ad-copy-160x90.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A battery pack and a GMC Hummer EV stand outside an event in Lansing, Mich., in 2022. Thea Riofrancos says car shoppers concerned about the environmental impacts of mining for batteries can choose a smaller EV, instead of a behemoth like a Hummer, to minimize the harms. \u003ccite>(Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>What’s best for the planet? Smaller batteries, fewer vehicles\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, for people who want to minimize their impact on the environment today, Riofrancos has some advice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>First, ask whether you need a car at all. Riofrancos is a big advocate for bikes and public transit, which have much smaller footprints than an EV. But she also knows first-hand that many parts of the U.S. are not designed for car-free living — after years as a bike commuter, she now lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where that doesn’t work. (She tried.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She and her husband recently replaced their vehicle. “I was not going to buy another car that uses gasoline, knowing what I know about the climate,” she says. “But I also have a lot of question marks about EVs, knowing what I know about EV supply chains.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So after careful consideration, she bought an EV. But not just any EV. A used Chevy Bolt, which is a \u003cem>small \u003c/em>EV — smaller batteries require less mining. And since it was used, it was both more affordable and already had more than made up for the impacts of its manufacturing through the gasoline it had saved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listeners worried about battery mining impacts are asking the right questions, Riofrancos says. And the answers are more complicated than “yes” or “no” to EVs — they might include what kind of EV, what size and type of battery, and whether to buy a car at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You know, there’s no perfect world out there, but there is better and worse and everything in between,” Riofrancos says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California could soon deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to help reduce traffic jams, make roads safer and provide tax guidance, among other things, under new agreements announced Thursday as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to harness the power of new technologies for public services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state is partnering with five companies to create generative AI tools using technologies developed by tech giants such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google-backed Anthropic that would ultimately help the state provide better services to the public, administration officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a very good sign that a lot of these companies are putting their focus on using GenAI for governmental service delivery,” said Amy Tong, secretary of government operations for California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The companies will start a six-month internal trial during which state workers test and evaluate the tools. The companies will be paid $1 for their proposals. The state, which faces a significant budget deficit, can then reassess whether any tools could be fully implemented under new contracts. All the tools are considered low risk, meaning they don’t interact with confidential data or personal information, an administration spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom, a Democrat, touts California as a global hub for AI technology, noting that 35 of the world’s top 50 AI companies are in the state. He signed an executive order last year requiring the state to start exploring responsible ways to incorporate generative AI by this summer, with the goal of positioning California as an AI leader. In January, the state started asking technology companies to come up with generative AI tools for public services. Last month, California was among the first states to roll out guidelines on when and how state agencies could buy such tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Generative AI, a branch of AI that can create new content such as text, audio and photos, has significant potential to help government agencies become more efficient, but there’s also an urgent need for safeguards and oversight to limit risks, state officials and experts said. In New York City, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-chatbot-misinformation-6ebc71db5b770b9969c906a7ee4fae21\">an AI-powered chatbot\u003c/a> created by the city to help small businesses was found to dole out false guidance and advise companies to violate the law. The rapidly growing technology has also raised concerns about job loss, misinformation, privacy and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-ai-explained-policy-technology-regulations-discrimination-d3226c9139d3d06af263e7ff467d0666\">automation bias\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While state governments \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lobbying-artificial-intelligence-regulation-bias-discrimination-58eab95d279648e759f9099ca4249f00\">struggle to regulate AI in private sectors\u003c/a>, many are exploring how public agencies can leverage the powerful technology for the public good. California’s approach, which also requires companies to disclose what large language models they use to develop AI tools, is meant to build public trust, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s efforts of testing the tools extensively and allowing state workers to provide feedback are some of the best practices to limit potential risks, said Meredith Lee, chief technical advisor for UC Berkeley’s College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. The challenge is ensuring the state continues testing and learning the tools’ potential risks after deployment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not something where you just work on testing for some small amount of time, and that’s it,” Lee said. “Putting in the structures for people to be able to revisit and better understand the deployments further down the line is really crucial.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11976097,news_11983752,news_11979306\"]The California Department of Transportation is looking for tools that would analyze traffic data and come up with solutions to reduce highway traffic and make roads safer. The state’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which administers more than 40 programs, wants an AI tool to help its call center cut wait times and call length. The state is also seeking technologies to provide non-English speakers information about health and social services benefits in their language and to streamline the inspection process for health care facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tool is designed to assist state workers, not replace them, said Nick Maduros, director of the Department of Tax and Fee Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Call center workers there took more than 660,000 calls last year. The state envisions AI technology listening to those calls and pulling up specific tax code information associated with the problem the caller is describing. The worker could decide whether to use the information. Currently, call center workers must simultaneously listen to the call and manually look up the code, Maduros said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it turns out it doesn’t serve the public better, then we’re out $1,” Maduros said. “And I think that’s a pretty good deal for the citizens of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tong wouldn’t say when a successfully vetted tool would be deployed but added that the state is moving as fast as it can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The whole essence of using GenAI is it doesn’t take years,” Tong said. “GenAI doesn’t wait for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California could soon deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to help reduce traffic jams, make roads safer and provide tax guidance, among other things, under new agreements announced Thursday as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to harness the power of new technologies for public services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state is partnering with five companies to create generative AI tools using technologies developed by tech giants such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google-backed Anthropic that would ultimately help the state provide better services to the public, administration officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is a very good sign that a lot of these companies are putting their focus on using GenAI for governmental service delivery,” said Amy Tong, secretary of government operations for California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The companies will start a six-month internal trial during which state workers test and evaluate the tools. The companies will be paid $1 for their proposals. The state, which faces a significant budget deficit, can then reassess whether any tools could be fully implemented under new contracts. All the tools are considered low risk, meaning they don’t interact with confidential data or personal information, an administration spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Newsom, a Democrat, touts California as a global hub for AI technology, noting that 35 of the world’s top 50 AI companies are in the state. He signed an executive order last year requiring the state to start exploring responsible ways to incorporate generative AI by this summer, with the goal of positioning California as an AI leader. In January, the state started asking technology companies to come up with generative AI tools for public services. Last month, California was among the first states to roll out guidelines on when and how state agencies could buy such tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Generative AI, a branch of AI that can create new content such as text, audio and photos, has significant potential to help government agencies become more efficient, but there’s also an urgent need for safeguards and oversight to limit risks, state officials and experts said. In New York City, \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-chatbot-misinformation-6ebc71db5b770b9969c906a7ee4fae21\">an AI-powered chatbot\u003c/a> created by the city to help small businesses was found to dole out false guidance and advise companies to violate the law. The rapidly growing technology has also raised concerns about job loss, misinformation, privacy and \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-ai-explained-policy-technology-regulations-discrimination-d3226c9139d3d06af263e7ff467d0666\">automation bias\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While state governments \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/lobbying-artificial-intelligence-regulation-bias-discrimination-58eab95d279648e759f9099ca4249f00\">struggle to regulate AI in private sectors\u003c/a>, many are exploring how public agencies can leverage the powerful technology for the public good. California’s approach, which also requires companies to disclose what large language models they use to develop AI tools, is meant to build public trust, officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s efforts of testing the tools extensively and allowing state workers to provide feedback are some of the best practices to limit potential risks, said Meredith Lee, chief technical advisor for UC Berkeley’s College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. The challenge is ensuring the state continues testing and learning the tools’ potential risks after deployment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is not something where you just work on testing for some small amount of time, and that’s it,” Lee said. “Putting in the structures for people to be able to revisit and better understand the deployments further down the line is really crucial.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The California Department of Transportation is looking for tools that would analyze traffic data and come up with solutions to reduce highway traffic and make roads safer. The state’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration, which administers more than 40 programs, wants an AI tool to help its call center cut wait times and call length. The state is also seeking technologies to provide non-English speakers information about health and social services benefits in their language and to streamline the inspection process for health care facilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The tool is designed to assist state workers, not replace them, said Nick Maduros, director of the Department of Tax and Fee Administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Call center workers there took more than 660,000 calls last year. The state envisions AI technology listening to those calls and pulling up specific tax code information associated with the problem the caller is describing. The worker could decide whether to use the information. Currently, call center workers must simultaneously listen to the call and manually look up the code, Maduros said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it turns out it doesn’t serve the public better, then we’re out $1,” Maduros said. “And I think that’s a pretty good deal for the citizens of California.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tong wouldn’t say when a successfully vetted tool would be deployed but added that the state is moving as fast as it can.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The whole essence of using GenAI is it doesn’t take years,” Tong said. “GenAI doesn’t wait for you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
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}
},
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"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"here-and-now": {
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
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